Everything You Need to Know About Prado Throttle Controllers

The Toyota badge has always been seen as a sign of reliability and efficiency. Although that is the case with most Japanese car manufacturers, Toyota stands out from the rest especially when it comes to bigger vehicles. The same reliability and fuel economics you find on smaller hatchbacks have made their way to the Prado.

Toyota’s 4WD monster is able to provide a powerful and enjoyable ride that lets you both explore the wild and go for a quick drive around town. This has been the case for more than 20 years now as Aussies love the reputation of the Prado. Despite being powerful and comfortable at the same time, as time goes on the need for a throttle controller is inevitable.

Benefits of Throttle Controllers

Performance

The most notable difference of installing a throttle controller in your Prado is the change in performance you’ll notice straight away. These small devices tap into your Prado’s throttle body. Thus a Prado throttle controller is able to make your 4×4 drive far better, even on terrain you haven’t been able to do so in a long time.

Efficiency

Another factor of improvement you should expect changes in is fuel efficiency. By having direct control over the electrical signals sent by the throttle body, a Prado 120 throttle controller helps with the fuel/ air mixture. This mixture is what the engine uses in order to burn the fuel and create rotational force. By giving the engine an adequate amount of this mixture you get a more efficient engine instead of one that burns more fuel than needed.

Lag

Something that a lot of vehicles experience over time, including your Prado, is throttle lag. This is when there is a delay between you pressing the accelerator pedal and your Prado actually accelerating. A Prado 150 throttle controller eliminates this quite easily as it shortens the throttle response of the throttle body.

Types of Throttle Controllers

Basic

Although all Prado throttle controllers do the same thing, the way they do it and how versatile they are makes them available in two different variations. These are basic and advanced throttle controllers.

For example, a basic Prado 150 throttle controller allows you to only set the mode of the controller and create some of your own. Usually, there are three modes on a basic controller – eco, auto, and performance. Although you can create your own mode, the parameters you can set are limited and so is the number of modes you can create.

Advanced

With an advanced Prado 120 throttle controller you can not only choose between more modes, but you can also create more modes. There are some advanced throttle controllers that allow you to create an infinite number of modes with a high level of customizability to them.

Also known as throttle programmers, these controllers are also able to display certain information about your Prado’s throttle response. You can also get some that show your vehicle’s mileage and fuel efficiency.

Installing a Prado Throttle Controller

1. The first step you do when installing a throttle controller in your Prado has to do with the accelerator pedal. Well, actually what’s behind it. There is a cable that’s plugged in, usually behind the pedal.
2. You need to remove this cable in order to connect the one coming from the throttle controller. With the latter being connected to the accelerator pedal, find, what is known as the piggyback connector. This little adapter is the link between the original cable in your Prado and the one you just connected.
3. Plug the piggyback connector into the back of the cable coming from your Prado throttle controller. Once that connection has been made, plug in the original cable into the back of the piggyback connector. You can do this the other way too. Plug in the original cable into the back of the piggyback connector and then plug in both of them into the back of the other cable.
4. Once all the connections have been made, you then need to find a place on the dashboard for your throttle controller. Don’t worry though, the device is small and it can fit in most places. But that doesn’t mean you can just put it wherever.
5. Make sure it isn’t in the way of other dashboard controls and that its cable is routed through the steering column. This way you will have a sleek looking dashboard with added functionality.
6. With the throttle control unit mounted on the dashboard with some double-sided tape all that is left is to power it on and follow the set-up process. This process usually entails the selection of either a number or letter.
7. The number/ letter refers to the type of transmission your Prado has and it should correspond with it. Make sure to follow the installation manual that came with your controller for the set-up.