2011 Explorer Throttle Response

[ejax]

New to the forum, Awesome,Saw my first 2011 explorer xlt on January 29th, went lto the dealer on the 30th, they let me take it home to the wife, 5 ours later.....On january 31st Picked it up. Great vehicle in everyway but one. Throttle response slow, off the line acceleration poor. I also have a 2008 dodge charger (hemi)so not looking for a rocket ship. I have been looking into a performance tuner(Possiby from superchips) any opinions

 

[Sgt1411]

New to the forum, Awesome,Saw my first 2011 explorer xlt on January 29th, went lto the dealer on the 30th, they let me take it home to the wife, 5 ours later.....On january 31st Picked it up. Great vehicle in everyway but one. Throttle response slow, off the line acceleration poor. I also have a 2008 dodge charger (hemi)so not looking for a rocket ship. I have been looking into a performance tuner(Possiby from superchips) any opinions

If you find anything please post because Im interested as well. It might be so early in the life of the vehicle that there isn't much out there.

I can say I have driven the Explorer 3.5l V6 but tuned differently for the Interceptor Utility and it is much quicker off the line so your right, programming will help.

I was hoping for a cold air intake but I see nothing out there.

 

[w1kedz]

New to the forum, Awesome,Saw my first 2011 explorer xlt on January 29th, went lto the dealer on the 30th, they let me take it home to the wife, 5 ours later.....On january 31st Picked it up. Great vehicle in everyway but one. Throttle response slow, off the line acceleration poor. I also have a 2008 dodge charger (hemi)so not looking for a rocket ship. I have been looking into a performance tuner(Possiby from superchips) any opinions

I said this in another thread as well. I find the throttle response to be somewhat exponential to the distance you push down the pedal. If you ease into the pedal, the pick up is very slow (I assume this is a fuel economy booster). If you get the pedal past the halfway point then the pickup is dramatic. I find myself wanting slower take offs in this car as I feel more like "cruising" in it (coming from a 350z), but I have no problem getting proper response from the throttle if I actually get the pedal down off the line.

 

[w1kedz]

If you find anything please post because Im interested as well. It might be so early in the life of the vehicle that there isn't much out there.

I can say I have driven the Explorer 3.5l V6 but tuned differently for the Interceptor Utility and it is much quicker off the line so your right, programming will help.

I was hoping for a cold air intake but I see nothing out there.

I expect an intake and a tuner will be available within a year, Is this 3.5l engine in any other ford vehicles? If so, when did it first show up? Mods are generally 8 - 12mos from the release of a new vehicle, sometimes faster depending on the community.

 

[Sgt1411]

I expect an intake and a tuner will be available within a year, Is this 3.5l engine in any other ford vehicles? If so, when did it first show up? Mods are generally 8 - 12mos from the release of a new vehicle, sometimes faster depending on the community.

Isn't the non-EcoBoost Taurus the same engine?

 

[1995E]

Yes, same engine as the Taurus. Throttle response is programmed to limit some super hard acceleration starting off. This Ex also has its speed limit limited at 100 MPH or 110 electronically. I wonder if a chip will do the trick.

 

[sm4astan]

If you start adding things that mess with the throttle response, I wonder if you'll screw up the Terrain Management system. Depending on the setting, I believe throttle response is adjusted as needed for conditions?

 

[1995E]

Good point.

 

[Sgt1411]

If you start adding things that mess with the throttle response, I wonder if you'll screw up the Terrain Management system. Depending on the setting, I believe throttle response is adjusted as needed for conditions?

Probably very true, thats one of downsides to having a vehicle this advanced. Everything is tied together by a computer module. Changing one effects all the others.

 

[briwayjones]

There is probably a delay programmed into the throttle by wire system so when you push the gas pedal there is actually a delay before it gives gas. You can take it to a dealer and tell them to change the computer setting on it and set it to a zero delay. They may or may not change it.

 

[1995E]

I miss the sportier feel of my 1995 Ford Explorer XLT. Despite that engine being 160 HP, it did not seem like it... I raced many Honda Civics and burned the hell out of them. Haha. My engine used to roar like a monster. Too bad I lost it in a crash. The throttle was so responsive on that old SUV. I guess the 2011 isn't that bad with performance though seeing it has a 3.5. I wonder what would have happened if they put TiVCT on the old Exs with 4.0 ... You'd have 300 - 400 Horsepower probably.

 

[paulfrank285]

I miss the sportier feel of my 1995 Ford Explorer XLT. Despite that engine being 160 HP, it did not seem like it... I raced many Honda Civics and burned the hell out of them. Haha. My engine used to roar like a monster. Too bad I lost it in a crash. The throttle was so responsive on that old SUV. I guess the 2011 isn't that bad with performance though seeing it has a 3.5. I wonder what would have happened if they put TiVCT on the old Exs with 4.0 ... You'd have 300 - 400 Horsepower probably.

"....Too bad I lost it in a crash..." <---- this is why Ford is trying to limit the throttle response to avoid lawsuits?