throttle accelerator user feedback / review

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Reverence
Senior Standardshifter
Posts: 264
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 12:46 pm
Cars: Peugeot 307 2L
Location: Beijing, China

throttle accelerator user feedback / review

Post by Reverence »

Product name: 6-Drive Potent Booster
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 839&type=1
cost: around 160 USD

I mentioned before that I found the DBW throttle lag annoying, specially at low (near idle) RPMs in 1st and 2nd gear, at low speed (like in a traffic jam or in parking lots): You gradually step on the throttle, response does not come in sync, but it comes a split second later in one burst of sudden acceleration (car jumps forward). Of course I could feather it, allowing for the delay in response to cause smaller unnoticeable bursts of mild acceleration, but it was easy to mess it up too.
It was suggested to me by Cow to go for an after market ECU tweak (costly) and by Shadow to try a throttle booster. Having not found a reliable ECU tweaker in Beijing, I opted for a throttle booster (accelerator). The one I chose is Chinese made, multi-mode, with different intensity settings for each mode. Want to share my experience with this gadget, after one week of testing.

The modes are:
-Full acceleration mode Manual (9 settings)
-Full acceleration mode Auto (9 settings)
-Half acceleration mode Manual (9 settings)
-Half acceleration mode Auto (9 settings)
-Original (factory settings)
-Fuel economy (9 settings)
stuff the Auto modes :)

Both Full and Half acceleration modes do the same thing, but to a different degree:
They make the throttle demand/engine response steeper, to start off, and gradually levelling off. So you get about 50% of the Original throttle response for first 1/4 of pedal travel, and the rest spread out over the remaining 3/4.
You don't feel throttle lag when launching and picking up speed, but I didn't have problems with that, to start with. At slow speed manoeuvres, the lag is still there, but a little shorter in duration, so the ride is not smoother than before.
It is more fun drive around in that mode, the car feels more responsive to the point you forget throttle lag is there...but it is, when you'd care to notice.

Fuel economy mode makes the response less steep, to start off, and gradually picking up towards the end of pedal travel. You get about 30% of the Original throttle response for the first 1/2 of pedal travel, then the remaining 70% for the remaining 1/2.
The interesting thing about Economic mode is that you seldom get a surge of acceleration, all actions on the throttle result in a smooth response from the engine, albeit, not in sync. It is a slower response than original throttle response, but then it does not come as a sudden burst that tosses the car forward. So, for what it's worth, Eco mode kind of solves the throttle lag annoyance for me, and makes throttle feel more cable like while accelerating.
Another thing Eco mode does is it creates rev hang, which is something I didn't have before. This does not annoy me so much, as it contributes to the smoothness at low speeds (in low gears).

Interesting to note:
1) The intensity settings of each modes makes setting 9 more 'aggressive' than setting 1, except for Eco mode, for which the reverse is true.
2) Eco mode lengthens the ECU response time, something which it can logically do. The other modes don't decrease it, and I guess they can't logically do so.

Usage: I would probably use the Half acceleration mode at medium intensity most times, and the Economic mode when taking the wife & kid out, or when in bad traffic.


verdict: I like this product.
Rate: 5 (for what it's supposed to do)
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