Getting rid of the 2005-up throttle dead-play?

NastyStang113 · Jul 31, 2008

metroplex said:
I'd rather pay a little more for a properly functioning throttle.

A little more? Do you realize how much an Audi TT is?

metroplex · Jul 31, 2008

My stripped down GT was about $26k new. Most of the well-equipped GTs carry MSRP of over $30k. Luckily I had the X-Plan. Like I said, I'd rather pay a bit more for a functioning throttle. I don't care if the GT has 300 hp at this point because it has the throttle response of a golf cart. The Japanese and Germans can pump out over 300 hp from a V6/I6, and even Mazda's 3.7L V6 makes 270+ hp. I am also looking at the 350Z. The Nissan 350Z has gotten rave reviews for being a good driver's car. I guess Ford wants to lose a lifelong customer to one of its rivals such as Nissan, Audi, BMW, or Toyota if they keep it up with golf cart throttle systems and fuel tanks that refuse to take gasoline.

bigcat · Jul 31, 2008

i think your car has a problem. have you driven others?

metroplex · Aug 1, 2008

I drove a 2008 GT auto and it has the same issue.

bigcat · Aug 1, 2008

i guess i dont notice as much as you. my stang does not bother me at all.

Sparty92 · Aug 1, 2008

My guess is that you're unable to adapt to the car.

I've NEVER owned an automatic trans car... (23 years of driving).

I've had cars with throttle linkages and drive-by-wire. My Honda Accord Coupe V6 6-speed pissed me off because I couldn't hear the damn thing! Too quiet. Rev-matching downshifts had to be done by foot feel (how far to press the pedal) and I eventually got it down. It had drive-by-wire.

My Mustang has it (duh) and it's the first thing I wanted to complain about BEFORE I ever drove it. You know...it's not that bad. My car is stock right now, so having some louder mufflers would make it easier to downshift.

I NEVER look at the tach for down shifting. It's all about HEARING the revs and not looking for them. You're supposed to know what your car does/sounds like at every RPM in at least the first 3 gears (up to 100mph). If you're stuck looking at the tach well, you're a girl. And girls can't drive.

Not to rip on you, but c'mon. Learn to drive a stick already.

metroplex · Aug 1, 2008

It's not the manual that is bothering me. It is the damn throttle. I can't hear the engine when I have my blower set on 3 or 4 with the A/C set at max because I have the stock exhaust. When I ran my Pypes Violators, I could hear the exhaust through the ambient noise but I started to get ringing in my ears on a daily basis. After I went back to stock, the ringing stopped.

The dead play is giving me trouble with smooth low RPM shifts. I either give it too much gas or too little gas because the throttle was designed after a golf cart throttle. If they stuck with a cable throttle or made a better electronic throttle, I wouldn't complain. When I drive my 2000 Crown Vic, the cable throttle feels precise (although the rest of the car is boring). Not every S197 suffers from this problem, but everyone at work that has one experiences the same dead play. They don't complain because they plan to keep the car for 20 years or they have an auto S197. I just let the throttle rip a little more when I feather the clutch off idle because I'll get rid of the car before the gearbox or clutch fails.

The number of people with manual S197s is very low (market mix was something like 5% for all S197s) so Ford is unlikely to give a damn. However, I have had it with the BS problems on the car and am ready to trade it in for an Infiniti G37 or a 350Z. Like I said, I will pay more for stuff that works properly. Life is too short to adapt to a dying company's half-a$$ed / craptastic design. Don't say I didn't give Ford a chance, we have bought nothing but Fords for over 30 years.

Sparty92 · Aug 1, 2008

I wasn't talking about problems with it being a manual. I said that I personally have never owned anything BUT a manual trans....and with that, I learn to drive every car differently because, well....each of them WAS different.

Learn to drive the car you have. It should take you all of ONE DAY to master it's "issues". That means put a few hours of continuous city driving under your belt. If you can't figure out how to "deal with it," then sell it.

Better yet, may I recommend your next car come with a manumatic. Then you can flick some paddles or jerk the automatic gear selector back and forth and pretend you're driving a stick shift car.

ARTTII · Aug 1, 2008

metroplex said:
The number of people with manual S197s is very low (market mix was something like 5% for all S197s) so Ford is unlikely to give a damn.

