I was talking to a friend who just bough an 05 F150 with the 5.4 and he said it has some special thing on the gas pedal where it will only give the truck enoguh gas to accelerate based on the weight of the truck. So if you hook up a trailer to it, it will add more power to the engine to pull the trailer. Or something like that. Please fill me in.

 

Moved to proper forum.

 

Peter,
I remember reading the info about this in Ford's brochure on the F150. I also remember thinking it sounded (and was) misleading.
What they were talking about, and were trying to make sound like some great new "big deal" was Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) - similar to fly-by-wire technology used in aircraft for years.
The end result of ETC is the same as old school where you had a throttle cable: you mash the gas pedal and you go.
On many new vehicles (inc. the F150) a Pedal Position Sensor (PPS) monitors where the gas pedal is. The PPS feeds this info to the computer which in turn uses it to tell a little motor how much to open the throttle body, how much fuel to squirt through the injectors, etc.
So, there is no active modulation (for lack of better term) beyond what you could do with the old style throttle cable.
It's just using electronic stuff to replace the cable.

If I remember correctly, the brochure used the term "torque management" in such a way that it seemed to imply there was something magic going on. It is torque management to the extent that the "new technology" manages torque based on how you manage the pressure on the gas pedal.

Some vehciles DO have active throttle management but that is along the lines of skid control, wheel spin control, etc. It's a whole different animal that simple control of the throttle body via electronic signals and a motor.

Now, all that said, if I am way wrong, I do hope someone will correct me.
It would all be news to me and I would enjoy learning more about it.


Thanks.


edit to add; I do think Ford use some sort of torque control in 4X4 low range applications but I do not know much about that.

Also, perhaps (and this is where I hope to learn something new) the new system DOES incorporate technology that will prevent full throttle mode, even if you mash the gas pedal to the floor.
ex. standing start - floor the gas pedal.
Does the engine management prevent spinning the tires in full throttle mode until is "believes" the truck is ready for full throttle?

I do not know, and hope someone can educate me a little more.

 

He could be referring to the $195 Traction Control option. I had the dealer look up the description on this and it says it limits the power the engine produces through fuel management when it detects wheel spin.
I thought about getting it but in Arizona vehicles with this feature have to be emissions tested every year rather than every 2 to 5 years for some reason. Maybe they expect it to fail more frequently???

 

I think that is the 4X4 traction control thing I have haerd of.
Here's a cut/paste from the Ford info I was refering to:

"Segment-first torque-based electronic throttle control uses driver input from the accelerator pedal to actively modulate the torque at the drive wheels. The technology produces a seamless and consistent engine response, improved fuel economy and enhanced integration of vehicle systems, such as the transmission, variable camshaft timing, vehicle speed control and idle speed control."

So, can somebody tell me exactly what this means?
Is it magic or just Electronic Throttle Control?

 

It sounds like Electronic Throttle Control to me. The F150s have a delay in the throttle that is managed by the computer to improve gas mileage. It improves gas milage by buffering all the small throttle changes your foot is applying to provide the engine with a constant supply of gas. This is the first time I have heard it is to manage torque though.

 

Actually, the throttle by wire does have one very noticable feature. If you shift the tranny into second gear the pedal is half as sensitive,ie: push the pedal to the floor and you only get half throttle not full. This is supposed to help taking off on a slippery surface. If you dont believe me put your truck in second gear, cruise at a steady 20 mph and shift to drive, the truck will surge.

Another feature in second gear , not sure if it is related to the TBW, is the truck will not roll back wards while in second gear. If the truck is on an incline and in Drive or first take your foot from the brake and it will roll backwards, in second it will stick, try it.

 

I always thought there was some kind of throttle control on these trucks because when I play around in a wet parking lot and get the truck to drift all of a sudden the engine cuts back the throttle and it straightens out. It is like it is sensing the tire spin and relizes the truck is not really going that fast and it corrects itself.