Throttle Control Options !$?

[emoody007]

OK... So I was looking to add a throttle control module to my 2018 2dr Rubicon 2.0 Turbo. A lot of people with the turbos complain about Turbo Lag but in all honesty I think 90% of the delay is throttle lag with the fly by wire gas pedal. So I decided to start researching products and pricing and discovered there wasn't very much on the subject here on the forum so I decided to start this Thread.
So far I've found 4 different units with different prices and feature/benefits. Here is a list of a few that I've looked at with pricing and features but I would love other people's feedback and experiences as well.

Pedal Commander $299.99
Seems to have the most features but is the highest priced and bulky compared to the others. Bluetooth seems cool but I really don't want to mess with a phone app to set the throttle control. Features can be controlled on the box but like I stated, it's bulky and personally I think its a bit tacky to mount to my interior. It also wires back to the pedal. Tons of settings but seems like overkill.
USA company, product Made in Turkey.

Sprint Booster V3 $289.99
simple operation... 3 settings... off/factory, Sport, and Race. Both Sport and Race mode have 9 settings. Interface is wired but small and I like the Red digital numbers since I drive a Rubi with red trim. USA Company, product Made in Greece

iDrive EVC $229.99
Similar to Sprint Booster, small and sleek. 2 modes Eco and Ultimate. Both with 9 settings. Don't care for the blue digital read out but definitely like the silver face plate and additional color face plates can be purchased. Cheaper product but with less features. iDriveUSA is a USA company but I'm not sure where the unit is made. I've heard China but don't quote me on that. I'll edit if someone can correct me.

Hikeit X9 $199.99
This is a new one that has been popping up on my FB and Instagram feeds. It seems to be very similar to the iDrive but with more settings like the Pedal Commander (PC). 4 settings with 9 levels like the PC. HIKEit (maximum acceleration), Cruise (for everyday driving), Sport/Tow, and Eco/4x4. Seems very comparable featurewise to the PC without the Bluetooth. Also available with colored face plate of your choosing instead of an add on cost.
USA company, Chip made in Europe?

I'm sure I'm missing other products and forgetting other details about the products listed but here is where I'm leaning....
I'm leaning towards the Sprint Booster V3 or the HIKEit X9. The Sprint has a nice design and I've seen the demo video and its very impressive. I like the simplicity of it. I also like the iDrive but the HIKEit is priced better and looks very similar but with the PC features. I think the higher cost of the PC is mostly due to the Bluetooth which isn't that big of a selling point for me. The Hikeit seems to be the biggest bang for the buck minus the bluetooth. However do I really need 36 different settings? I'm sure that somewhere some of the settings are identical to other mode settings. Also, until recently I haven't heard or seen anything about HIKEit. It could be a piece of garbage for all I know. I was hoping to find out more about it or see some reviews.
Anyway, I would love to hear everyone's thoughts, opinions and yes even arguments. lol.

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[Toycrusher]

I tried pedal commander on my 6-speed and it was terrible. It did not in any way make the throttle more controllable, it simply reduced the pedal travel required to reach WOT, essentially making it LESS controllable. If pushing the pedal further is too much trouble, then by all means buy one of these. But if you posses the necessary dexterity in your ankle... simply increase the speed at which you press the pedal to your desired position and enjoy all the benefits of one of these modules without any of the cost...

 

[emoody007]

I tried pedal commander on my 6-speed and it was terrible. It did not in any way make the throttle more controllable, it simply reduced the pedal travel required to reach WOT, essentially making it LESS controllable. If pushing the pedal further is too much trouble, then by all means buy one of these. But if you posses the necessary dexterity in your ankle... simply increase the speed at which you press the pedal to your desired position and enjoy all the benefits of one of these modules without any of the cost...

Well I'm not sure about the technology involved with the Pedal Commander. However in other controllers I've looked at it they do more than control the pedal travel. The throttle is controlled by an electrical signal that opens the throttle up at a specified rate of speed. Most throttle controllers are designed to increase the throttle body speed in accordance to the speed and position of the pedal itself. Watch this video on the Sprint Booster and you'll see what I'm talking about. The lag is reduced by an electrical signal produced. see the link below.

 

[Toycrusher]

Marketing hoopla out of the way, the factory ECM responds to the voltage it senses on the throttle signal wire. The factory TPS sensor passes a progressively increasing (or decreasing depending on design) amount of voltage on to the ECM and the ECM responds accordingly.

The only thing these modules can do is take the voltage coming from the TPS sensor, modify it, then pass it on to the ECM. All you are doing is telling the ECM that the throttle pedal is in a different position than what it actually is. The vehicle may feel more powerful, because you get more throttle with less pedal movement, but nothing has actually changed or been improved.

I will give Pedal Commander credit that they cheerfully refunded my money. I bought it to try to reduce the rev hang, hoping it would cut throttle voltage faster than stock, but it had no effect. The rev hang is programmed into the ECM and would need a tuner to remove.

 

[emoody007]

Marketing hoopla out of the way, the factory ECM responds to the voltage it senses on the throttle signal wire. The factory TPS sensor passes a progressively increasing (or decreasing depending on design) amount of voltage on to the ECM and the ECM responds accordingly.

The only thing these modules can do is take the voltage coming from the TPS sensor, modify it, then pass it on to the ECM. All you are doing is telling the ECM that the throttle pedal is in a different position than what it actually is. The vehicle may feel more powerful, because you get more throttle with less pedal movement, but nothing has actually changed or been improved.

I will give Pedal Commander credit that they cheerfully refunded my money. I bought it to try to reduce the rev hang, hoping it would cut throttle voltage faster than stock, but it had no effect. The rev hang is programmed into the ECM and would need a tuner to remove.

