Electronic throttle conversion?

[cbaclawski]

anyone ever looked in to converting the cable throttle control to an electronic control system?


My car is currently at the shop getting "track prepped", it's not stock and makes about 500hp. I don't have great feet for heel/toe downshifting and at the speeds I anticipate going I don't have confidence that I'll be fast enough too get a proper rev-match. I'd like to install an "auto blip" system, but they only work with electronically controlled throttles.


I'm used to track driving cars with less than half the HP I'll have and struggle at those speeds...


(Road course driving, not drag strip...)

[GOLDCYLON]

Honestly I have never heard of anyone in the community doing this before. GC

[RussMcB]

Note: Everyone who is currently comfortable with heel/toe was, at one time, just like you. It just takes a little practice and then you'll start having muscle memory.

Will you be driving your Z on the street, too? If yes you can practice there.

For me, heel/toe is a very satisfying skill. It greatly adds to the driving (fun) experience, helps keep the rear stable while braking and is easier on the clutch.

[-=Jeff=-]

I had to do a You Tube search to see a video of exactly how Heel/Toe is done..

I had always heard about it, understood what it encompassed, but never how to physically do it

[cbaclawski]

I CAN and do(sometimes) heel/toe in my current track cars. I just know I'm not ever going to be really good at it. With as much additional speed as I'll have in the Z, I imagine my time window to get it done will be smaller. I have "bad feet"... I can't dance either.


Also I rode in a car last weekend that had the auto-blip installed, and it was very impressive, perfect downshifts every time... almost like a true smg racecar, and I'd love to have it on the Z (I already ordered a kit for my BMW)

Curt


Thanks for all the responses!

[lfalzarano]

If you get enough windshield time in a Z, you will know how much to blip the throttle for a smooth downshift.


Lou

[RussMcB]

I got to drive my ZR-1 last night, first time in a couple of months. It was nice.

I consciously thought about blipping the throttle while braking and it was pretty easy/natural. For me and my Z's peddles, I can brake with the ball of my right foot and rock my foot to blip the throttle with the outside of my right foot.

So, in this case there is no "heel" or "toe" involved. The best part is, since the braking is far more important than the throttle blip, you can modulate the brakes with the ball of your foot pretty well. It's probably close to how you'd brake even without blipping the throttle.

Of course, I don't know if my feet/car/peddles are the same as others, but it didn't take any really unnatural movements or dexterity,

[cbaclawski]

Originally Posted by RussMcB

I got to drive my ZR-1 last night, first time in a couple of months. It was nice.

I consciously thought about blipping the throttle while braking and it was pretty easy/natural. For me and my Z's peddles, I can brake with the ball of my right foot and rock my foot to blip the throttle with the outside of my right foot.

So, in this case there is no "heel" or "toe" involved. The best part is, since the braking is far more important than the throttle blip, you can modulate the brakes with the ball of your foot pretty well. It's probably close to how you'd brake even without blipping the throttle.

Of course, I don't know if my feet/car/peddles are the same as others, but it didn't take any really unnatural movements or dexterity,

That's how I do it too, more big toe/little toe than heel toe. Most important for me is getting the foot on the brake in the right position to start. I struggle in a quick transition, i.e when the braking zone is short, the speed differential is relatively small, but a downshift is still needed...


Hopefully the Z has enough torque in it that this situation won't come up as much as it does in my "momentum" cars...

[RussMcB]

Originally Posted by cbaclawski

Hopefully the Z has enough torque in it that this situation won't come up as much as it does in my "momentum" cars...

Yes! you're really going to like that about the LT-5. It's impressive at low and high RPM's (and in between).

My guess is you'll be a little surprised when the Corvette doesn't stop as well as lighter cars you've driven at the track. That was my experience, but you adapt. And, of course, there are some things you can do to improve the braking.