Ordered a pedal commander (review and thoughts)

[TiGeo]

About 100 miles update:
To sum it up: it love this device, and now realize how "sleepy" 😫 the programming was from the factory.

I think currently Sport +1 is best mode and do not want to change it yet as every mode makes the throttle that much more of less sensitive and have to relearn every mode to accelerate and shift smoothly without revving it super high or low ect. So im going to learn and master a mode at a time... over some miles and time. Im not even going to install it on the dash because I will so infrequently be switching modes.
Rev matching is such a breeze now because the throttle... actually does something when you press it.

To be honest gas mileage has decreased a solid mpg, but over 30 mpg still.
In my mind a small penalty to pay to to have the type of throttle response I was looking for. "just hit the throttle more" was VERY false thinking my my part. PC does not work that way at all. Hitting the throttle more even with PC gives you more acceleration but under light throttle inputs kinda ups the sensitivity so like 5% input is more like 35% or something like that, but yet there is still power left in the pedal.

Also to note no check engine light or anything negative. I will hook up laptop to it to see if there are any pending codes or anything like that.
Overall I am very pleased with the PC, but again it not for everyone, (or maybe it could be!)

Im sure you could do the opposite to make the throttle LESS sensitive such as on many newer Subarus that 5% is like WOT.

Bingo. "Just hit the throttle more" - people who haven't ever tried one. I imagine rev match is so nice no in a manual with quick blips!

 

[1 SX]

Obd monitoring is happy.

 

[TiGeo]

Obd monitoring is happy.
View attachment 137019

As it should be, it really can't impact anything, it's just a "piggyback". I've never heard of these causing codes etc.

 

[gathermewool]

The people who hate them are people who have never used one.

It‘s not cheap. For $400-$450 (used) I can gain actual HP, with a Cobb AP. This thing doesn’t do that for how much it costs.

I don’t hate IT. I hate the cost.

 

[TiGeo]

It‘s not cheap. For $400-$450 (used) I can gain actual HP, with a Cobb AP. This thing doesn’t do that for how much it costs.

I don’t hate IT. I hate the cost.

Huh? Mine was used for $150 but they are $200 new and I alreayd have the tune...with that Cobb/tunes your throttle isn't impacted at all like this does. It really is quite transformative. Have a look at BMS.

BMS Pedal Tuner - Adjustable throttle response

Don't let weak and unresponsive factory gas pedal mapping ruin your driving experience! This low cost plug and play tuner attaches to your gas pedal allowing you to remap and improve throttle response. Fast Shipping. Easy install.

burgertuning.com

 

[gathermewool]

Huh? Mine was used for $150 but they are $200 new and I alreayd have the tune...with that Cobb/tunes your throttle isn't impacted at all like this does. It really is quite transformative. Have a look at BMS.

BMS Pedal Tuner - Adjustable throttle response

Don't let weak and unresponsive factory gas pedal mapping ruin your driving experience! This low cost plug and play tuner attaches to your gas pedal allowing you to remap and improve throttle response. Fast Shipping. Easy install.

burgertuning.com

Cobb changes the throttle mapping, boost, fueling, timing and AVCS maps.

In what world is $150 cheap?

 

[TiGeo]

Cobb changes the throttle mapping, boost, fueling, timing and AVCS maps.

In what world is $150 cheap?

I'm aware of what Cobb does and doesn't do and how tuning works (look at my signature) - you aren't going to touch what these pedal tuners do with any OTS tune/map unless it's fully custom and the tuner modifies it to your liking and even then I'm really not sure if they will get it like this.

You are talking about tunes/Cobb and are concerned about $150? In what world w/r to car modificatoins/tuning is $150 expensive? It's been worth every penny.

 

[gathermewool]

I'm aware of what Cobb does and doesn't do and how tuning works (look at my signature) - you aren't going to touch what these pedal tuners do with any OTS tune/map unless it's fully custom and the tuner modifies it to your liking and even then I'm really not sure if they will get it like this.

