did you know...

5033 Views 17 Replies 11 Participants Last post by gwnichol, Feb 17, 2005

JZA70

Discussion Starter · Aug 10, 2004

the scion tC does not use a throttle cable assembly attached to its gas pedal and the throttle body? instead there is an electrical sensor that monitors how much the pedal is pressed and sends the signal to open the throttle body. is this common in new cars? this is definitely the first time i have ever seen this, and frankly i do not see the purpose or advantage of switching the throttle control from mechanical to electrical.

what do you guys think?
danny

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sciontc_mich

· #2 · Aug 10, 2004

hey danny..
yeah drive by wire they call it.. most new cars are going this way, since the computer supposedly can calculate things better for fuel economy, power, etc.. only problem is.. that sometimes the software isn't written well enough and there is a sensor lag, which some people have experienced.. I personally like the cable method.. but for a car as great at the tC, i'll sacrifice a little..

i haven't received my tC yet, but sometime this week or next!! most of the test drives i made (5 or 6).. before i bought, i didn't see much lag in the method of drive by wire the tC uses.. looks like toyota did their homework..

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LoopyLady_1

· #3 · Aug 10, 2004

Yeah, apparently there is a failsafe for the mechanism too, in case that is your concern.

I'm not sure where exactly I read about it, but I'll try to do some searching for the post.

QSJ Ed

· #4 · Aug 10, 2004

I noticed this when using my cruise control. In my Camry, you could feel the cruise control system actuating the accelerator pedal, moving it up and down to maintain the speed. In the tC, if you have cruise control on, the pedal is always at it's rest position. You can also sort of "feel" it simply in the smoothness of the mechanism.

JZA70

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 10, 2004

I do notice a little bit of lag when you try to accelerate quickly... But I'm sure there will be a mod to fix that in the future... hehe

whosthatrussian

· #6 · Aug 10, 2004

from what I've read, drive-by-wire's more reliable than the old mechanical method b/c it eliminates wear and tear of the parts that used to be there. This is not a new system, b/c it has been used in fighter jets for years, it's just been recently introduced to automobiles. As far as lag time, I think it might be a few hundreths of a second, and for the most part would not be noticeable, and yes, I'm sure the people at Toyota did their homework.

whosthatrussian

· #7 · Aug 10, 2004

Here's a link that I've found about drive-by-wire systems. Pretty cool for those that are interested:

http://www.edmunds.com/news/innovations/ar...33/article.html

enjoy.

LoopyLady_1

· #8 · Aug 10, 2004

Good link! Thanks much!

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ycart1201

· #9 · Aug 10, 2004

i didnt know that

Nathan
ycart1201

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sciontc_mich

· #10 · Aug 10, 2004

danny-
yeah my parents toyota sienna minivan has a little bit of a lag.. toyota already had released an update (software) to fix that delay.. parents just haven't gotten it in yet (doesn't bother them that much).. but if it's really bad, Scion would do the same..and release an update to the software.. nice part is.. flash the software in the main computer.. and it would be fixed.. i remember with the civic how the accelerator (gas pedal) cable would bind up.. had it replaced twice in 8 years.. be nice to not have to replace something..

QuadinScionTC

· #11 · Aug 11, 2004

yes i did know that, ive been reading the service manual. its alot!!

FrostbytetC

· #12 · Aug 11, 2004

I notice when just tapping the gas to get the RPMs up when down shifting that is doesn't respond the way the old cable throttle did. But I like it. Its nice. And did you also know, that the manual tC is almost stall proof? Don't believe me? Take your car out to a flat road, put the car in first, don't touch the gas!!!, and let your foot off the clutch really slowly.... it will begin to idle just like an auto would with the car in drive and your foot off the brake.

Zygote55

· #13 · Aug 11, 2004

Originally posted by FrostbytetC@Aug 10 2004, 07:36 PM
I notice when just tapping the gas to get the RPMs up when down shifting that is doesn't respond the way the old cable throttle did. But I like it. Its nice. And did you also know, that the manual tC is almost stall proof? Don't believe me? Take your car out to a flat road, put the car in first, don't touch the gas!!!, and let your foot off the clutch really slowly.... it will begin to idle just like an auto would with the car in drive and your foot off the brake.

I think pretty much any car should do this......

JZA70

Discussion Starter · #14 · Aug 11, 2004

Originally posted by FrostbytetC@Aug 10 2004, 07:36 PM
I notice when just tapping the gas to get the RPMs up when down shifting that is doesn't respond the way the old cable throttle did. But I like it. Its nice. And did you also know, that the manual tC is almost stall proof? Don't believe me? Take your car out to a flat road, put the car in first, don't touch the gas!!!, and let your foot off the clutch really slowly.... it will begin to idle just like an auto would with the car in drive and your foot off the brake.

EXACTLY Frost, that's exactly when I notice the lag too. I kinda don't like it, but am getting used to it. I've actually stalled once or twice in my Flint Mica

once while going up my driveway to park and once somewhere else

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LoopyLady_1

· #15 · Aug 11, 2004

Yeah, my old car was a PAIN in bumper to bumper traffice because it HATED being in first gear if you weren't going a decent speed. I'd always have to put it in gear, punch it a little, and then shift back to neutral and drift to a stop when in crawling traffic.

LOVE the fact the tC can pretty much be happy going 2-3 mph in first and it doesn't kick out on ya'!!!

QSJ Ed

· #16 · Aug 11, 2004

My tC doesn't seem to love idling in first... it kinda bucks back and forth... it continues to run it just isn't the smoothest thing ever.

And I hate the throttle lag when I try to blip it for downshifts.

C!ph3r

· #17 · Feb 12, 2005

ok, i got my tc way back in june. i have a little over 11k miles on it. this throttle response is really pissing me off. i thought it would get better but it hasnt. i thought i would get used to it, but i havnt. ive been driving a manual tranny car my whole driving life, ~12 years and have even done a little solo cross in my time. but i cannot get used to this and i am worried i may end up wearing out the clutch prematurely. any one contacted toyota or scion about this yet?

gwnichol

· #18 · Feb 17, 2005

Both my cars, a tC and a GTI, have drive by wire and I really hate it.You can't blip the throttle when you try to heal and toe before a downshift. Both my cars are manual transmission and maybe drive by wire works fine in automatic transmission applications but they have a ways to go in manual transmission applications. I also notice a surge or hesitation in acceleration on both cars which results in very unsmooth upshifts. My 1960 Triumph TR3A is a much easier car to drive with it's old school mechanical linkage.

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