guys, I've posted this before under an old subject heading... but I've heard a fair few people whinge about this, and it's made a huge difference, so here it is.
I hope it makes someones day as much as it did mine

my s4 turbo always felt a little jerky changing gears, or backing off / getting on the throttle. Not the sort of jerk a passenger would 'notice' and wonder what it was, basically just a bit of un-smooth operation that I figured was 15 years worth of wear and tear on bits.

I eliminated the throttle cable freeplay, so the throttle was constantly cracked * very slightly* open. Reset the tps so it was back to 1k ohms at this point. Bolted it all back up, and went for a drive. Idle is the same. Engine braking appears the same. It's *so* much smoother changing gears, and driving in general, I am quite simply amazed at the change.

I'm told throttle cable freeplay is specified because of expansion / contraction of bits, wear on the cable, movement of the engine, and possibly a few other things. I've not noticed any negatives so far, but it's so much better I'd be happy to put up with a few minor ones...

Would love to hear a response from anyone else that tries it.

 

how do u adjust the tps?

 

Having tension on the throttle cable at all times just adds premature wear on the throttle cable itself.



-Ted

 

any idea just how much premature wear ted?
if it stretches slightly it'll just set me back to having freeplay, won't it?

 

How much is a new cable from the dealer?

 

Cheap. Around $35.

 

It might be negliable.&nbsp I've had to replace a bunch of cables due to them getting twisted when removing the upper intake manifolds, so I don't think these things are that robust?


-Ted

 

yeah the t2 cables seem to bind when they get old. you are supposed to have a little play/slack in the cable to keep the throttle from hanging/sticking open. the 1st gen gsl-se's are really picky about that, if you have the throttle cable too tight it wont idle at a consistant rpm. the t2's dont seem to care as much.

mike