Pedal Commander Real World Review

[inscarguy]

Well i pulled the trigger on a pedal commander for my 06 v8 4runner. I have had this on my 4runner for a little over a month now. Here is my review of it:

Pros:
1- better throttle response, almost completely removed the drive by wire delay. Used Sport 1 setting. City was OEM setting, sport + was too sensitive.

Cons:

1- unless you are in city this thing killed fuel mileage, i mean killed it. It literally cut in half.

2 - looses top end power, actualy took away from it. From what i have diagnosed over this time is that the module actually opens the throttle blade sooner so its fully open by roughly 3/4 pedal travel. at full throttle it does not pull as hard. So now if i want it to move quickly i have to figure the sweet spot at roughly 3/4 pedal or it will not have the power it should have.

3- not consistent at all. Like i said before i keep it at sport 1. Sometimes its very smooth off the line, other times its throwing you back in the seat. Not very good when you have others in the vehicle and the rear seat passengers end up in the cargo area.

I tried different adjustments, different settings and i just cannot find myself to like this device.

So if anyone out there is thinking about this unit hopefully this review might help. In my opinion it was 260.00 wasted.

 

[Inv4drZm]

You are the first person I've seen give it a negative review.

It hasn't changed my fuel mileage at all since installing it about 2 years ago. I keep a close eye on that every fill up. If you drive faster after installing it it will change the mileage, but not if you drive the same speed as before.

I really doubt it decreases full throttle. The blade I'm guessing can't open past 90deg. I haven't noticed that issue and I've gone 60-90mph a couple times and it still pulls hard. I'll need to turn it off to check.

It has taught my pedal foot to be very sensitive on the street, so when I turn it off offroad it really feels like the pedal is dead which is a good thing when rock crawling.

On the positive side I'm sure you can get most of your money out by selling it on the forums to somebody if you wanted.

 

[inscarguy]

You are the first person I've seen give it a negative review.

It hasn't changed my fuel mileage at all since installing it about 2 years ago. I keep a close eye on that every fill up. If you drive faster after installing it it will change the mileage, but not if you drive the same speed as before.

I really doubt it decreases full throttle. The blade I'm guessing can't open past 90deg. I haven't noticed that issue and I've gone 60-90mph a couple times and it still pulls hard. I'll need to turn it off to check.

It has taught my pedal foot to be very sensitive on the street, so when I turn it off offroad it really feels like the pedal is dead which is a good thing when rock crawling.

On the positive side I'm sure you can get most of your money out by selling it on the forums to somebody if you wanted.

I do not drive any different than before in installed it. The throittle blade just opens earlier with it on. Thats how the system works. Think of this. When it was stock flooring it would open the throttle blade 90 degrees. With the system hooked up it opens the blade earlier than stock would so full throttle comes in earlier than stock.

I have not figured out the fuel issue yet. I just know that i am going through more gas on the same commute than i did when it was stock. This is just from observation but we went to the inlaws saturday. I usually use less than 1/4 tank of gas round trip this time i used 1/3 tank. Thats substantially higher.

 

[Inv4drZm]

With the system hooked up it opens the blade earlier than stock would so full throttle comes in earlier than stock.

That's exactly how it works, but as long as you are accelerating at the same speed as you were before your MPG wouldn't change. It just crams the 0-100% throttle inside a shorter pedal range.

 

[Trumpet]

Gas in New England was switched over to 'winter blend' over the past month. Even without a throttle modifier, I've seen my mpg drop by about 2 to 3 mpg with the season.

Blame ethanol and government regulation.

 

[nevada]

It has taught my pedal foot to be very sensitive on the street, so when I turn it off offroad it really feels like the pedal is dead which is a good thing when rock crawling.

I believe the pedal uses a different map when in low range also. it requires much more travel. so that, combined with turning off the PC, I can imagine its a significant difference in pedal feel/travel.

 

[Terminator03]

Hmm... that’s too bad that it didn’t work out for you. I thought it was very similar, or the same as the Sprint Booster, but maybe not? I consider the SB to be some of the best bang for the buck mod money I’ve personally spent so far on my runner. It has like 18 different settings to play with, and that makes it easy to find the perfect sweet spot for anyone’s driving style. I run mine on “race 5” now that I have larger tires, but I used to have it at race 3, or 4 and that was perfect for the response I was looking for. It really woke up my truck and made it more fun to drive. BTW, I have had zero change in mileage in the couple of months I’ve been running it now. The only change, as someone previously pointed out is due to the winter mix of the fuel.

 

[Bluesky 07]

Well i pulled the trigger on a pedal commander for my 06 v8 4runner. I have had this on my 4runner for a little over a month now. Here is my review of it:

Pros:
1- better throttle response, almost completely removed the drive by wire delay. Used Sport 1 setting. City was OEM setting, sport + was too sensitive.

