Sprint booster??!!!

[JJCRU23R]

http://www.modified.com/news/modp-0911-sprint-booster-wins-best-new-product-at-sema/index.html

Simple plug n play, improves response when you put the foot down on the accelerater..

Won new product award at sema in 2009, has no other direct competitors

They say it works on most if not all modern cars that have a computer between the throttle and the engine.. Has anyone here fitted one of these to their car???

[Jap]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiZMiMc4lu8 Edited August 10, 2010 by Jap

[Hiro]

http://www.modified.com/news/modp-0911-sprint-booster-wins-best-new-product-at-sema/index.html

Simple plug n play, improves response when you put the foot down on the accelerater..

Won new product award at sema in 2009, has no other direct competitors

They say it works on most if not all modern cars that have a computer between the throttle and the engine.. Has anyone here fitted one of these to their car???

Page isn't loading, but it just sounds like one of those throttle-recalibrate things where it converts 50% throttle pedal to 100% butterfly in "performance" mode and the other way around in "economy" mode - there's no real improvement in response, acceleration or fuel consumption that can't be achieved by just adjusting your driving style and learning to use the pedals better.

IE it's a complete waste of time.

[DJKOR]

I have said it time and time again. Everything I have said is my own personal view. The general word out there though is that people love it. I personally think that it is certainly doing a good job tricking their mind into thinking it is making a performance difference, when it's all an illusion.

Anyways as said, I am just expressing my own opinion. After all, I don't own one so I have no right in making an opinion on it as others have told me.

Throttle Controller

I've

said this

before

and I'll say it again. It's just different packaging and different names for the same thing. I can't believe that they can get away with selling something that probably costs them under $20 to make for $400+. That's massive profit:

I've said my words on this before for a

different branded product

that does what the SprintBooster does. I'll just reiterate them to hopefully save others from money (only works with an electronic throttle):

Those are completely pointless. All they do is adjust the amount that the throttle plate moves in relation to how much you press on the accelerator. Such a massive waste of money (AU $359.58 + AU $78.24 for the harness if you choose) for something you can easily adjust with decent driving skills.

Look at it this way. For a normal DBW throttle, you depress the accelerator 10% of its range, the throttle plate moves 10% of its range. Now you add this box and put it into 'Sports' mode. Now when you depress the accelerator 10%, the throttle moves 20% (for example). What happens when you depress the accelerator 50%... the throttle is at 100% and the rest of the range in your accelerator is useless.

Now it only takes a fraction of a second to press the accelerator that extra distance that this box is going to compensate for. There is absolutely no gain in respect to this.

Putting it into 'Eco' mode will do the opposite. For example, you depress the accelerator 10%, the throttle moves only 5%. Now This I can see would provide some sort of gain if you were trying to drive like a granny and want to get your revs 100% perfect, but realistically it is just useless. You can gain decent control with practice.

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but those are just my opinions.

The Sprint Booster or the E-Booster as you have posted don't have any adjustment. They would only be set to one mode similar to the 'Sports' mode I mentioned above.

[Jap]

I will have results on paper come October, when I test at the dragstrip.

I was sceptical of the sprintbooster, I had nearly bought one months ago, but decided to do some other mods.

Finally bought one and put it in, I can notice the difference.

The people who are saying that they are no good, have you ever driven a vehicle equipped with one or equivalent?

I know full well that these do NOT change outright power figures, I never expected that, but the throttle response is great.

If you would not spend $400 on one, then that is up to you.

But the question in the first post IS "Has anyone fitted one of these to their car"...obviously there a few who haven't :D

Edited August 10, 2010 by Jap

[Hiro]

I will have results on paper come October, when I test at the dragstrip.

I was sceptical of the sprintbooster, I had nearly bought one months ago, but decided to do some other mods.

Finally bought one and put it in, I can notice the difference.

The people who are saying that they are no good, have you ever driven a vehicle equipped with one or equivalent?

I know full well that these do NOT change outright power figures, I never expected that, but the throttle response is great.

If you would not spend $400 on one, then that is up to you.

