Anyone use a pedal commander?

My cousin has a 2012 Hemi Ram and wants a little more performance.

He is looking at the pedal commander PC31 but wanted some reliable opinions.

Anyone use one and was it worth it?

The pedal commander doesn't do anything your right foot doesn't do, it just changes the voltage to make the throttle open faster. Waste of money in my opinion.

The hesitation on my 15 SRT is very irritating, thought about one of those myself. To move away from a light you push a little then a little more then bam, the spin a tire type situation.

Personally for the money I'd find someone to build a tune for his truck...not just some generic voltage "controller" A true "tune" will address many aspects of fuel,ignition and trans controls, not just throttle inputs. I bought a SCT/Bullydog tuner and a custom tune from a well known tuner for my '13 F150/5.0 Coyote/6spd auto truck......believe me it makes a BIG difference! Easily swapped back to the stock tune if needed. Right around $500

That is THE only thing I HATE about my 2015 Ram! I long for a throttle cable! I won't waste my time on a PC and why spend the money on "tune" to a truck with 237K miles on it that is mainly used for towing? Did I mention that I HATE drive by wire?

Do these newish ones still have Adaptive Learning that adjusts to how you drive?

My 05 300C has it and you have to occasionally reset it to get it to quit that. You pull the ECM fuse and wait for the memory to die and then plug it back in. That resets it to factory and then you drive it like you stole it so it can "relearn" your style.

I can't remember if you have to recalibrate the pedal at the same time or not. That's an easy procedure too as I recall but I'm not sure of the exact steps. Seems you turn on the key, press it slowly to the floor and slowly release it, then turn the key off. In any case you can find it on the LX forums.

Kevin

There's no such thing as a pedal relearn. One of those rumors that's persisted even after being debunked. If you want your transmission to shift differently, you can put a Tranzformer in it. I have one in my Magnum R/T and it's the best thing I've done to it! Gives you all sorts of extras as well!

Yep. All late model vehicles have adaptive strategy to "learn" your diving style. Drive it like granny, it'll learn that and store stuff such as idle speed, upshift/downshift points,etc on KAM(keep alive memory) which can be erased with a power disconnect(fuse,batt cable,etc)While not the same as a "tune" a KAM reset can be helpful with certain issues. Be aware that batt disconnects can cause other issues such as relearn procedures for other various systems.

Just looked it up again. Apparently it's a 24V Cummins Diesel only procedure but it got turned into an urban legend of sorts for all 5.7's.

I had to do it once on my 99 CTD shortly after I bought it. I had changed the lift pump and fuel filter and after priming everything up, it started and went straight WFO. Shut it off and after the adrenaline calmed down, I tried it again and it went WFO again but it stopped at 2800 RPM.

Did that pedal procedure and it fired up and idled correctly. Never did it again and never figured out why it did it.

Kevin

My 14 5.7 is the same, I hate the delay.

I hate the "adaptive" philosophy. It may work with one driver on flat terrain but when you have multiple drivers in hilly terrain, as an example, the transmission shift points and firmness are always chasing their tail. As for the rest, don't get me going on that. The biggest fault I have with it all is that it's predicated on what's in the rear view mirror, not what's in the windshield.

With a 727 it did what it did and as the driver you compensated as required. Now, the drivers apparently are too stupid to do that. One more rant, I firmly believe that with cars with collision avoidance, self steering capabilities, adaptive technology, etc. that a generation of incompetent drivers is being raised that have no driving skills and can't think for themselves.

I have a friend who got one for his 1320 to reduce reaction times. He was not impressed.

Pedal Commander is a very cool item, it really changes the character of the vehicle you install it on. Normally, the factory settings controls the throttle opening rate no matter how quickly the pedal is pushed. When the PCs are dialed up, the responsiveness of the vehicle is amazing. YOU actually have control over how much and how quick the throttle is opened. And depending on the particular unit chosen, most have many settings available, including slowing the response of the throttle. In certain hands and in certain weather, that can be a real benefit, too.

