Cast your mind back 10 or 20 years, and 4WDs were not powerful. You had your 97-kilowatt 3.5-litre V8 Range Rover, or your 4.2-litre naturally-aspirated diesel Patrol with just 85 kilowatts. But now, neither power nor torque is a major problem.
Modern engines often boast around 150 kilowatts and over 400 Newton-metres. Yet often, particularly in diesel engines, they don’t ‘feel’ that powerful. In fact, off the mark, many feel downright sluggish. The reasons for this are many. Turbo lag is one. Towing is another. And the addition of half a tonne of accessories also dampens performance. So the search continues for improved drivability.
What does the Ultimate9 throttle controller do?
Now Ultimate9 has created a $299 gadget called the EVC Throttle Controller that simply plugs into your drive-by-wire accelerator, and changes your throttle behaviour. Want instant accelerator response? Wind it up to nine. Want to save fuel and dull the feel of your accelerator? Turn it down to one. Want the EVC Throttle Controller to think for itself and respond to your driving style? Set it to automatic mode.
It’s important to note that unlike performance chips and modules, the EVC does not actually deliver more power. It changes the throttle response to what you want it to be. If (for example) you drive a manual 4X4 that tends to stall a lot while towing, you could get a punchier response from your accelerator and it’ll stall a lot less. Yet for the four-wheel driver, the EVC Throttle Controller has added benefits.
For slow-speed driving on rocky tracks, you often want a slow accelerator response so you don’t jerk on the throttle. Easy… just set the unit to one or two. But the moment you return to the blacktop, just crank it back up to seven or eight and you’ll have far quicker acceleration feel. It’s important to note that the EVC Throttle Controller can also be used in concert with performance chips. The chips work on the engine, and the EVC works on the throttle.
Does it work?
At Unsealed 4X4, we’ve been road-testing the EVC Throttle Controller for the past two years on a manual diesel 4WD, and we have found it to be really quite brilliant. The vehicle in question had a performance chip, but it used to stall quite regularly regardless – especially while towing. Yet plugging in the EVC (a 10-minute DIY job), and using a setting of ‘6’, has solved the stalling issue. The power was always there, but we just needed to access it quicker to get the revs up fast enough. The ‘power purists’ out there will argue that the EVC Throttle Controller is of no benefit, because it doesn’t create any more grunt. But in our opinion, we have always had enough power; it’s just that we couldn’t open the door to that power quickly enough. The Ultimate9 EVC Throttle Controller solves the problem.
The new kid on the block
Ultimate9 also offers another more advanced throttle controller, for those wanting even more usability and features. The evcX Throttle Controller is the latest release from Ultimate9, and takes things to the next level. The evcX features 8-driving modes, as well as having 32 levels of adjustability. Some of these additional driving modes include Ultimate9 mode for maximum throttle engagement, Ultimate Mode, Launch Mode for improved takeoffs, Adapt Mode which is said to take the guesswork out by working out the best throttle response based on your throttle input and Eco Mode for greater control on loose surfaces.
There’s also Anti-Slip Mode, Valet Mode, Factory Mode and lastly the highly anticipated Lock Mode that provides additional security to your vehicle by blocking any throttle input immobilising your four-wheel drive. Clever stuff indeed! Best of all, to get all these features included isn’t going to cost the earth, as the evcX sells for just $349 – $50 more than the original.
So all in all, the EVC Throttle Controller just works. It’s simple to use, simple to install and is beneficial in a wide range of driving conditions from on-road runs to technical off-road tracks. If you’d like to check out the Ultimate9 range, simply visit: https://www.ultimate9.co/au.
