drive by wire?

[white_solara]

hey! D0 u GUys know if our 06 lara has the drive by wire system?

[kingkakyle]

yes it does

[Gadgetjq]

hey! D0 u GUys know if our 06 lara has the drive by wire system?

Yes.

Your accelerator pedal is basically a rheostat like a wall switch in your home that adjusts lighting up or down. The variable resistor is connected to the ECU which determines how far you've pushed the pedal. The ECU sends a signal to a motor on the throttle body telling it how far to move.

Your cruise control does the same thing except it uses sensors (the same ones that operate your speedometer) to determine the speed the car is going then sends a signal to the ECU telling it whether to open or close the throttle and by how much to maintain a steady speed.

There are a few forum members who yearn for a good old fashioned cable because they can feel a tiny delay from the time they mash the throttle to the engine responding.

Cheers

[crispone]

hey! D0 u GUys know if our 06 lara has the drive by wire system?

Yes.

Your accelerator pedal is basically a rheostat like a wall switch in your home that adjusts lighting up or down. The variable resistor is connected to the ECU which determines how far you've pushed the pedal. The ECU sends a signal to a motor on the throttle body telling it how far to move.

Your cruise control does the same thing except it uses sensors (the same ones that operate your speedometer) to determine the speed the car is going then sends a signal to the ECU telling it whether to open or close the throttle and by how much to maintain a steady speed.

There are a few forum members who yearn for a good old fashioned cable because they can feel a tiny delay from the time they mash the throttle to the engine responding.

Cheers

Good words.

I, TOO, prefer a DIRECT MECHANICAL CONNECTION over the digital interface. I also prefer analog gages over digitized, including my watch.

(Although my latest acquisition while in Tokyo, a Casio Pro Trek PRW-1500 series, has enough "convenience" features that it warrants consideration over the analog. )


In the case of my throttle bodies on my '03 GSXR1000, I have removed the secondary butterflies so the cable controlled primary is the SOLE source of air/fuel modulation (inasmuch as it can be controlled, considering the AIR is mechanically direct, but the FUEL is influenced by the ECU as well...) and find that, although more "abrupt" in certain transitions, it is MUCH MORE TACTILE with respect to rider-input-to-performance-response.

The "slush-box-o-rocks-transmission" that we suffer, along with our grievous electronics interface, is a major impediment to our otherwise borderline sporting rides, as well.


Yes, drive by wire.


... or, puppet control.


-crisp

[Jakecallun20]

Yep, Gen 2s have DBW and I'm like Crisp. I prefer direct connection. (Good ol' 1MZ )

[gnegroni]

I, TOO, prefer a DIRECT MECHANICAL CONNECTION over the digital interface.

God, I still miss my '84 Mazda 626 with a 2.0L 8-valve carburated engine and a 3-speed auto transmission which NEVER hickup... so easy to work with (alas 88hp only)...

There are a few forum members who yearn for a good old fashioned cable because they can feel a tiny delay from the time they mash the throttle to the engine responding.

Not to with you, but I think its a more than a tiny delay. I have a manual 5-speed, took me forever to learn to drive it (having manual transmission experience) and still takes me time to adjust everything I jump in the car after a weekend. Auto owners really get the shaft on that one...


I guess there is no point in arguing on this since its probably what will be seen across all cars since it seems a better way to allow precise control of certain engine functions and provide "some" benefits.

All in all, you get used to it. However, what MUST suck is having to pay ~$600 for the throttle body when it goes kaput! For 3x $$$ you get a 1MZ short block!

[Black Bob]

It's not so much the engine response that gets me, it's the lethargic transmission.

[Gadgetjq]

It's not so much the engine response that gets me, it's the lethargic transmission.

BB,

I agree, snappier shifts in 'shift it yourself mode' would be nice and another hundred horsepower would be awesome but....we need to remember the mission of these cars. They're not race cars they're marketed to Camry owners (generally middle aged or older and/or conservative) who simply like the styling of the two door or who are trying to relive a little of their youth with something sporty but comfortable.

The sluggishness of the transmission was apparent during the test drive, the weight of the convertible VERY noticeable but we all knew going in what we were buying didn't we? This isn't the 20th century when a test drive was two laps around the block. Now we have forums like this one for research, we can rent Solara's and pretty much anything else from Hertz and keep them for days or weeks so "I didn't know" simply doesn't work these days.

There are lots of cars that are more powerful, have transmissions that'll nearly dislocate your neck with a shift and will run circles around the Solara in the twisties. It just seems to me if that's what we'd wanted that's what we'd have bought.