A while back, I installed one for a friend who has a '14 5.7 Charger. When turned up, the car felt like we had went from 2.76 gears to 3.91s. Or from a 318 to a 360. It was a tire fryer deluxe. I can't say that the car was any faster, but it really felt much, much faster. Like a different car entirely. And while I have installed several, I have never had one to the drag strip to compare actual performance difference. As peppy as the PCs make the car feel, they may just have some additional performance benefits, too.

The only down side in my opinion, is the cost. If they were more modestly priced, I would have one on every vehicle I own. They are a lot of fun.



www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFI4-L--rAk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE4eCB0CIJU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vpgY5Ly1ZQ

I have a 2020 1320, I thought about adding a peddle command to it. did some research and found it would be a total waste of money once you hit the 500 mile computer unlock. mine is very responsive off the t-brake as it is from a dead dig peddle stomp. I am a little disappointed with how the T-Brake works but i guess you do it enough it becomes second nature.

I do love my 1320!!!

I want my foot to control what the engine does not a computer. How much are these boxes?

The PC does not make the car any faster. All it does is increase the throttle voltage, but it can't make the throttle open any further than 100%. It only causes the voltage to get there faster. Your foot does the same thing, you just have to push the pedal down harder/further. As I stated above, it's a waste of money.

Full throttle is not the problem, feathering off idle is. Push the pedal and NOTHING happens, like a switch, on or off. None of the six current vehicles or any car of the last 55 years has had this problem

OK then, many different responses just like you get all over the internet. I still won't buy one because of the cost, if is was under $100 I would, but with nobody having the same opinion of them I don't want to spend the $300...

Ya that's where the tune helps. On my truck with the stock tune the shifts are soft and soon with lockup in 3rd gear...it always wants to get to high gear as fast as possible regardless of vehicle speed. The tune moves lockup to 4th gear(HUGE improvement) and doesn't allow high gear until 50+ mph...zero hunting for gears. With the increased throttle response from other tweaks he made it's a completely different truck no matter who drives it.

Here's a good thread from the LX forum. pedal commander

Explains pretty well how these things "work." Especially look at the file posted toward the end, it's a research paper.

File gone

^^^^^^^^^^^ especially the last sentence !
one of the commercials for a new caddy shows a woman driving, then starts screwing around with her hair while the steering wheel lights up and corrects going down the road.
in my opinion, that is just down right irresponsible of the auto makers to even offer something like that ! same goes for these "infotainment centers".
i guess i'm just too old to "appreciate" these modern marvels..............

Sorry it was a link. here

GMs "super cruise". Just another step towards autonomous vehicles. The dumbing down continues

You must have never driven vehicles with one of these units on them. Or watched some of the Youtube videos. The difference can be quite dramatic. While you have a point that they don't bring more throttle to the party, they do bring the throttle on as fast as YOU want rather than as fast as the manufacturer wants. And that is a big difference. And they may help with E.T. at the track because you can bring more throttle in faster at the hit. That should help the 60' and thereby the E.T. If the traction is there to hold the stronger hit. MPH will probably be the same, but seat of the pants and E.T. should improve.

One other aspect that I do like is that you can not only speed the response time up, but you can also slow it down. When towing or in slick conditions, that can be real handy.

But you are totally wrong when you say that it is the same if you push the pedal down harder/faster without the throttle units. Because without these units, you are only suggesting to the computer what to do, the computer is the one deciding how much/how fast. And you are again wrong to say that they are a waste of money.......for some people. Not everybody needs one. But they do deliver a real shot to the driving experience. That's for sure.

There are more choices out there now than just the Pedal Commander. And prices are coming down, too. This unit is only a couple of hundred bucks: https://www.americantrucks.com/throttle-response-controller-1218-ram-1500-ram.html

Read the link posted above... The computer will always be the final decision in any event. All the pc does is increase the voltage, and not really by that much... And it still goes through the computer! The PC plugs in at the pedal. Can't bypass the computer. But if you like spending money on something you don't need to, have at it

There is a different unit on eBay for $99, haven't looked into reviews on it yet...

These are for trucks, any for 392 cars?

