See the Windbooster throttle controllers advertised at a pretty good price, while they are supposed to improve various throttle functions nothing is cheap if its not needed or of dubious use towing a caravan.
Are these a worthwhile addition to your tug for caravan towing?
Peter_n_Margaret said
10:03 AM Mar 13, 2016
How about a link so we have some idea of what you are talking about?
Cheers,
Peter
dorian said
10:08 AM Mar 13, 2016
AIUI, this device intercepts the signal from the Pedal Position Sensor (PPS) and amplifies it. It also accentuates the rate of change of this signal. So this means that the vehicle's ECU is made to believe that the pedal movement is larger and faster than it actually is.
What is the point of that, and isn't this potentially dangerous?
BTW, I wouldn't be surprised if this gadget contains little more than a couple of jelly-bean op-amps. As for the PPS, I expect it would consist of two potentiometers (the second for redundancy), or an encoder, or an optical position sensor of some kind.
JackoFJR said
02:59 PM Mar 13, 2016
I have a iDrive throttle thing , same as Windbooster on my Dmax , yes they make the throttle more sensitive , I really don't believe the Dmax needs one , some vehicles may benefit more than others .
My son has a Triton the throttle response on it is bloody dangerous , a TC may be good for it .
I know plenty of ppl that think they are great .
Looks to be right up there with the Hi-Clone & Peter Brocks device.
Fit them all & you will go further faster and have more fuel in your tank than when you left.
rockylizard said
08:16 PM Mar 13, 2016
Gday...
Interestingly, Delta, they are very effective and the 'bees knees' for the 4X4 mob - so they constantly and pointedly tell me.
If crawling up a rocky low-range track and ya need to urgently get a quick gutfull of forward motion, modern turbo common-rail, electronically controlled (fly by wire) throttled vehicles have a 'lag' - more than just "turbo-lag".
These 'devices' overcome that, giving instant throttle response when adjusted correctly.
Other than 'needing' instant throttle response for gnarly, low-range tracks, I doubt I would see the value in getting one.
cheers - John
greyhoundtom said
09:03 PM Mar 13, 2016
Thanks for the advice guys.
Looks like I'm going to have to stop believing in fairies ....... err .... I mean everything I read that is.
JackoFJR said
07:14 AM Mar 14, 2016
The iDrive mob , do offer a 30 day money back trial , why don't you try one there are plenty of ppl out there that swear by these things .
Like I said , I have one they do work as advertised , it's up to you if you think it is a benefit to your vehicle .
I don't believe the Isuzu Dmax really needs one .
Sometimes I just have to try things for myself , it's only money , if they offer a 30day trial , what's the risk .
What vehicle do you have
Delta18 said
10:15 AM Mar 14, 2016
JackoFJR wrote:
The iDrive mob , do offer a 30 day money back trial , why don't you try one there are plenty of ppl out there that swear by these things . Like I said , I have one they do work as advertised , it's up to you if you think it is a benefit to your vehicle .
I don't believe the Isuzu Dmax really needs one .
Sometimes I just have to try things for myself , it's only money , if they offer a 30day trial , what's the risk .
What vehicle do you have
Trouble is Hi-Clone offer 30 day money back guarantee too but their terms make it impossible to claim.
I think you are right, my D-Max has no discernible lag to worry about, it is a manual though.
JackoFJR said
01:21 PM Mar 14, 2016
What I'm saying is , the iDrive has a money back guarantee , if you go to a reputable shop near where you live , I have no doubt they would honour the guarantee .
Went into my local Diesel Service years ago , they had a Hi-Clone on the counter , they offered me a money back trial , I didn't bother .
These Throttle things actually work , it's up to each person to decide if it's needed for their vehicle .
My Dmax is a auto ,
greyhoundtom said
07:21 AM Mar 16, 2016
I must admit I looked at getting one as I felt that my Isuzu MU-X had a little bit of throttle lag when I planted my foot when in a hurry to get out of someone's way.
However since then I have experimented a bit and have found that yes I do get away as quickly as I need to do, and that the perception of not getting away quick enough was in fact bought about because my previous vehicle was a Mazda 6 which was a bit of a rocket and I just got used to scooting away instead of just driving off.
All good...... thanks for the replies.
[Edited to correct spelling mistake]
-- Edited by greyhoundtom on Wednesday 16th of March 2016 07:23:36 AM
JackoFJR said
08:35 AM Mar 16, 2016
I drive a lot of gnarly , rocky 4x4 tracks , that's exactly where you don't need quicker throttle response .
If you stomp the throttle to the floor the Controllers do nothing ,
dorian said
09:34 AM Mar 16, 2016
I can't shake the perception that this gadget relies on a placebo effect.
If you replace an engine with a more powerful one, then at the same pedal travel the performance will be greater. To put it another way, the less powerful engine will demand greater pedal travel to achieve the same performance. All this gadget appears to be doing is to make the ECU believe that the pedal has travelled through a greater distance than it actually has. So why not just accept the fact that you need to push the pedal harder to achieve exactly the same end?