You are talking about tunes/Cobb and are concerned about $150? In what world w/r to car modificatoins/tuning is $150 expensive? It's been worth every penny.

You might be right. Subaru throttle response is already pretty touchy. I do recall how awful a rental Elantra was, so…I guess it depends?

Also, what can this do that makes it worth so much money? I’ve found that the settings on SI modes for the FXT is all I really need. For my Legacy, I’ve pretty much memorized the Legacy throttle mapping, so messing with that doesn’t sound appealing to me.

 

[TiGeo]

You might be right. Subaru throttle response is already pretty touchy. I do recall how awful a rental Elantra was, so…I guess it depends?

Also, what can this do that makes it worth so much money? I’ve found that the settings on SI modes for the FXT is all I really need. For my Legacy, I’ve pretty much memorized the Legacy throttle mapping, so messing with that doesn’t sound appealing to me.

For my Sportwagen with the DSG and power mods/tunes, this was one of my favorite mods. I drive in drive mode almost exclusively now vs. sport/manual before the pedal tuner...it really transformed driving the car. I can't explain it any other way. I can see where this would make zero impact on normal driver/normal driving/normal cars....my wife for instance...could not care less and her Atlas is BRUTAL w/r to throttle map (just like my Sportwagen was)...would love to use one of these in it. Tuning/hardware on my car did nothing to impact the throttle map as far as I could tell and I more than doubled my power.

 

[gathermewool]

For my Sportwagen with the DSG and power mods/tunes, this was one of my favorite mods. I drive in drive mode almost exclusively now vs. sport/manual before the pedal tuner...it really transformed driving the car. I can't explain it any other way. I can see where this would make zero impact on normal driver/normal driving/normal cars....my wife for instance...could not care less and her Atlas is BRUTAL w/r to throttle map (just like my Sportwagen was)...would love to use one of these in it. Tuning/hardware on my car did nothing to impact the throttle map as far as I could tell and I more than doubled my power.

The support from Cobb for my FXT hasn‘t been nearly as robust as my previous STI. One of the chief complaints from some was that one of the map rev’s actually made the throttle mapping more linear. If you don‘t know, Subies have always had jump throttle response, so the linear change made it feel slower even though it wasn’t. I initially didn‘t like the linear response either, but preferred it after I got used to it. I didn’t need 40% throttle to = 79% requested torque. When I flashed back to stock for a while I hated the stock map (for more reasons than just the throttle mapping of course), but even after a couple of weeks I hated it, especially in traffic, where the jumpiness made it hard to maintain low speeds.

I’ve had the FXT stage 1 for too long to remember the difference in throttle mapping. With the exception of it still being a little sensitive, it’s what i would still consider as pretty linear. I also have the FXT that doesn’t have the fake CVT shifts in Sport mode and I mode. I like it because it too is pretty linear wrt RPM and boost vs throttle input.

If I could change anything about the Legacy it would be the low-speed response. It’s way too sensitive. I’ve gotten used to it, but it’s always a little bit annoying. I would take one of these for $50 if it helped with that.

I thought about some other rentals I’ve had over the years and I wonder how this plays with most ATs. I mean, of the TCM tuning sucks and the thing late shifts or hunts around all the time, is there a dual solution, because I wonder if this would just make a bad tranny worse.

 

[TiGeo]

The support from Cobb for my FXT hasn‘t been nearly as robust as my previous STI. One of the chief complaints from some was that one of the map rev’s actually made the throttle mapping more linear. If you don‘t know, Subies have always had jump throttle response, so the linear change made it feel slower even though it wasn’t. I initially didn‘t like the linear response either, but preferred it after I got used to it. I didn’t need 40% throttle to = 79% requested torque. When I flashed back to stock for a while I hated the stock map (for more reasons than just the throttle mapping of course), but even after a couple of weeks I hated it, especially in traffic, where the jumpiness made it hard to maintain low speeds.

