Tow Haul, Pedal Commander Etc....

Howdy,

OK stock our Tundras are a bit sluggish; mushy pedal.


Tow haul and "beast mode" certainly improve but I think they mess with shift points and while quicker off the line don't do much for me at higher RPMs. I haven't run a tank in TH without a trailer but suspect MPG's take a hit...

I've read the Pedal Commander threads and while generally accepted as good upgrade many suggest it just changes the pedal angle and a heavy foot would achieve the same result.

Ideally I'd like a little more pep off the line and not sacrifice MPG. I guess "ideally" better MPG! Not really interested in getting worse performance to gain MPG's which I understand some of the PC setting do...

So ...questions:

Does PC do anything with transmission or strictly pedal angle/sensitivity?

Does Tow haul actually change shift points or as a result of whatever shift points change?

Thanks,

GM

 

1-3 MPG is substantial!

If I average 15 mpg, 3 mpg is 20% more... so saving $10-$20 a fill up (38 gallon tank) is pretty good!

Yea the PC has detractors and fans. Seems most fans have kept theirs while most detractors have never tried it....

I could have a false impression though...

Thanks,

G

 

Yea I'm stock... no intention of tires or lift at least till I wear down the Michelins it came with. I can get 15 IF I go lightly.

I've been dragging a 4000lb Airstream everywhere so hard to get an actual mileage. Half trailer, half not.... average 11mpg.

BTW..

Does Range after fill up base itself on last tanks MPG? Or average out a few? I was getting 535 miles as range and last one said 475 miles. Not sure if it filled up though as the pump did one of those slow down like when you prepay. I NEVER top off.

Thanks,

G

 

I have the Pedal Commander on my 4.6. Best purchase to date and I have bought a lot of things for the truck. It changes the voltage for the throttle input to reduce the lag. It is way different than the tow/haul mode. The safety feature that Toyota uses is "open the throttle body 80%" which causes the delay. The PC takes care of that. Most of us that have them run them in City +2 mode. It does not leave a footprint or affect warranty. PC also has a "try for 30 day" program. I have has mine for about a year now. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

According to the Toyota engineer that I just dealt with on my truck, the tow/haul button doubles the amount of throttle input and raises shift points. Yes, it will drink gas worse than it already does but sometimes it's worth it just to put a smile on my face.

I had a PC on my 2014 Ram and it is worth every penny. Sport mode will rip your head into the headrest. Sport+ is way too sensitive for my tastes. I kept my Ram is City + 2 most of the time.

 

PC does nothing with tranny. As mentioned, changes the voltage input to throttle, kind of a "re-curve" of the accelerator.

 

I turn on TH every time I get in the truck and haven't seen any decrease in mpg

 

Hmmm I don’t have a tow/haul on my 19 dc sr5 4.6l No brake controller I guess is why. I was considering the PC

 

I was very skeptical about the Pedal Commander. However, after a year of homework and plain old 'sitting on the fence,' I bought one just after Christmas. The PC is one of my favorite mods!

My gas mileage is the same, not better, the but performance is drastically different. No more acceleration lag. I have mine on City -2, and more and it would be feel a little 'jumpy.' The change in the acceleration curve you get with PC CANNOT be replicated by stepping on the pedal harder. The PC changes the curve. It sure makes my truck a lot more fun to drive.

After four months of using the PC, this past weekend I disconnected it to compare the stock ride. I was stunned at the difference! Would never go back. The increase in performance is definitely worth the money to me.

 

May I ask what engine you have?

 

'05 Tundra with a 4.7 V8.

 

I’ll be ordering. Thanks

 

I have played with tow haul and it doesn’t seem to affect mileage much. It gets me started and up to speed faster, but then cruising (flat, up and down hills) it behaves like TH mode OFF, with relatively low RPMs if I keep my foot light.

My MPG drops in traffic snarls and sitting at lights mostly.

 

If i can delete the Fuel consumption data off of my truck i would. I just don't want to see it.
I found myself obsessing over MPG until i said F*** It. It is what it is.

I'll save $20 somewhere else other than gas.

 

I haven’t purchased the pedal commander (yet) but on the mileage range question mine typically gives me roughly 325 on every tank as my driving routs are pretty consistent. But over this past weekend I had the truck in for some service due to the range not showing after installation of a new head unit and when I got it back my trip A & B has been reset to zero. I then made 2 40 mile round trips that were mostly highway where the fuel economy was reading about 20 mpg. So since the computer was reset it was reading that was the fuel economy for the entire tank even though there was 1/4 tank left. This time after filling up the range registered about 435 and it had never been that high before so I think it is based on the last tanks fuel economy.

 

BTW...

How does it work WITH Tow Haul?

Since I'm dragging a trailer around and LOVE TH for that it seems PC + TH may not be a match made in heaven....

Anyone use PC while towing with TH on?

Thanks,

G

 

To answer the original question:

The pedal commander does change trans shifting. But not directly.

The ecu sees the artificial pedal position and reacts accordingly. Not in a bad way or anything. But absolutely shifts as of there is more throttle input.

 

Trans shifts by pedal position?

I thought it would be RPM and or load/torque etc....

I'm still getting used to drive by wire so know little about how these moderns beasts behave.

Thanks,

G

 

I just installed the PC. WOW what a difference 4.6l 2019 dc. I have it in City rt now, I have a 4 hour drive into PA lots of hills so we will see mpg.

 

Did they stop selling the non Blue Tooth version for less?

If anything is not needed it's BT as far as I can see...

Does BT add any functionality? I'd mount it ~2 inches from where my iPhone mounts...Maybe a remote for my iPhone so I can access BT and make adjustments on it....

G

 

I could not find the non bt version

 

Non-Bluetooth model no longer exists. Bluetooth adds no functionality, only perceived accessibility.

 

do you recommend it for a 4.6? I have a 4.6 and considering it. Does it increase mpg and or driving experience?

 

It does help quite a bit. I ran a Pedal Commander on my 2013 wirh the 4.6. However, I now have a 2020 with the 5.7 and I ran a PC on it as well. However, I recently switched and I would recommend the Banks Pedal Monster. @ToyFan can confirm if it covers the 4.6 as well.

 

Ok. I don’t have personal experience with a Pedal Commander or any other similar device, nor do I care to. Since they only adjust throttle opening related to pedal position, it’s not my cup of tea. That’s all I will say about this.

You asked about the differences in shift points, if any, between normal drive mode and Tow/Haul. That I can speak to.

The short answer is yes. T/H changes shift points. Not a lot in lower gears, but it stretches out in the upper gear shift points.

also, it only adds rpm to your shift points in low to moderate pedal positions. As your pedal position increases in each gear, the shift point difference between normal and T/H decreases. The higher gears hold more rpm longer than the lower ones.

downshift points are close to the same.