[cakley]

I just installed a throttle control. I purchased the throttle control at http://www.awdirect.com part number AI1 $50.99 Install kit is not needed if you take a small bolt and drill a small hole across the threads. Then use a nut to cramp onto the throttle control wire.

Its mounted right next to my right knee. It was the best place to mount as its inline with the pedal. The cable is mounted to the top of the honda gas pedal rod by drilling a small hole.

So far it works good. Not to be used in town. Best suited for the interstate.

Pictures will be added this weekend.

 

[cakley]

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/350420

pictures on page 4

 

[Jackmpg]

Hi Cakley

Thanks Cakley
I had installed the Global servo cruise control on my '00 insight 5 spd. Did your (this mod) throttle mod on my new '04 last summer. Your mod is much better. I used a pigtail wire to connect to throttle, would break from flexing after awhile. Just replaced it with a bead chain (Ace Hardware), much better. MPG's are much better with your mod. Just travelled cross country. If it wasn't for your mod I probly would have chewed my foot off. This is a great mod, we should update it from time to time. By the way, where's that link to your mod page? Jack

 

[Insightful Trekker]

FYI the date on the original post is 18 month old with the last follow-up 17 months ago.

C Akley sold his Insight, disssatisfied with the MPG at higher speeds and some type of surging, bucking, hesitation.

Still if you want to try and renew this topic more power to ya (and you'll soon have it with a turbo :!: <VBG>

HTH!

 

[JoeMultihuller]

Hi Jackmpg -
The throttle makes more sense to me than a cruise control for maximizing mpg (and giving the right foot a break during long trips).
I just bought the awdirect throttle (unexpectedly HEAVY) because I like the concept of being able to instantly disconnect it. Seems a shame to cut off and discard almost all of that cable...
I'm still debating where to mount the control and exactly where to connect it into the system - where did you put yours? Photos? Cakley's link seems to be gone.
Cheers, JoeS.

 

[LoNOx 1]

Photos? Cakley's link seems to be gone.

I had Cakley's photos saved. I posted them at: http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/671978/2

 

[JoeMultihuller]

LoNOX1 thank you very much for saving and posting these photos, proving once again that a picture is worth a thousand words (despite CAkley's excellent description)! 8) JoeS.

 

[Jackmpg]

Throttle Cable

Hi All,
If you look at the pics for my window shade mod and click on the bottom left pic you can see where I put the control knob, looking in thru the passenger window, vent shade mod. A little different than Cakley.
http://community.webshots.com/user/jackmpg , some beginnig pics from ongoing turbo mod are there too..
Jack

 

[originalbadbob]

Is it a vernier (twist it to move it in or out) type control? If you need to hit the brakes, how do you release it to keep the engine from still running at higher rpm?
Thanks,
robert

 

[Jackmpg]

Throttle Cable

Hi BadBob
I think it's a cable they use for a power take off? Turn it to left and it applies throttle, right and closes. The big red button in the middle, you can push it in and pull back by hand about where you want it, fine adjust it by turning it. Like wise when you want to turn it off quickly you can just push the red button and trottle off. Kinda like a panick button, hope this helps. Jack

 

[JoeMultihuller]

Jackmpg - thank you for pointing to your photo of the throttle installation.

Well, I thought long and hard about this mod, but not hard enough ... I liked Cakley's idea of having the wire poke through the pedal bracket. On my 2002 M/T there's some stuff in the way behind the panel where Cakley mounted his control, and I thought that Jackmpg's location was too far offset to provide a straight run, so I finally drilled a hole here: http://www.katiekat.net/Vehicles/Insight/ThrottleHole.jpg After doing this and installing the throttle control, two things became apparent: 1) the pulled-out throttle will hit one's shin and 2) the mounting angle does not give a straight run for the wire to the pedal bracket (the control's body angles upward too much).

I now need to fab a couple of large bevelled spacers in order to get the throttle horizontal, and this should also reduce the shin interference. Simultaneously, I'm also going to look for another control option, as this AWDirect throttle is, uh, awfully agricultural (i.e., large and heavy). Will report when/if I ever finish this one, and hope this helps anyone contemplating the same mod. (Sigh, and I thought this would take 20 minutes!) JoeS.

 

[originalbadbob]

There are a number of vernier controls used for aircraft. wicksaircraft.com has them. They come in different lengths and connection types as well as a generic kind that you can cut to length. Just do a search for vernier and they range from 44 and change on up.
I was thinking about making a bracket to put it at the back of the shifter console. It would be tight on the parking brake, but easy to reach to push the button to release it.
Robert

 

[JoeMultihuller]

OriginalBadBob: thank you for the lead for those aircraft vernier controls - should be more elegant than this thing. I ran out of time and simply made a wedge-shaped spacer out of some leftover plastic (wish it was black), and the final mod is now installed:

I think Jackmpg's location (a little closer to the steering wheel) is perhaps preferable, as that would be more in line with the gas pedal than this one. Will report on how this does after some experience.

Now, for a nicely engraved label for that huge red button... "Passenger Eject", "Warp", "High Voltage Enable", "Fire Tasers", "SUV Eliminator", "Activate Shields", come to mind. I'm open to suggestions, especially subtle ones. :twisted: :lol: Cheers, JoeS.

