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Pedal Commander: Tell me Pros & Cons

Discussion in 'Performance and Tuning' started by MedicRN, Nov 15, 2020.

  1. Nov 15, 2020 at 11:39 PM
    #1
    MedicRN

    MedicRN [OP] You can't fix stupid... but you can sedate it.

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    With holiday specials around the corner or possibly at its current high for Black Friday, I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of getting a Pedal Commander.

    I have done some research but would like to hear real world experience or general info about this.

    Would/Did you buy a Pedal Commander? Why?
     
  2. Nov 16, 2020 at 3:38 AM
    #2
    Bakershack

    Bakershack Critical of Noncritical Thinkers

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    I don't have one because I'm not an aggressive driver. But if you want to max out your "get up and GO" then you ought to get one. I believe the only con is decreased gas mileage.
     
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  3. Nov 16, 2020 at 3:47 AM
    #3
    Bammer

    Bammer I'm disinclined to acquiesce your request.

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    4 modes with 8 setting each, a great addition to my truck. Economy mode to snap your head right off. Easy in and out, no warranty issues ,there is no reason not to have it.
     
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  4. Nov 16, 2020 at 4:03 AM
    #4
    TundraMcGov.

    TundraMcGov. Your friend. Your foe. Not yo Ho.

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    I have one. It greatly improves throttle response. There is no downside for me on gas mileage. It is NOT a tuning tool. I hated the meeehhhhh sluggish accelerator pedal. The Pedal Commander fixed that.

    Get one. Have fun with it. Then add a TRD rear sway bar if you haven't already. Then drive through the miles of smiles!!!!!
     
  5. Nov 16, 2020 at 4:22 AM
    #5
    MedicRN

    MedicRN [OP] You can't fix stupid... but you can sedate it.

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    I occasionally pull trailers and equipment. Thought it might be a good addition to tow haul mode.
     
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  6. Nov 16, 2020 at 4:27 AM
    #6
    MedicRN

    MedicRN [OP] You can't fix stupid... but you can sedate it.

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    I have a couple light off-road trips I think it might be fun for. Beach and desert rock road type stuff.

    Do you think the economy mode keeps you from being too lead footed?
     
    Rica25 likes this.
  7. Nov 16, 2020 at 5:08 AM
    #7
    1rebmem

    1rebmem New Member

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    Two years old and 5200 miles when I took ownership
    I too am thinking of buy one for my Tundra.
    My only hesitation is because The Tundra is my other vehicle and I don't drive it much.
    From my reading on the PC it is a huge hit with very little if any unhappy buyers.

    Any cons out there?
     
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  8. Nov 16, 2020 at 5:23 AM
    #8
    Moon Puppy

    Moon Puppy I'm not new!

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    It scared my Wife when she drove it so she won't drive it now. :burnrubber:

    Pro or Con, your call.
     
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  9. Nov 16, 2020 at 5:30 AM
    #9
    Eaganite

    Eaganite New Member

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    I am also tempted by the pedal commander, but I did read (unfortunately I don't remember where) of some having problems with engine light illuminating after installing.
     
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  10. Nov 16, 2020 at 5:36 AM
    #10
    timsp8

    timsp8 Former Tundra owner for 13 years

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    No engine light for me.

    Toyota changed the throttle response some time in the last few years, probably for better gas mileage or something. My 2010 was much more responsive than my 2018. Try to check which year it changed. You might not get much benefit in a 2014.
     
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  11. Nov 16, 2020 at 5:42 AM
    #11
    MedicRN

    MedicRN [OP] You can't fix stupid... but you can sedate it.

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    Couldn’t you just turn up the responsiveness? Also I definitely notice the change in tow/haul. So I think there is room for improvement.
    Too bad you can’t recall. I saw that happening on some OBD2 gauges as well. It may be worth digging into that but I feel like on the forums it would be talked about more if it was a consistent issue.
     
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  12. Nov 16, 2020 at 6:25 AM
    #12
    Cpl_Punishment

    Cpl_Punishment Young men never die.

