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MR's delayed throttle response, need answers

28K views 74 replies 36 participants last post by  richardh  
#1 · (Edited)
now i know this is a hotly debated topic. i've read alot of the threads, but they end up in a pissing match between people who own throttle controllers and those who think they're stupid.

imaging this scenario in the MR (i don't have to imagine because i live it everyday lol) :

i'm in 1st gear as i'm stopped at the intersection waiting to turn left. i see a car comming, but think i have enough time to make the turn.

so i press the gas a little harder than usual, maybe 1/2 way, thinking i'll get some good acceleration off the line and beat the on comming car. but i literally get like a .5-1 sec lag where it just sort of putters into the turn. it's now too late to stop as i'm in the other car's way. i panic and mash the pedal all the way. after another .1 sec delay, my car goes WOT and takes off.

now i believe a throttle controller could help with this as many owners have attested to. but the makers themselves and "anti throttle controller" peeps claim it makes no difference to 0-60 times. what i don't know is whether they taking brake boosting into the equation during hard launches for drag racing...

if it does alleviate this "hit the pedal, nothing happens for .5sec" problem like alot of owners say it does, i don't see how it couldn't improve a 0-60 time when not brake boosting...like when just casually accelerating off the line at a light.

if the throttle response comes faster with a TC, how are you not getting off the line faster, therefore improving your 0-60 time? again, not brake boosting.

Also, there's a mention in an article for the FQ330-SST that it does not exhibit this problem. did they remap the TCU/ECU?

i'd really like to know
 
#2 ·
i don't see how it couldn't improve a 0-60 time when not brake boosting...like when just casually accelerating off the line at a light.
Because no one times their 0-60 times with "gentle acceleration from a light"? How would you set the variables for that?

I have no doubt the TC's make it feel more responsive, and could make it FEEL better, but it's not making it FASTER. It's just changing the load points, so to speak. But no one can really claim faster 0-60 times, because when you're actually launching, it's NOT faster.
 
#3 ·
what about just stomping on the gas from a full stop, pedal to the metal so to speak? if the MR with a TC moves faster off the line instantly vs. a normal MR that will get bogged down for say, .5sec and the go fast, wouldn't the one with the TC win the 0-60?

Because no one times their 0-60 times with "gentle acceleration from a light"? How would you set the variables for that?

I have no doubt the TC's make it feel more responsive, and could make it FEEL better, but it's not making it FASTER. It's just changing the load points, so to speak. But no one can really claim faster 0-60 times, because when you're actually launching, it's NOT faster.
 
#4 ·
^now that depends how fast you are capable to stomp your pedal down to the medal compared to TC ;)
 
#5 ·
Exactly what LVS said. It's not magic, it's not wonderment, it's not a mythical beast of war. It just changes the response time. From a pure "normal person fllooring it versus Bob with a TC flooring it", my guess is the TC would be faster. But it'd be hard to quantitatively judge, which is why no one quotes 0-60 time increases.
 
#7 ·
The delay is part of owning an MR. You have the clutch engagement time, coupled with turbocharger spool time, which gives a little delay. I agree with DynastyX, just leave it in Sport for your normal driving or S-Sport if you please. I don't think a throttle controller is going to do a lot to help, probably just make the engine *feel* like a squirrel taking off.
 
#8 ·
I've said this before and I'll say it again.... Buy some ankle weights and exercise your ankle muscles for faster pedal pushing ability, it's a lot cheaper.

Seriously though like others have said here... It only makes the pedal more sensitive than it was before so if you want to see what it would be like using one simply hit your gas faster than you normally do with your foot. The lag you feel off the line is because that's how the ecu/tcu works in our cars, being in sport or s-sport mode will minimize this lag a little bit and it can also be adjusted some with the proper tables in ecuflash (not available to the public).
 
#9 ·
I've sold over 100 sprint boosters for EVO's, R/A, lancer, outlander, etc, offering a free trial for 3 days and I've never had one back. I and my customers fully understand this little device provides no more power gains, but the drivability is totally changed by these. I know it sounds like the latest "snake oil" and am aware it can be tuned in but you lose the on/off capability. On a stock or slightly modified car it does make a HUGE difference.
You just gotta try it. That's all.
 
#10 ·
I've sold over 100 sprint boosters for EVO's, R/A, lancer, outlander, etc, offering a free trial for 3 days and I've never had one back. I and my customers fully understand this little device provides no more power gains, but the drivability is totally changed by these. I know it sounds like the latest "snake oil" and am aware it can be tuned in but you lose the on/off capability. On a stock or slightly modified car it does make a HUGE difference.
You just gotta try it. That's all.

You got a link to this little snake oil?


And to those that are worried about making a left? Our MR's are faster than 99% of the cars on the road even with the lag. So either quit being a wuss and worring about it or buy a manual.

I live in CHI and we have plenty of traffic and I make plenty of lefts accross traffic. It never even enters my mind that I might not make it.
 
#12 ·
^I will buy you a Matrix if you give me your Evo :p
 
#13 ·
If it lags on you once during a turn, it can fuck up your psyche something fierce.

I had an intercooler pipe blow off at 110MPH running with an RS4; it's a terrifying experience when you're not expecting it. It took me awhile to trust myself to go WOT again, even after swapping to t-bar clamps. It's a similar experience; the fear of what might/did happen.
 
#34 ·
I have the same hesitation issue. Not cool!!
 
