Pedal Commander help

[Docwagon1776]

Instead of trying to sift through people's opinions in a forum about how they work, if you really want to know how throttle controllers work, the best thing would be to research them on your own. There's plenty of information out there. Throttle controllers are not a gimmick, they do work. The thing I notice most is there is no initial throttle lag the truck has with no throttle controller.

Plenty of misinformation as well.

Put a block of wood under your pedal that's tall enough that the pedal now 'floors' at 40%. Every time you go to take off, stab it as hard as you can until it 'floors' at 40%. I bet you'll note the exact same feel as a pedal commander that's set to take 10% pedal and increase the voltage to simulate 40%. Etc. etc. It's just easier to modulate because without a hard stop it's very hard for a human to quickly stab the pedal to a set percentage without overshooting or undershooting. Same reason new shooters who ride the reset of the trigger shoot so slow. You can't be both as fast as you can be and as precise as you can be, especially at an untrained/unpracticed movement. Body control has to be taught or we'd all be naturally graceful dancers. The PC isn't a gimmick, it's a crutch to allow more or less granularity so you don't have to be that ballet dancer on the pedal. But it also doesn't do anything past the ECU. It can't, it has no line of communication, and saying "I don't know how it does but it does" isn't information.

 

[Roadwarrior 1500]

Call them, they will replace it for free.

 

[mikeru]

Plenty of misinformation as well.

Put a block of wood under your pedal that's tall enough that the pedal now 'floors' at 40%. Every time you go to take off, stab it as hard as you can until it 'floors' at 40%. I bet you'll note the exact same feel as a pedal commander that's set to take 10% pedal and increase the voltage to simulate 40%. Etc. etc. It's just easier to modulate because without a hard stop it's very hard for a human to quickly stab the pedal to a set percentage without overshooting or undershooting. Same reason new shooters who ride the reset of the trigger shoot so slow. You can't be both as fast as you can be and as precise as you can be, especially at an untrained/unpracticed movement. Body control has to be taught or we'd all be naturally graceful dancers. The PC isn't a gimmick, it's a crutch to allow more or less granularity so you don't have to be that ballet dancer on the pedal. But it also doesn't do anything past the ECU. It can't, it has no line of communication, and saying "I don't know how it does but it does" isn't information.

I'm not arguing your shooting analogy, and I resemble that remark with every new rifle I buy. At least until I get used to it. But the block of wood comparison isn't accurate. Doesn't matter how hard you stomp on the gas pedal, there will always be that initial lag before the throttle body opens fully. Pedal controllers eliminate the initial lag that's there from the factory.

 

[rick phillips]

It seems a lot of folks, mostly the ones who haven't researched them, don't understand how the controllers work. Think of it this way. Stock FBY is a controller, exactly like the aftermarket ones, except set at factory specs. (speed) and not adjustable. They take appx. 4 sec. to fully open the throttle plate, doesn't matter if you take 4 sec. to push to the pedal to the floor or tromp it as fast as possible, the throttle won't be fully open for appx. 4 sec. With a controller set to the middle setting the exact same thing happens, but within only 2 sec., and on the highest setting the throttle will open almost immediately, just like back when there was a linkage or cable operated throttle. Some controllers have an economy mode, those eco. settings will change the throttle plate response time to an even slower response time than the factory setting, These modes can be duplicated by pushing the pedal slower, but the plus settings could never be duplicated by pushing the pedal faster, the OEM controller won't let it happen.

 

[N2MoPar]

I’ve had my pedal commander for two years and never had a problem with it..........and now it sets off the engine light and goes into limp mode more often than I’d like it to
It’s the only modification I’ve done to my truck and I really dig it
Driving my truck with the pedal commander is like when your parents would go out for the night and leave the kids at home with a questionable older sibling in charge. Now, driving my truck......it feels like my parents are always home

I vaguely remember a post on here about a specific sequence to follow when plugging in the pedal commander so that it doesn’t set off the engine light.
Does that sound familiar to anyone.....or did I just pull that thought out of thin air?

I’ve had my pedal commander for two years and never had a problem with it..........and now it sets off the engine light and goes into limp mode more often than I’d like it to
It’s the only modification I’ve done to my truck and I really dig it
Driving my truck with the pedal commander is like when your parents would go out for the night and leave the kids at home with a questionable older sibling in charge. Now, driving my truck......it feels like my parents are always home

I vaguely remember a post on here about a specific sequence to follow when plugging in the pedal commander so that it doesn’t set off the engine light.
Does that sound familiar to anyone.....or did I just pull that thought out of thin airplane

 

[Dan90]

The Pedal Commander has major radio frequency issues. That is why I pulled mine. When off roading using radio comms, the VHF radios trigger the PC and cause it to throw a throttle code and put you in limp mode. That is probably why others have mentioned random encounters of this happening. They likely drove near a signal that caused it to throw a code. EMC emissions are no joke and why OEMs perform so much testing around it.

Someone mentioned they were near a construction site on the highway? Construction sites have heavy radio communication.

I can trigger the PC issue repeatedly when trying to transmit near the 151.8 MHz radio frequency range using a 60W radio.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Curious: what decision making is done by the vehicle between the pedal and ECM?

Can a PC communicate to any node outside that line of communication?

 

[rick phillips]

Don't remember everything exact, it's been over 3 yrs. But my Sprint booster said turn ign. off, remove key or fob from vehicle and place it minimum 50' away form vehicle for 15 min. before installing. During this time the vehicle is checking the electronic systems of the car through the CAN bus system. Also I remember it said somewhere in the instructions, probably first, it said very important to follow instructions exactly.

 

[gilleydog]

my went into limp mode sent back to Pedal Commander and no more problems

 

[N2MoPar]

I’ve had my pedal commander for two years and never had a problem with it..........and now it sets off the engine light and goes into limp mode more often than I’d like it to
It’s the only modification I’ve done to my truck and I really dig it
Driving my truck with the pedal commander is like when your parents would go out for the night and leave the kids at home with a questionable older sibling in charge. Now, driving my truck......it feels like my parents are always home

I vaguely remember a post on here about a specific sequence to follow when plugging in the pedal commander so that it doesn’t set off the engine light.
Does that sound familiar to anyone.....or did I just pull that thought out of thin air?

If you want a throttle controller, you should check out Bank's Pedal Monster. It doesn't work like most. It plugs into the OBD II port and it works with an app on your phone. Far more tunable and without the problems associated with a throttle interface.
It has much more safety built into it.

I’ve had my pedal commander for two years and never had a problem with it..........and now it sets off the engine light and goes into limp mode more often than I’d like it to
It’s the only modification I’ve done to my truck and I really dig it
Driving my truck with the pedal commander is like when your parents would go out for the night and leave the kids at home with a questionable older sibling in charge. Now, driving my truck......it feels like my parents are always home

I vaguely remember a post on here about a specific sequence to follow when plugging in the pedal commander so that it doesn’t set off the engine light.
Does that sound familiar to anyone.....or did I just pull that thought out of thin air?I