I’ve had the FXT stage 1 for too long to remember the difference in throttle mapping. With the exception of it still being a little sensitive, it’s what i would still consider as pretty linear. I also have the FXT that doesn’t have the fake CVT shifts in Sport mode and I mode. I like it because it too is pretty linear wrt RPM and boost vs throttle input.

If I could change anything about the Legacy it would be the low-speed response. It’s way too sensitive. I’ve gotten used to it, but it’s always a little bit annoying. I would take one of these for $50 if it helped with that.

I thought about some other rentals I’ve had over the years and I wonder how this plays with most ATs. I mean, of the TCM tuning sucks and the thing late shifts or hunts around all the time, is there a dual solution, because I wonder if this would just make a bad tranny worse.

No clue and it sounds like the Subi's have quite a different throttle map to the VWs! My car is definatley more "jumpy" now and when my boys or wife drive it, I usually turn the pedal tuner back to normal so nobody accidently drives through the house ahahah

My car also has a DSG (the dual clutch auto) tune which helps a lot with eco-focused shifting issues.

 

[Al]

It‘s not cheap. For $400-$450 (used) I can gain actual HP, with a Cobb AP. This thing doesn’t do that for how much it costs.

I don’t hate IT. I hate the cost.

Yea. Personally thats the way to go (for me)

 

[Al]

The support from Cobb for my FXT hasn‘t been nearly as robust as my previous STI. One of the chief complaints from some was that one of the map rev’s actually made the throttle mapping more linear. If you don‘t know, Subies have always had jump throttle response, so the linear change made it feel slower even though it wasn’t. I initially didn‘t like the linear response either, but preferred it after I got used to it. I didn’t need 40% throttle to = 79% requested torque. When I flashed back to stock for a while I hated the stock map (for more reasons than just the throttle mapping of course), but even after a couple of weeks I hated it, especially in traffic, where the jumpiness made it hard to maintain low speeds.

I’ve had the FXT stage 1 for too long to remember the difference in throttle mapping. With the exception of it still being a little sensitive, it’s what i would still consider as pretty linear. I also have the FXT that doesn’t have the fake CVT shifts in Sport mode and I mode. I like it because it too is pretty linear wrt RPM and boost vs throttle input.

If I could change anything about the Legacy it would be the low-speed response. It’s way too sensitive. I’ve gotten used to it, but it’s always a little bit annoying. I would take one of these for $50 if it helped with that.

I thought about some other rentals I’ve had over the years and I wonder how this plays with most ATs. I mean, of the TCM tuning sucks and the thing late shifts or hunts around all the time, is there a dual solution, because I wonder if this would just make a bad tranny worse.

Does this somehow eliminate the fake shifts. I totally hate these on my '18XT and '22 Forester.The CVT would be a dream come true without the fake shifts.

 

[gathermewool]

Does this somehow eliminate the fake shifts. I totally hate these on my '18XT and '22 Forester.The CVT would be a dream come true without the fake shifts.

I don’t believe so. Subaru caved when they added the fake shifts to all modes in ‘15, I believe. I‘m one of the proud few with a true race CVT setup

The simulated shifts only happen on my 15 Legacy when I’m > something like 20-25% throttle, so it’s only annoying while getting on the highway, really.

 

[IndyIan]

I wonder how the affect of a pedal commander type product would be on those outbacks/crosstreks etc, as that aggressive tip in from a stop is a common complaint, then it just kind of falls on its face.

Yeah, I'm looking for a more linear throttle response at the bottom end. I'd like to actually try the opposite with 15% of throttle opening spread out over say the first 25% of pedal travel. If I've got time and no traffic around, I like to go for mileage and holding say a 9% throttle constant is tough even with putting your foot against the side of the pedal well.

 

[IndyIan]

I don’t believe so. Subaru caved when they added the fake shifts to all modes in ‘15, I believe. I‘m one of the proud few with a true race CVT setup

The simulated shifts only happen on my 15 Legacy when I’m > something like 20-25% throttle, so it’s only annoying while getting on the highway, really.

