Throttle By Wire

[SGY]

I skied behind a 2005 MC Prostar 197 last night. It has the new (I guess its new) fly by wire throttle. In other words, no throttle cable any more. I didn't drive the boat but the owner was raving at how nice it was. He indicated that it made a noticeable difference in how the boat responded with the perfect pass.

I thought it was interesting. Any opinions.

[Grant_West]

I was wondering when some one was going to talk about this. I to was wondering how it works. They have been using it in cars for some time. But I guess its new for boats. Bu's IMO had the worst looking throttle, It looked like it was designed in 1970 and they still use the same one, Does any one have photo of the new fly by wire setup?

[NautiqueJeff]

The way I understand it, the throttle handle looks the same. I'd look for CC to go to this within the next couple of years or so.

[NSV]

What it is is the regular throttle and it has a cable that goes into a little box. Then the box sends signals to a little motor connected to the butterfly and it moves it.

[WallenpaupackPA]

I can weigh in on this (this may be my first post, even though I've been loitering for quite a while). I have a 2005 X2 and the throttle by wire is amazing. It is the smoothest throttle control I have EVER felt. It is incredibly easy to operate. I have found it particularly good when trying to give a super-smooth pull up for a new wakeboarder or skier. You can do it without an ounce of jerkiness. And to clarify one thing, putting the boat in and out of gear is still via a cable to the transmission, but beyond that, the throttle movements are detected electronically, with a signal sent to a servo motor on the engine. (Think of it like a stick shift car). It's only a matter of time until all the higher end boat manufacturers (including Nautique, I'm sure) move to this technology. Compared to my previous Malibu, my wife LOVES driving the MasterCraft, and the throttle control is definitely a factor in that, together with the far more neutral steering.

[Onthewater]

i've heard nothing but great things about it....but i think i'd rather have the conventional cable for ease of use. What is the damage when one of these units craps out? Some of these electronics kind of give me an uneasy feeling.

[lcap]

I was told last year the keyless ignition was CC's first step toward moving into th Drive By Wire. Better fuel efficiency, lower emissions

[clubmyke]

Throttle by wire for nautiques ??

i was reading about throttle by wire, and it looks very interesting as a alternative toward pp.

Any plans for nautique to adapt this type of system ?

[NautiqueJeff]

Re: Throttle by wire for nautiques ??

i was reading about throttle by wire, and it looks very interesting as a alternative toward pp.

Any plans for nautique to adapt this type of system ?

Merged this into the original thread about Throttle By Wire.

[skinautique]

There are still too many bugs in the system for CC to consider bringing it out

[G-man]

Without bashing can you be specific about the "bugs" in the system? My understanding is Perfect Pass will still be used during tournaments with the TBW system.

[skinautique]

Yeah the PP will still be used with tournaments but it is a simplified system. I am not bashing anyone with the TBW. There are some acceleration issues with the system as well as a few other minor bugs. With the PP system, the servo and a few other components are eliminated.

[dabigkahuna]

Throttle by wire system:

Throttle actuator (You) moves throttle lever to acceleration position-

Throttle linkage talks to magic box-

Magic box talks to servos and fuel injection system-

Added air/fuel causes big boom in cylinders-you go fast-

Throttle actuator (You) moves throttle lever to deceleration position-

Throttle linkage talks to magic box-

Corrosion from high heat/humidity microenvironment causes magic box to say WHAT????

You want slow - but you go fast - real fast...

Although a fly-by-wire approach works well in the aircraft industry (highly controlled with very high redundency) I'm not sure it will fly (no pun intended) on a ski boat, I.M.H.O. :lol:

[j2nh]

Very common in the automotive industry. Standard on Porsche (996), Mercedes (ML series that I know of) and VW (Touareg). My experience with the above vehicles is that the system works well and I never personally experienced or heard of anyone having problems. Having said that the harsh marine environment coupled with the required sensitivity needed for accurate speed control (tenths of MPH) means that the system must be very, very sensitive. As far as feel, on cars at least, it was impossible to tell the difference between a cable and fly by wire.

Mercury is now offering fly by wire on their new big HP four strokes. Main advantage is that it integrates directly to the smartcraft gauges.

My opinion is that when it comes it comes but it would have no effect on purchase decisions.

[ag4ever]

My truck (ford superduty) has it, the corvette has it, and more chevys are starting to use it. It will be the standard in the near future for all motors.

Just face it, everything will go to electronics at some point in the future.