What is it?
Labelled as a ‘Throttle Response Controller’ the device connects in line/in series with your pedal positioner sensor and the ECU. The position signal from your throttle pedal is intercepted by the Pedal commander device, which in turn outputs its own position signal to the ECU, how the relationship is between the actual throttle position and what Pedal Commander outputs is dependant on what setting you have it configured too.
It is very simple to install, operate and completely reversible. You will need model 63 for the GR86.
Full detail from their website here: https://pedalcommander.com/pages/product-information
The Device
The device itself is well built and seems pretty robust, the cable and it’s connectors are pretty chunky and fit reassuringly snug, the cable being long enough for the unit to fit under the steering wheel but no further. It’s compact enough to hide away under the dash if you don’t want it in sight, if you were to want to change the settings this way there is a Bluetooth enabled app available (not tested).
Why would I need this?
One of the most common complaints on the manual GR86 is its low-speed driveability around town, the heavily assisted clutch is numb and lacks feel, whilst the throttle has a non linear feel and an odd tip in. The idea of fitting a Pedal Commander is to alleviate this and make it easier to modulate in urban driving.
Installation
Installation will take you no more than 10 minutes, It is simply a case of unplugging the connector off your throttle pedal, plugging the appropriate pedal commander connector in its place, then the remaining connector on to factory throttle position sensor cable. As with anything in the footwell, it is not particularly easy or comfortable to access, those on the larger side or physically impaired may need to employ a ferret like human to assist. I would highly recommend placing a towel over the door sill and side skirt, 1 to save your back, 2 to prevent scuffs.
It is possible to remove the throttle sensor connector in situ with one hand, you’ll need compress the top of the plug firmly to release the clip and remove the plug, however if this doesn’t work, remove the pedal by simply unbolting the 2 10mm nuts holding it in place, with the pedal removed you have enough slack to bring the pedal almost out of the footwell. Take note that the nuts take very little effort to remove, don’t get too excited when refitting these.
The device comes with a small plastic clip in mount which can be stuck/screwed/tied in place.
Testing
There are 36 available settings on the Pedal Commander, each one adjusting the way the throttle responds. There are 4 settings, ECO, CITY, SPORTS and SPORTS+ each with a further 8 sub settings, ranging from -4 to +4. I will cut to the chase here, out of those 36 you probably have 18 useable settings, as ECO mode limits the travel of the throttle and feels lethargic, then we have SPORTS+ which is completely unusable in day-to-day driving, the simplest tap of the throttle sends the revs rocketing past 4000rpm. The instructions recommend you complete any setting changes whilst stationary, I would agree with this, as changing the settings whilst driving can cause the car to suddenly lurch forward whilst driving (ask me how I know).
I have spent the majority of miles testing this product driving around town and ultimately that is where the biggest impact is needed, altering the settings from -4 CITY to +4 SPORTS. My conclusion is that Pedal Commander doesn’t offer any tangible improvement in driveability, it is simply different. What I did notice is that the stock throttle has a small dead spot at the first touch of the pedal, when you expect revs to pick up it doesn’t, with any setting on Pedal Commander enabled, this dead spot disappears, so in theory it actually makes the pedal more sensitive, but ever so slightly easier as it reacts proportionately to pedal pressure, this does work nicely with blipping on the throttle on downshifts.
It is worth noting that over the past few months I have been driving the car with a weaker clutch spring. I didn’t consciously think about the throttle after this as to me that low speed driveability issue disappeared. So, is Pedal Commander worth it? I did enjoy that little bit of sensitivity you gain from it but for £200, no it is not, if you want a noticeable improvement in being able to drive the car smoothly at low speeds, save your money, spend a little under £30 and an hour of your time replacing the clutch spring as that makes the most notable difference.
Labelled as a ‘Throttle Response Controller’ the device connects in line/in series with your pedal positioner sensor and the ECU. The position signal from your throttle pedal is intercepted by the Pedal commander device, which in turn outputs its own position signal to the ECU, how the relationship is between the actual throttle position and what Pedal Commander outputs is dependant on what setting you have it configured too.
It is very simple to install, operate and completely reversible. You will need model 63 for the GR86.
Full detail from their website here: https://pedalcommander.com/pages/product-information
The Device
The device itself is well built and seems pretty robust, the cable and it’s connectors are pretty chunky and fit reassuringly snug, the cable being long enough for the unit to fit under the steering wheel but no further. It’s compact enough to hide away under the dash if you don’t want it in sight, if you were to want to change the settings this way there is a Bluetooth enabled app available (not tested).
Why would I need this?
One of the most common complaints on the manual GR86 is its low-speed driveability around town, the heavily assisted clutch is numb and lacks feel, whilst the throttle has a non linear feel and an odd tip in. The idea of fitting a Pedal Commander is to alleviate this and make it easier to modulate in urban driving.
Installation
Installation will take you no more than 10 minutes, It is simply a case of unplugging the connector off your throttle pedal, plugging the appropriate pedal commander connector in its place, then the remaining connector on to factory throttle position sensor cable. As with anything in the footwell, it is not particularly easy or comfortable to access, those on the larger side or physically impaired may need to employ a ferret like human to assist. I would highly recommend placing a towel over the door sill and side skirt, 1 to save your back, 2 to prevent scuffs.
It is possible to remove the throttle sensor connector in situ with one hand, you’ll need compress the top of the plug firmly to release the clip and remove the plug, however if this doesn’t work, remove the pedal by simply unbolting the 2 10mm nuts holding it in place, with the pedal removed you have enough slack to bring the pedal almost out of the footwell. Take note that the nuts take very little effort to remove, don’t get too excited when refitting these.
The device comes with a small plastic clip in mount which can be stuck/screwed/tied in place.
Testing
There are 36 available settings on the Pedal Commander, each one adjusting the way the throttle responds. There are 4 settings, ECO, CITY, SPORTS and SPORTS+ each with a further 8 sub settings, ranging from -4 to +4. I will cut to the chase here, out of those 36 you probably have 18 useable settings, as ECO mode limits the travel of the throttle and feels lethargic, then we have SPORTS+ which is completely unusable in day-to-day driving, the simplest tap of the throttle sends the revs rocketing past 4000rpm. The instructions recommend you complete any setting changes whilst stationary, I would agree with this, as changing the settings whilst driving can cause the car to suddenly lurch forward whilst driving (ask me how I know).
I have spent the majority of miles testing this product driving around town and ultimately that is where the biggest impact is needed, altering the settings from -4 CITY to +4 SPORTS. My conclusion is that Pedal Commander doesn’t offer any tangible improvement in driveability, it is simply different. What I did notice is that the stock throttle has a small dead spot at the first touch of the pedal, when you expect revs to pick up it doesn’t, with any setting on Pedal Commander enabled, this dead spot disappears, so in theory it actually makes the pedal more sensitive, but ever so slightly easier as it reacts proportionately to pedal pressure, this does work nicely with blipping on the throttle on downshifts.
It is worth noting that over the past few months I have been driving the car with a weaker clutch spring. I didn’t consciously think about the throttle after this as to me that low speed driveability issue disappeared. So, is Pedal Commander worth it? I did enjoy that little bit of sensitivity you gain from it but for £200, no it is not, if you want a noticeable improvement in being able to drive the car smoothly at low speeds, save your money, spend a little under £30 and an hour of your time replacing the clutch spring as that makes the most notable difference.
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