You don't like drive by wire? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

TRD VVTi · 07-25-2007, 08:07 PM

Alot of people complain about the drive by wire set ups and I'm not really sure why.

I was just running the 1/4 mile in my Formula and broke my throttle cable at the gas pedal in the process. Right now I wish both cars had drive by wire.

Actually, I think drive by wire is great. You just have to get used to the different feeling. Now my Camry feels completely normal to me.

Throttle cables suck. That's where I stand.

Epsilon · 07-25-2007, 08:16 PM

For those who are wondering, Drive By Wire (DBW) is a cable leading from the gas pedal to the throttle plate under the hood, that's all replaced with a sensor at the gas pedal and a sensor at the throttle body. So when you press down on the gas, it sends a signal to the ECU, which then sends a signal to the throttle body...ECU has full control all the time.

The only downfall I see to DBW is when it comes to tuning. Besides that, I don't mind having it.

***CharmCityES*** · 07-25-2007, 11:16 PM

i dont mind DBW.....i really dont notice the lag, and its not like i care.....i drive a camry, not a sports car
if i wanted to go fast, id have bought a supra.

TRD VVTi · 07-25-2007, 11:30 PM

Well I fixed the cable already. What a horsesh!t design. There is a metal part crimped onto the cable itself. The metal part then slips inside a plastic sleeve that attaches to the gas pedal. The metal piece pulled through the plastic and didn't even break it!

I found an aluminum washer to fit in the sleeve. I then cut a slit in the sleeve and in the washer (at different angles so they can't even line up). Then I clamped the washer down and slide the cable with the washer crimped onto it into the sleeve. Now the the cable will have to pull through aluminum instead of plastic to have that happen again. I suspect that it won't.

Here's some pics that my Dad took. He's not a photographer by any means so he doesn't center the object he's photographing.

I put the smack down on some ricers before I broke down. I hold the record at Brainerd International Raceway for 35 runs in one day.

Here's a vid of me putting the smack down on a Monte Carlo (now sound from my digital camara):

Here I am bitch slapping an SRT4. I was impressed because he was doing over 105 MPH at the top end:

Again, bitch slapping a ricer. After this run my hand slipped off the shifter because it was covered in sweat when I tried to pull it into second so I aborted the run. The run after that I broke the throttle cable. This was my last full pass:

***CharmCityES*** · 07-25-2007, 11:35 PM

hey TRD when are you gonna run the camry

i might end up tracking mine friday night....some of my friends are taking their cars down, so i might join in for the hell of it

TRD VVTi · 07-25-2007, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CorCamrySE

hey TRD when are you gonna run the camry

i might end up tracking mine friday night....some of my friends are taking their cars down, so i might join in for the hell of it

I honestly thought about getting it and running it after my throttle cable broke.

I've been sick for some time now and really didn't feel like running my car anyways but they aren't running the event again for a month.

After limping the car home with no throttle I just wasn't in a good mood.

My Dad and I went out for pizza instead.

I honestly doubt I'll even run it unless the Formula is broke down or I can't finish something before the next Street Legal Drags. There isn't one for a month so I shouldn't have any problems wrapping up some planned work on the Formula. Next mod - deleting ABS for better braking performance.

After that it's mostly maintenance type stuff. Adjustments, dyeing the seats, recover headliner (small part between A pillars), and little crap.

The Camry isn't my race car. It's my driver/back up car so when I have the Formula down for ordered parts or mods/repairs I still have some wheels to get me around. I have a feeling that the Camry wouldn't take the abuse that the Formula does either.

***CharmCityES*** · 07-25-2007, 11:50 PM

i doubt it would take heavy abuse.....i just wanna run mine for the hell of it....
and im not as fortunte as you to have a race car as well as my camry....at some point im gonna jump on the 3sgte gen 3 coupe bandwagon and have a project car so i can go rip on some mustangs in a camry

TRD VVTi · 07-25-2007, 11:55 PM

The Camry was just supposed to be a backup car. I just like it too much so I drive it all the time.

Until I got my Camry last year, my Formula was my daily driver. That's how it got 241,000 miles on it.

Dave's · 07-26-2007, 12:58 AM

So what happened when your cable broke? You coasted to a stop right? So what happens when your drive by wire fails under hard acceleration and the solenoid (or whatever) sticks full open? Put it in nuetral and blow the engine? Turn off the key and lose steering? Sorry, maybe I'm too old school. And don't even get me started on steering by wire! (Although I did have a friend lose mechanical steering once and smash a fender- but it was a custom setup and not well designed.)

touringcamry · 07-26-2007, 01:45 AM

Steering still works with the engine turned off. Just that there is no power steering assist.

One thing I don't like about electronic throttle is when canceling cruise control. With a cable throttle, the cruise control pulled the pedal down and you could feel where that was. I could put my foot down on the pedal, cancel cruise, and keep going the same speed without any jolt. With electronic throttle, it's like a guessing game. This might be more obvious on a manual car like mine though because it will go to engine brake fairly quick.

TRD VVTi · 07-26-2007, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by touringcamry

Steering still works with the engine turned off. Just that there is no power steering assist.

One thing I don't like about electronic throttle is when canceling cruise control. With a cable throttle, the cruise control pulled the pedal down and you could feel where that was. I could put my foot down on the pedal, cancel cruise, and keep going the same speed without any jolt. With electronic throttle, it's like a guessing game. This might be more obvious on a manual car like mine though because it will go to engine brake fairly quick.

Honestly, I've never noticed that when I cancel the cruise.

IPDaily · 07-26-2007, 07:00 AM

call me oldschool, but i say you can't beat a good old fashioned throttle cable... the throttle responds exactly as you want it to, when you want it to (it's not a guessing game), and you feel every change in the position of the accelerator, not to mention if something goes wrong, you can affordably and easily replace a cable, whereas with DBW, it's a whole affair what with the computer chips and all....

carlo$ · 07-26-2007, 09:37 AM

DBW is the way of the future. planes have had it for years!

Venom_5 · 07-26-2007, 09:43 AM

DBW still sucks -- if youre not on a track, your cables wont snap ....

i actually dont even know if my Subie is DBW, but i think it is because the acceleration is funky

CheeseHead91182 · 07-26-2007, 11:03 AM

I don't like Drive By Wire either, it is very annoying, I think they should get rid of it because I don't really see any benefit to having it, all I notice is the hesitation it causes. My old 90 Cam didn't hesitate at all but now my brand new '07 Cam does, to me that is stupid. Drive by wire should at the very least be an option so those who don't want it don't have to have it. Also I think that the sales people need to explain to their customers Drive By Wire so they will know nothing is wrong with the car and that it is normal behavior.