We're drive by wire-GM got this right!

[SolMann]

I believe we have drive by wire accellerator control. Looks like GM did a good job--ours works!! - (so far)- Good ole American Tech!!

[Caulairdis]

I had one little hickup so far. While braking and downshifting at around 25 mph, the RPMs shot up to about 3500 between gears. Once the load was back on the engine it got back to normal.

[Mac]

fairy sure all cars lost the cable, i would rather have it back my self, todays cars are like trusting your pc to run your car, when it crashes no duck tap is going to fix it or gum, shoe strings, or gravity fed gas. but that is what people need since few could fix anything on the fly anyway, hey if the gas pedal sticks( or fly by wire feels the need, that need for speed), hey just call 911/ onstar.

[JRinKY]

Caulairdis : I had one little hickup so far. While braking and downshifting at around 25 mph, the RPMs shot up to about 3500 between gears. Once the load was back on the engine it got back to normal.

I have seen similar behavior after engine braking. My thought was that it was the ECM trying to clear the engine. Another good reason to avoid downshifting to slow the car.

[LiquidPT]

Originally Posted by Mac fairy sure all cars lost the cable, i would rather have it back my self, todays cars are like trusting your pc to run your car, when it crashes no duck tap is going to fix it or gum, shoe strings, or gravity fed gas. but that is what people need since few could fix anything on the fly anyway, hey if the gas pedal sticks( or fly by wire feels the need, that need for speed), hey just call 911/ onstar.

Not true. My PT had (and current ones have) a direct throttle link. Ya, I like the feel of that. When I mash the pedal, I don't want the throttle to take its sweet time...

[prattm]

Now everyone....(not everyone here, just in general) is getting all worked up about drive by wire. Ever have a throttle cable stick on a car? I had a '71 Monte Carlo with a 350 have the cable stick...........that will pull you into the seat too. You just turn the ignition off.

[DaveOC]

Originally Posted by prattm Ever have a throttle cable stick on a car? . . . You just turn the ignition off.

That worked for me on a '68 Firebird 421

[jimbo]

My 2008 Solstice GXP suffers from sudden acceleration. Every time I stomp the go pedal.

Well, maybe "suffers" is not the right word.

[jimbo]

Originally Posted by prattm Now everyone....(not everyone here, just in general) is getting all worked up about drive by wire. Ever have a throttle cable stick on a car? I had a '71 Monte Carlo with a 350 have the cable stick...........that will pull you into the seat too. You just turn the ignition off.

OH YEAH. Working on the 1968 Mustang in the garage, I pushed the accelerator with my hand and it stuck. The motor soared toward redline in neutral with NO LOAD. Visions of grenading internals and clutch parts crossed my mind as I reached up and snapped off the ignition. From the screaming of the low revving engine, I caught it with not much time to spare.

Scared the daylights out of me and I can only imagine the damage if I let the car engine run to redline with no load on it.

I don't know how I had the presence of mind to turn off the ignition. It was just a gut reaction. I think it helped that I was laying on the seat and had just floored the accelerator with my hand, so I was basically kissing the ignition switch. If I was sitting up right, who knows? Maybe a blown motor?

I'm still rattled thinking "what if".

[larry4pyro]

The Toyota drive by wire hasn't been implicated as a source of some of their unintended acceleration problems, but there are some safety groups who believe that it may be the source of some of the more spectacular crashes like the one here in San Diego. The thinking is the computer experience a "glitch", possibly caused by electromagnetic interference that causes the software to command the throttle into a wide open situation.

Some manufactures have foreseen this problem and developed their throttle software to command the engine to a low power setting if the computer detects strong braking and high throttle inputs. Toyota did not do this, however I expect their software will be changed in future models to support this, it is also possible that they may do another recall to upgrade existing models, although I'm not sure this can be done without significant hardware changes to add sensor inputs to the computer.

I'm wondering if one downside of such a software patch is it might make heel-and-toe driving impossible.

[Caulairdis]

Originally Posted by prattm Now everyone....(not everyone here, just in general) is getting all worked up about drive by wire. Ever have a throttle cable stick on a car? I had a '71 Monte Carlo with a 350 have the cable stick...........that will pull you into the seat too. You just turn the ignition off.

Yup! My '83 Mustang and '85 IROC both did. Nothing crazy that had me going for the kill switch, but a few eyebrow raisers. The TB used to stick all the time on the IROC, at least twice a month I'd have to spray the linkage.

[gz9gjg]

If the OEM includes rev /speed limiter, doesn't that counter WOT due to electromagnetic interference?

[Mac]

Had the my 454 Z break the spring once on the carb, just turned it half way off in a 71(most older cars) if you turn it OFf all the way the stearing locks. No big issue pulled over took what was left of the broken return spring and made it work.

That gets me thinking Pt we have Plymouth Neon 2000(last year for them they went belly up, humm might be a pattern here Bought the Solstice pontiac goes belly up:hey i should buy a Toyota!! I kid I kid) I bet the Neon has the cable as well, Dodge has always be behind the curve. With Fiat now in control hey might even get back to manualy opperated wipers like my 1947 cJ2a Willey's. lol

[goofyboy65]

i thought cars didnt have the drive-by-wire?

[typhoon]

It's been around for quite a while. My 1994 BMW 850ci had it.
Do a search on it, it's quite common now.