Sprint Booster Review

Canuck-TSX · 08-12-2008, 03:14 PM

I was browsing the Woodbine Acura site and came upon this.

http://www.acurawoodbine.com/partsView.cfm?id=133
http://www.sprintboostersales.com/index.htm

It is supposed to reduce the lag in DBW systems. Anybody ever tried it on a TSX?

samxeyeam · 08-12-2008, 04:29 PM

The website did not have one for the TSX...

xjohnkdoex · 08-12-2008, 05:16 PM

probably like those products someone else posted a few weeks ago where it just adjusts the throttle positioning.

not worth it, if that's what it actually does.

Canuck-TSX · 08-12-2008, 08:29 PM

Re:The website did not have one for the TSX...

They indicate an application at Woodbine Acura. Maybe we should question them.

ACC-Man · 04-19-2009, 11:28 PM

Hiya, I have the sprint booster installed in my A/T Euro Accord (CL9), and I really like it!! The reaction time is WAY better than without... used to be hit the pedal and count one, two & off I went... now it's hit the pedal and oooowhoah!!! I got it at JRP (Johnstone Research and Performance) in Mississauga. It cost like $300 CDN. On the box it says nothing about the TSX/Euro Accord, but it fit and works. (Had to put some spacers under the throttle control box, cause the L/H engine mount (beam) was in the way). My fuel consumption has gotten a little bit worse, cause it gives you WOT much earlier. I now have to be alot more careful in corners on wet days... If you want to know the Part No. I can fish out the box...
Greetings
ACC-Man

w00ted · 04-20-2009, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACC-Man

Hiya, I have the sprint booster installed in my A/T Euro Accord (CL9), and I really like it!! The reaction time is WAY better than without... used to be hit the pedal and count one, two & off I went... now it's hit the pedal and oooowhoah!!! I got it at JRP (Johnstone Research and Performance) in Mississauga. It cost like $300 CDN. On the box it says nothing about the TSX/Euro Accord, but it fit and works. (Had to put some spacers under the throttle control box, cause the L/H engine mount (beam) was in the way). My fuel consumption has gotten a little bit worse, cause it gives you WOT much earlier. I now have to be alot more careful in corners on wet days... If you want to know the Part No. I can fish out the box...
Greetings
ACC-Man

Interesting! I was wondering the same.... if it does a dif... Ill buy it I have a damn lag on my turbo tsx...

conig · 04-20-2009, 10:53 AM

Sprint Booster For Acura - www.SprintBoosterSales.com

thats costly for what it is. the tsx is listed.

Dank TSX · 04-28-2009, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conig

Sprint Booster For Acura - www.SprintBoosterSales.com

thats costly for what it is. the tsx is listed.

Sorry to revive this thread, but I really do think it's something to look at. my biggest peeve about TSXs is the horrid throttle response. I just ordered mine, and I will give more details once it's installed.

xjohnkdoex · 04-28-2009, 12:25 AM

someone either here, or on the other forum, explained it to the effect that it makes the TB plate positioning more aggressive at each gear. but for all the low-end response you'll get b/c the plate is opening more, you'll basically lose whatever higher response is left b/c the plate doesn't have any further to go (you already opened it up fully in earlier gears).

people have noted that fuel economy gets lower also.

maybe mash your accelerator harder?

2K6TSX · 04-28-2009, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xjohnkdoex

someone either here, or on the other forum, explained it to the effect that it makes the TB plate positioning more aggressive at each gear. but for all the low-end response you'll get b/c the plate is opening more, you'll basically lose whatever higher response is left b/c the plate doesn't have any further to go (you already opened it up fully in earlier gears).

people have noted that fuel economy gets lower also.

maybe mash your accelerator harder?

This I've heard before and experienced briefly on my maxima. With the tsx though, so much of the power is produced during vtec so I wonder how the difference would be..

chuson · 04-28-2009, 03:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dank TSX

Sorry to revive this thread, but I really do think it's something to look at. my biggest peeve about TSXs is the horrid throttle response. I just ordered mine, and I will give more details once it's installed.

Can't wait for your result. Let us know if a full tank of gas can last for 400km+.

xjohnkdoex · 04-28-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2K6TSX

This I've heard before and experienced briefly on my maxima. With the tsx though, so much of the power is produced during vtec so I wonder how the difference would be..

yeah, i mean, you gotta drive it like you're stealing it with honda's and acura's if you want it to really move.

Dank TSX · 04-28-2009, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuson

Can't wait for your result. Let us know if a full tank of gas can last for 400km+.

From what I've read on several forums, gas mileage will really be the same depending on how you drive it.

The sprintbooster basically amplifies signal to make it seem like you are giving it more throttle. So really, it doesn't do anything but change the throttle sensitivity.

I'm guessing when I first get it, my MPG will be dramatically reduced (because I'll be stomping it at every opportunity), but eventually gas mileage will be the same as it is now once I get used to the changes.

I expect to get it in a few days, and when I do, I will give my thoughts and suggestions on this thread. It has a 30day money back guarantee, so if I don't like it, I can always return it.

chuson · 04-28-2009, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dank TSX

From what I've read on several forums, gas mileage will really be the same depending on how you drive it.

The sprintbooster basically amplifies signal to make it seem like you are giving it more throttle. So really, it doesn't do anything but change the throttle sensitivity.

I'm guessing when I first get it, my MPG will be dramatically reduced (because I'll be stomping it at every opportunity), but eventually gas mileage will be the same as it is now once I get used to the changes.

