Electronic Throttle Controller
 

So I heard "from a friend" that our cars (and some other new cars/makes/models) come with a strange behavior where when you depress on the gas pedal, the manufacturer adds a sort of "lag" and thus, gives our cars a bad response.

Some google searching and a few mins later, I have my eyes set on one of these:

https://www.pedalcommander.com/?v=7516fd43adaahttps://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...8ce1ba1f38.jpg


There are a ton of different brands out there, like apex-i and weapon-r to name a few. I wanted to ask, has anyone else out there had any first person experience with these things? Do they make that much of a difference (or any at all?)




before someone says it, I AM AWARE this thing wont add power to our little cars. some added response would make for a more fun and peppy car and I'm all for that! (assuming this thing works as advertised of course)

*** reserved ***

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...afea7acc31.png
$299 is kinda steep... they claim it won't void warranties- so that's a "thing"...

this guy claims it makes a difference.. but never actually shows us...
?_? idk



i'm airing between borderline retarded and possibly useful for hypermiling?... it looks like all it does is change the throttle position being registered at a given pedal depth.

So it's like my EX CVT when I tap the tree hugger button or pull the car back into Sport mode. If I drive with the econ mode on for a week, then suddenly use sport mode, I normally have to apologize for my odd takeoffs.

for science ...... I went ahead and ordered it. with the magic of amazon prime, I'll give my impressions is just 2 business day s

Probably makes the response a little more like a drive by cable throttle.

I remember driving the 2018 Mercedes C and E classes. With their throttles drive by wire, I could stab the gas pedal all the way to the floor and totally release it before the revs even moved at all. And when they moved, it was not proportionate to my input on the pedal.

Looking forward to your review. Good luck!

speaking of myxalplyx .... once upon a time he mentioned THIS one to me:


https://www.sprintboostersales.com/How-It-Works.cfm

compared to the one I bought, this one appears to have some cool features:

-a simple, easy to use controller
-password feature, added security level/anti theft
-valet mode, so those valet boys dont have too much fun with your car

as a bonus, it is cheaper, $289. or $269 for the older v2. I kinda wish I went with this one =\

I remember him posting about and had to do a search. At the time, he posted a DO NOT BUY. Not sure which version he has and if this one is now stable:

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...oster-cvt.html

I had the very first 'TEST' one as I was trying it out for SprintBooster before they sold it to the Fit community. SprintBooster didn't state to me whether they changed it to work on other Fits. They told me it was the same. It didn't work on my car though. They told me no-one else had any problems with it on their car though.

So, one thing is apparent ... this thing does work. The second you tap on the gas pedal, there is an IMMEDIATE response.


I have been playing with "city" mode for the past few days. On its base settings, I believe the manufacturer claims that it is comparable to a drive-by-wire car with no delays. And I'm gonna have to say I am in full agreement on those claims. For my personal liking, I prefer the City mode and -2 sensitivity (for the sake of not tanking my mpg)

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...74e2ee7861.jpg



https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...7175c7d00c.png
https://www.pedalcommander.com/insta...v=7516fd43adaa


I only gave SPORT+ mode a try for a few minutes, as the response was so aggressive/sensitive that it is going to pretty much require me to re learn how to drive the car. I'm going to have to revisit this mode on the weekends when I have more free time. Assuming I were a person with talent like Myxalplyx, and took my car to the track, SPORT+ mode would 100% be the mode of choice for a day of fun

After I master these 2 modes, I'll toy around with the mode in the middle (SPORT) and report back with my findings




NOTE:
ECO MODE SUCKS ... it makes the car so friggin lethargic that I cant recommend it. Also, for steep hill climbs, its common knowledge in the hyper-mile community to "hurry up and get up to speed" as opposed to "lets drive up this hill as slow as possible" to maximize mpg

This is VERY interesting.

IF you do buy one, remember, there are a ton of brands out there. some of which are cheaper

someone on a fb group had an apex-i smart throttle controller for sale for I think $150, and that was what led me on this mission.

Thanks for your review. I really wished my Sprintbooster did this as this is EXACTLY how it is supposed to operate. After driving with one on my RAV4, I don't want to ever drive any car without it. It totally changes the 'character' of how the car feels like to drive. It 'feels' like it has much more torque off idle. We know it isn't but it feels like this. People will argue you can do the same thing by mashing the throttle harder/faster off idle and in theory you can but it doesn't 'feel' the same. And it's the 'feel' that I understand and want. Glad you like it.

Really digging your enthusiasm. I may have a surprise or two for you soon. If you want, feel free to send me your address in a PM. Good luck on your modding journeys.

BTW: What are all the modifications you have done to your vehicle so far?

your posts, threads, and ESP your results ... a HUGE motivator for me. I especially loved the intake box you made .... not pretty , but you cant deny those results! you came so close to hitting 14s, I really wish you kept the car and found a way to make it happen!



(shortened the list, not sure if you cared about interior, exterior, audio, etc)

full mod list in post 2, which needs to be updated big time:
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...ml#post1399083

Looks promising, especially if you say it makes the pedal feel a lot like a drive by cable car. Oftentimes I will blip my throttle to catch a lower gear and the revs just go nowhere, and you know how that feels. Never had that issue on my DBC cars.

DEAL ALERT!

$259


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...70f169bc83.png

I was going to pick up a 3-drive PRO from Pivot while I was on my trip on Japan, but they were sold out everywhere and the earliest they will be available is late September..
The cool thing about the PRO is that it doesn't require OBD-2 connection like many other Pivot or other brand throttle controllers require. However, some of the models you can connect to OBD2 and read misc temps and pressures, automatically blip for you on downshifts, or add cruise control if you use a aftermarket steering wheel and delete it off of the stock steering wheel. The PRO cost about $220 USD and another $40 for the harness (TH-7B is for GK)

3-drive ・PRO

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...b280cd3115.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...d7a376aded.jpg

Some other models

so over the weekend, I removed the Throttle Controller .... for kicks & giggles. good lord.... how the heck did I ever live without this thing?!

car felt lethargic. at one point it felt like it was harder to drive the car as I'd constantly think to myself "oh no, its gonna stall" at every stop light.




I will note one thing, even in city mode -2 and -3, MPG has over all taken a slight hit. I'll be testing out city mode -4 for a few weeks and report back.

minor update:

I've spent a solid 3 wks in Japan, so very little data to report back.

Also, with very little highway driving as of late, my mpg's have tanked as a direct result. For the time being, City mode -4 appears to have no mpg benefits over the other modes .... I'll pass judgement on this conclusion as soon as I get some more highway driving samples

One thing to note, in ECO mode, my mpg suffered as a result of me having to constantly floor the pedal .... City -4 may have a similar effect where my right foot is needing to compensate by adding more gas and making mpg's go down .... we'll see