Is a throttle controller going to give me what I want?

[dottle]

I was planning to buy the Ford Performance CAI/tune, but since it looks like that's not going to be available for '22 Mustangs, I'm looking at other options. At the moment I'm not planning anything in the way of performance mods other than a drop-in filter, and E85 isn't available near me, so my question is: if I'm just looking for a livelier feeling car, is it worth it to get a tune, or is a throttle controller like the Soler Performance box going to give me what I want?

Sponsored

 

[Proshop]

Short answer… yes. It obviously won’t give you any more power but it does help with the reaction of what happens when you hit the skinny pedal. Which in turn gives you a placebo effect that it feels like it has more power or as you put it more lively.

 

[Chef jpd]

Much more linear power delivery, no throttle delay.
I have the TC and the ported TB from Soler, combined with the FP calibration.
Made a tremendous improvement in drivability.
Makes normal drive mode feel like sport+.

Also, the TC has many different "maps" so you can set it depending on your intended use (economy, comfort, track, etc)

 

[gadgtfreek]

If you have the 10spd auto, why not just run in S+?

 

[Andrew@Lethal]

You would see some great gains with a cold air intake and a custom tune! Give us a gander over here at www.lethalperformance.com! We would be happy to assist.

https://www.lethalperformance.com/s...-mustang-v8-gt/2021-mustang-gt/custom-tunes-2

 

[merlin803]

I was in the same situation and also got a drop-in filter and the Soler TC and in my opinion, it was well worth it. For the first 1,000 miles or so, Sport + mode on mine was just too wild for everyday city driving (it's fine now after a couple thousand miles) but the standard mode was way too sluggish as far as the throttle sensitivity.

I may have just been more sensitive to it because I am coming from a C7 Vette, which also had a TC.

I have not thought once since I got my TC setup "the throttle feels sluggish" or "the car just feels heavy".

 

[dottle]

I was in the same situation and also got a drop-in filter and the Soler TC and in my opinion, it was well worth it. For the first 1,000 miles or so, Sport + mode on mine was just too wild for everyday city driving (it's fine now after a couple thousand miles) but the standard mode was way too sluggish as far as the throttle sensitivity.

I may have just been more sensitive to it because I am coming from a C7 Vette, which also had a TC.

I have not thought once since I got my TC setup "the throttle feels sluggish" or "the car just feels heavy".

I've never felt that S+ was too much (although I didn't use it for the first 1000mi), but that sluggish/heavy feeling is exactly what I'm trying to address.

 

[Mustangfreek]

I’m going back and forth with the same as the stock sct didn’t help any of this. Or I get a tune and they can adjust it some?

Not sure if both is worth it or tune will fix it enough.. Hate spending money twice..lol

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Much more linear power delivery, no throttle delay.
I have the TC and the ported TB from Soler, combined with the FP calibration.
Made a tremendous improvement in drivability.
Makes normal drive mode feel like sport+.

Also, the TC has many different "maps" so you can set it depending on your intended use (economy, comfort, track, etc)

I still have never heard even a plausible way throttle delay could be eliminated barring time travel. Isn't 100% of delay downstream of these devices?

 

[merlin803]

I've never felt that S+ was too much (although I didn't use it for the first 1000mi), but that sluggish/heavy feeling is exactly what I'm trying to address.

Yeah, when I say it was too much, I just mean that it was bucking all over the place when trying to slowly turn corners from a stop, especially if there was uneven pavement. I drive in S + now almost all of the time.

If you want a good idea of how much a TC can change the feel, pay attention to how sluggish/heavy feeling the car accelerates in normal mode vs. Sport +/Track/Drag. The TC will just let you control that acceleration sensitivity for whatever mode you choose.

 

[merlin803]

I still have never heard even a plausible way throttle delay could be eliminated barring time travel. Isn't 100% of delay downstream of these devices?

In my case, it wasn't so much a throttle "delay" as it was the programming seemed to be just set to not do very much at all for like the first 20% that I was pressing down on the gas peddle. The TC can make that first 20% or pressing give you the 20% of acceleration that you expect. It makes acceleration feel more responsive and not sluggish.

 

[Chef jpd]

I still have never heard even a plausible way throttle delay could be eliminated barring time travel. Isn't 100% of delay downstream of these devices?

Note my over mods, Soler TB, and FP tune
In combination, A fantastic increase in response and driveability.

 

[Doug T]

I wrote a post about it somewhere on here and I love mine. Makes it feel like a 460 HP car should. I believe ford dialed back the response for "Safety". I run on sport 8 and there's way more than that if you're brave enough! Hope this helps.

 

[Vlad Soare]

I still have never heard even a plausible way throttle delay could be eliminated barring time travel. Isn't 100% of delay downstream of these devices?

Yes, it is. It is part of the tune. The throttle is programmed to open according to a complex set of criteria, of which the position of the pedal is just one. No throttle controller can go around that.
That being said, my understanding is that even though it is possible to tune the throttle so that it mimics the behaviour of a cable-operated one, this isn't actually a good idea, and the end result may be rather worse than better. But I don't know the reason for that; it seems a bit counter-intuitive to me, considering how nice and responsive cable-operated throttles used to be. Maybe @engineermike knows why that is?

In my case, it wasn't so much a throttle "delay" as it was the programming seemed to be just set to not do very much at all for like the first 20% that I was pressing down on the gas peddle. The TC can make that first 20% or pressing give you the 20% of acceleration that you expect. It makes acceleration feel more responsive and not sluggish.

Actually, in Normal mode the throttle-to-pedal relationship is perfectly linear. Push the pedal X% and the throttle will open X% (well, at least the "commanded" throttle will be X%; the actual opening is a different story).
Sport+ and Track are linear up to about 20%, after which the throttle will open slightly more than you press the pedal.

Sponsored