I am not sure. Different vehicles have different rates dialed in. So some would benefit more that others. A search of Youtube or some web boards will likely get some user reviews.

You are welcome to your opinion. But don't state it as fact for everyone else.

These are fun add-ons. They make a really noticeable difference in throttle response. You can actually hear it as well as see it in the videos that users have posted. If you can get past all the hoots and hollers of joy that the driver's are experiencing.

I think that this will be a fair comparison: We have re-curved distributors for 50+ years. By 2,500 or 3,000 RPM, their advantage is done. After that there is no help in dyno numbers or in MPH at the track. But there is no debate that the throttle response is vastly improved. These throttle controllers have the same affect with a different approach.

Just take a minute and watch a few of the videos that people have made. Do you think that they all are wrong? Or that they are lying? These throttle controllers are fun. They make a real noticeable difference. To deny that is to deny reality. They are not for everyone. But they are for real.

I'm just trying to let people know what's really going on. If you feel it's worth the money, more power to you. But yes, I feel it's a waste of money. It's very different than curving the distributor. Curving the distributor actually makes the engine run differently, not trick you into thinking something is happening that isn't. The PC literally only controls how much voltage the computer thinks the pedal is sending it. Which is something you can do with your foot. No need to spend any money. Perception is a powerful thing.

I put one in my 16 scat pack challenger with manual transmission, I hated the lag the throttle had when it was new and still had after a couple thousand miles, bought the pedal commander and the difference was amazing, like i installed a throttle cable! First hand experience.

I have 237,000 miles on my 5.7 truck and have used my foot in thousands of different ways to try to get it to accelerate better and nothing I can do changes a darn thing. I am still on the fence, but may eventually give it try...

You have obviously not used one before. But everyone else, here and in the posted videos who have, are wrong.

And we re-curve the distributor to bring the advance in quicker. And the throttle adapters bring the throttle open quicker. The engine responds to both. Noticeably.

Stop by sometime and I'll buy you a cold one and let you drive a truck with it turned on and turned off. There is no way that the difference is only perception.

You know what, the next time I am in your area I will take you up on that! I would love to see the real world difference! And I agree completely with you, if you have never tried it how can you possibly know?!?

Try pulling the ECM fuse for however long it takes the memory to die (5 minutes?) and see how it behaves. Better than disconnecting the battery because nothing else like the radio or seat settings gets affected and the price is right.

Kevin

"You know what, the next time I am in your area I will take you up on that! I would love to see the real world difference! And I agree completely with you, if you have never tried it how can you possibly know?!?"





Any time Rhino, any time. We are like 3 minutes off I-57 exit 71.

Try pulling the ECM fuse for however long it takes the memory to die (5 minutes?) and see how it behaves. Better than disconnecting the battery because nothing else like the radio or seat settings gets affected and the price is right.

Kevin

[/quote]

My factory battery died at around 190K and it was disconnected for at least a couple of hours, no difference after a new battery was put it...

Which one did you buy?

pc31

one of the companies i do work for has their own brand and they gave me one for my 5.7 300 to see if i liked it. nope. all it does is shorten the travel on the pedal, thats it. Its way more sensitive. tried it on my srt as well and same opinion. gimmick. its back in my 5.7 turned off. i will remove it when i get time. BUT.....i have been in a 17 6.7 diesel and although i was not driving, it woke that truck up. i may put it in my diesel before i put it back in the box.

i think people who buy these things probably assume that the throttle body is going to open and close faster?

Hey Dave,

I really appreciate you sticking to your guns. The original post was titled what gentlemen? Not " give your opinion on a device you have no experience with and sway people away from improving driveability in a non carbuerated vehicle"

This same question was asked what, less than a year ago? Cmon guys, you all ain't that old. Lots of people weighed in on it.

These cars are not like our high school rides. No, you can't twist the distributor and its a different beast, but im really disappointed with all you guys still refusing to believe the manufacturers are making more power with less, using less and lasting half a million miles with no work if taken care of.

If you hate the idea of someone adding a simple, effective trinket to their ride that improves the experience, just shut up and click on the next page. Keep your mouth shut otherwise and answer the question asked to the point. Quit trying to rack up a post count.