In any case, I can't see why there would be any "lag". I can understand turbo lag (because of inertia in the exhaust gas flow), but I can't understand pedal lag.
If we assume that the pedal position sensor is simply a couple of redundant potentiometers (I expect and hope that it is more robust than that), then one could increase the throttle sensitivity by simply adding a resistor, or a bank of switchable resistors.
VCC
+
|
+-------+---+---+---.
| | | | |
| .-. .-. .-. .-. sensitivity
| | | | | | | | | select
| | | | | | | | | resistors
| '-' '-' '-' '-'
| | | | |
| | | | |
| o o o o
| \
| \.
| max o switch
pedal .-. | accelerator
position | |<----------+----------> output
sensor | |
'-'
| min
|
===
GND
JackoFJR said
10:29 AM Mar 16, 2016
Dorian , yep that's how they work but until you have driven a vehicle with one , you will never understand the effect .
I'm not saying they are a good thing and everyone should get one , I have one and can take it or leave it with my Dmax .
Plenty of others think they are the best thing since sliced bread .
-- Edited by JackoFJR on Wednesday 16th of March 2016 10:30:13 AM
hako said
04:51 PM Mar 16, 2016
I think you'll find that with a "fly by wire" throttle pedal, the vehicles ECU over-rides to a certain degree your pedal input. It may decide that if it goes to wide open throttle when the engine is cold is not good, or it may depend on what gear the transmission etc. The ECU then feeds in the correct throttle setting for your input but only after considering the vehicles needs. When you have the pedal to the floor the throttle plate may only be 1/4 open initially and slowly move to WOT.
This Throttle Controller apparently over-rides some of the engines sensors so that your pedal input over-rides the ECU to a degree.
That's the way I understand it.
Good Luck.
dorian said
06:49 AM Mar 17, 2016
At constant speed, does the pedal sit at the same position in both normal and "enhanced" modes, and is it only during acceleration that the sensor's signal is accentuated? If so, then this is what a graph of pedal position versus time would look like, AIUI:
enhanced ,-.
throttle --> / \
control / ---'------ 100kph
/ ´
/ ,´ normal
/ / <-- throttle
/ ´ control
/,´
-------'´
60kph
JackoFJR said
09:37 AM Mar 17, 2016
I don't think the pedal does sit in the same position , if driving at a constant speed with the controller turned off , then turn it on to a advanced mode the vehicle will excelerate .
Jaahn said
10:56 AM Mar 17, 2016
Hi
I know nothing of these devices.
However I have always driven mostly European cars. The throttle is always soft and progressive and easy to drive gently. When I drove a local car particularly a higher powered one I found it was difficult to avoid charging off and also spinning the wheels on gravel. I once spoke to a rep for Holden and commented on this. He said they were made like that because people liked the immediate power delivery. It impressed them particularly if they came from a smaller car. Good for sales !
Goes to prove there is a fool born every minute I thought. These look a bit like that to me
Jaahn
mr glassies said
08:18 PM Mar 17, 2016
I have 1 along with chip 3 inch exhaust snorkel and can get returns of 6 . 9 to the hundred just running round empty . Throttle response is way up there .sportylike . I took the chip of and the throttle module of last service and couldn't wait to put it back on after it was done .
Dibs
JackoFJR said
05:53 PM Mar 19, 2016
On the Freeway the other day , driving at 90Kph with the iDrive turned off , keeping my boot steady on the throttle ,
I turned the iDrive to U-5 setting , the Dmax would immediately increase speed to more than 125 , I don't know how fast it would of got to , I backed off , didn't want to get booked .
It must of been close to WOT .
If I set the cruise control at 90kph and turned the iDrive on , nothing happens .
Still don't think the Dmax really needs one .
greyhoundtom said
08:32 PM Mar 19, 2016
Some interesting info coming from those that have one fitted to their vehicle.
See the Windbooster throttle controllers advertised at a pretty good price, while they are supposed to improve various throttle functions nothing is cheap if its not needed or of dubious use towing a caravan.
Are these a worthwhile addition to your tug for caravan towing?
Cheers,
Peter
What is the point of that, and isn't this potentially dangerous?
BTW, I wouldn't be surprised if this gadget contains little more than a couple of jelly-bean op-amps. As for the PPS, I expect it would consist of two potentiometers (the second for redundancy), or an encoder, or an optical position sensor of some kind.
My son has a Triton the throttle response on it is bloody dangerous , a TC may be good for it .
I know plenty of ppl that think they are great .
Gday...
A link - https://www.offroadindustries.com.au/collections/windboosters-electronic-throttle-controls-performance-upgrades
Cheers - John
www.windbooster.com/index.php
Looks to be right up there with the Hi-Clone & Peter Brocks device.