But the question in the first post IS "Has anyone fitted one of these to their car"...obviously there a few who haven't :D

There is a difference between throttle response (the response of the engine to changes in throttle) and simple delays in the pedal-throttle connection. With one of these "boosters" there is NO difference whatsoever to the actual response of the engine to changes in the throttle butterfly, all it essentially does is reduce the travel of the pedal required to get full opening of the butterfly. A downside of this is that the throttle will become "twitchier" as small variations in the position of the pedal due to your foot moving naturally are now amplified, and you'll have to completely re-learn how to balance the throttle and the clutch pedals when changing gears.

And of course you feel a difference, it's called the placebo effect - you expect there to be a difference so your body is feeling things that aren't necessarily there (or imagining that they are having a greater effect than they really are).

And no, I have neither fitted one of these to my car or driven one with it fitted, as all the cars I have ever owned or driven have had cable throttles.

[Jap]

Is it possible that the sprintbooster provides faster throttle actuation?

As I hear you telling me that what I'm feeling isn't actually happening, thats kind of like getting your palms read over the phone :D

[DJKOR]

I don't want to stir up this discussion but I will just say what is happening on a more technical aspect. As I have said before, this is my own view. I'm not here to say that what others experience is different etc or that it is money wasted as this is something that in the end is up to the individual. Each to their own. Everyone is allowed to make their own opinions. I don't tell you that you have to like my lifestyle. Your opinions on my lifestyle are your opinions. You're allowed to have them.

Anyways, what the Sprint Booster is is essentially a voltage amplifier. It is inserted in series between the throttle pedal and the ECU throttle input. Nothing you do here can affect the maximum speed the electronic throttle body can operate at. If you were to wire up the throttle pedal so all you had to do is press a button for the throttle pedal signal to go from 0% to 100%, that would mean that you can go from 0-100% throttle in a fraction of a second. That said, you are at the end limited to how fast the servo motor in the throttle body can open the butterfly from 0% (or close to 0%) all the way to 100%.

Now lets go back to the standard throttle pedal. Lets say the time taken for you to push the pedal to the floor as fast as you can (which can be pretty quick) is still less than the time it takes for the throttle body servo motor to open the throttle to 100%. By having the Sprint Booster there, lets say that at 50% throttle, it's output is 100% throttle. Even saving half the time because you only have to move the pedal half the distance, you still can't speed up the rate in which the throttle body can operate. So pretty much nothing else inserted between the throttle pedal and ECU input, including the Sprint Booster is going to get that throttle body to open any faster.

What you feel and what your brain interprets can be quite different to what is actually happening. Because it changes the way the pedal 'feels', your brain sees this as improved throttle response. You only have to tap the accelerator to get the same effect as moving your foot a longer distance under normal operation.

But in the end, that's the intention of such device. It's mean to change the way the throttle feels, but on a technical aspect, it's not really increasing throttle response. It's just applying more throttle instead to give that illusion.

[Jap]

I agree with you.

Now lets put throttle de-tuning into the mix.

I have it from a reliable source that the TRD (Hilux at least) had throttle opening times 'retarded', for want of a better word. There are obviously ways, means and gadgetry to test whether the sprintbooster is actually doing anything in this regard.

[ultimate]

Is it possible that the sprintbooster provides faster throttle actuation?

As I hear you telling me that what I'm feeling isn't actually happening, thats kind of like getting your palms read over the phone :D

There is a lot of misconception out there about the Sprint Booster. Either you like it or don't and most of the times it comes down to if you have tried it or not. The simple fact is that if it was a placebo, there is no way it would have been awarded "Best New Performance Street Product" at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas last year. The title speaks for itself and isn't given to just any product.

The Sprint Booster improves acceleration by continually measuring and converting the digital signal provided by the ETC's potentiometer. This new, altered signal is delivered to the ECM providing much quicker acceleration. Basically the pedal can be at 25%, and the signal is registering 50% so the acceleration is much quicker. It does not increase the engine’s power or rev limit, but instead unlocks its full potential from the beginning. The Sprint Booster is simple, plug and play technology that does not affect any other systems like the Electronic fuel injection or ABS. Sure if you plant your foot to the floor you will get full throttle just the same as with the Sprint booster. The difference is the Sprint Booster provides a dramatic increase in performance for everyday driving, not just racing. If you look on the new hilux forum, you will see a lot of satisfied users completely blown away by how good this little unit is. A lot of them have already chipped the vehicles and done other performance mods. With the Sprint Booster they are experiencing incredible gains and are even spinning mud terrain tyres and beating street cars off the line. Something which was not easy to achieve before the Sprint Booster.

