SprintBooster discussion

[dave_r]

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

Hmm and this is why I've been pestering you to start playing with the VCDS!!! I knew you'd be holding out on us with a few tricks! Be nice if VCDS had a quick start logging feature though other programs. I've done a quick edit of my logs to suit the ecuEDIT program, I'll wack up an image of the output later in the VCDS thread, its much nicer.

[Fab_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.

Perfectly explained Ryan_R.....

Put it this way, i would not be without it now...It turns the R's character into a very different animal especially with Stage 2+.

Anyone one is welcome to have a drive of mine to see/feel for themselves.

I keep mine on "Race" and it is totally controllable at lower speeds with smaller throttle inputs.

Also fuel consumption should not be compromised providing you drive it as before.
But once you give it the berries like without SB it will drink more naturally.

As Ryan mentioned, it kicks down far more easier and rapidly!

Make no mistake, on the R, it removes the throttle lag that these things are notorious for.

Nothing to be skeptical about gents, its the real deal and solves the issue with them........Hope this info helps!

[Ryan_R]

Hehe - I said I'd stick to Green/Sport mode - but 5 mins on the way to work I switched back to Red/Race and had a blast on the way to work. As long as I'm not carrying "older" passengers it'll probably be staying there now.

[Fab_R]

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).

Corey what i beleive it also does is move the throttle body butterfly "in real" time, where in standard set up, it seems there is slight delay.
Fly by wire is notorious for not having instant reaction like the old fashioned throttle cable.

[triode12]

Make no mistake, on the R, it removes the throttle lag that these things are notorious for.

Haha - I thought so.

[dave_r]

Nothing to be skeptical about gents, its the real deal and solves the issue with them........Hope this info helps!

I should have made that clear if I didn't. Even after driving his stinking bloody faster than mine but at least its the wrong colour R, there was a clear difference.

I just want to know HOW it does it!

[Ryan_R]

I imagine that's what the driver who just got overtaken by my little 1.4L Golf asks as well

[Fab_R]

I should have made that clear if I didn't. Even after driving his stinking bloody faster than mine but at least its the wrong colour R,

Lol....

there was a clear difference

.

I just want to know HOW it does it!

Yes me too for sure....

[Corey_R]

I can accept that it takes away any "in built delay" (however small that is) on the electronic pedal. I also can believe that it changes the "accelerator curve" (electrical signal) so that there is more sensitivity in the initial pedal travel. This picture from the SB site indicates that my theory is correct:



If you prefer a detailed explanation, the SB "How It Works" page says exactly what I've been saying in all my posts on the topic.

I feel that the summary from that page is this quote: "Sprint Booster DOES make your car 'FEEL' faster."


But what I can't accept is that it allows you to do anything else that you couldn't already do before. Even the SB website states that! All the device is doing is reducing the amount of pedal travel that is required to do what you're now doing with less pedal travel.

The "how it works" page doesn't even mention anything about the removal of this so called "built in delay". Maybe you "feel" is is gone because of the change in the "feel". And as their site says, the reduction in pedal travel may or may not be a good thing depending on your view.

So when I see posts saying things like "unlocks most of the torque needed to get the job done quickly" or "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)". Even their site denies these things. You're just being fooled by the change in pedal feel. If you had trouble before, maybe you needed to press your pedal more, because that's all the SB is doing


Please don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that changing the "accelerator curve" is a bad thing - several great cars have a button does that very thing, including all the current BMW M cars - but lets not get carried away with what this device is actually doing

[Ryan_R]

If I press the pedal any more in stock - the wheels spin and I look like an idiot. Just take my word for it.

I'm sure you're familiar with how the car becomes more/less docile over time - all the docility is gone. It's just like the day I trialed APR and then some.

[hooba]

To anyone who has ever driven a Mercedes-Benz, this mod sounds like the opposite of how MB like to configure their accelerator pedal.

Thanks to the OP for the info.

[Corey_R]

If I press the pedal any more in stock - the wheels spin and I look like an idiot. Just take my word for it.

I respectfully won't take your word for it, because according to the makers of this wonderful device, all it is doing is pressing the pedal for you better. It hasn't change your tyres to slicks or anything. It hasn't changed the programming of your gearbox. They also state, and I quote "Sprint Booster does not reduce your 0-60mph times."

So whilst I understand that you feel it is doing something more - it really isn't doing what you claim it is doing...

[triode12]

I've said this before and will state it again. The SB doesn't increase actual performance i.e. kw/hp. It just improves the feel - so it feels like the car is performing better.i.e. it improves the drivability of the car.

Capercat and a couple of us did a test tonight and it does do what it claims to do. It does remove the pedal travel/delay. So it feels like your car is more responsive because it is. It is responding to your input in real time.

[Ryan_R]

Exactly . I don't know if the lag we all know and love is just a DSG thing, a VW thing, or if it's common to all cars with ETC (to the same severity in anycase).

I don't have an R, and have never driven one. My car is the first one I've owned with ETC, and it didn't feel right. I ignored it because I loved everything else about the Mk6 Golf. If lag = delay = slower, then no lag has to be faster (in the real world). I know what all the marketing material says about no extra performance, but from all the searching I did - the only negative reviews I found were associated with Manual transmission vehicles where the drivers couldn't do 'heel-n-toe' downshifts as well, besides the fact their cars were already much faster than mine and probably had a Sports button that did the job. I've had my car since August last year and have tried quite a few techniques - and a good launch was a fluke at best, but not as good or consistent/predictable as what I'm getting now.

My drivetrain is compeltely different to your R so you're better off discussing with Fab anyway. Maybe the fact I have a supercharger makes an even bigger difference for me (the GTI and R aren't twin-charged, right?)

[Peter Jones]

The main component of a "sprint booster" is a resistor which costs about 5 cents from any electronics store. This is probably about the most offensive thing about these products.

It's no different to changing the fulcrum points in a carby linkage to gain less pedal travel for a given throttle opening.

For ultimate performance gain you could just replace the throttle position sensor with a switch. That way you'll get instantaneous full throttle. (May be problematic in many driving scenarios)

If you like the result and aren't offended by the price, sprint boosters maybe for you. I'll just move my foot faster.

Pete