Fit them all & you will go further faster and have more fuel in your tank than when you left.
Gday...
Interestingly, Delta, they are very effective and the 'bees knees' for the 4X4 mob - so they constantly and pointedly tell me.
If crawling up a rocky low-range track and ya need to urgently get a quick gutfull of forward motion, modern turbo common-rail, electronically controlled (fly by wire) throttled vehicles have a 'lag' - more than just "turbo-lag".
These 'devices' overcome that, giving instant throttle response when adjusted correctly.
Other than 'needing' instant throttle response for gnarly, low-range tracks, I doubt I would see the value in getting one.
cheers - John
Thanks for the advice guys.
Looks like I'm going to have to stop believing in fairies ....... err .... I mean everything I read that is.
Like I said , I have one they do work as advertised , it's up to you if you think it is a benefit to your vehicle .
I don't believe the Isuzu Dmax really needs one .
Sometimes I just have to try things for myself , it's only money , if they offer a 30day trial , what's the risk .
What vehicle do you have
Trouble is Hi-Clone offer 30 day money back guarantee too but their terms make it impossible to claim.
I think you are right, my D-Max has no discernible lag to worry about, it is a manual though.
What I'm saying is , the iDrive has a money back guarantee , if you go to a reputable shop near where you live , I have no doubt they would honour the guarantee .
Went into my local Diesel Service years ago , they had a Hi-Clone on the counter , they offered me a money back trial , I didn't bother .
These Throttle things actually work , it's up to each person to decide if it's needed for their vehicle .
My Dmax is a auto ,
I must admit I looked at getting one as I felt that my Isuzu MU-X had a little bit of throttle lag when I planted my foot when in a hurry to get out of someone's way.
However since then I have experimented a bit and have found that yes I do get away as quickly as I need to do, and that the perception of not getting away quick enough was in fact bought about because my previous vehicle was a Mazda 6 which was a bit of a rocket and I just got used to scooting away instead of just driving off.
All good...... thanks for the replies.
[Edited to correct spelling mistake]
-- Edited by greyhoundtom on Wednesday 16th of March 2016 07:23:36 AM
If you stomp the throttle to the floor the Controllers do nothing ,
I can't shake the perception that this gadget relies on a placebo effect.
If you replace an engine with a more powerful one, then at the same pedal travel the performance will be greater. To put it another way, the less powerful engine will demand greater pedal travel to achieve the same performance. All this gadget appears to be doing is to make the ECU believe that the pedal has travelled through a greater distance than it actually has. So why not just accept the fact that you need to push the pedal harder to achieve exactly the same end?
In any case, I can't see why there would be any "lag". I can understand turbo lag (because of inertia in the exhaust gas flow), but I can't understand pedal lag.
If we assume that the pedal position sensor is simply a couple of redundant potentiometers (I expect and hope that it is more robust than that), then one could increase the throttle sensitivity by simply adding a resistor, or a bank of switchable resistors.
VCC + | +-------+---+---+---. | | | | | | .-. .-. .-. .-. sensitivity | | | | | | | | | select | | | | | | | | | resistors | '-' '-' '-' '-' | | | | | | | | | | | o o o o | \ | \. | max o switch pedal .-. | accelerator position | |<----------+----------> output sensor | | '-' | min | === GNDDorian , yep that's how they work but until you have driven a vehicle with one , you will never understand the effect .
I'm not saying they are a good thing and everyone should get one , I have one and can take it or leave it with my Dmax .
Plenty of others think they are the best thing since sliced bread .
-- Edited by JackoFJR on Wednesday 16th of March 2016 10:30:13 AM
This Throttle Controller apparently over-rides some of the engines sensors so that your pedal input over-rides the ECU to a degree.
That's the way I understand it.
Good Luck.
At constant speed, does the pedal sit at the same position in both normal and "enhanced" modes, and is it only during acceleration that the sensor's signal is accentuated? If so, then this is what a graph of pedal position versus time would look like, AIUI:
enhanced ,-. throttle --> / \ control / ---'------ 100kph / ´ / ,´ normal / / <-- throttle / ´ control /,´ -------'´ 60kphHi
I know nothing of these devices.
However I have always driven mostly European cars. The throttle is always soft and progressive and easy to drive gently. When I drove a local car particularly a higher powered one I found it was difficult to avoid charging off and also spinning the wheels on gravel. I once spoke to a rep for Holden and commented on this. He said they were made like that because people liked the immediate power delivery. It impressed them particularly if they came from a smaller car.
Good for sales !
Goes to prove there is a fool born every minute I thought. These look a bit like that to me
Jaahn
Dibs
I turned the iDrive to U-5 setting , the Dmax would immediately increase speed to more than 125 , I don't know how fast it would of got to , I backed off , didn't want to get booked .
It must of been close to WOT .
If I set the cruise control at 90kph and turned the iDrive on , nothing happens .
Still don't think the Dmax really needs one .
Much appreciated.