I expect to get it in a few days, and when I do, I will give my thoughts and suggestions on this thread. It has a 30day money back guarantee, so if I don't like it, I can always return it.

Just try it and tell me the result on mpg and performance ...

Dank TSX · 05-07-2009, 01:33 AM

Hey guys,

I first want to say that before I got my TSX, I was driving a 1998 Integra Type R. I never had to deal with DBW or anything else that was electronically controlled. Even the VSA on the TSX took me by surprise, and i completely hate it (I really wish we had a limited slip). I loved how smooth the TSX was... and how it has a great interior - it's a different class and i appreciated it for what it was. The only thing that bothered me was the horrid throttle response... which I hoped to fix by ordering a sprintbooster.

I just received my sprintbooster in the mail, and installed it today. I took some pics of the thing, and I will update this post tomorrow or something ( taking a break from studying for finals at the moment). I will give some feedback as to what I initially thought of the thing as well as the pro's and con's. I will also address some of the issues that some of you have introduced in the start of this thread, as well as other ones I've seen in AZ and the other more recent thread about deadened throttle response.

By the way, I drive a 2008 NBP TSX M/T, with AEM intake, CT headers, and lowered on H&R suspension.

Pros: Stronger first and second gear (stronger as in, more responsive), huge increases in throttle response, blipping the throttle is actually doable (downshifting is much more enjoyable), +1 to tsx fun factor, car is not 'jerky', it somehow made gear shifting more smooth, no adjusting or re-learning how to drive in heavy traffic, and wheel spin is not an issue. Gas consumption has only changed because I was testing the thing out and driving my car more aggresively... but on the highway it still give me 30 MPG. "deadened" throttle response is eliminated almost completely when rolling back or driving on a slippery surface.

Cons: $330 for a piece of cheap plastic that comes in a cheap paperboard box, installation wasn't so friendly (but wasn't too bad either), the mechanics of the sprintbooster doesn't really enhance anything except for the sensitivity of your throttle, fuel consumption decreased judging by the way you drive with it (giving 25% throttle is really like giving 40% throttle), I honestly only felt a noticeable difference in 1st and 2nd gear, with an exception of the low range 3rd.

---
When I got the sprint booster, i really wanted to be impartial to it so I could write a decent unbiased review. It came in a tiny box and the actual mechanism itself looks/feels cheap. I really thought I got jipped because for $300+, I thought it would be made out of aluminum or something.

The install process wasn't so bad... the theory behind the install is actually very simple. Locate the the accelerator module under the hood near the passenger side strut bar mount, unplug the harness, plug the sprintbooster directly into the module and re-connect the harness to the sprintbooster.

The only trouble I had with this thing was that the sprintbooster itself was too long and there were clearance issues since the strut bar was in the way. I have pictures of this thing, but ACC-Man helped me when it came to installation (he has pics posted up in his albums under his public profile). I went to Lowe's hardware to find longer screws and a spacer but I couldn't find anything.

I pretty much just unbolted the bolt that held the accelerator module down, pulled it up slightly to provide clearance, then ziptied the support to my strutbar. Seems like a shotty installation job, but it seems to do the trick. I think I will go to home depot in search for the right bolt/spacer in the near future to have it securely fastened.

After installation, I started my car and there was no CEL. I blipped the throttle slightly while in neutral to see if it had any effect, and it amazingly did!
In first gear, the car jumped as if it were using a throttle cable. I remember that when I didn't have this thing installed, my car would sometimes have a deadened throttle response when getting the car moving at 1st gear... but this thing really eliminated all of it. I even tried starting from a hill, and I got the same result.

It kind of shocked me at first, because I wasn't used to such throttle response. To toy with it even further, I opened it up coming onto the highway and tried to see if there were any differences. quite frankly, my car didn't feel any more powerful than it was before. Flooring the accelerator is flooring the accelerator. I guess the only change was that instead of having to floor the gas pedal, WOT was easily achieved at 75% throttle.

However, I did feel noticeable differences when coming onto the offramp. Downshifting was a breeze. Usually when trying to blip the throttle, my car does nothing... it probably only jumped about 500rpm. Before, I had to blip the throttle twice- first get the rpm's moving, then blip it again to get it where I wanted it. It was a huge annoyance and I felt like I was destroying my transmission. Now, it's one quick blip of the throttle and it gets me smoothly into gear.

I could say that the biggest incentive for even purchasing this over-priced cheap plastic thing is the reduction of throttle lag when downshifting. I can't say it feels exactly like a cable throttle, but I can say it dramatically improves the throttle response- especially when not in gear. So, for those who are involved with autocross... you will swear by this thing.

While driving in traffic, there really wasn't any difference in driving behavior. I remember reading a thread where someone thought that there would be adverse outcomes if stuck in traffic. Sure, the accelerator is more sensitive, but it's nothing you can't control.

My overall impressions on the sprintbooster were pretty much just explained. I can say that there is a 30-day money back guarantee (really ~20 because of shipping), so if you were to try it out and hate it, you can always get your money back.
I initially ordered it to just try it out and send it back, since paying $330 for a piece of plastic is kind of outrageous and dumb... but after driving on it for a day I have decided to keep it (hell, I decided to keep it after 10 minutes).

I hope this will help for those considering to purchase this or not. If you have any more questions, feel free to pm me or reply to this. I will post up pictures either tomorrow or friday.