Cheers

[youngblood]

Part of what everyone is describing as lag has nothing to do with the DBW system. Actually- it has nothing to do with any limitations of that system. Engineers have purposely programmed that lag into the ecm so that it is easier to smoothly take off from a stop. They tell the actuator on the throttle body to delay and "soften" the opening of the blade. I know it sounds dumb, but that is really why it operates the way it does. It's intentional. Again, remember what was discussed as far as the "target audience" of these cars- regular old Camry drivers.

There is no reason the actual design of the rheostat/ actuator motor would prevent instant throttle blade action. RC cars using radio transmitters and servos operate the same basic way and allow near instantaneous response.

My father has a SAAB 9-5 which also has the drive by wire setup. It seems a little more responsive than my gen2, but if you switch to "sport" mode, it is CRAZY responsive. In fact, if you slyly reach over and change to sport mode while someone else is driving, the next time they take off from a stoplight they will jerk the car as if they stabbed the throttle!

This, like the transmission programming, is all meant to make for a more smooth and docile driving experience. I know it's hard to accept given the super sporty look of our laras

[PXLpainter]

^^ If this is true then there should be a way to override this BS programming. As you'll discover when you look around here a bit more and search older threads, this is more than just annoying lag - it's actually DANGEROUS - cause for potential accidents.

BTW - Welcome to SG youngblood

[gnegroni]

Nice explanation... either way, I would love to be able to adjust such parameters if possible. There is a lot of people looking to change or changing their DBW systems for a wired one.

[Gadgetjq]

There is a lot of people looking to change or changing their DBW systems for a wired one.

How about a link to a forum where someone's done or is doing it. I wouldn't do it (lag isn't an issue for me) but I'd be especially interested in reading how they've sent the throttle position sensor information back to the ECU.

Cheers

[psolara04]

I had the same issues. Laggy throttle and inconsistent shifting or serious delay of shifting into 2 gear when "lightly" presseing the acceleration.

I took it to the dealer, and they performed a "shift enhancement". So, if i understand it correctly, they recalibrated shift points and reset the system to re-learn my driving habits. (i got this done when i purchased it, used)

BUT, now i find the throttle response is VERY sensitive at low speeds. It's probably my eratic driving style, sometimes drive it hard, then most times just slow cruising speeds.

For whatever its worth, the recalibration was set to AT5004 - 0.9 on my invoice from the dealer.

That is my only real complaint about this solara... there is no mid range for lack of better description for acceleration. The throttle either feels likes its fully open (mind you once rpms hit about 4000) or it feels like the car is sluggish. Please comment if anyone feels the same way.

[youngblood]

^^ If this is true then there should be a way to override this BS programming. As you'll discover when you look around here a bit more and search older threads, this is more than just annoying lag - it's actually DANGEROUS - cause for potential accidents.

BTW - Welcome to SG youngblood

I've run across MANY of the older threads and I agree that there is more than just "plush throttle programming" at play here. My experience with my '04 has been the most negative with regard to downshifting. That darn thing takes forever to drop a gear and if I give it enough pedal to make it drop 2, fughettaboutit! I also notice a delay in acceleration when I do an incomplete stop at an intersection (rolling stop). I can see how that low speed issue could be a serious problem in an emergency situation. I've gotten used to just appying light throttle until the trans grabs the right gear and then I accelerate like normal. Otherwise, it feels like I've revved the car and slammed it from neutral to drive and it lurches. All other driving is smooth, shifting is solid, and trans fluid is clean, so I don't worry TOO much. Maybe I need the reflash, too.

More about the DBW in the SAAB- I remember reading in Car and Driver many years ago that they had an issue with the 9-5 Aero. It seems that it had so much power that it would tend to torque-steer at lower speeds when you went heavy on the gas pedal. Torque steer is a phenomenon unique to FWD cars and basically is when the power output through the front (drive) wheels is so great that it adversely affects steering control. To counter this, engineers used the drive by wire system to limit throttle opening in the first two gears. You got 60% throttle in 1st, and like 80% in 2nd, no matter how hard you hit the gas. Strange, but effective.

Sorry for the long post!
I love Solara Guy. It's great to have a couple of posts under my belt

[Black Bob]

BB,
....we need to remember the mission of these cars. They're not race cars they're marketed to Camry owners (generally middle aged or older and/or conservative) who simply like the styling of the two door or who are trying to relive a little of their youth with something sporty but comfortable.

Yup, I'm in that demographic but, geez, you make it sound like this car was made for people ages 80 and over. I'm just trying to relive my youth by normally accelerating from a slow roll without the transmission taking a union lunch break (that wasn't noticed during test drive because I was too busy relieving myself in my adult diaper).