Pedal Commander teams up with @Ariandcars at Apple Valley Speedway.
The Pedal Commander Team met up with our friend and automotive influencer @ariandcars at the Grange Apple Valley Speedway to test out the Pedal Commander on his Tuned 2015 BMW M4, nicknamed “Drift Daddy” and his 2020 Nissan 370Z 50th anniversary edition named "YoYo". When it comes to understanding how the Pedal Commander changes the performance of any vehicle, it is imperative that drivers feel the difference the Pedal Commander makes.
Grange Apple Valley Speedway is an asphalt track located 15 minutes down a dirt road on the inner edge of the Mojave Desert in Southern California. The track was originally used a Go-Kart racing track. However, since being retired from Go-Kart racing circuits, the track has become a favorite for auto racing and drifting enthusiast looking to challenge their technical ability. The track itself is only about one lane wide and has 15 corners packed into less than 1 mile, this course challenges even the most skilled drivers. On the day of testing, track conditions were not optimal with winds blowing at 20+ miles per hour and the temperature in the low 50’s. Even with less than desired weather we continued on with the day.
We began with the F32 M4. The install process is similar to most BMWs, after letting the ECU shut down, removing the t20 hex bolt that holds down the pedal, and sliding the pedal up off the plastic guides, you are able to access the Pedal Position sensor. Once the pedal is freed from the guides, remove the stock Pedal Position Sensor harness and connect the Pedal Commander to the male and female ends of the harness. Reinstall the pedal and you are ready to go!
Ari started with the Pedal Commander in Sport+ +4 and threw down some smokey donuts on the skid-pad. Instantly he could feel the difference between stock and the Pedal Commander saying “this makes a life-changing difference. . . I was just tapping the pedal to do donuts.”
Once enough rubber had been laid down at the skid-pad it was time to hit the course and see how the pedal commander worked on in action. On the track, Ari found that sport plus made the throttle response a little too touchy and found a happy medium between stock and sport+ in Sport Mode. on the track, Ari began to really feel how the Pedal Commander improved his overall control of the vehicle. Ari broke it down saying “you can really feel it [the pedal commander] when entering and exiting turns. . . we went really wide there and I was able to tap the gas, instead of flooring it, and left foot brake to bring it back.”
After about 10 laps in the M4, it was time to move into the 370Z. Unlike the BMW the Nissan comes with a 6-speed manual transmission and about 100 less horsepower. Ari mentioned he had felt more throttle lag in the 370 than the M4 and was excited to see the change Pedal Commander would make.
The install on the 370z was quicker than the M4 because the pedal position sensor is accessible without removing the pedal assembly.
Following the same pattern as with the M4, we started in sport+ and laid down some more rubber on the skid-pad again, and then moved to the track. After about 10 more laps on the track, Ari had found the happy spot for the Pedal Commander in Sport +2. The difference was more noticeable in the 370Z’s ability to maintain more angle and pedal steer easier through the turns.
Overall Ari Described the experience as “One of the best days of his life” and the Pedal Commander as “one of the best and easiest mods to install on any vehicle.”
You can watch the full-length video on our YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1n8hZPMYdc
Make sure to subscribe to our channel for more high-speed action as well!