Advantages of Installing a Throttle Controller on your Nissan 350z

The Nissan 350Z is one of the most exciting and fun to drive everyday sports coupes available. It’s extremely powerful in its stock form, but if you’re a gearhead like me, then you’re probably never satisfied and are looking for ways to push it to the limits. While it may not necessarily increase power, an aftermarket 350z throttle controller can smoothen acceleration and improve your Nissan 350z driveability in other ways. Throttle controllers have become a hot topic in the past several years, and for all the right reasons. They can completely transform the way any vehicle operatesThe Nissan 350Z is one of the most exciting and fun to drive everyday sports coupes available. It’s extremely powerful in its stock form, but if you’re a gearhead like me, then you’re probably never satisfied and are looking for ways to push it to the limits. While it may not necessarily increase power, an aftermarket 350z throttle controller can smoothen acceleration and improve your Nissan 350z driveability in other ways. Throttle controllers have become a hot topic in the past several years, and for all the right reasons. They can completely transform the way any vehicle operates, without sacrificing anything. If you’re not familiar with these small devices and aren’t convinced about getting one for your prized Nissan, here’s what you need to know.

Do Throttle Controllers Work?

While a Nissan 350z throttle controller won’t give you extra horsepower with the push of a button, it will improve your car’s driveability in many different ways by tuning its throttle response. Tuning the throttle response will allow for faster or slower acceleration based on how you want to drive your car. These small devices come with a range of settings that allow you to adjust your throttle response with the simple push of a few buttons. You’ll have an option to make your Nissan more responsive and accelerate faster, which can be helpful when towing or daring around the streets, or you can make it softer and less aggressive if you want to cruise around downtown.

How do Throttle Controllers Work?

So how can such a small device have such a big impact on your car? Well, throttle controllers take over the acceleration pedal’s job of sending torque signals to your car’s engine control unit, and they change the time it takes the throttle to completely open up. In other words, you’ll need to apply less pressure on the pedal to get a wide-open throttle. Every car is tuned so that the throttle opens up gradually, to reduce jerkiness. However, this comes at the price of acceleration and performance. Throttle controllers take over the signal output and send a full-throttle signal instead. On the flip side, you can lower the throttle output if you want to do more calculated and consistent driving.

How Are Throttle Controllers Installed?

Despite what many people think, throttle controllers are relatively easy to install. You don’t need to be handy with tools, and all it takes are a few basic ones to go through with the installation. Most throttle controllers, including the most popular ones – iDrive, are very straightforward to install. All you have to do is find the plug on the acceleration pedal, unplug it, and place the iDrive throttle controller adapter, onto which you place back the factory plug. Then, you’ll want to tuck in all the wiring behind the dashboard and place the device somewhere out of the way from your controls and dashboard, but within arm’s reach.

Are Throttle Controllers Safe?

Throttle controllers, like most modern electronic systems, feature a range of failsafe measures. Every measurement made by the throttle controller is facilitated by two sensors to ensure they’re completely safe. That being said, if one of the sensors malfunctions, or if the two sensors come up with different readings, the throttle controller will shut down the engine. Furthermore, there’s always the chance of external interference, such as circuit malfunctions. If that happens, the throttle controller will shut down the system again. In case you need to override the throttle controller’s system, you can install brake overrides, allowing your inputs to supersede the throttle controller in case the electronic control opens up by itself. All you have to do is press the brake to shut down the throttle.

There are also many backups built inside the electric throttle controller that provide failsafe mechanisms in case of uncertainty. At the first sign of a problem or error, the system inside the throttle controller will close the throttle and set the system on idle.

Conclusion

If you talk to anyone who has driven a car with an aftermarket throttle controller, they’ll almost always tell you that it’s well worth it. It’s an affordable investment that doesn’t necessarily improve performance as much as an aftermarket exhaust would, for example, but it will dramatically improve driveability in many ways. Just like aftermarket exhaust systems, aftermarket throttle controllers can go a long way in improving your fuel consumption, though. This is by adjusting the throttle setting so that your engine doesn’t take in as much fuel when you accidentally press the acceleration pedal harder than you need when driving in city settings or when leaving the parking lot. As aforementioned, throttle controllers come with a wide range of settings, and you can customise them in various ways. The most common settings are economy, performance, ultimate, and normal., without sacrificing anything. If you’re not familiar with these small devices and aren’t convinced about getting one for your prized Nissan, here’s what you need to know.

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