 

[Resist]

This mod seems a bit unsafe for the road because braking or hitting the gas doesn't disengage it. It looks similar to a small aircraft throttle lock setup.

 

[originalbadbob]

Joe and Resist,
The aircraft verniers have a push button in the middle of the knob to release it. It won't do it automatically. You can use the push button to release the lock and move it to the approx position and then twist the knob to get it to where you want it. To release it, push in the button.

As to the plastic wedge, depending on the type of plastic it is, you may be able to dye it. We used to color all kinds of nylon parts on RC cars using RIT or Tintex type clothing dye. Just put water in a pan on the stove and warm it to about 150 degrees. Then add the dye and stir it. Drop in the plastic pieces and stir for a while until they get the color you want. It might take 5-10 minutes or even a half hour depending on the plastic and color you want.
I would try it on a practice piece first. You might be able to get it pretty close to the grey.
Robert

 

[JoeMultihuller]

OriginalBadBob, thank you for the colorizing hint. For convenience, I also tended towards the control mounted on the shifter console, but wanted it internal and couldn't do it with the volume and very stiff wire this control has.

Resist, you're correct, and only driving experience will allow me to better assess its safety aspects. At least this should be better than the broomstick I've been using for 25 years on my 1976 MBZ 206D FWD camper.

I'm still hoping to label the control with something other than: "Throttle, Push Red Button to Disengage". Latest suggestions are "Electrocute" or simply a radiation warning sticker. JoeS.

 

[JoeMultihuller]

Manual Throttle Use Report

Just finished my first long passage in my Insight, a quick 2013-mile round-trip to Washington from the San Francisco Bay Area (76.3mpg for the trip). Took out the passanger seat and the car was lightly loaded.

The traffic was heavy, so didn't get to use the hand throttle as much as I would have liked.

Some observations (level ground, no wind, air temp in the 60'sF, altitude under 500'):

1. With no other cars around, setting the throttle to a steady lean-burn display of two bars above 75mpg yields around 63mph, which speeds up to around 70mph when lean-burn drops out for the 5-6 seconds.

2. Sometimes it is nowhere near this good, with speeds down in the low 50's for the same mpg display. Disconcerting. Could not correlate to anything other than it was usually within the first 20 minutes of having stopped somewhere.

The physical location of this throttle (shown in picture above) is not good, as it protrudes too much and interferes with one's leg if the seat is moved forward. If I have time I'll replace this control with a hopefully smaller aircraft type. A better location for this throttle control would be at the aft end of the shifter console as it would be handier and less obtrusive as long as it cleared the hand brake.

It's fun tweaking the knob - holding the throttle constant makes me realize how much I'm normally constantly twitching the gas pedal trying to maintain a constant speed at a reasonable mpg.

With the heavy traffic, I didn't use the hand throttle for safety reasons and I found I could maintain a much higher average speed for the same mpg, courtesy of trucks, trailers, and large vans 'breaking wind'. :roll:

Overall, a nice gadget for long trips on deserted highways.

FWIW. JoeS.

 

[hondachuck]

****WARNING****
This modification can cause loss of vehicle control as it can defeat the basic "deadman" pedal function that the accelerator pedal has.

You have been warned.

That being said.
Coming from the Jeep community, we use a hand throttle for control in low speed bumpy terrain where you could easily smash down on the gas pedal by accident.

Rubicon Express offers this:

Rubicon Express RE1000 - Rubicon Express Hand Throttle - Quadratec

Its basically a bicycle shifter/cable adapted to "OFF ROAD ONLY" to use on ones shifter. The D ring/knured screw on the side can be left loose so that it has no locking function or be snugged up so that it will hold the throttle at what ever you set the lever too.

I had one on my Jeep and it worked great.

Since my 05 Insight had no cruise and it was a stick, I thought what the heck,
so here it is:

I machined the aluminum bushing/sleeve that goes under the shift knob and over the lever.
But it comes with a hard rubber piece thats supposed to fit between the shift lever and the round bracket

Also a custom knob I spun up but it would work with the stock one too:

Had to route the cable through the boot:

more to come with pics of how/where the cable hooks up

 

[hondachuck]

More boot pics:

Earlier in this thread, there is a pic of how someone else attached their new cable to the pedal and that would probably work, but I made this little bracket that set screws to the top of the pedal and allows an easily attached/removed place to anchor the new cable:

Here you can see it attached with the cable run through the new bracket. I have since modified this so that the cable has its own set screw and doesn't loop back on itself now. It was easier to get all the slack out and adjust with its own set screw.

More to come

 

[hondachuck]

The third component of this, is the bracket which is 4 inch piece of angle alum. that bolts to the dash beam and hangs down to line up with the gas pedal attachment. This gives a solid anchor for the other end of the sleeved portion of the throttle cable:

another shot :

I routed the cable up under the consol to the dash and "S"ed it back to line up with the pedal.

So far it has worked out even better than I expected. Since it only has a limited range of pull, it can only open the throttle maybe 1/3rd of the way when fully applied. Perfect for keeping the MPGs up! I've only had it on for a week, so I'll report back later.
Thanks.

It just occured to me, I dont have a complete installed pic so I'll get one up inthe AM.