Throttle Lag

mistermcgoo · November 25, 2019

So, I've seen many threads on here addressing throttle lag in our trucks and how to go about fixing it..

My question is why GM and most modern vehicles have the delay/lag in the first place? I'm assuming engineers had safety and gas economy in mind, though I'm not entirely sure the mpg statement holds water since you probably end up burning more fuel overall getting on the gas harder to compensate for the laggy throttle..

L86 All Terrain · November 25, 2019

Its just GM trucks. Been that way since the electronic pedal was first used on the LS engines in the late 90's. The Vortec engines had a solid pedal and instant response. I am still yearning for that feeling again. Drive a Ram or a Ford, they don't hesitate like a GM, my brothers 2018 5L is very responsive, but it also ticks like it is going to have cam phaser issues like the Triton motors did. You cant win unless you tune it.

KARNUT · November 25, 2019

Most every vehicle I’ve own lately with nannies will take off harder at half throttle than full throttle until moving. Try turning off traction control see if that changes anything. Most vehicles these days can overpower their tires at max throttle take off. My 06 trailblazer ss was the worst I ever encountered. It would shut down and was dangerous. I hit the button before I moved every time.

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pickmeup · November 25, 2019

I think GM done it intentional so soccer moms and gramps can take off ........slow and steady .

Ozer · November 25, 2019

One of the things that solves this or makes it easier is throttle signal modifier like Pedal Commander or Sprint Booster if you dont want to go the route of full tuning.

I have PC and i love it. Mine is an older unit and was giving issues with throttle code being throw. I sent it back and they are going to update it, was told some of the units had this issue.

And i do get slightly better MPG since i dont have to mash the pedal to get going.

btj_z71 · November 25, 2019

2 hours ago, mistermcgoo said:

So, I've seen many threads on here addressing throttle lag in our trucks and how to go about fixing it..

My question is why GM and most modern vehicles have the delay/lag in the first place? I'm assuming engineers had safety and gas economy in mind, though I'm not entirely sure the mpg statement holds water since you probably end up burning more fuel overall getting on the gas harder to compensate for the laggy throttle..

Has to do with the engineers delaying torque from the engine. With a custom tune, you can get up too 100% of the torque available from the get go, but generally it is only recommend to allow up to 70-80% of the torque in first gear.

I'm sure other guys/gals can add some more color to this than I can

mistermcgoo · November 25, 2019

33 minutes ago, Ozer said:

One of the things that solves this or makes it easier is throttle signal modifier like Pedal Commander or Sprint Booster if you dont want to go the route of full tuning.

I have PC and i love it. Mine is an older unit and was giving issues with throttle code being throw. I sent it back and they are going to update it, was told some of the units had this issue.

And i do get slightly better MPG since i dont have to mash the pedal to get going.

Funny you mentioned the PC, I just ordered one! Should be here in a few days. What made me choose that over the Sprint is the fact that you can change settings via Bluetooth. I liked the idea of that because I was planning on tucking it away out of sight.. I'm not huge on things cluttering up my dash.

Glad to hear you like yours. Does it really as big of a difference as most people say? And what setting do you usually run yours at that you're getting a small boost in MPG?

Ozer · November 25, 2019

Funny you mentioned the PC, I just ordered one! Should be here in a few days. What made me choose that over the Sprint is the fact that you can change settings via Bluetooth. I liked the idea of that because I was planning on tucking it away out of sight.. I'm not huge on things cluttering up my dash.

Glad to hear you like yours. Does it really as big of a difference as most people say? And what setting do you usually run yours at that you're getting a small boost in MPG?

Don't use Eco mode ever. It's a waste, should be called Vallet mode lol
I use city +3 or sport. You will figure out how to use it properly and what works for your driving style. Sport plus was waaay too touchy and I kept getting check engine lights in that mode.
Have a code reader handy in case you get any lights. You'd want to be able to delete the code asap. On mine, throttle is useless if a throttle positioning code is thrown.

Start slow and feel the difference between the settings and also see where the RPM rests when you're in park. Some higher modes on mine kept the RPMs high around 2k vs 500s.

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KARNUT · November 25, 2019

I think GM done it intentional so soccer moms and gramps can take off ........slow and steady .

My wife and I have been grandparents for 23 years. Her toy is a sports car. Mine is a stroked blown old truck. Both have no nannies besides anti lock brakes. We can an do light them up. I hate labels. You generation Xs probably need nannies, we didn’t. My wife grandma, took her driving test in a 74 barracuda. It wasn’t an automatic. I was driving a 70 M.D. SST Javelin, drag pack.

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pickmeup · November 25, 2019

Some say GM got confused and put ''dead pedal'' on both sides for driver.

Jacoby · November 25, 2019

1 hour ago, KARNUT said:

My wife and I have been grandparents for 23 years. Her toy is a sports car. Mine is a stroked blown old truck. Both have no nannies besides anti lock brakes. We can an do light them up. I hate labels. You generation Xs probably need nannies, we didn’t. My wife grandma, took her driving test in a 74 barracuda. It wasn’t an automatic. I was driving a 70 M.D. SST Javelin, drag pack.

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Lol. That Javeline (assuming you had the 390ci) barely made 325hp and probably around 250 at the wheel. That’s what today’s eco friendly family sedans and crossovers make with 4 cylinders.

kids today are taking their driving tests in Hellcats and ZL1s. You wouldn’t know what to do with that kinda power back in your day

KARNUT · November 25, 2019

Lol. That Javeline (assuming you had the 390ci) barely made 325hp and probably around 250 at the wheel. That’s what today’s eco friendly family sedans and crossovers make with 4 cylinders.

kids today are taking their driving tests in Hellcats and ZL1s. You wouldn’t know what to do with that kinda power back in your day

You have to put it context. No nannies over 400 ft lbs of torque on bias ply tires. We didn’t have buttons to control take off, rev match. I doubt very seriously teens are taking their driving test in those cars. Can’t imagine a trouper getting in one with a teen either. Be real.

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Beer Belly · November 26, 2019

The biggest issue I have with my Sierra is the lag. I pull out to pass and want / need to get going in a hurry, it was suggested to me to "learn my transmission, stomp on it for a second, back off, then stomp on it again, the second hit will get the downshift and launch I'm looking for"......geeze, I just want to hit it and go like my Wifes car, or my buddy's truck. A lot of times I enter the interstate behind someone doing 55 or less as the left lane flies by at 70, and have a small window of opportunity to pull out, any hesitation could be a problem.......or just wait for time and miles to click off for a bigger clearing, which could be quite a while.

KARNUT · November 26, 2019

The biggest issue I have with my Sierra is the lag. I pull out to pass and want / need to get going in a hurry, it was suggested to me to "learn my transmission, stomp on it for a second, back off, then stomp on it again, the second hit will get the downshift and launch I'm looking for"......geeze, I just want to hit it and go like my Wifes car, or my buddy's truck. A lot of times I enter the interstate behind someone doing 55 or less as the left lane flies by at 70, and have a small window of opportunity to pull out, any hesitation could be a problem.......or just wait for time and miles to click off for a bigger clearing, which could be quite a while.

You may want to try manual shifting. I’ve done that with most of my vehicles if I wanted instant response. Sometimes entering the entrance ramp in rush hour situations I’d leave it in a lower gear until I’m done merging. I seem to do it less now being older and more patient. When I was younger I did more often than not. There’s more gears now even if you drop one it may speed things up. Some people are going to say id payed yada, yada for my truck it should read my mind. Sometimes it’s easer learning your ride, than having a coronary over it.

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