T_C I actually bought one of those things, the splitter (anyone want it?) and immediately upon hooking it up, said screw this big ass thing and that's when I wired the TC to the 12V output, simple enough as I already had the HKS laptimer hardwired as well and just tapped into it.

 

The splitter would create problems for a guy that tracks his car... I'm to arthritic to be under a dash with a soldering iron or I would have done the same as you..

 

The best part about all this chatter about the ETC is that other members will see that this thing isn't the miracle box it's made out to be. There are dissenting opinions.

The vast majority of users report a problem free experience. I have knowledge of at least 4 users who have had problems with the gizmo.

After reviewing your posts, Malraux, it is obvious that the author and manufacturer, use deceptive language to sell these "miracle" boxes.

They are lying without lying outright and well how can you trust that?

The name of the product is FREEPOWER...alarm bells should be ringing out loud and clear.

I for one am glad we had this discussion to bring awareness. It's not always easy to knock a product on a big site like this because you can get drowned out pretty quickly.

Have a good weekend everybody!

 

Are you trying to tell me I imagined my throttle delay going away?

 

Yes. Or that you imagined it in the first place.

More throttle isn't faster throttle.

Unless you have a very slow foot...

 

Basically it controls the voltage depending on what setting you have it on. Here is a better explanation. Electronic Throttle Control (Drive By Wire or Fly By Wire)

 

Get some first hand experience on the subject, then come back and tell me all about what I don't know.....AssClown

 

Why is it that people who have no practical experience form opinions about things that are way off from what those that have used the same and have practical knowledge of how the things function????? You can not stomp on your accelerator pedal and come anywhere near getting the response that you can with a electronic throttle controller... In addition to that the slowest responding settings have improved my fuel mileage close to 10% when I have used it. Three years is how long I've used one on my car and as far as I know a large majority of people that have units sold by Panson have been very pleased with them... If you haven't used one and your opinion of them isn't based on what you experienced with one in your car you are suffering from an overly active imagination and should be a writer for Fox News or Rush Limbaugh.

 

I bought one of the ETC's in TWPanson's first group buy on the forums. It was fun and interesting for a little while, until my '09 Sport would go into "limp" mode and the MIL would appear on the dash display. The code from the ECU indicated a problem with the "throttle position sensor". The limp mode episodes would always show up at the most dangerous times (getting on the freeway or crossing busy intersections), and I really got tired of that crap. So I removed the device, put it in a bag in my garage, and have not had the slightest desire to try it again. My car runs just great without it, and never runs out of torque at dangerous times when I need it the most. If other ETC owners have been able to escape these symptoms, wonderful for you. Anyone who is considering buying one, keep in mind that they don't always work properly, and can create dangerous situations for you.

 

I thought you smashed it to pieces with a hammer to prevent another person from possible death by using it Macbuddy had the same problem you described and found a bad connection on the OBD2 adapter harness, soldered it back on and kept using his.. It is more likely that the harness is the cause of peoples problems with these things... I had a problem with my scangauge because the connector had gotten loose.. A few inches of duct tape fixed it..... Even though you no longer use yours, I need to thank you for informing me about how to get one... I'll bet if you were able to find a better quality harness you would find that the one you have would work properly for you.

 

Adding a device between the pedal sensor and the ECU cannot possibly make the throttle plate work "faster."

Maybe you could try explaining how you think that works? Believe me, it doesn't involve bypassing a couple ECU checks.

 

The ramping of the voltage is a fairly easy concept to grasp, to make the TB open slower or faster, how it minimizes the lag/delay....I don't know, but I do know lag is not an issue since I added the Throttle Controller.

 

Hey I'll just say this...

My ETC in the fit failed a while back. It did NOTHING to harm the car. In fact, I just looked down, saw it was off and was like wtf? Car drove same as normal. No CEL, no bogging, no limping...nothing. Contacted vendor and they sent me a new one. It's been doing great.

A mod I would never regret!

 

Thanks for the replies but I am no clearer on what the throttle controller actually does do and what it does not do. I think we all agree it basically makes the throttle plate at say 60% when your foot is at 40% for example, BUT I think most of us agree it does NOT increase the speed of which the throttle plate opens. I have a PM into the seller but he must be on vacation.

 

The voltage curve provided by gas pedal movement is read by the ECU which interprets this and sends a signal to the stepper motor on the throttle. The ECU also looks at other variables (I won't pretend to know what these are), but I bet they include engine temperature, revolutions, and whatever the vehicle stability assist sensors are telling it.

All an aftermarket ETC can do is modify the voltage curve from what the gas pedal sensor provides on its own. I.E. half pedal equals full throttle when the device is active. It's not magic, doesn't bypass the ECU and manipulate the throttle directly. All it does is change (increase/decrease) the amount of throttle called for based on the position of the pedal.

Personally I use a device called a foot (along with some brain) for this.

I don't think you know what lag is. Any latency (time it takes for throttle response based on pedal movement) would be the same or greater with another device physically between the pedal and the ECU. Your brain is telling you it's faster when it's just giving more throttle than what you're used to.

It's not rocket science, Karl. Simple logic. Kinda like putting gas in a lawn mower to make to go.

 

Buy one from Panson, he has always backed up his products, has great prices and will replace a unit that isn't working properly.... Those that are bad mouthing these products for the most part have no experience with them, didn't secure the OBD2 cable to the controller cable or the plastic panel under the dash and over time vibration caused the contact pins to loosen.. As a precaution you could use a silicone sealer like GE RTV to secure and protect the connectors and prevent them from corrosion... To avoid any connection problems, you could do what 555sexydrive did and solder the wires in place.

 

[quote=Texas Coyote;1120762]You can not stomp on your accelerator pedal and come anywhere near getting the response that you can with a electronic throttle controller... In addition to that the slowest responding settings have improved my fuel mileage close to 10% when I have used it. Three years is how long I've used one on my car

TC, is the enhanced fuel economy a continuing phenomenon? And at the slower responding settings have you felt your driving safety compromised, or did you simply automatically adjust to the response time?

 

In eco mode you still have 100% open throttle when the throttle pedal is pushed all of the way down... It opens a little too slow in the slowest setting for use in heavy city traffic when you need to change lanes in a split second before the door is closed... When I use mine in the slowest mode I always get better fuel mileage... It is also makes driving on ice loose sand or slippery mud safer and easier to do....The faster opening modes allow you to release your clutch sooner instead of waiting for revs to build up and the throttle to open enough to slide into a faster moving lane or to get into the lane you need to be in to exit a freeway.. Your car isn't any faster but the throttle response is much quicker or slower with plenty of settings in between.. When putting the pedal to the floor with the clutch disengaged in sp mode the engine responds much like it would if you'd installed a light weight flywheel... Very immediate with no hesitation....

 

Very informative and helpful response, TC. Many thanks - believe I'll try one if it can be utilized with a ScanGauge or UltraGauge. Have you any knowledge of that capability?

 

I use both a scan gauge and electronic throttle controller on my Fit... You will need to get an OBD2 spitter cable that has one male and 2 separate cables and female connectors... The ECT has a throttle position readout.. I monitor ignition advance, intake air temperature and water temperature on the scangauge almost all of the time.. The UltraGauge sounds like it's great and has more features, some that I can't use on my GD3.http://www.amazon.com/OBDII-Splitter.../dp/B000TMCX72