That cannot be anywhere near what the actual percent is. Or I would be VERY suprised. Where did you see/hear that figure?

homebrewer · Aug 1, 2008

I'm still waiting for someone to come up with a kit to retrofit a throttle cable into the S197. Why the newer drive-by-wire systems have become so popular, I'll never know... Why overly complicate things?

Even though I wasn't around for them, I miss the days when if you had a 9/16" socket and an phillips head screwdriver, you could take the whole damn car apart. Nowadays the wiring in the car alone weigh as much as the engine....

NastyStang113 · Aug 1, 2008

Personally, I like the drive by wire systems. Tuning is much easier. It's no fun when you brake a throttle cable. Trust me, I've done it, on the car in my avatar.

ARTTII said:
That cannot be anywhere near what the actual percent is. Or I would be VERY suprised. Where did you see/hear that figure?

No kidding, that's just a fabricated figure.

red05bullitgt · Aug 1, 2008

metroplex said:
Rocky, I'd rather have a cable throttle system or a drive by wire throttle that works properly. My 2000 Crown Vic's cable throttle works nicely. Tap the throttle and the RPMs rise. I just don't understand why Ford is so allergic to making a car that talks to the driver. BMW doesn't have this problem.

Charlie, I too would much prefer having a cable throttle system over drive by wire anyday.

Personally the only logical reason I can come up with for Ford ditching the cable throttle system in favor of it's electronic drive by wire throttle technology, is more than likely for emission purposes.

Other than that, I really can't think of any other reason for Ford making such a drastic and dumb move. But then again, that really shouldn't come as any surprise following their other dumb move, when they came out with those stupid 2 piece designed spark plugs, for our 4.6L 3valves.

NastyStang113 · Aug 1, 2008

The plug "issue" is not much of an issue. Everyone makes it out to be some horrible Mustang plague.

red05bullitgt · Aug 1, 2008

Perhaps to you it's not an issue, or at least not until you actually break one inside the head.

NastyStang113 · Aug 1, 2008

I've never had a problem with one of them. I've done quite a few, too. Just follow the TSB and you shouldn't have any problems. There are a few that do break but a lot of times people are not patient enough. I did help someone get one out of their heads with the oem tool and it works great. If you're going to swap plugs, go with the Brisk Racing plugs.

red05bullitgt · Aug 1, 2008

Hopefully by the time my plugs need changed, Ford will have a revised one piece designed spark plug. At just 8,365 miles on my Stang, my current plugs should be ok for at least another 2-3 years.

Otherwise, I'll definitely swap them for the Brisk racing plugs. As I've heard nothing but horror stories about the Champion plugs running like crap over on TMS.

NastyStang113 · Aug 1, 2008

Why not go aftermarket? Brisk Racing makes a one piece design ..

red05bullitgt · Aug 1, 2008

Yea, I know Brisk racing plugs are one piece designed. That's why I mentioned that if Ford doesn't come out with a revised OEM one piece designed plug, by the time my current plugs require changing. I'll definitely switch over to the Brisk racing plugs anyhow.

lexluthr69 · Aug 2, 2008

I'm honestly amazed at the amount of responses that are something to the effect of "it's not a problem, get used to it". That's as bad as Ford saying the fuel filling issue isn't a problem, get used to it. Through various manual tranny vehicles that I've driven, from a '69 Camaro to an 82 Chevette, to an 89 F150, not a single one of them had this kind of throttle delay. Why is it so easy for ya'll to jump on this as not a problem? Would you be happy if someone had said "don't worry about the sloppy POS stock shifter, it's not a problem, get used to it"? I doubt it. So why give folks so much hell for not being satisfied with the "sloppy" stock drive by wire throttle. If someone came out and made an after-market piece, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Would you naysayers do the same?

Hoboattacker · Aug 2, 2008

walter said:
I'd also like to know why the revs jump by a couple hundred units every time I hit the clutch to change gears I hate to think what would happen when I lighten up the clutch and flywheel.

Mine doesn't Let off the gas completely and push the clutch in and it shouldn't. If you are pressing the clutch in when in cruise control that is the reason it does it. CC is still pushing the gas trying to keep the speed and when you hit the clutch it revs it a little.

Getting rid of the 2005-up throttle dead-play?

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