A few of the advantages are:

• Instant performance that you can genuinely feel

• Won the prestigious award of best new product at the 2009 SEMA

• No adverse affect on the manufacturer's engine specification and tuning

• Does not affect other systems like ABS and electronic fuel injection

• 3 Stage programming which means the performance can be adjusted to suit the driver and conditions at the press of a button- e.g. The performance can be returned to stock settings for adverse weather, new drivers or if you are leaving your vehicle with a mechanic or workshop)

• Plug in performance which means you can simply remove the chip if you sell the vehicle

• Available for Petrols, Diesels, Autos and Manuals

Like I said you either love or don't know how good it really is. We all know Jap's TRD is highly modified and produces great power output. The Sprint Booster just unlocks it sooner making his vehicle even better ;)

[DJKOR]

I have it from a reliable source that the TRD (Hilux at least) had throttle opening times 'retarded', for want of a better word. There are obviously ways, means and gadgetry to test whether the sprintbooster is actually doing anything in this regard.

If this is occurring, it would be applied AFTER the ECU received the throttle pedal input. Nothing you do prior to this can affect the ECU if it's programmed to alter the way the throttle body reacts to the throttle pedal input.

This new, altered signal is delivered to the ECM providing much quicker acceleration. Basically the pedal can be at 25%, and the signal is registering 50% so the acceleration is much quicker.

So basically, that statement means the acceleration is much quicker because at 25% throttle, your are at 50% throttle according to the ECU. That makes sense, but how is it any different to not having the Sprint Booster and putting your foot down to 50% throttle?

It does not increase the engine’s power or rev limit, but instead unlocks its full potential from the beginning.

However...

With the Sprint Booster they are experiencing incredible gains and are even spinning mud terrain tyres and beating street cars off the line. Something which was not easy to achieve before the Sprint Booster.

So if the Sprint Booster isn't increasing the engine's power output, then how is it making them spin their tires easier? Sounds more like it's just due to the increased throttle signal to the ECU at lower throttle pedal travel... which can be replicated without the Sprint Booster.

Anyways, at the end of the day, if you feel good about it and you think it has transformed the way it makes your car feel, then good for you. My opinion is that if you have two of the same car side by side, one with the Sprint Booster, one without, both can accelerate exactly the same, the only difference is that one will be lighter on the throttle than the other. I'm not here to change anyone's opinion. I am just saying what I personally think about such device and why I wouldn't buy one.

[Hiro]

There is a lot of misconception out there about the Sprint Booster. Either you like it or don't and most of the times it comes down to if you have tried it or not. The simple fact is that if it was a placebo, there is no way it would have been awarded "Best New Performance Street Product" at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas last year. The title speaks for itself and isn't given to just any product.

Of course it could be a placebo - just because it won a single award at a single exhibition (who actually decided the award? Was it the public? Experts? Other stall owners? OEMs? Maybe it was a crap year for other aftermarket parts and it was the best of a bad bunch). Have you ever heard of a little product called Firepower? It received $400,000 in Australian Government grants, public approval from key government figures and apparent approval from major manufacturers yet has been shown several times to be a large-scale scam, and the former owner of the company under ongoing investigation by ASIC - however, in the time that it was believed to be a genuine effective product the company sponsored 3 major sporting teams (including the Sydney Kings, part-owned by Firepower, which had to quit the NBL because the sponsorship money promised never arrived and left them bankrupt) and even a V8 Supercar team, all thusly perpetuating a lie.

The Sprint Booster improves acceleration by continually measuring and converting the digital signal provided by the ETC's potentiometer. This new, altered signal is delivered to the ECM providing much quicker acceleration. Basically the pedal can be at 25%, and the signal is registering 50% so the acceleration is much quicker. It does not increase the engine’s power or rev limit, but instead unlocks its full potential from the beginning. The Sprint Booster is simple, plug and play technology that does not affect any other systems like the Electronic fuel injection or ABS. Sure if you plant your foot to the floor you will get full throttle just the same as with the Sprint booster. The difference is the Sprint Booster provides a dramatic increase in performance for everyday driving, not just racing. If you look on the new hilux forum, you will see a lot of satisfied users completely blown away by how good this little unit is. A lot of them have already chipped the vehicles and done other performance mods. With the Sprint Booster they are experiencing incredible gains and are even spinning mud terrain tyres and beating street cars off the line. Something which was not easy to achieve before the Sprint Booster.