I understand what you're saying. But there is a little more going on then just pedal position. If you watch the video you will see an increase in the speed of which the throttle position opens up. The signal from the ECU is actually causing the actuator to move the plate faster then the normal signal. I believe this is because a new packaged signal is being delivered from the pedal module that contains more than just pedal position. Now the Pedal Commander may have only sent a generic pedal position signal and that's why you didn't like it. But that's not the case for most throttle controllers. Simply pressing the pedal faster will not effect the actuator speed of the throttle plate.
Throttle controllers take information directly from the accelerator pedal position sensor, “advance” the numbers in a high-speed controller circuit, then send the new-and-improved signal to your vehicle’s ECU – by passing checks that may cause confusion or errors when a final signal is sent to open the throttle plate. But since throttle controllers are linked in to your vehicle’s ECU, they can also take the opportunity to make useful revisions to air/fuel mixture and ignition timing to increase actual horsepower and torque in addition to speed of responsiveness.
more details on - https://www.carid.com/articles/why-should-i-add-throttle-controller.html

 

[Toycrusher]

I'm anxious to be proven wrong. I saw the video, but I think it wasn't representative of what actually happens in the vehicle. Usually they won't open wot unless the vehicle is in gear, and typically they won't open at all unless the engine is running... it was a great video and table demonstration but I don't believe it

 

[Go Outside]

Ill wait until someone buys one, installs it and confirms that it is somehow different than pressing the pedal faster.

 

[emoody007]

Ill wait until someone buys one, installs it and confirms that it is somehow different than pressing the pedal faster.

Well, I decided to go with the Hikeit X9. Call it a early x-mas gift. I should have it installed sometime this weekend and will give my thoughts and impressions on it early next week. From the videos I've seen, people like it. From what I've seen the throttle body only opens at a pre set rate regardless of how fast you press the pedal. Depending on which controller you get, it's supposed to not only increase the sensitivity of the pedal but increase the speed that the throttle body opens when you press it, but we will see I guess. Depending on what setting you use it should give close to a 1 to 1 ratio. I may try to do a video with it in factory mode then on the highest setting. I'll try to capture my foot stomping the pedal in conjunction with the engine rev to see how much delay there is between factory and full settings.

 

[Go Outside]

Well, I decided to go with the Hikeit X9. Call it a early x-mas gift. I should have it installed sometime this weekend and will give my thoughts and impressions on it early next week. From the videos I've seen, people like it. From what I've seen the throttle body only opens at a pre set rate regardless of how fast you press the pedal. Depending on which controller you get, it's supposed to not only increase the sensitivity of the pedal but increase the speed that the throttle body opens when you press it, but we will see I guess. Depending on what setting you use it should give close to a 1 to 1 ratio. I may try to do a video with it in factory mode then on the highest setting. I'll try to capture my foot stomping the pedal in conjunction with the engine rev to see how much delay there is between factory and full settings.

Im looking forward to your results. I am skeptical that the preset throttle body opening speed can be adjusted by intercepting and modifying the throttle position signal. I have been wrong before, hopefully I am again.

 

[jeepdabest]

Love my Pedal Commander!!

 

[Go Outside]

Well, I decided to go with the Hikeit X9. Call it a early x-mas gift. I should have it installed sometime this weekend and will give my thoughts and impressions on it early next week. From the videos I've seen, people like it. From what I've seen the throttle body only opens at a pre set rate regardless of how fast you press the pedal. Depending on which controller you get, it's supposed to not only increase the sensitivity of the pedal but increase the speed that the throttle body opens when you press it, but we will see I guess. Depending on what setting you use it should give close to a 1 to 1 ratio. I may try to do a video with it in factory mode then on the highest setting. I'll try to capture my foot stomping the pedal in conjunction with the engine rev to see how much delay there is between factory and full settings.

So, how did it go? Did it increase responsiveness or did it just make the pedal more sensitive?

 

[emoody007]

So, how did it go? Did it increase responsiveness or did it just make the pedal more sensitive?

So, how did it go? Did it increase responsiveness or did it just make the pedal more sensitive?

I apologize for the "Delay" on posting a follow up. Pun intended. Anyway.... Yes for sure on the pedal being more sensitive. In the Hikeit mode its too much, you barely touch the pedal and it launches. As far as the throttle body moving faster... Well, it seems to be more responsive. The RPM's definitely go up almost instantaneously when you touch the pedal and seem to follow my foot speed closer than factory, so there seems to be less lag. However having the turbo there is still a slight amount of turbo lag so it makes the throttle body speed less noticeable than the sensitivity of the pedal itself, if that makes any sense. The 3.6 engine might be more suitable for testing the throttle body speed, but in my humble opinion it does seem to be faster, unless I'm suffering from an extreme case of the Placebo effect of having a more sensitive pedal. My fiance' bought me the product as a Xmas gift and used a discount code and was able to pick it up for around $160 or something like that. All in all, the install only took a few minutes and I'm pretty pleased with it and it's something that I would buy if she hadn't bought it for me. For less than $200 I would say it's a good buy.

 

[Go Outside]

Ill accept that. If it feels real than it is. Thanks for the feed back.

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

After learning of the Hikeit system I was intrigued and went to their website to learn more. Have to be honest, having a message about so-and-so bought one pop up every 15 or so seconds was maddening - finally just closed the website. Message to web designers everywhere - just because you CAN exploit a feature doesn't mean you SHOULD.

 

[AnnDee4444]

FWIW: Banks will be making a throttle controller also: https://official.bankspower.com/insider_news/rd-banks-pedalmonster/

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