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    Why spend money when the Tow/Haul button has the same effect?
     
  13. Nov 16, 2020 at 6:55 AM
    #13
    akmerle

    akmerle New Member

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    While to totally agree that tow/haul makes the truck more responsive, it is very different in that tow/haul changes your shift points / holds gears longer and basically locks you out of overdrive.

    Pedal Commander keeps stock shifts points, just increases throttle input signal earlier in pedal travel.

    I have one on my Tundra and my 4R. Have had zero issues, and love that I can control both from the same app on my phone.

    The only thing I would list as a “con” would be that if you do any driving on snow / ice, the increased responsiveness will spin the tires easier. I have to turn mine off basically November - April (#alaskaproblems).
     
  14. Nov 16, 2020 at 7:19 AM
    #14
    Cpl_Punishment

    Cpl_Punishment Young men never die.

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    Boost Auto mirrors, RSB, Leer Legend canopy, Line-X bed liner
    I thought S4 locked you out of overdrive. Just another example of how badly written the owner's manual for these trucks is.
     
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  15. Nov 16, 2020 at 7:20 AM
    #15
    aussieaarons

    aussieaarons die with memories, not dreams

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    I was disappointed in the tundra driving experience until I put one in, now it has the get up and go I think it should have always had. My wife doesn’t like the “throw back in her chair” feeling so turns it off when she drives but that’s the great thing about it, can be turned in and off as you please
     
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  16. Nov 16, 2020 at 7:46 AM
    #16
    Saltyhero13

    Saltyhero13 Throbbing Member

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    Fuel delete mod Cup holder upgrade
    PROs:
    • Improved throttle response
    • Good level of calibration adjustments with 4 modes (Econ, City, Sport, and Sport+) with 9 levels each (0 up to +/-4 each mode)
    • Can be removed without detection/Easy to install
    • Will not affect warranty
    CONs:
    • Some folks have reported glitches, the worst of the issues will trigger limp mode.
    • Pricey
    Do your research, there are other throttle boosters that may offer similar benefits with different features (Sprint Booster is one of them). I have PC and have been happy with it on Sport (-4). So far no glitches but I'm not driving much these days. Most of the glitches seem to be related to changing settings on the fly while actual driving (which they say not to do in the manual).

    I recommend take a look at the manual, it has some good charts showing how the various modes affect the throttle response.

    As far as ECON mode, if you are getting this device to save gas I think you are better off looking at and modifying your driving behavior. PC claims up to 20% fuel gains but they don't state the conditions for such gains.
     
  17. Nov 16, 2020 at 8:34 AM
    #17
    maxdriver

    maxdriver New Member

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    If you search for PC there are other threads with many comments about it. As mentioned one issue that I have read about more than once is "limp mode" kicking in when you make changes on the fly.
     
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  18. Nov 16, 2020 at 8:53 AM
    #18
    shawn474

    shawn474 Lego connoisseur

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    I bought one and had the surging issue - couldn’t be happier with the Customer service.......Larry was awesome and updated the unit remotely. Surging issue solved. I have settled on city +1 as my favorite. The throttle response on these trucks always bothered me as there is a definitive hesitation. Same with my old 4runner. Pedal commander fixes this and makes it much better to drive
     
  19. Nov 16, 2020 at 8:57 AM
    #19
    Saltyhero13

    Saltyhero13 Throbbing Member

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  20. Nov 16, 2020 at 9:44 AM
    #20
    CaptainGrumpus

    CaptainGrumpus The Mailman

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    I have a sprint booster which is the same thing except it’s very small and does not have Bluetooth. Both do the same thing. I went with the Sprint Booster because it was the first to the market and the PC is basically a copy of it. There are some documented issues with the PC where it will put your truck in limp mode at any given time.

    This video explains the possible issue with the PC and the check engine light.

    https://youtu.be/Z4S6SATkA9o
     
  21. Nov 16, 2020 at 10:25 AM
    #21
    dirtydeeds

    dirtydeeds Exhaust Fabricator Vendor

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    more than I can list here
    We sell quite a few of them!!! So I know folks love them!!!
     