Are you a salesman or spokesperson for this thing? Because it sure sounds like you are.

The biggest flaw with this arguement is the fact that you cannot accelerate any faster than you can with the throttle at 100% (you state yourself that there is no difference at 100%). Therefore, any "increase" in performance is simply the equivalent of pressing the throttle harder. Of course people will see "improvements", but what they are really experiencing is an increase in the acceleration of the car compared to the amount they press the pedal. They are being surprised at the fact that they are getting greater acceleration than they are used to considering how much they pressed the pedal. Since humans are creatures of habit, all we will do is simply drive around with less throttle pedal input, thus giving us the same performance (unless you drive flat-out all the time, you are never using 100% of the engine's power and are really accelerating at a rate chosen by yourself). Since the work that you apply to activate the pedal is not measured engine power or fuel consumption, the only savings you can possibly get with this unit is a less-sore ankle.

If you want an analogy, imagine a hi-fi system. The volume goes up to 100, and the scale is linear, so if you turn the knob to 25 you get 25% volume. Now, there is a "mod" which amplifies the output of the volume knob, so now if you turn the knob to 25 you suddenly get 50% volume - "wow!" you say, the output of your hi-fi is now totally awesome, it never used to be this loud. However, you like the volume at 25, so over time you simply learn to turn the knob down to 12 to get the same sound output. However, on the off chance you still want to shake the walls, you turn it up to 100 and yet you still get 100% volume, not 200%.

On top of this, consider the power consumed by the speaker - it is completely linked to the actual output volume, not the input knob setting. You aren't going to save power by having the mod and turning the knob half as much, because the output of the speaker is the same and thus draws the same current, and thus the same amount of power. Sure, the music gets louder a _little_ bit faster, but that is purely a transient effect and only affects things when you change volume.

As for the Hilux forums, take a look at any of the millions of eBay ads for "air-temp mod chips" and "fuel-line magnets" - each will have glowing reports from "experts" and dozens of satisfied customers yet those products have been proven time and time again to be completely bogus. Placebos are a scientifically proven (and used, the whole reason behind double-blind testing is to remove bias and the placebo effect) fact, be it a drug or a chip in a car.

[DJKOR]

Hey Hiro. I think we are on the same page. I guess there is a logic here that we see but no one else does. In cases like this, I chose to now leave the discussion.

[Hiro]

LONG POST

I think you need to better define what you mean by "throttle response" and "acceleration". Get your average family hack and quickly twist the throttle butterfly by hand - there is a distinct (but small) delay between your inputs and the response of the engine. In a cable-driven car, that is the definition pure-and-simple of throttle response, as there is a direct un-altered mechanical link between throttle pedal and cable. In an ETC car, it is a bit more complicated. Let me break it down for you. In a fly-by-wire car, the path from foot to throttle is thus:

1) Foot presses pedal

2) Potentiometer or the like reads throttle travel and outputs a voltage (or variable resistance, which affects voltage)

3) This voltage is read by the computer, calculated and converted (taking other inputs into consideration) into an input for the throttle body actuator (a servo)

4) The throttle actuator receives this signal and outputs drive to turn the throttle butterfly to the specific angle

5) The engine reacts to the change in throttle position and draws in more air,causing engine speed to increase

There are delays in ALL those steps. However, you can rule out improving delays caused by 4 because the system is controlled via closed-loop feedback by the TPS. In addition to that, the delay in step 2 is infinitesimally small (you're looking at current flow speed). You can also rule out delays by 5 as the response is identical with or without the booster. Thus, you are left with step 1 and 3. Since we're talking about computers here, which operate on the micro-second scale and smaller (they control injectors which are operating at several thousand times per second, remember, so you think your product has more power and operating speed than an ECU designed by a multinational with millions of dollars and hundreds of people invested in it?), any significant delays (and thus improvements) are going to be located solely in step 1, and that is all your product is doing - reducing pedal travel for part-throttle applications, in which case we are back to the hi-fi analogy.

