Drive-by-wire gets even faster with the Sprint Booster
by Jonathon Ramsey on Sep 9th 2007 at 3:28PM 
According to the makers of the Sprint Booster, in ten minutes you can halve the throttle response time at low revs if your car has drive-by-wire. They don't say exactly how it does it, except to reveal that once you've plugged the gadget in, it monitors the signal from the accelerator and provides the ECM "with a new and altered signal." Mid-range acceleration lag is said to drop to "almost zero."
The device will fit Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and VW, among other cars. Sold in England, it's claimed not to affect your insurance or MOT, but it doesn't say anything about your manufacturer warranty. Although with a 10-minute install time, it shouldn't be the least bit difficult to remove if necessary. If those milliseconds you've been losing at stop lights have really been eating at you, the surge you need will run you $330 plus tax.
[Source: Winding Road]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Don Racine 12:44AM (2/03/2009)
Does the Spintbooster really work?
Reply
Jon 3:35PM (9/09/2007)
That's such a miniscule thing to pay $330 to fix.
Reply
JayP 4:21PM (9/09/2007)
Actually- I've heard of several Audi owners complaining of serious, dangerous lag. Sounds like something that should be covered under warranty.
Mike Browning 4:32PM (9/09/2007)
I don't think that lag Audi drivers complain about has much to do with the drive-by-wire system though.
Daniel 6:29PM (9/09/2007)
My 06 A4 2.0 i think has the lag you guys are referring to. Any idea what it might be, if not the throttle response? I always thought it was the CVT...
SuperSkyline89 4:29PM (9/09/2007)
That sounds pretty overpriced but I haven't tried it so I don't know if it would make much difference. As far as trying it, I don't have enough confidence in this to screw around with the electronics of a $60,000 car. Now if a car magazine tried it and it made a noticeable difference, didn't compromise the car's electronics and didn't void the warranty, then I might trust it. But I still wouldn't do it, at least not to a Bimmer, a Benz, or an Audi.
Reply
howard 6:09PM (9/09/2007)
When you mentioned a $60,000 car I figured you owned a LEXUS LS430 or some other hi-dollar car!
An easier way to improve on the lag of acceleration is to re-adjust the throttle return spring on the throttle body! The time lag between your foot pressure and the computer reaction will be less so you should eliminate the lag or improve it! This was tried and proved on a CHRYSLER 300C!
smartmlp 4:43PM (9/09/2007)
I bet all this device does is fake the TPS. Basically, if you are at 20% throttle, it will send 50% throttle to the computer, to make your car seem faster then it actually is. But in reality, it just decreases the resolution of the throttle. 50% throttle will now be WOT.
Reply
Sherief 5:06PM (9/09/2007)
Great tip, Autoblog!
Say, do you think this would be compatible with my Tornado air intake??
Reply
seoultrain 10:53PM (9/09/2007)
hahaha that was great. shame on autoblog for giving this product the light of day.
dyakobson 5:55PM (9/09/2007)
I drive a Passat with the 1.8 turbo and generally there is little to no lag but during some situations, there is excessive lag. Almost to the point where it could become a dangerous problem.
Reply
Kevin White 6:18PM (9/09/2007)
I drive an 07 Honda Si Coupe, famous for its very poor drive-by-wire implementation. I'd pay $330 in a heartbeat for something that would fix my car's problems. Unfortunately, I don't think this bauble is the answer.
Reply
paul34 7:19PM (9/09/2007)
Well, VW automatics seem to just be laggy in general... I would think that would carry over to some of the lower-end Audis.
I'm assuming this is intended only for manuals, since everything else would obviously and inevitably have some type of extra lag (unless its a DSG, but that has a clutch, and still has some "lag")
However, I am pretty sure this is bunk. DBW isn't "slow" because a computer is slow... electricity moves at a speed of light and computers can process things very quickly... but often by other factors. Several factors that may or may not be true for you:
* Heavy stock flywheel. This is more and more common in many manual cars today, to make launching "easier" for "inexperienced" stick drivers. There's no way around this other than installing a lighter flywheel.
* Drivetrain lag. Self-explanatory I suppose?
* Calibration from the factory. Look, cars are being made more and more to cater to the averge Joe/Jane, who are very "sloppy" with their footwork. Bring a properly calibrated/high-performance manual setup to the average person, and they'll probably be very unhappy that they can't smooth it out (well, that the computer won't do it for them).
It's all about comfort. For some of us, its not desirable... but we're in the minority. Comfort means profit... so those of us who are automotive enthusiasts often get left out.
Reply
jeff 10:34PM (9/09/2007)
The electrons may be moving at predictable rate, but the potentiometer cycle time is subject to a lot of engineering latitude. I don't think anyone would suggest they can speed up the electrical current, but it's certainly possible to increase the processors performance of the sensors that monitor the throttle position, just like you can juice up a computer's processor by increasing the clock speed.
Flywheel and drivetrain affect acceleration, not the latency in the throttle circuit itself.
adrian 7:36PM (9/09/2007)
Some manufacturer's will soon know about this device. Their on board ECM could track and record any major changes made it. Could be difficult to explain on a warranty claim.
Reply
jeff 8:36PM (9/09/2007)
My CLS550 has noticeable throttle latency, several people on the MBZ message board recommended this device.
Insofar as "screwing around with the electronics"... at least they can be reset to factory, as opposed to screwing around with the mechanicals.
Reply
Pinguhk 10:39PM (9/09/2007)
I have a E60525i with this little box, I love every sec of it.
Can not live with out it.
Reply
Wig 10:49PM (9/09/2007)
These guys probably modeled the Sport mode button from the current crop of M cars. All that does is "squish" the acceleration curve from the full pedal travel - let's say 3" to a shortened 1" length with the remaining 2" at the end simply being WOT.
It wouldn't take long to write some code that would "proxy" the signal from the pedal to the ECU, then alter the output based on input.
Cool idea though, wish I had this when I had my Audi S4. And no - it certainly had plenty of power, but yes the pedal lag was horrendous! (and in that case, no slush box nor turbo lag was involved - as the car didn't have either!).
W
Reply
Alex 11:30PM (9/09/2007)
Drive-By-Wire is one of the reasons I chose not to buy a new ('06/'07) S2000. I'll adopt the technology when it works like it should. Lag is just not acceptable for me. I want that engine to purr right when I put my foot down.
Reply
ermax18 8:53AM (9/10/2007)
Yes.. what a shame when Honda put DBW on the S2000. :(