#38 ·
Cobb Accessport

now i know this is a hotly debated topic. i've read alot of the threads, but they end up in a pissing match between people who own throttle controllers and those who think they're stupid.

imaging this scenario in the MR (i don't have to imagine because i live it everyday lol) :

i'm in 1st gear as i'm stopped at the intersection waiting to turn left. i see a car comming, but think i have enough time to make the turn.

so i press the gas a little harder than usual, maybe 1/2 way, thinking i'll get some good acceleration off the line and beat the on comming car. but i literally get like a .5-1 sec lag where it just sort of putters into the turn. it's now too late to stop as i'm in the other car's way. i panic and mash the pedal all the way. after another .1 sec delay, my car goes WOT and takes off.

now i believe a throttle controller could help with this as many owners have attested to. but the makers themselves and "anti throttle controller" peeps claim it makes no difference to 0-60 times. what i don't know is whether they taking brake boosting into the equation during hard launches for drag racing...

if it does alleviate this "hit the pedal, nothing happens for .5sec" problem like alot of owners say it does, i don't see how it couldn't improve a 0-60 time when not brake boosting...like when just casually accelerating off the line at a light.

if the throttle response comes faster with a TC, how are you not getting off the line faster, therefore improving your 0-60 time? again, not brake boosting.

Also, there's a mention in an article for the FQ330-SST that it does not exhibit this problem. did they remap the TCU/ECU?

i'd really like to know

COBB ACCESSPORT CAN TUNE THIS HESITATION OUT THRU MAPPING OR THROTTLE TABLE ADJUSTMENT
 
#39 · (Edited)
I think some of the responses here are confusing the "while you're driving, how to improve the throttle sensitivity response (which really is driving in S-Sport vs Normal)" with "flooring it from a stop, nothing happens for .5sec" The issue the OP is describing, is the delay while trying to take off fairly quickly from a stop while timing it to get in front of a car in an opening in traffic.

I've experienced this issue on my MR as well and almost got hit by the car I pulled in front of grandma style. I find some of the suggestions interesting because when nearly flooring it from a stop (without throttle blip or using launch control) I get the biggest lag on S-Sport mode (shifting manually) vs if it were in Normal.

However, what I've learned to do to avoid this issue, is to blip the gas pedal as I'm anticipating to go to get the clutch mechanism going. Then moments later when timing is right to go, there's no lag and the car just takes off. I don't see how any tuning device is able to trigger all the moving parts at such a short time from the time one hits the gas, disable any hesitation signal, then engage all the moving clutch parts all so that the car acts like a regular auto with a stall converter? Hesitation may be improved perhaps, but there will still be a mechanical delay. The MR isn't like a regular auto where the stall converter allows you go pretty much when you mash the throttle from a stop.
 
#40 ·
yea, i'm talking about throttle response from a stop, not while in motion. i can keep the revs high when in motion if i wanted good response. i've learned to blip the throttle too. i can literally blip it to 3K+ in 1st without the car moving at all...lol sst.

I think some of the responses here are confusing the "while you're driving, how to improve the throttle sensitivity response (which really is driving in S-Sport vs Normal)" with "flooring it from a stop, nothing happens for .5sec" The issue the OP is describing, is the delay while trying to take off fairly quickly from a stop while timing it to get in front of a car in an opening in traffic.

I've experienced this issue on my MR as well and almost got hit by the car I pulled in front of grandma style. I find some of the suggestions interesting because when nearly flooring it from a stop (without throttle blip or using launch control) I get the biggest lag on S-Sport mode (shifting manually) vs if it were in Normal.

However, what I've learned to do to avoid this issue, is to blip the gas pedal as I'm anticipating to go to get the clutch mechanism going. Then moments later when timing is right to go, there's no lag and the car just takes off. I don't see how any tuning device is able to trigger all the moving parts at such a short time from the time one hits the gas, disable any hesitation signal, then engage all the moving clutch parts all so that the car acts like a regular auto with a stall converter? Hesitation may be improved perhaps, but there will still be a mechanical delay. The MR isn't like a regular auto where the stall converter allows you go pretty much when you mash the throttle from a stop.
 
#43 ·
The way I get around this lag is I let off the brake way before I am planning on hitting the gas and let the car start crawling forward, then I get on the gas 1/3 of the way and there she goes.

Another technique that works too is when you are stopping, feel the brake pedal. Slowly press the brake as coming to a stop and hold it to the point right before it would start moving again.

Pressing it all the way gives you a different feel, like it dropped into N. Once you are in this "zone" all your starts from a dead stop will have some degree of lagginess.
 
#45 ·
So...... maybe I'm imagining things.... but...... I got a P1320 code the other day. So I cleared it with my Cobb AP, which essentially resets all the learned parameters as well. And immediately after that, I found that the SST was noticeably quicker to engage from a standing start. But this only lasted for so long, like maybe about a day's worth of stop-and-go city driving before it seemed to be "normal" again. This isn't the first time that the SST has seemed quicker to engage from a standing start after I've reflashed a new map, or just reset the learning parameters. So maybe there is an element to the sluggish SST that comes from ECU learning?
 
#46 ·
Ok I got one person to send me their rom to test this out and he just reported back the issue is gone.

Who else wants to try this out so I can get more data points?

Please PM me if you are able to send me your current rom and have the ability to flash it back to your car

- Bryan
 
#48 ·
Ok I got one person to send me their rom to test this out and he just reported back the issue is gone.

Who else wants to try this out so I can get more data points?

Please PM me if you are able to send me your current rom and have the ability to flash it back to your car

- Bryan
WOW! "Gone"? Like you press the pedal, and instant response?!?!?