SprintBooster discussion

[Ryan_R]

There's been a few PM's regarding this (I sent a few to Fab and others have sent a few to me) so I thought I'd make this thread and make everything I know about it open for all to see.

What is it?
It's a little plug that connects into the accelerator pedal that makes small throttle inputs register as large ones, making the car more responsive.

For more info - see here:
SprintBooster Power Converter - www.SprintBoosterSales.com

How much?
About $330 USD

Is installation as easy as they make it out to be?
Yep. Once you work out where the plug is exactly, it's quite easy to remove and install the SB. If you can wire up your TV/PVR then this is a walk in the park. Takes about 10-15 mins (5 of which you have to wait with the door open for the MFD picture of the car to disappear so that you don't get any faults when you unplug the accelerator pedal).

Where did you get it from?
I sent an email to Andy Wong (sale@partsexporter.com) and he replied quickly offering me the choice of purchase via PayPal or Credit Card. He then just emails a PayPal invoice requesting the money and then ships it out. It took 2 days to be delivered to me from Hong Kong.

Is it Manual/DSG specific?
Yes.

Is it model specific?
Not sure - obviously a 2010 Vokswagen Golf plug is probably different to a 2004 Mitsubishi Magna plug (guessing) - but just mention what model car you have and you'll be fine. I only said I have a Mk6 Golf DSG when ordering.

What do you think of it?
When I first heard of it I was skeptical - but when Fab went on about how good it is (despite the fact he has a Golf R AND it's APR'd) I thought I better give it a go.

If you already have APR Stage 1, have the money, and going fast is what you like to do - then definitely go get the SB. I have only driven for about an hour with it, but I can see two main benefits for me:

1. Overtaking - I'd often shift down or engage Sport Mode if I wanted to overtake someone quickly. With SB - I don't really have to, as it unlocks most of the torque needed to get the job done quickly, with the added bonus of me still hearing the supercharger (118 TSI) instead of red-lining.

2. Quick launches - I often would find it hard to get the perfect quick launch - without spinning the tires and looking like a bit of a moron. I'd have to baby it through first gear, and then give it the beans. With SB in Race mode, I can get through first gear quite a bit quicker without spinning wheels, and then the rest of the acceleration is a lot quicker as well (since I wouldn't normally floor the pedal, for example).

Other things worth noting:

* Unlike the APR cruise control stick program selection setting - you can change the SB program at just about any time while driving, you just have to make sure your foot is NOT on the accelerator.

* If you prefer to 'set it and forget it', you don't need to keep the selector cable/button connected. Just choose the mode you want and then unplug the selection cable, and it will remember that setting.

* I've routed my selection cable into the little compartment right of the steering wheel, with a fair bit of cable to spare if you want it elsewhere.

* Before installing it I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to hold a stable speed or drive slowly through car parks, etc, but even in Race mode I can still control the car fine. That said - just knowing that pushing the accelerator a tiny bit more will light up the afterburners puts a grin back on your face.

Hope this helps

[SilvrFoxX]

Great feedback.. thanks for the Post

[weewilly]

Great feedback.. thanks for the Post

you starting a Mod list SF???

[dave_r]

I've driven Fab's car and there is a difference but I still want to know how there is a difference and exactly what it does technically!

Cos it just makes me think of the brocky polariser hehe

[Corey_R]

Thanks for posting this Ryan_R. I've moved it to the Tuning and Performance forum as it's not Golf specific. Cheers

[Ryan_R]

I know what you mean Dave. It's easy just to say it increases the amount of acceleration requested, but it feels smarter than that. A relatively small increase in throttle made the car downshift from 7th to 4th and I flew past the car in front of me. I'm sure there's little chance that would ever have happened before unless I used Sport mode (which would've shifted down to 3rd probably).

SB Race Mode + APR Stage 1 98 RON + DSG Sport mode + a heavy right foot is just plain scary

[dave_r]

I know what you mean Dave. It's easy just to say it increases the amount of acceleration requested, but it feels smarter than that.

Maybe some VCDS logging will show a difference, pretty hard to determine though.

[SilvrFoxX]

you starting a Mod list SF???

No, I thought the SB was snake oil.. it was a good post

[Corey_R]

I know what you mean Dave. It's easy just to say it increases the amount of acceleration requested, but it feels smarter than that.

Maybe some VCDS logging will show a difference, pretty hard to determine though.

Yeah, that's the thing, how could it be smarter than that? It's not like it has direct access to the ECU or anything. So it can really only change the signals that the accelerator is sending (unless I'm missing something). Some VCDS logging should confirm exactly what it is doing though.