The question was "is it worth it?" And I gave evidence that it's not. If people want to try it, go ahead. It's not my money being spent.

Wrong. I believe the question was, uhm, " anyone use the pedal commander ?" And then a "your thoughts?" Not once have you replied " yes, I have, and it blows". No. You just forwarded a few internet reactions and your feelings on how new cars operate. Out of curiosity at this point, have you driven anything built after, say, 2010?

Did you read the initial post? Clearly not. Also I posted the results of my research into it, as I considered one for my 06 Magnum. I actually did try something similar, using my Diablosport Trinity. It lets you control the throttle by percentage. All it did was lower my mpg.

Wrong again. But I will whole heartedly agree with you on this one thing at the moment- Diablo tuners are garbage out of the box. They need a loaded tune tailored to your vehicle and its mods to work correctly. I was greased for 45 minutes by a vendor which will remain un named right now, about how awesome the trinity was and how it would compliment perfectly the entire package I was buying and almost double the power. Huge lie and waste of time, and when I couldn't get the tuner to even initially start the tune process, I was told after calling the vendor and Diablo that "sometimes this is just what happens". The pedal commander on the other hand only has 1 real function.

I understand that these devices are not for everyone or for every vehicle. And I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion and that experiences with these kind of things can vary. But to make the kind of pat statements that they are a waste of money or that they can't have an impact on a vehicle's fun factor is just plain wrong.

And that is born out by the majority of experienced users that have responded here. And by the overwhelming majority of reviews posted on the 'net' that are positive. Very positive. Most have video comparisons to reinforce their conclusions. And there are more and more companies jumping on the band wagon to build them, so demand (which is tied to reputation) is growing.

So GTSDart340, you have expressed your opinion and experience quite effectively. And that is your prerogative. No one has disputed that your particular experience with a similar device was negative. But you have gone too far with your position. By not having tried different devices on many different vehicles most reasonable people would be very hesitant to make the kind of statements that you have. A single experience is not all experiences. Your extremely limited experience is further isolated by the fact that most other reviews have reported a very different opinion on these devices. But you will still feel that your opinion is more important than many, many others that disagree with you and provide evidence to support their conclusion. Something that you cannot do with your similar device. All of which makes it harder and harder to take you seriously on this subject.

To each their own. For the record, my Trinity has been great! Never had a single issue. And just because I've never used one, doesn't mean I can't have an opinion. But as I said before, the placebo effect is a powerful thing. And at least I did more than youtube research. But I guess nothing on YouTube is a lie or fake, is it? I've said my piece, you do you.

Exactly.

For all the "nay" sayers, I just installed a 9 Drive on my 2011 RAM. First hand experience here... It works!!! Day and night difference from before the install. I bought this truck new and it always had a lag. Not any more! No lag what so ever. Let me be clear. This product, for a very reasonable price of $50, does not make the vehicle any faster. It takes the lag out and nothing more. Because of this, it may make the vehicle a little quicker, but that isn't it's intent. After doing research on the Pedal Commander and of course the price, I decided on the 9 Drive. I did not make a mistake. Best bang for the buck in my view.

How about putting up a link where you got it?

. I bought it off E Bay. Got it from US dealer in Tennessee

I looked at eBay and the prices are all over the place. I went to the 9Drive website and see the address is in China. I will probably buy one and reverse engineer it like they do to us and start selling them...Wooohaaahaaahaaa...

I bought this one using the make offer option.

Should be here tomorrow.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pedal-Commander-PC31-Bluetooth-Throttle-Response-Controller-For-07-18-Dodge-Ram/313233153497?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Fixed it for ya.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pedal-Comm...roller-For-07-18-Dodge-Ram/313233153497?

Thanks.

