Driving in S4 vs Pedal Commander

I really do not like the responsiveness of my 4runner.
I have been on this quest to make a little bit more zippy.

I drive my 4runner in S4 all the time which I feel makes it a little bit more responsive.

I wanted to know from the people with pedal commanders will I see more responsiveness from the pedal commander than the s4.

Also has anyone tried using 91 octane will it help with the low end torque performance.

 

Never tried 91 obtain so I’m out on that. Pedal Commander was really positive for me. And not just a “little more zippy”. Much more responsive than S4.

 

Higher octane won't add power.

S4 doesn't really do anything besides keep it out of overdrive, so I'm not sure how that even helps.

Throttle manipulation devices amplify the pedal input, but don't make it any faster. People love them, though.

Otherwise, stomp on the pedal like you're mad at it and it will go.

 

The only function of S4 is limited the transmission up shifts to 4th gear. It drives, performs, and shifts exactly the same as D it just doesn’t shift up into 5th. The fact that you feel like it makes it more responsive makes me think you’ll love a pedal commander since it’s gains are basically just a placebo effect.

Your throttle pedal is just a position sensor that the engine control module sees as in an input. Throttle pedal position is how much power your requesting. The throttle body position is an output of engine control module, the computer determines how much to open the throttle body and how fast to open it. The pedal commander connects in line between the throttle pedal and the engine control module and it’s only function is to amplify the throttle pedal position reading. Basically when you’re at 20% throttle it amplifies the signal so the computer sees a request for 50%. Being an electrical output controlled by the ECM and limited to the capability of the electric motor inside of it, the actual throttle body movement can not be affected by a pedal commander. Its simple making the ECM think your hitting the pedal harder than you are and the placebo effect takes over from there.

 

i have bad news for you...

 

My thought is that it's not completely a placebo. If you're on the highway or driving somewhere over 45 mph or so, by having it stay in 4th gear you're probably staying in an RPM region where there is more torque available when you want to accelerate. Also, the vehicle doesn't have to spend time shifting down to accelerate so you lose that lag time as well.

All of that said, it will likely have worse gas mileage and be louder, so I wouldn't do it just to "be faster" in my 4Runner that isn't meant for speed. If you want to go fast, buy an S4, don't drive a 4Runner around in S4.

 

Bought my Pedal Commander off of Amazon for $299.00. Money well spent in my opinion, my 4R throttle is much more responsive and it "feels" faster. I occasionally switch back to stock mode, the factory throttle response feels like mashed potatoes in comparison. Try it for yourself.

 

Yes more zippy with Pedal Commander or any of the throttle controllers. I have the HikeIt which is way cheaper. And octane won't make it more zippy.

 

Does the commander affect your MPG, or are you getting basically the same as you would if you just smashed the gas peddle everywhere you go?

 

From a few months on driving on s4, I can tell you are completely right. Pedal commander it is.

also from what i read pedal commander does not really effect gas mileage negatively.

 

That is kind of a loaded question. The PC makes the 4R much more enjoyable to me when I drive. I usually have it in Sport 3. The throttle is much more responsive, which, in general, means that I sometimes take advantage of that responsive feel, which makes the MPG plummet. I would say that overall, you are at about a wash when it comes to any effect on the MPG. However, I have been playing with it in ECO mode while towing my kayak trailer on the highway. I have picked up about 1.5 mpg in ECO mode, mainly because the throttle response is slothlike. I really think the gain in MPG while towing has more to do with the fact that the throttle response is so slow, the transmission downshifts less on slight hills. Not having a more modern tranny in the 4R is great for longevity, but it's kind of like the old days comparing a 3 speed bike to a 10 speed bike. With the ten speed, you obviously have more gears, so the gear ratios are closer. Therefor, you may not need to drop down and overcompensate like you would on a three speed bike to get the same gains.

 

I dont’ think throttle comamnders are placebo, per se…. After all, it changes the response rate of the pedal, which is a legit thing that makes the engine “cut to the chase” and just get moving.

I dont have one, but might…
I’ve found that moving my seat forward by a tiny bit can get my foot at a better angle to the pedal, which believe it or not has had a huge effect on how “finely” I can work my foot to get that pedal mashed appropriately.

 

I think if you need to spend a few hundred dollars to make the gas pedal twitchy for no reason go for it.

you will not make these heavy lumps of Japanese carbon steel any faster without dropping serious money on a supercharger.

 

@Kimo - be forewarned that any mention of the PC in a thread will launch a heated debate as to their effectiveness...most love them, some despise them; it seems there's very few who just don't care. The most fun is listening to those who swear by their ineffectiveness, but have never tried one.

 

Things people swear add power but don’t:
Pedal commander
Cold air intake
Goofy oil filled air filters
Loud farting exhaust
Oil and fuel additives and other sham engine products

 

I think the only reason it reacts faster is because it makes the computer think you're pushing the pedal down faster. If what @Agent_Outside said is correct, the exact same result could come from just pushing the pedal down more aggressively.

Regardless, WOT will be exactly the same with or without one. I just mash it when I need to go right away and it's fine.

