What is it? (from a SprintBooster retailer's web-site)
SprintBooster, a Plug-n-Play Performance Upgrade for your Model Year 2000 or later vehicle. This is an upgrade that you can feel with normal everyday driving, not just on the track at redline like most other performance upgrades! Most cars in the 21st century have replaced the more conventional throttle cable for an ECM (Electronic Control Module) that translates how hard the pedal is pushed into electronic signals in order to provide power to the wheels.
The ETC (Electronic Throttle Control), which is also known as Drive-By-Wire, has the unfortunate downside of delayed response and subdued acceleration which can create problems in certain situations such as up-hill starts, quick gearchanges and overtaking. SprintBooster overcomes this throttle response delay for your vehicle by providing crisp, on-tap acceleration for whenever the driver demands it. About SprintBooster: Everything you want to know about SprintBooster can be found at their website in the USA or Canada.
http://www.sprintboosterusa.com/ http://www.sprintbooster.ca/
The Physical Product While I didn't have a real issue with my throttle, Spint Booster was soliciting people to try out their product in Canada (which, by the way is the 2010 SEMA New Product Award recipient) so I asked if I could test it. Prior to this, I read pages and pages of reviews, mostly by BMW,Mercedes and Audi drivers. Overwhelmingly, they really seem to like it. Alot. There were only a few people who didn't like it. So I thought I'd give it an honest test. Sprint Booster UPS over-nighted a unit for me to try. They claim a 5-10 minute installation. Here are the contents of the package (courtesy ClubLexus) :
Installation: They claim a 5-10 minute installation, and I found that to be mostly true. Once you have access to the gas pedal, that is. For me, this meant removing a piece of trim so I could see the electronic plug that goes in the gas pedal. All you do is unplug the factory plug and plug in the Sprint Booster module inline into the gas pedal plug. Then you plug your OEM throttle plug back into the SprintBooster. There is a 3rd little plug on the module, and that's where the rubberized LED ON/OFF switch plug into. I then routed that switch through the steering column and affixed it with the provided double sided tape. I put it under the PWR/SNOW ECT control on the dash. It's a very small and clean install.
A complaint? I didn't find the double sided tape to be terribly good. And I even had Jess prep the area with some alcohol and some adhesive promoter she had in her nursing med bag. Despite that, after a few hours, it would come unglued and dangle. It wasn't in the way at all but I'll have to find a better way to affix it. So that annoyed me. You know, sometimes it's these little things that annoy in an otherwise tight package.
On the road use: You can tell the unit is working. There are 3 light modes on the switch. No LED light is obviously OFF. You retain your factory throttle settings. The green LED is the SPORT MODE. This is for improved throttle response where smooth driving is required. I'd say in bumper to bumper traffic. Finally, the red LED is RACE MODE. This is for aggressive driving. Of course, I jumped right to the Race Mode!
And throttle response is very much improved, though as I said it was pretty good already. It makes the throttle response nearly instantaneous. A little jab at the gas pedal causes the car to leap off the line. It's more impressive from a roll. While in 6th gear, just lightly rolling into the throttle would causes a 3 gear kickdown. With the unit off, it would kick down 1 gear. So this translates into a much more lively throttle response without having to mash the pedal to the floor. This makes driving more amusing.
If I could explain it in a more basic sense, I would say this. It's like, all of the sudden, you foot weighs 40% more.
Or the stroke of the accelerator pedal has been greatly reduced. What used to require a mashed throttle, now requires a much lighter touch. Or comparing it to motorcycles, it's like when I used to replace my OEM throttle turns with a 1/4 turn throttle unit used for racing. It doesn't make the vehicle any quicker per se, it allows better throttle control and response with less mechanical effort. This would rank very high in the "feel" department for those who value such things. I have not turned the unit off since installing it. So I'm enjoying it quite a bit.
Since I met Julie and her BMW at the track today (her post is to follow I'm sure) she was able to try it. Since her car was there, we were able to do side-by-side driving impressions with my IS and her BMW. I now see why the BMW people love this unit so much. IMO the throttle response in her BMW is surprisingly poor. Slower than my stock SPORT setting on my Lexus. Julie agreed, and her poor(ish) throttle response in her BMW seemed to annoy her at least somewhat. While my stock setting seemed quicker than her BMW, she REALLY liked the throttle response with the SprintBooster turned on. I could really see how this would transform the BMW, since the turbo spool is directly related to throttle position. A quicker throttle response would have the turbos spooling quicker. It would make the car much funner to drive IMO. She liked the product enough to ask me how much is it, where can she get one, etc...
Conclusion: Do I like the SprintBooster? Yes I do. Quite alot, actually. As I said, I haven't shut it off since I've installed it. I like the instant throttle response. It also caused no issue while I had my cruise control on. That is to say when it accelerated over hills and whatnot it didn't make the car jerky. Just cruising along, the car feels normal. But when you have to dip into the throttle, the lightning quick response is pretty appealing. Would I buy one? Hmmm...this is where I have a bit of an issue. It's fairly expensive. At $329 CDN (delivered) the price seems a bit steep, given that it doesn't increase power over stock. Granted, this is a very polished, complete plug and play solution. It requires no special skill to install.
It's a "feel" improver for sure, which for some, is much more important than added ponies. My stock throttle response is already pretty good in the IS350. So I'm not sure that I'd spend the cash on it. Don't get me wrong, I'll be disappointed when I have to send it back, I just think for me and the IS350 the price tag is a bit steep. Now if I had Julie's BMW (or a car with similar doggy throttle response), I'd buy this in a heartbeat. I really think this would wake up her throttle response and make her car more of a hoot to drive.
If anyone has comments or questions, please feel free to ask, and I'll answer them the best I can.
