Pedal Commander: does it work?

Wonder if this little gadget would help when towing a trailer?

 

i always recommend it for the MT trucks, but never for AT's myself, just because there is just so much weirdness with these AT's. i wouldn't mess with it on an AT, but maybe someone's tried it and can come in. for MT's, the thing is simply amazing to me. i was utterly unhappy with the motor's performance before i got it, today i drive back from Houston to Dallas and had a total blast with it. huge fun with the throttle response.

 

So I jumped on the wagon and purchased the Pedal Commander. After reading some reviews (and having a discussion with @St.Germain) and watching some videos, I was very intrigued. I'm coming from a 2000 Taocma 3.4L V6 that had a cable operated throttle. I press the pedal, the throttle body opens up. When testing out my TRD Intake on my brand new 2017, I tried the same flooring it in neutral test but was very surprised how laggy it was. Now I understand why. It's our trucks drive-by-wire throttle setup. For those still confused on what this actually does, this video sums it up. Sorry, it's from PC's competitor, Sprint Booster but does the same exact thing as the PC unit. The PC unit simply has more adjustability.

I'll post up my thoughts after it gets installed.

 

So is having a Pedal Commander similar to driving around with the ECT on all the time?

 

I have a manual so I don't have experience with ECT. However, looking up what ECT does on a Tacoma, it looks like it modifies the shift points only. This is different than what the pedal commander does. PC interacts with the TPS (throttle positioning sensor) and lets you adjust how quickly (or slowly) you want the throttle body to open up (as seen in the video). Quicker settings give you a more responsive throttle similar to how a cable throttle acts.

 

i had one on my DCSB TRD OR 6 speed, definitely made a huge difference as far as pedal response! i wound up sending it back because i kept on driving around in sport plus mode because it was more fun and my fuel economy went to shit.

 

So I have had mine installed for a few days now and the best way to sum this up is that it's a pedal sensitivity adjuster. I like it for my manual and helps get over that initial lag quicker from a stop in fist gear. This is my initial impression and I'll post up more of a review as I get more time with it.

 

what setting do you prefer so far? i use Sport 2 mostly.

 

I prefer city mode. I feel like sport and sport 2 are tough to cruise with.

My main desire was to reduce the early lag that the stock pedal has. City mode seems to do this just fine. Just nice to know I can crank up the sensitivity at any given time.

I'll post up a picture of where I have it mounted. The Velcro that comes with it makes it easy to stick on the carpet near the center console. Makes it super easy to remove when the truck needs to take a trip to the service department.

 

when you get used to it try to play with Sport mode in town. it can give you a full strong surge with a brush of the throttle in 1st & 2nd. but yeah, if you're not careful it can buck your truck. pretty crazy. i like handling the throttle very lightly for good power, so Sport 2 for me, or I'll dial it back to 1 sometimes if I'm downtown. Sport+ isn't usable on the street much, and the Eco mode of course makes it worse. i tried City mode a bit but it didn't quite light my fire.

 

For sure. Will play with it some more. Right now, city mode is really fitting the bill for every day driving. That little extra pep to jump over the lag.

 

The old ECT (standard throttle body) was shift points only. the 2016+ ECT makes the throttle much more aggressive.

 

I bought one 500 miles ago, works like a champ in my MT sport. At first I wasn't sure it really fixed my issue but turn it off after a few hundred miles and I have to say. The stock throttle to pedal mapping sucks ass, this basically makes things happen quicker and turns the first1/3 of the pedal into actual throttle inputs unlike the stock crap.
I cant get a mapping update because of the MT but I noticed the limited auto I drove seemed to have more power than my truck so the auto guys might not have the same feel in the pedal my truck does. Anyhow, I own one and have used it unlike some of the folks in this thread.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Always helpful to have someone's opinion who has real world experience with a product, rather than mere speculation.

 

this is also one of the reasons i wouldn't recommend a PC for an AT truck without actually trying it first. the maps are certainly very different.

 

Just installed the Sprint Booster on my 2016 A/T TRD Offroad a couple days ago. This is the way it should have come from the factory. The lag drove me crazy and now the throttle response is fantastic. I'm still playing with all the settings but so far I like Race-3. I haven't had time to check the mileage but I assume it wont change much especially on the HWY. If I discover any negative issues I will re-post but so far this is a great mod and makes me happy...

 

Are you in a manual or auto? I'm sure many of the auto guys here would love to hear this type of feedback. I have a manual and I like the extra customizability these devices offer. I do, however, feel like that initial lag is still there. I just feel like the PC/Sprint Booster helps get through that lag quicker.

 

Mine is auto.
Just got back from a drive to Las Vegas and still could not be happier with the Sprint Booster.

 

How does it do while using cruise control, any difference?

 

It honestly should not do anything, since the computer is controlling the throttle body when cruise is on. Not the pedal itself.