Also, I question whether having this enabled would be detrimental to your fuel consumption. Whilst I know that you can turn off the SB if you leave the cable connected (and if you buy the more expensive model), I've noticed that, at least in my Golf R, only a very little amount of accelerator is required in many instances to maintain speed on slight incline, flat and slight decline roads. Whilst I love the performance of the R and flooring it makes me grin as much as the next guy, when I'm just driving normally, fuel consumption is partially important to me.

[Ryan_R]

I don't have an R (remember I bought my 118 TSI 2nd hand, so I could never buy a brand new R) - but while I'm sure the fuel usage will go up a bit, it shouldn't be any worse than your fuel bill (which I could afford).

I don't really want to go driving with a laptop on my passenger seat, so I'll let someone else volunteer to do the logging.

I'll try and re-explain myself though. I was expecting 20% throttle in race mode to be like 50% throttle in stock mode (random made up numbers), but it just isn't. If I suddenly pushed down on the pedal in 7th gear, the car would go 'oh, um, I wonder why he's done that - now which gear should I downshift to - let's try 4th - off we go' (bit of an exaggeration - but there was a tiny delay and not always a heap of torque (which made me question the reliability of the APR tune a while back, before just ignoring and using Sport mode).

The SB means instant acceleration whenever I want it. Well, it hasn't missed a beat so far, anyway - time will tell if the car goes more docile again later.

[Angryman]

I don't understand how this is any different to burying the accelerator into the firewall??? Is this for people with short legs?

[Corey_R]

I'll try and re-explain myself though. I was expecting 20% throttle in race mode to be like 50% throttle in stock mode (random made up numbers), but it just isn't. If I suddenly pushed down on the pedal in 7th gear, the car would go 'oh, um, I wonder why he's done that - now which gear should I downshift to - let's try 4th - off we go' (bit of an exaggeration - but there was a tiny delay and not always a heap of torque (which made me question the reliability of the APR tune a while back, before just ignoring and using Sport mode).

The SB means instant acceleration whenever I want it. Well, it hasn't missed a beat so far, anyway - time will tell if the car goes more docile again later.

Yeah - but that's exactly the point I'm trying to make though Ryan_R, which is now making me even more skeptical.

The SB would change the throttle values, that's a given. But it's very unlikely it could change anything in the ECU (other than the throttle signal it's sending) and I would say it's impossible that it's able to change anything that the DSG is doing (again, other than the difference in throttle position).

[Ryan_R]

I understand what you're both saying, I thought the same thing before I got it.

I outlined the type of person who should get it in the first post somewhere, and I'm happy to recommend it to them, but I'm not expecting anyone to just dump that amount of money for something they haven't tried.

If two owners of different Mk6 Golf's with APR are both happy with, that might be enough convincing for some. Others might want to try the 30-day money-back guarantee. Others will not see the value in it. Either way is fine.

It's easy to say "just floor it", but I don't think I've ever done that in day to day driving or in traffic. If I try to analyze what I've done in the past - I've probably given a good 60-70% throttle and then realised I'm not going as fast as I wanted, so I push down further - which is a slower approach. The SB means I can keep my driving habbits the way I want and get more vroom for less effort. That's why they can say it makes your car 'feel faster' and they're correct. If you customarily floor the throttle, then you have no reason to buy it.

My car now drives much more like a sports car and I love it - haven't had so much fun driving to work in a long time

Hopefully that helps people make up their minds up one way or the other. Hopefully Fab can share a bit more of his thoughts when he finds this thread.

[dave_r]

So it can really only change the signals that the accelerator is sending (unless I'm missing something). Some VCDS logging should confirm exactly what it is doing though.

I don't understand how this is any different to burying the accelerator into the firewall???

This is the point I made in the main R thread. I think it works based on seeing *any* throttle input and then adding an extra amount, lets call it 25%, 50% whatever. So in effect, it feels like more acceleration and would hit fuel economy you'd think? It can't be doing much else as it's just intercepting the throttle position ?

I don't really want to go driving with a laptop on my passenger seat, so I'll let someone else volunteer to do the logging.

I had my netbook on the passenger seat the last few days for ages doing logging. It's just a pain having to manually select all the variables you want to log every time you turn the car on.

[Corey_R]

I had my netbook on the passenger seat the last few days for ages doing logging. It's just a pain having to manually select all the variables you want to log every time you turn the car on.

*cough* Start the logging with an automation program such as AutoIt