Besides a POSSIBLE (not confirmed yet or denied for the 06) delay caused by the Drive By Wire are there any other tuning issues with a DBW system? If the delay is the only issue is there a way to get rid of it?

Thanks

 

DBW is the direction all cars are heading. My turbo VW has DBW and has a much more responsive throttle than my S2000 ever did.

 

The issue is not cable vs. wire. It is cable vs. software. My wife's 2004 VW Passat 4-Motion wagon has DBW and it took nearly six months to reprogram it to the point where significant lags and/or surges were eliminated. We still get the occassional "pause" while accelerating from a roll.

The 1/2 year of frustration while waiting for a software fix on the VW (BTW, it is also reported on the Touregs) was almost enough to convince me to get an '05.

What got me over the top was the couple of thousand dollar investment I would have had to make in replacing stability control modules in the Mercedes I traded in on the '05 S2K. At 80K miles, virtually every electronic control module was having problems.

Now I have throttle control (cable) and traction control (me) that's pretty much the same as the motorcycles I also replaced with the S2K.

I do miss the outside thermometer, though.

 

Nothing beats the directness of the cable, I bought the S2000 because I want to drive the car, not some computer.

 

Most DBW systems are slow and unresponsive, which explains the reason why there is generally a negative response about these throttle systems.

However, there are SOME DBW systems that DO perform flawlessly (i.e. NSX) that I will gladly take over a throttle cable.

The guys over at the Lotus Elise boards are going absolutely crazy and excited that next year's model will have DBW instead of cable, so not all DBW systems perform like they do on Mercedes, BMW, VW, etc.

 

maybe you should pull out your abs then.. that way your doing the braking all alone too.

 

I realize that this comment is somewhat tongue in cheek'ish, but I do think that there is a pretty significant difference between a system that modulates braking under panic stop situations and a system that may or may not deliver engine responsive as expected by the foot that depresses the throttle pedal.

In the former case, if the ABS fails to apply individual braking effect as designed, the worst you will experience is going back to when ABS was not there to keep you from skidding instead of stopping. In the latter case, system failure or sub par performance can leave you missing shifts or waiting for the rear tires to sink in when exiting a turn only to be left with that thing that Michael Corleone didn't want to have in his hand when came out of the bathroom to bring an end to police corruption.

My problem with electronic interfacing isn't along the lines of lack of "feel". It's with the fact that the system is only as good as the design and implementation of the software that makes it either work of come up short. Some work fine and others don't. And some that work fine only do so most of the time.

IMHO, the fact that manufacturers are switching to DBW has more to do with integrating complex electronic control systems than simply replacing a throttle cable or linkage. Were it not for the need for DBW for traction control systems, I doubt that manufacturers would be rushing to replace the cables.

 

I realize that this comment is somewhat tongue in cheek'ish, but I do think that there is a pretty significant difference between a system that modulates braking under panic stop situations and a system that may or may not deliver engine response as expected by the foot that depresses the throttle pedal.

In the former case, if the ABS fails to apply individual braking effect as designed, the worst you will experience is going back to when ABS was not there to keep you from skidding instead of stopping. In the latter case, system failure or sub par performance can leave you missing shifts or waiting for the rear tires to sink in when exiting a turn only to be left with that thing that Michael Corleone didn't want to have in his hand when he came out of the bathroom to bring an end to police corruption.

My problem with electronic interfacing isn't just along the lines of lack of "feel". It's with the fact that the system is only as good as the design and implementation of the software that makes it either work of come up short. Some work fine and others don't. And some that work fine only do so most of the time.

IMHO, the fact that manufacturers are switching to DBW has more to do with integrating complex electronic control systems than simply replacing a throttle cable or linkage. Were it not for the need for DBW for traction control systems, I doubt that manufacturers would be rushing to replace the cables.

 

I totally understand where you were going with that. Just poking some fun. I agree that the DBW is either going to be a pass or fail type addition. There won't be any middle ground for this. It can either make the car that much better or just ruin the experience. Let's just hope its the latter of the two.

 

Whether the DBW is good or not, depends on how it was programmed. I had a 2001 VW Passat with 4Motion, Tiptronic and DBW. It was always hard to get moving from a dead start without an annoying lurch. Our 2006 BMW 325i and 2004 Volvo S60 R have DBW, and the response is excellent. Many years ago the throttle cable on a '66 Plymouth fell apart and stuck 'open,' causing a minor accident. DBW can be just fine....