Ours will skip the fake shifts still if you keep it below ~23% throttle(on the dash readout) and sit around 2000rpm to 60mph and then drop down some. My wife always uses about 40% throttle and zips through the "gears" then, getting a little above 3k rpm on each shift.
It seems fine either way to me. I do wonder if the fake shifts actually help with CVT wear, as the CVT doesn't have change the pulley ratios and maintain good chain tension under load?

 

[1 SX]

Yeah, I'm looking for a more linear throttle response at the bottom end. I'd like to actually try the opposite with 15% of throttle opening spread out over say the first 25% of pedal travel. If I've got time and no traffic around, I like to go for mileage and holding say a 9% throttle constant is tough even with putting your foot against the side of the pedal well.

I tested the eco mode quickly... It's not for me, BUT I could see the car getting MUCH better mileage because the throttle response no matter how fast or slow you depress the throttle feels like only 1-30% actual engine response output at any giving time.

 

[kschachn]

I tested the eco mode quickly... It's not for me, BUT I could see the car getting MUCH better mileage because the throttle response no matter how fast or slow you depress the throttle feels like only 1-30% actual engine response output at any giving time.

If it’s anything like the eco mode on my VW then it won’t be “MUCH” better.

 

[gathermewool]

Ours will skip the fake shifts still if you keep it below ~23% throttle(on the dash readout) and sit around 2000rpm to 60mph and then drop down some. My wife always uses about 40% throttle and zips through the "gears" then, getting a little above 3k rpm on each shift.
It seems fine either way to me. I do wonder if the fake shifts actually help with CVT wear, as the CVT doesn't have change the pulley ratios and maintain good chain tension under load?

No idea, but I’d imagine that the engineers would have thought of that and done that from the beginning. The simulated shifts seem 100% appeasement of customers who prefer a traditional AT over a rubber-bandy CVT.

Logically, I would think that a slow ratio change would be better than fewer rapid shifts under load.

I like that I can give my 14, say, 40% throttle and it parks at 3K RPM and whatever boost and just stays there.

Now, the HTCVT in my FXT is a lot more snappy than the regular CVT in the Legacy. There is definitely a drop in acceleration between “shifts” with the Legacy. It just feels dumb to me.

 

[researcher]

View attachment 136880

Okay it's installed. I will say I have absolutely no bias positive or negative. I did not read any reviews to alter my expectations of this.

The absolute first immediate impressions are: Sport mode plus 1 is where it's at for this kia.
A nice immediate response to throttle inputs without being so sensitive like sport+ where when driving every bump is felt with like a surge because of the throttle sensitivity.. sport+ actually rises the revs to about 1100 at idle and makes the throttle basically like a light switch hair trigger ready at any moment. city mode feels like normal, and eco I could not activate on the test drive as I had to read the instructions and you have to hold the power button for three seconds.

Every main mode does make a substantial difference in throttle feel, and the sub adjustment are pretty nice also to fine tune the feeling even more.

I did not gain 50 hp and wot feels about the same.
But with the removal of the initial throttle tip in delay is a huge success and exactly what I was looking for.

Was it worth the $300.. plus? Depends. For me it was as it did make the car a lot more responsive in throttle inputs and movements, but my expectations were not extraordinarily high and truthfully did not know what to expect. PC delivered results immediately with a 4 minute installation. last note im not going to use the app/bluetooth, as I like the physical buttons haha.

Yup I remember these were out when the Scion tC came out.. They definitely re-map the pedal's inputs.. I think with the drive-by-wire throttle systems they can make the throttle much more usable. the automaker's engineers have to deal with so much to try a one-size-fits-all approach to throttle input feel. With this system you get to define what works for you! A little pricey but you get to fine tune what works for you, that's awesome!

I know on my tC the throttle pedal is so sensitive that you have to feather it to get to 40mph! I have to adapt all over again how to drive when going from the Civic (Cable to throttle body, old school) to the tC!

Glad you got it!