Cons:

1- unless you are in city this thing killed fuel mileage, i mean killed it. It literally cut in half.

2 - looses top end power, actualy took away from it. From what i have diagnosed over this time is that the module actually opens the throttle blade sooner so its fully open by roughly 3/4 pedal travel. at full throttle it does not pull as hard. So now if i want it to move quickly i have to figure the sweet spot at roughly 3/4 pedal or it will not have the power it should have.

3- not consistent at all. Like i said before i keep it at sport 1. Sometimes its very smooth off the line, other times its throwing you back in the seat. Not very good when you have others in the vehicle and the rear seat passengers end up in the cargo area.

I tried different adjustments, different settings and i just cannot find myself to like this device.

So if anyone out there is thinking about this unit hopefully this review might help. In my opinion it was 260.00 wasted.

Ouch. Sorry it worked out that way but your candor is greatly appreciated.

I guess I was lucky coming into my '07 V6 4Runner from 11 years in a 170 hp Xterra. Those 60 extra horses make it like Christmas morning every time I step on the gas compared to my X.

The 4Runner moves pretty well for an SUV imo and I've never understood the complaints about pedal lag and such. I've only driven mine but when I hit the gas, it goes.

 

[04rnr]

reviving an old thread instead of starting a new one.
I just got the Pedal Commander and I had to try it on SPORT+ +4, CRAZY, I love it lol.
What settings are you guys running?

 

[81runner]

I've been running mine for a year solid. I love it. I did notice a decrease in mileage, however I later eliminated the PC as the culprit when I had to overhaul the fuel delivery system. Since then, mileage is excellent as before and PC works great. I'm running sport+ 0

 

[04rnr]

I've been running mine for a year solid. I love it. I did notice a decrease in mileage, however I later eliminated the PC as the culprit when I had to overhaul the fuel delivery system. Since then, mileage is excellent as before and PC works great. I'm running sport+ 0

awesome, thanks I will try the SPORT+ 0 tomorrow :rockon:

 

[RacingHart4Runner]

awesome, thanks I will try the SPORT+ 0 tomorrow :rockon:

Let me know how it goes!

I have an 04 sport edition and i just learned about this pedal commander it’s looking interesting!

 

[04rnr]

Let me know how it goes!

I have an 04 sport edition and i just learned about this pedal commander it’s looking interesting!

Right now I'm on the SPORT,,,, +4 seems good. But we had some snow this weekend so kind of hard to tell lol

 

[inscarguy]

Wow. I must be the only one who did not care for it. My v8 has horrible lag and i thought it would help but it just did not feel right. My v6 has instant response so i did not use it in that one.

Its just sitting in the box now.

 

[Perreyrl]

Ouch. Sorry it worked out that way but your candor is greatly appreciated.

I guess I was lucky coming into my '07 V6 4Runner from 11 years in a 170 hp Xterra. Those 60 extra horses make it like Christmas morning every time I step on the gas compared to my X.

The 4Runner moves pretty well for an SUV imo and I've never understood the complaints about pedal lag and such. I've only driven mine but when I hit the gas, it goes.

I second you on that statement. I’m coming from a weak Xterra myself. That 3.3l V6 was a pig and did not have any power at all. Now I’m in a V8 and don’t need to change a thing!

 

[Caldizzle]

Wow. I must be the only one who did not care for it. My v8 has horrible lag and i thought it would help but it just did not feel right. My v6 has instant response so i did not use it in that one.

Its just sitting in the box now.

Hmmmm, sitting in a box you say?

 

[That_Titanium_4RNR]

Hmmmm, sitting in a box you say?

LOL retweet..wonder if he's looking to sell...

 

[adkfinn]

I have a Sprint Booster in my '07 V6 and find it to be a worthwhile mod. It mitigates the delay between the pedal and engine nicely (this was noticeable and bothered me which is why I installed this thing), and I also don't have to stomp the pedal in order to get the truck to get moving or downshift. My truck is lifted and outside the optimal tire size range for stock gearing by a decent amount, which probably factors into the overall experience and perceived benefits. Gas mileage is the same, given you don't hammer it to celebrate the improve 'throttle response'.

 

[gimlithepirate]

I think these things would be more popular on the V6, and on V8's being built for street speed as opposed to offroading.

 

[andynj]

I got a PC in the black friday sale and have been using it for 1000 miles now, I first started in city mode which is OK but made the throttle quite snatchy at low speed. In sport mode however its perfect, response now is instant and much more responsive than without. Its not just the throttle response that changes, shifting through the gears is much smoother and kick down is seamless rather than the jerky...wait a second...accelerate the truck had before. My 07 is is very good mechanical condition with 78k and just had a transmission drain and fill and previously had no driving or shifting issues however the PC just made it much nicer to drive not just faster to respond but also much smoother. You can also surprise a lot of cars from the lights now, not that its a drag car but its no slouch off the line!