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  22. Nov 16, 2020 at 10:56 AM
    #22
    Tundra234

    Tundra234 New Member

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    Alot of them
    My 2013 was sluggish until I got one.
     
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  23. Nov 16, 2020 at 12:52 PM
    #23
    Hoologan

    Hoologan New Member

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    Best $250 I've spent on my truck and as a result I'm thinking about buying one for my wife's new 4runner since it is sluggish AF with the new 285s. I installed the one on my 2018 Tundra right after I did 35s and it has never driven better.
     
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  24. Nov 16, 2020 at 1:22 PM
    #24
    MedicRN

    MedicRN [OP] You can't fix stupid... but you can sedate it.

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    I doubt I will ever have the problems of ice here in Texas but useful to know of I’m out of state.
     
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  25. Nov 16, 2020 at 1:33 PM
    #25
    MedicRN

    MedicRN [OP] You can't fix stupid... but you can sedate it.

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    I agree with it having a pleasant effect for smiles per gallon but there is definitely some delayed shift points. Which is great when I’m towing but around town and highway driving I don’t need/want the shift point to hang for so long. I think I like the idea of being able to get to the top of the tach and back down to the bottom without the transmission “lagging” or with a delay.
     
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  26. Nov 16, 2020 at 1:34 PM
    #26
    rockmup

    rockmup New Member

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    Because it doesn't, not at all.
    PC is NOT a tuner.
    Drive by wire has ALWAYS had lag issues

    PC gets rid of the lag and you get to choose a mode that fits you best

    I had surging issues when I'd shift while in motion so I stopped doing that and haven't had any issues. I found a mode I liked for every day and haven't moved it since.
     
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  27. Nov 16, 2020 at 1:36 PM
    #27
    MedicRN

    MedicRN [OP] You can't fix stupid... but you can sedate it.

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    My Wife’s Lexus RX has an ECON mode she likes for highway miles. I would think maybe on long trips it could help possibly. But I think maybe if it’s just effecting throttle response it may not help with highway MPG :notsure: just a guess though.
     
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  28. Nov 16, 2020 at 1:38 PM
    #28
    MedicRN

    MedicRN [OP] You can't fix stupid... but you can sedate it.

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    explain what you mean by surging when shifting. I don’t think I understand what you were experiencing.
     
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  29. Nov 16, 2020 at 1:46 PM
    #29
    rockmup

    rockmup New Member

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    I should have worded that better.

    If I changed modes while driving the truck would surge slightly while under load, really noticeable at highway speeds
     
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  30. Nov 16, 2020 at 2:06 PM
    #30
    Saltyhero13

    Saltyhero13 Throbbing Member

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    Not sure how the RX's ECON mode works. It may or not be similar as PC. I heavily use Radar Cruise on the highway so PC is not in play for most of my long distance driving but I've noticed a slight improvement in MPG in Sport -4.

    Frankly I would test the PC ECON mode first if this is your main reason to purchase; maybe someone can lend you one to try. ECON mode is very sluggish compared to stock. If you check the document link I posted, the PC is set to "cap" (technically the PC doesn't know what the current RPMs) engine revs to 5K RPMs. You also see that the throttle response curve never intersects with the native throttle curve. Depending on your driving situation you may find the mode acceptable, for my neck of the woods the laggy response in ECON mode was unsafe for my needs.

    On another forum discussing PC one of the posters made a solid case for PC ECON mode actually hurting MPG. If I recall correctly, the gist of the argument was the Tundra's efficiency band is above ~1.2 K RPM. PC in ECON mode drags out how long you are in the sub optimal band while the other modes get you into the efficient band quickly (Pg 8 or 9 in the doc I linked). The poster could have been full of shit as I have no way to verify his numbers but it sounded convincing at face value. He also made the case that driving behavior will have the greatest impact on MPG and described what driving strategy would help increase MPGs.
     
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