Plus, any "graphs" generated are useless as proof unless accompanied by their raw data or if undertaken by approved accredited bodies - treat them like a dyno graph, which can very easily be manipulated by the operator to give just about any desired output simply by adjusting parameters or over-riding settings.

[httttt]

If you were to wire up the throttle pedal so all you had to do is press a button for the throttle pedal signal to go from 0% to 100%

This was one of my original thoughts when I heard about these Boosters. But I think the ECU will think something is wrong.

This topic never gets old. Great read.

I installed a Poorman's Booster this morning for testing and I have to say my throttle response seems much greater.. Poorman's Booster = Move your seat forward.

[Jap]

I've enjoyed reading the replies, the logic here is not beyond me.

Whether it makes my hilux quicker or not, I enjoy the driving experience.

That is worth my money, it is no different to putting on a set of seatcovers, I may think they feel great, others not so much.

If you think the sprintbooster is a waste of money, then so be it. No one is forcing your hand. I understand Djkor is stating his opinion and thats what forums are about.

I get the feeling this is getting heated, but it is for no reason.

We are here to enjoy our cars, lets do it.

[ultimate]

If you were to wire up the throttle pedal so all you had to do is press a button for the throttle pedal signal to go from 0% to 100%

This was one of my original thoughts when I heard about these Boosters. But I think the ECU will think something is wrong.

This topic never gets old. Great read.

I installed a Poorman's Booster this morning for testing and I have to say my throttle response seems much greater.. Poorman's Booster = Move your seat forward.

I can see where you guys are coming from and it's fair enough. That’s what I love about forums. The different opinions really make it interesting. I do honestly believe you are missing out on a good product which is a shame. There's always scepticism on new ideas and I do believe if you tried it, your view would be different. I wasn't at SEMA so I don't know who picked it. Decide what you want for the SEMA show but it is one of the biggest in the world and showcases the best products available.

As for the analogies they are pointless. You can make them say whatever you want. Like here's one. Compare a sprint booster to a semi-auto v. full automatic rifle. If you pull the trigger rapidly on the semi auto you will get shots out quick. But a device to make it completely automatic a touch of a button is far more efficient and easier. You can plant the foot to get full throttle standard or you can drive around normally and the get the benefits of it with the sprint booster.

[Hiro]

As for the analogies they are pointless. You can make them say whatever you want. Like here's one. Compare a sprint booster to a semi-auto v. full automatic rifle. If you pull the trigger rapidly on the semi auto you will get shots out quick. But a device to make it completely automatic a touch of a button is far more efficient and easier. You can plant the foot to get full throttle standard or you can drive around normally and the get the benefits of it with the sprint booster.

Only use analogies if they are actually relevant. You sir, fail at analogies. They are excellent tools for simplying complex systems into a manner which can be understood by the average schmuck (since I'm not an average schmuck, I need to use them alot).

If I wanted to use an analogy based around rifles yet still linked to the booster, it would be this:

Imagine an automatic rifle. A round is fired at a set rate as long as the trigger is pulled down. The limitations on the system are the speed at which the person initially pulls the trigger, the speed at which the firing mechanism operates, and the speed at which the bolt can cycle and load a new round. Now, you can invent a mechanical (or electrical, whatever's your poison) device to enhance the operation of the trigger, such that you only have to pull it half as hard in order to fire the first round. The mechanism is still the same, and there is still the same delay in the cycling of the firing mechanism and bolt, however you have reduced the time delay inherent to pulling the trigger, as well as the effort. Initially it seems like the pull is much easier and faster, until you become accustomed to the weight needed to activate it and learn your way around it. You'll still fire at the same rate once the first bullet fires(it is an automatic rifle afterall), but the effort for that initial pull is less.

[Jap]

We're not all 'average schmucks' as you so imply ;)

[DJKOR]

You can plant the foot to get full throttle standard or you can drive around normally and the get the benefits of it with the sprint booster.

