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As we continue to add more modifications and explore the true potential of Project Diesel Chase, our 2008 Ram equipped with 6.7-liter Cummins, we continue to discover a lot of things we love about the truck, and a few things that could use a little work. Unlike gasoline counterparts, the diesel engine is controlled through fuel delivery rather than air. With the advent of these cases about 10 years ago, most accelerator pedals were controlled electronically instead of a traditional throttle cable.
While these “drive-by-wire” throttles have certainly created some added benefits, they have also created some undesirables for the end user, especially those more concerned with performance. One common complaint of an electronic throttle is that they seem to have a built-in delay which smoothes out throttle application. Depending on the application, some of these “smoothing” features are actually controlled in various parts of the ECU. That being said, BD Diesel realized that they could make our vehicles feel much more responsive, seemingly a bit quicker, and more of a joy to drive by altering the operation of the electronic pedal.
What We’re Working With
This kit can be used in and of itself, which allows you to manually select your desired sensitivity setting between high, low, and stock. These settings can be changed at any time by simply opening the unit and moving the selector switch.
We opted for the optional push-button switch kit in our application, which allowed us to mount in a preferred location, and the ability to change the settings with the simple push of a button. In addition to the convenience, the push button switch (PN 1057705) gives you six different modes adjustable on the fly.
The Plug-In
The installation is very simple, and we were back on the road well within the hour. To begin, as with nearly all vehicle modifications, we removed the negative battery cables from their terminals. From there, the entire installation takes place inside the cabin, more specifically underneath the driver’s side dash. You are welcome to completely remove the lower panel, though we did not find it to be necessary for our application.
To begin, simply reach to the top portion of your throttle pedal and remove the plug from the top of the assembly. Since we opted to add our push-button switch at the time of our TSB install, we attended to this portion of the install. In the event you are just installing the TSB, this section is not applicable to you. It should be noted, however, that you do have the option to come back and install the push button at a later date, and there are slightly separate instructions included with the device for those folks.
For us, this step consisted primarily of inserting the correct wire into the correct slot marked on the harness plug, and there is a table instructing which wire color goes to which plug port. The biggest thing here is to make sure each individual plug is fully seated, which took a little more force than we thought it would. You should be able to pull on them without them backing out once seated properly.
Next, we opted to open up our TSB module to see what exactly we were working with. We also took a moment to attach the harness to the TSB module, having just added our extra wires for the push button control. Once firmly in place, we attached the TSB plug to the pedal and connected the original plug of the truck to the remaining plug on the TSB harness.
From there, we turned the key on and followed the pedal learning process detailed in the instructions. Once we correctly completed this process, we attached both the TSB module and the push button switch in our desired location.
We used Zip Ties to secure our module up under the dash, and for the time being used the provided bracket to secure the push button on our lower dash. That being said, we did have the option to drill a hole where we liked and flush mount it, or even get creative and replace a cigarette lighter or 12-volt port with it.
Our Impressions
Considering the fact that this product does not alter anything on the vehicle that can be measured with a dynamometer, fuel pressure, or turbo boost, we are left trying to explain the feeling you get from using this device. We firmly believe that this product would result in a faster reaction time at the local dragstrip, but we were unable to test it with our application.
What we can attest to is the sheer level of enjoyment we received from using the product. From the first time, we stepped on the pedal, we got the sensation that our truck had come to life and now needed to be driven with the utmost care, instead of mashing the pedal and waiting for the delay to end. Moreover, the adjustability of the push button switch allowed us to create the type of driving experience we wanted at any given time. Maybe an ice or snow-covered road is a poor setting to test out Ludicrous Mode, but there are plenty of times when we may want it and the other power levels as well.
We actually really liked the Valet Mode as well, which could help to stifle any valet excursions reminiscent of the classic Ferrari scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Additionally, we figured it could really come in handy when a friend or significant other wants to drive your truck with this latest mod.