 

I have a PC. It can be a little twitchy at times and the higher settings are unusable. I turned it off one day and didn't miss it after a bit. Not sure how I have it set now.

91 will do nothing but I run it to avoid pinging during high load low RPM situations. It was an issue with the 1GR in my Tacoma but not sure if it's still an issue.

"S mode" isn't a mode. It just limits the highest gear as others have mentioned.

 

It's just the people who swear it makes the 4Runner faster that amuse me. It can't.

I think it's a fine product for those with weak ankles.





Edit: I don't think they're ineffective. I just know they can only do so much. I wouldn't mind having one if it were free, or cheap.

 

The 4R has plenty of power once you eliminate the throttle lag.

 

OP - from your signature it looks like you have a 2021 Toyota 4Runner Limited in Nightshade. I have both a Limited and a TRD ORP. I can tell you first hand the Limited AWD's are the least responsive of the stock 4Runner models. The AWD system creates some parasitic drag and the 20" Wheels (40lbs) and tires are heavy with a lot of rotational mass that is pushed out to the wheel edge. My TRD, in 2WD, is a lot more responsive and fun to drive then my Limited - the braking in my TRD is also better. I did wind up changing out the wheels and tires on my Limited to a 17" TRD wheel (25lbs) and a lighter all season tire, the Limited is a soccer mom SUV, doing so lightened up each corner by ~15lbs, and this did noticeably help... but my TRD in 2WD is still more responsive.

 

My analogy is the oem pedal is like Wyatt Earp having to draw from a holster that's buckled midway down to his knees. With a throttle controller, his holster is now at his waist. Sure he can draw his shootin' iron in both instances, but he probably is going to get off the shot before he gets plugged, with the PC holster...

 

Eventually you'll forget how much you spent if you just do it...

 

You can still bump the transmission up to 5 in S mode. Then there's no upshift limit.

 

True. It's easy to overlook that.

I actually had it default to S3 last weekend when I had previously gone from S3 into OD. Probably a good thing to be aware of before you bump it over to S mode at high speed!

 

I didn’t know that was possible, my makes a beeping noise if the speed is too high for the gear and won’t downshift.

 

As mentioned by @Thatbassguy, the ECU is not going to let you do anything to hurt the engine.

https://youtu.be/p7q7l_7zcno

 

When you have a firm grasp of how it all works you don’t need to try it to see if it can do something it’s literally incapable of doing.

It’s like saying how do I know a cold air intake won’t increase my top speed by 10 mph if I don’t buy one and try… when the fact is the top speed is electronically limited so it can’t make it do that.

It’s not magic, it’s electronics.

 

I have the Hikeit. I like it, I picked it up for 120 bucks on Black Friday. It definitely does make a difference in feel. Does it add any power? No, of course not. Nothing really adds power to these short of a supercharger.

I was skeptical as hell, but for 120 bucks and a money back guarantee I figured I'd give it a shot. I could tell the difference as soon as I pulled out of the driveway. It's like pushing the pedal down faster, but different. If you're not used to driving a vehicle that requires you to drive like you stole it, it makes it much nicer to drive. You don't feel like you're beating the crap out of your vehicle just to accelerate onto the highway or merge in traffic.

Foot to the floor, on or off it doesn't make a difference, it's going to respond the same. It's during the part throttle use that I feel a difference, such as in the 40 to 50 MPH range.

I just leave mine in auto mode, I haven't even tried any of the crazy aggressive modes, I think those are just silly. The auto mode is nice, because the harder you push the pedal, the faster it will respond. Just driving normally, it's slightly better than stock, and I find that it helps trigger downshifts a little quicker and with less drama. I find that I can maintain speed on hills a little bit better using this. When it's off I feel like there's a dead spot in the pedal that I need to push through in order to trigger a downshift, then it takes its time doing so and with much drama. With the Hikeit just give it a little gas, it downshifts no drama, you maintain speed. Perfect.

Right now I have it on ECO, and over the last five tanks I've averaged about 1.5 MPG better than when I had it in auto.

I would not expect any gain in fuel economy unless you use ECO, in fact, I would expect a drop. I didn't mind the slight drop at first, but that was before it cost me $80 to fill up my tank every week. Leaving it in Eco helps me get one free trip to work per tank.

There are many different versions of throttle controllers out there, you don't necessarily need to buy the pedal commander. I think that's about 350 bucks right now? I wouldn't spend that much. I think the hikeit is still on sale, it's around 169 if I recall correctly. That's worth it, and the nice thing about that is it doesn't have the big clunky remote. I have mine tucked away under the dash, you don't even see it, but it's easy for me to access if I want to mess with the settings.

It's not night day, just makes it slightly more tolerable. End of the day, this is a heavy brick with a poorly geared transmission mated to an engine with not a lot of low end torque. It's always going to feel sluggish.

 

As I understand it, the S mode also prevents torque converter lockup in 3 and possibly delays lockup a bit in 4. That locked converter is bummer when a person wants response. I had a 2017 Taco with the automatic transmission. It was awful. If left to it’s own it seemed to be in OD and locked at 30 mph.

 

Not arguing, just asking, do you know how a torque converter and lock up clutch work?