You need to look at that statement in more depth. With the Sprint Booster on, you aren't exactly driving 'normally' anymore are you? YOU may feel like you are driving around normally by applying light throttle etc, but the ECU will see differently. The ECU will think you are driving more agressively (still within it's standard parameters with no performance increase) and in turn will run the engine as such. The only thing that is being tricked in the end is your own mind thinking you are driving 'normally'.

[Hiro]

We're not all 'average schmucks' as you so imply ;)

I'm not implying that you are, however a vast amuont of the sort of people who buy these sort of products do so out of sheer cluelessness or getting sucked in by market hype without doing any proper research.

As is evident by the number of threads I've seen started on forums along the lines of "I'm getting one of these whatchamacallit-dooveywhackers along with a bottle of snake oil, what sort of massive 1/4 mile gains can I expect from my 1.3l auto Yaris?"

[Steven]

Is it possible that the sprintbooster provides faster throttle actuation?

As I hear you telling me that what I'm feeling isn't actually happening, thats kind of like getting your palms read over the phone :D

A few of the advantages are:

• Instant performance that you can genuinely feel

• Won the prestigious award of best new product at the 2009 SEMA

• No adverse affect on the manufacturer's engine specification and tuning

• Does not affect other systems like ABS and electronic fuel injection

• 3 Stage programming which means the performance can be adjusted to suit the driver and conditions at the press of a button- e.g. The performance can be returned to stock settings for adverse weather, new drivers or if you are leaving your vehicle with a mechanic or workshop)

• Plug in performance which means you can simply remove the chip if you sell the vehicle

• Available for Petrols, Diesels, Autos and Manuals

Instant Performance - Same performance from stock. "Instant" - no, just that 0.01 seconds faster than it takes to put your foot down a little further.

Won Sema award - Doesn't count as an Advantage, just wanky advertising

No adverse effects - Same as leaving it stock. However will this be in a legally binding written guarantee, or is it claim without any substance?

Does not affect any other systems - So the fact is doesn't screw up other parts of your car is an advantage?

3 stage programming - Lovely. Though what's this an advantage over? The ongoing adjustments and fine tuning performed by the standard ECU anyway? I seriously doubt it.

Plug in performance so easily removable - Great. Because it would obviously put anyone off buying the car if they saw this in there (or conversely, think you were dumber than you look and offer you less money)

Available for petrols, diesels, autos and Manuals - Advertising gimmick. My claim "Available for red, blue, or yellow cars. Have air conditioning? No problem, it will still bolt up."

[dutchie101]

I tooo wonder who actually owns of of these units (apart from Jap) and can say from actual experience.

I gather this unit is the same theoretically as my Blitz full auto throttle controller, no different except for the fact that the blitz unit also has a learning mode. I understand where you are all coming from and i know this argument all well.

One thing people tend to forget, i think it was mentioned in this thread, is that the controller will register and improve throttle control quicker than the movement of the foot. Especially as the signal has boosted the initial output, the simplicity of saying "put you foot down quicker" is bull and defunct. Your foot will never beat the milli-second amplification of the input signal. No foot is as quick as the processed/ amplified electrical signal outputted by the unit. If a smaller throw of the pedal gains a higher signal input, this IS faster than the foot.

I do have a blitz full auto controller, not to make my car quicker, but to enjoy it more, not having to stab the pedal to the floor, having more power accessible at a shorter throw of the foot is what im looking for. No snake oils, no wishing. If you take a look at formula one or any other high end racing systems, you will see how sensitive the throttles are. This isnt for optimum car control, its for optimizing split second reduction of human physical movement or leg lag :) Why travel 100mm when the same throttle position can be gained in half or less than that?

Like Jap said tho, no need to get upset if your not interested in one.. Its just like a high rez gaming mouse...

[and1]

I've personally never have been in a car with one of these sprint boosters, but my mate and my gf both have new cars with electronic throttles. There is definitely 'lag' between applying throttle and the feeling of acceleration, well to me anyways. It could just be that I'm driving a cable throttle car with engine mount inserts so the response wouldn't be the same on these other cars.

It would be interesting to see fuel consumption before and after installation since there is more throttle application even when not necessary. So I guess that could be a disadvantage of one of these.

[dutchie101]

Most have eco modes as well. So they are actually more fuel savvy if operated correctly. Or its far easier to stall with such slow response!! :D