Years ago I installed the "Sprint Booster" on my 04 Xfire . . . uhhh, not really sure if I noticed much . . . . unit I had was "primitive" with no software selectable options . . .

https://www.sprintboostercanada.com/

I'm using a pedal commander for my charger. No more throttle delay and I'm pretty happy with the engine response. I just realized there's lots of cars and trucks where you can install it. Here is a good resource. https://motoringcrunch.com/reviews/pedal-commander/

Just got this from Holley...

https://www.holley.com/products/tuners_and_programmers/throttle_sensitivity_booster/

Me two Rino,

I am wondering if these are really worth the effort and cost? or it it will be throwing codes all the time if you get two aggressive, over on the LX blog some say yes some say no.

I guess we will wait and see how this plays out.

Price?

I got on the Holley website and they are listed for $299...

I installed a Pedal Commander on my 2016 diesel Ram about 2 months ago
I bought it brand new on e-bay with best offer bid of $235
I didn't want to make it a race truck or ruin drivability and have it set on the milder city mode +2.
I zip tied the controller out of sight way under the dash and if needed control it via their app installed on my phone
I have noticed much improved bottom end power especially during take off.
No issues or engine codes so far....I am happy with it.

Ok keep us posted on how it works
I can’t keep the Challenger out of the shop, now shows code PO456. 2015 20,000 miles, three abs sensors and the whole fuse tipm box replaced. Payed off last Friday and warranty ran out feb 1st...lol

I found a combination of a cheap fleabay 85mm throttle body and used 6.4 SRT8 fuel injectors really woke up the throttle response on mine. The combo gives you a little more air and fuel at any throttle angle except maybe WOT on a stock engine may not really flow any more air.

The bottom line test would be at the track. Not to see an ET difference though. Anyone who has ever tried to competitively drag race one of these vehicles will notice that the reaction time is in the toilet. The only way to cut a light is to drastically change your routine. The standard method of staging and watching the tree doesn't work. Now if it picked up reaction time by a large margin that would show it's effectiveness. Also the pedal to throttle is not a simple 5 volt feed, return, and signal either. Its's a 6 wire system with two 5 volt varying sweeps. I was familiar with the testing at FCA called the ETC test. There is a tremendous amount of time spent to make sure the throttle reacts to various inputs that could be incorrect. Such as incorrect voltage, short to voltage, incorrect grounds from other sensors and the harness itself. This is done by shorting, opening, grounding various circuits. It's a very involved test. All to keep the throttle from staying open at the wrong time
Doug

So basically these add ons are by-passing the fail safes?

An improvement at the track would certainly be icing on the cake and I think that an improvement there is a very real possibility. At least on some vehicles. But an improvement at the track is not really the bottom line.

These items are aimed at our 'seat of the pants'. A difference that you can feel. They make you feel better about your ride. Kinda like a new set of wheels, or a buff and wax.

Or local track is set to reopen here shortly. I had never thought about taking my '18 4wd Hemi Ram to the track, but it just might be a good test bed. It ought to hook okay, so the 60' should be consistent. Then I could compare the stock and the modified throttle opening speed's impact on it's performance.

I can tell you this: from a dead stop on pavement, in 4wd the truck will not break the tires loose with a hard throttle hit. But it will bark them with the throttle set full up. That should translate to better track times. If I do hit the track with the truck, I'll post the results. But, no matter the results, I am happy with the difference it has made. As I said, I actually use the slower settings more because I am usually towing and hooking up trailers with the truck. It is particularly handy for that.

Does your truck have the same issue I have on the Challenger, push the pedal a little then a little more then wam, holes in the gravel when it comes on. Did this three times before I got used to it again after not driving it for three months. VERY irritating, then in the other car can’t make myself push the pedal. If that box helps then I’m all for it!

My last truck was worse about that than this one is, especially when backing up to hook up a trailer. But it is still enough of an issue on this '18 that I use the slower actions on the controller far more than I do the faster. In fact, I rarely use the faster ones. Mostly just to show buddies the difference. And they are typically very surprised. I wished I could get a commission because I have sold several through the demo.

The only down side to these controllers is the cost. I can't believe they are that expensive. Personally, I think that a version of them should be available from the factory. Tailoring the throttle response to the driver's preference would be very popular once owners became aware of the possibilities. Heck, we have the ability to change and adjust so many other settings on our cars and trucks today. Why not the throttle response?