ISIS wiring kits - thoughts?

[malbright]

I just wanted to see what the thoughts of these kits was from those who have them or have seen them installed. They look nice and have a lot of features. Are they reliable? Easy to install? Clean looking?



Looking at the 3 cell starter kit and whatever else I may need to run fuel injection, air, and standard gauges.

Thanks

[parsonsj]

My experience with ISIS is here:

https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...ation-complete

Net: I'd prefer to do all wiring using ISIS. If you are just re-wiring a car without adding modern features, I don't see much functional benefit, though the underlying ISIS technology is far superior to 60s wiring methods.

[wellis77]

ISIS is an awesome setup, and the guys their are second to none. That said, it isn't for everybody. It is for the guy who wants modern electrical conveniences in their old ride with built-in safety features like security as well as the ability to diagnose issues with relative ease. I haven't installed mine yet, but I am most excited about doing this part of my build.

[Gandalf]

I can mimic the above from John & Will exactly. If I was building the same car over, I would use ISIS or similar again. But I have a head for wiring and such so I'm a little biased plus I wanted some of the built-in, modern abilities like dome light dimming, push-to-start, fob security etc. Electric windows, audio, air-ride, a/c, door locks RS style headlight doors etc' can all be done with standard electric systems but nice to have them all integrated.

Are they reliable?
In my experience, Yes. Lots of redundancy built-in but I'd estimate it more likely any fault coming down to installation/wiring outside of the modules themselves.

Easy to install?
If you were looking to use some added functionality (like those mentioned above) then overall, yes. I'd prefer a single, integrated system to one with lots of third-party modules tacked-on. That said, people have been doing that for years with great success. It can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Consider who will install the kit? Also consider the physical location and mounting of the modules (and their associated master fuses).

Clean looking?
As clean as you want to install the modules themselves and cover/route the wiring. For the most part, you'll want to put the modules out of sight anyway but up to you.

Looking at the 3 cell starter kit and whatever else I may need to run fuel injection, air, and standard gauges.
At the risk of stating something you might already know, keep in mind that ISIS in and of itself does not provide anything specific to your engine/wiring harness, a/c, nor gauges other than a switched 12v source (eg: ignition). If running a 3rd-party ignition system or LSx style harness, the most ISIS will provide is that basic, switched 12v source. That's not a bad thing, just worth noting.

ISIS will help eliminate SOME of the 3rd party modules and the wiring you might otherwise have needed for additional functions like those mentioned above (security and push-to-start for example).

Planning. Spend time (preferably BEFORE you purchase) planning out what would need to go where in your particular installation. Consideration toward where the individual modules will be located and need to be mounted. I guess you could just "bolt them to the nearest surface" but the wording of your question makes me think this would be a concern for you like it was for me. You will need to either fabricate something (or give Rodger at Ironworks a call).

In my case - I used a late model C6 Corvette steering column and dash which, when combined with the ISIS system gave me the ability to reuse the stalks on the column and push-to-start and other functions of the dash. You could do same with a conventional wiring system but you'd need to run a bunch of relays and route 12v everywhere. Again, with the low-voltage switching in modern equipment, ISIS allowed me to directly wire/switch these - a customisation that would have turned out much more complex with a conventional wiring system.

Speaking of 12v - the other nice thing about ISIS is the fact that it is ground switched. That means running small 22ga wires to switches and just running them to ground through the switch. These wires have little current running through them unlike the conventional 12v lines you'd normally have to deal with. Think about that vs a conventional system. IF you've wired the conventional way before - this is heaven! Not to labor the point but people have been wiring cars the conventional way for years and with todays kits from AAW etc - it can all be done. But if you are looking at anything custom - ISIS is definitely worth doing IMHO.

Also worth consideration in the planning stages: As PT folks - a lot of us are putting the battery in the trunk. Keep that in mind when planning out your ISIS install. Each module has two 12v fused lines running to it. Consider where those (8ga?) wires will be run from/to and where you will mount those fuses. If you have OCD like me - it all went in the trunk with the battery and then I ran those lines forward through the car to the modules mounted up front. True - the runs from those modules to the destination "device" like lights etc was shorter but you still have to get 12v to the modules.

ISIS staff and support. Without a doubt - one of the most helpful, supportive and responsive vendors IMHO. Jay and his team have been extreemly helpful and gone above and beyond on several occasions.

And lastly - once wired (and even while wiring the car), the built-in diagnostics is extreemly helpful once you understand how it works and what it is telling you.

So over-all..... I'm very pro-ISIS but I think it is important to help set realistic expectations going in. Plan it out ahead of time and you will be rewarded. Happy to help in any way with what I have learned. Post back here or PM me if you want.

Gregg

[malbright]

John thanks for the link....

Gregg,

Phenomenal information, and exactly what I was looking for. In fact so detailed I appreciate the time you took to reply with that much detail. Again thank you very much. I'm sold.

[Jay_Harris]

Guys,

Thanks for the comments. We appreciate your support.

Marc, please feel free to reach out to our tech guys if you have any questions specifically related to your project.

Jay

[malbright]

Guys,

Thanks for the comments. We appreciate your support.

Marc, please feel free to reach out to our tech guys if you have any questions specifically related to your project.

Jay

Thanks jay, I actually tried to get a hold of you today. Jon at new gen wheels said to call you and I did have a few questions. I'll try again but your system seems very nice.