Throttle controllers are one of the most debated modifications in the automotive industry due to contradicting opinions if they are truly beneficial or not.
If you are one of those people who are hesitant or have doubts on what throttle controllers can provide, then this article is for you.
As you know, my car does have one installed so I will try not to be overly biased here (lol).
Let me discussed to you what is a throttle controller, how it works, its advantages and disadvantages, and see if you really need this modification.
What is a Throttle Controller?
It is a small and simple aftermarket module that plugs in between your accelerator pedal and the ECU line connector. It basically alters the signal that is being sent to the ECU.
Installing one doesn’t actually gives any mapping or tuning of the ECU, but just the speed and the amount of input that the ECU receives from the pedal throttle controller module. Read here to learn more about ECU Remapping.
Most aftermarket throttle controllers feature different settings that helps accommodate your driving needs. Common settings include “economy” for efficient fuel consumption, “sport mode” for racing, “off road” for those who goes off road (for large SUVs), and some even have “student mode”, and an anti-theft feature, just like TopSpeed V2 brand.
How does Throttle Controller Work?
You should first need to know how the ECU sees the signal input from the accelerator pedal before you’ll understand how a throttle controller actually works.
First off, throttle controllers only works on modern engines with motorized throttle (not mechanical). When you press on the accelerator pedal, a signal voltage is sent from the pedal box transducer to the ECU.
Then the ECU interprets this signal. The more voltage (how hard pressed your foot on the pedal) is sent to the ECU, means more throttle input, thus increasing the RPM and your speed.
By quickly pushing the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor, the pedal transducer won’t send 100% throttle signal right away, but only after a few seconds to prevent any jerkiness when you accelerate.
This is where throttle controllers comes in. To get 100% throttle signal, TC provides a different signal to the ECU, making the throttle more responsive and less delays.
Advantages of Throttle Controller
There are several advantages of using a throttle controller.
First is to take advantage of the “economy” mode to help save some fuel when driving. This is quite helpful if your car consumes a lot of fuel. This gives you more flexibility on your driving experience especially if you are driving where there are not enough gas stations on the area.
Second is the elimination of throttle delay. The main reason why you are installing throttle controller is to get more response from your throttle and delete those annoying delays. This will help you get ahead when you want to accelerate and overtake the car in front of you.
Third is the ability to move quicker in a heavy load. Towing using the throttle controller’s “tow” mode will give you that acceleration edge when going uphill or if you are under a heavy load.
Other perks that you get from a throttle controller are anti-theft (depends on the brand), “student mode”, “automatic mode” and many others.
Modern throttle controllers are now equipped with bluetooth technology where you can easily configure the settings through your smart phone. Now that’s convenience for you.
Disadvantages of Throttle Controller
Based on the information above, using a throttle controller doesn’t give you any additional horsepower for your engine, it just modify the signal sent by the pedal to your ECU, that’s it.
Also, pressing the pedal to at least 50%, the ECU will see that as 100% input. That means that pressing the pedal further down will make no difference but will also waste some fuel. So you better know how to control your feet when driving a car with throttle controller installed.
Final Thoughts
The question will be, do you need one? Well, that depends on your needs. If you are looking for a real power increase modification, then you need to completely remap your ECU to unleash its full potential.
However, ECU tuning is much more expensive and needs to be done by an expert tuner. Otherwise, your car could get damaged in the long run. There are also some disadvantages of ECU remapping too, know more about them here.
So if you are in a tight budget and you need that extra burst of speed for your daily driving needs, then a throttle controller is one good option for you. Just make sure that you check with the seller if the TC that your buying is the right one for your car model.
Here is an in-depth guide why car throttles have delays and some reasons why you need throttle controllers for your car. This video is in Tagalog language, but it has English subtitle. Enjoy watching!
