In the interests of full disclosure, it should be noted that I purchased the Pedal Commander ("P.C.") directly from pedalcommander.com. Given the company is within reasonable driving time from our home, I thought it was a safe bet buying directly from the company. I had a few questions about the P.C. and subsequently had a web chat session with Larry, their sales manager. I told Larry that I was considering the PedalMAX, but learned "PedalMAX is made in China, whereas the P.C. is made in the USA." I don't know about you, but I'm growing tired of buying Chinese-made products! Minutes following my web chat session with Larry, I pulled the trigger and made the purchase. The P.C. arrived within 24-hrs. of my consummating the order. Larry even offered to install the P.C. at no added cost; I politely declined, yet I reserved the offer just in case. Larry even tossed in a pretty cool t-shirt, although it appears the t-shirt is part of the purchase. In all, customer service certainly exceeded my expectations.
For starters, the P.C. in no way increases H.P. For some reason, naysayers are of the impression these types of devices increase HP. Nope. What it accomplishes, though (and does so flawlessly), is thr elimination of lag time from when the pedal is depressed...throttle response is noticeably abrupt and our Flex now jumps off the line! Merging onto the freeway, and passing cars from lane-to-lane, is an absolute enjoyment. It took me 20-mins. of trial and error to determine that "Sport Mode +3" yielded a whole new degree of driving agility. I'm very much impressed with the Flex's (new and) improved driving characteristics.
The device itself, while diminutive in nature, has a good feel to it, and the control module's buttons are responsive to touch. Once I figured out how to remove the accelerator's OEM's connector, total install time took less than 2-mins.
I thought the K&N C.A.I. (which, incidentally, added 13 H.P. to the engine, now for a total 300 H.P.) gave our naturally aspirated V-6 new life, but the obvious performance gain (again, not in terms of H.P.) with the P.C. was well worth the investment. Next, is the installation of the Livernois tuner kit. The folks at Livernois tell me, "you'll see gains of over 31 H.P. and torque will increase by 44 ft.-lbs." At this point, we're at Ecoboost levels, but at a fraction of the cost. Pavlovian!
PART I Update (3/7/17): folks, the P.C. is no joke. If one really did not know how to "drive," I can see, given the abrupt boost in acceleration and torque (most profound at 3200 RPM), how easy it would be for one to lose control of their car. Our Flex, which has 20" performance tires, now drives like a sports car. I know what you're thinking, "What, a Flex driving like a sports car? Yeah right!" Quite honestly, the P.C. (in tandem with the K&N C.A.I.) have unlocked the V-6's true potential. I really am having a blast driving the Flex around town.
And now, I really can't wait to install the Livernois tuner kit. Another thing on my wish list is the addition of a MagnaFlow exhaust kit.
PART II: according to the on-board computer, baseline MPG declined by 1.23 using the P.C. This baseline decline may be attributed to the thrill of pushing the envelope and establishing the initial device settings. With the next fill up, I will report back MPGs. However, the Flex's current config is still +3.77 MPG over the stock engine.
Manufacturer | Pedal Commander |
---|---|
Brand | PEDAL COMMANDER |
Model | PC18 Ford Truck |
Item Weight | 10 ounces |
Product Dimensions | 6.25 x 3 x 2.25 inches |
Country of Origin | Turkey |
Item model number | PC18 BT |
Exterior | Painted |
Manufacturer Part Number | PC18 BT |
Position | Inner |
Bulb Type | LED |
Special Features | Bluetooth, plug and play |