Waking Up Automotive Performance with Throttle Controllers - Share A Word

Whether you’re navigating the family grocery getter through downtown Melbourne or pushing your way across the trail through the outback, few scenarios are as frustrating – or as potentially dangerous – as sluggish throttle response. Throttle lag, dead spots in your power curve and engine hesitation aren’t welcomed guests on anyone’s road trip, and inline-mounted, aftermarket throttle controllers are designed to give your vehicle a crisper, more sure-footed responsiveness than you’d get with standard, factory acceleration.

Throttle controllers aren’t rocket science and they’re not budget breakers – but they deliver performance in spades.

Do Throttle Controllers Really Work?

A far cry from the grab bag of tricks and tweaks that mechanics use to rely on when vehicle engine controls didn’t extend too far beyond conventional throttle cables, electronic throttle control isn’t the modern equivalency for somehow applying “more” throttle.

By default, the factory Electronic Control Unit (ECU) parameters on modern vehicles only allow accelerator pedals and their related engine sensors to perform within a prescribed range – one that isn’t always ideal for most driving scenarios. By installing an aftermarket throttle control module, you – the driver – effectively take charge of tuning the torque requests from the accelerator pedal to the engine’s ECU sensor to match your immediate driving demands.

The result is a clean, instantaneous throttle response for whatever driving conditions you’re facing. As opposed to simply applying more throttle, a throttle control unit allows you to apply a better-managed throttle.

What’s Your Pleasure: Economy or Performance?

When you evaluate the benefits of installing an electronic throttle control system, there’s no getting around the fact that a vehicle’s factory throttle settings are designed the way they are for a reason…and from a manufacturer’s standpoint, it’s understandable too. While those settings may be meant to suit the most typical driving habits for the broadest range of drivers, they’re far from being the optimum compromise of fuel economy and vehicle performance.

Choosing to install a throttle control unit doesn’t mean sacrificing a vehicle’s fuel economy for more throttle responsiveness. As would be the case even without installing a control kit, a great deal still depends on an individual’s driving habits. A heavy right foot can (…and will) burn more fuel, regardless – however, the best control systems on the market right now are designed with multiple modes for balancing economy and performance across the complete range of terrains drivers face.

That flexibility allows a driver to dial in the ideal setting for the situation they’re facing.

At the end of the day, improving performance across the entire torque range doesn’t have to mean tossing your vehicle’s factory consumption or emission standards out the window.

Responsiveness When you Want it … and When you Need it

At its heart, electronic throttle control is all about getting that added measure of performance from your vehicle without breaking the bank…or the vehicle. As satisfying as that extra “oomph” may be when you nail the accelerator on a lonely stretch of the open road, there’s a purely practical side of upping throttle responsiveness that’s no less relevant.

When you need to merge safely onto a fast-moving highway, to cleanly pass a road train, or to plough your way through a muddy rut after a downpour, the last thing you want to experience is throttle lag. That additional throttle pick-up needs to be there, and there’s no substitute for installing an electronic throttle control kit to make sure you’ve got it.

They’re a safe, peace of mind enhancement that makes sense under all driving conditions. Plus, when combined with other performance enhancements (dyno tuning, ECU remapping, exhaust system upgrades, etc.) engine throttle control gives your vehicle a perfectly tunable power package.

Are Throttle Controllers Universal?

Of course, it’d also be easy to assume that engine throttle control is exclusively the domain of off-roaders and 4×4 drivers. Although they certainly make up a sizeable share of electronic throttle installations, they’re hardly exclusive.

Some aftermarket producers have undoubtedly worked more diligently than others on developing product lines for the fullest range of vehicles, but it’s safe to say that an electronic throttle control system has probably been tested and developed for virtually every make and model of car and truck manufactured over the last two decades. For a select handful of even older high-performance vehicles that were also equipped with ECU-controlled engines (think along the lines of BMW and Mitsubishi), there’s even going to be a throttle controller for sale for them as well.

Installing a throttle controller

Once you’ve made up your mind to install a throttle control module – and there’s no reason not to – one of the most comforting aspects of purchasing the unit is how easily it’ll install. It’s the ultimate driveway DIY enhancement.

No tools, workshops or tearing apart your vehicle’s interior involved. In fact, with only the driver’s control unit itself needing to be mounted, the average install takes less than 5 minutes.

From start to finish, an install only requires:

• Unplugging the vehicle’s accelerator pedal from the throttle position sensor that’ll be located directly behind it
• Plugging the appropriate connector from the throttle controller’s wiring harness and module into the backside of the accelerator pedal
• Plugging the opposite of the controller’s wiring harness into the throttle position sensor
• Mounting the driver’s control unit to the dashboard with adhesive
• Connecting the cable from the driver’s control unit to the newly installed module behind the accelerator pedal
• And your installation is complete!

Becoming familiarized with the control unit and its settings would tend to be just as straightforward as the installation itself. The real familiarization, however, comes with taking that initial test drive following the install. The difference you’ll feel in performance will be immediate, regardless of how passively or aggressively you set the unit.

The verdict is in: if you’re interested in waking-up your vehicle’s performance, throttle controllers are without a doubt the place to start.

And remember, too, that the control system hasn’t modified your engine’s ECU or any other electronic or powertrain component. Your vehicle is still performing within its normal power and torque range – it’s just doing it better.

The control over just how much better it performs, however, is now entirely in your hands.