[Bicax]

Hi guys,

I've been told by an official reseller of Sprint Booster in Spain that they don't make them for vehicles built after 2008.

My car is from 2010 so I'm sol.

Can anyone confirm or correct their statement? I find it strange.

Thanks!

[Puerto Rican 335d]

my friend has a 2009 and its working

[Puerto Rican 335d]

heres the link

http://www.sprintboosterusa.com/c-55-at-m-series.aspx

[Puerto Rican 335d]

here's a you tube video also describing it:

[Hoooper]

doesnt seem right, why would they redesign the position sensor for 2009? I doubt they redesigned the pedal for LCI versions

[Bicax]

I've contacted another distributor in Spain. They have told me that the latest model is for all E9X built from 2002 onward. I've ordered it, will post my impressions once installed.

[hrc630]

I just have receive mine today. ( for my 2009)
10 minutes installation, very easy.
The car have definitely a better trottle response, more "sport" .
Dont regret it, even if its expensive for what it is...
The 335d is more agressive with it

[Bicax]

Hey there, I've received it yesterday and installed it this morning.

The installation is extremely easy and takes 10 minutes maximum (including the 5 minute wait for everything to shut off).

I couldn't really try it properly since there was a lot of traffic on my way to work, but my initial sensation is that it doesn't reduce/remove any acceleration lag, it simply does what other people have stated (increase the sensibility of the pedal).

The result is that the car downshifts more promptly upon accelerating, as if you pressed the pedal a lot more than you actually are. But it doesn't feel like the pedal reacts more quickly, just more violently (I don't know if I'm being clear).

I don't know yet whether I like it or not, but this weekend I'm going on a 1.200km trip so I'll be able to test it more thoroughly on the road and provide a proper opinion.

[Puerto Rican 335d]

Cool my friend

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by Bicax

I couldn't really try it properly since there was a lot of traffic on my way to work, but my initial sensation is that it doesn't reduce/remove any acceleration lag, it simply does what other people have stated (increase the sensibility of the pedal).

Wasn't planning on purchasing something like this anyway, but thanks for the personal review. From the way you described it, it's the last thing I would want on my 335d. I find it hard enough to manage the go-pedal response smoothly as it is, and somewhat more so with the JBD installed and at 100%. Am sure I would not want to increase the pedal sensitivity for my use.

By the way, the reason I say this is not because of difficulties with daily driving, but at the track, particularly on the skid pad, but also in trying to smoothly apply power on exiting corners.

[Puerto Rican 335d]

335dFan u get use to it as you did when you bought your car and later installed the JB , come on now amigo!

[335dFan]

Originally Posted by Puerto Rican 335d

335dFan u get use to it as you did when you bought your car and later installed the JB , come on now amigo!

I think I have a lot of room for improvement as to my driving skills, so that to me is more the problem than "getting used to it". But I do think there is a limit to how smooth I can make it without driving like a grandpa (which I am).

[Hoooper]

Originally Posted by 335dFan

Wasn't planning on purchasing something like this anyway, but thanks for the personal review. From the way you described it, it's the last thing I would want on my 335d. I find it hard enough to manage the go-pedal response smoothly as it is, and somewhat more so with the JBD installed and at 100%. Am sure I would not want to increase the pedal sensitivity for my use.

By the way, the reason I say this is not because of difficulties with daily driving, but at the track, particularly on the skid pad, but also in trying to smoothly apply power on exiting corners.

I feel the same way about mine. A poorly balanced PID control, too heavy on the integral portion, is about how I feel about it. Its easier to deal with in an NA car since it doesnt build boost while you keep your foot in the same spot at the same RPM. I already feel like the pedal is plenty sensitive and the sprint booster steals the last 25% of pedal function. Then again, I drive slow all the time so I need the sensitivity in the bottom 50% more. Pretty much what Ive always said about the sprint booster, its a personal preference product, it doesnt affect the actual performance of the car but can affect your performance driving the car. For some it might increase their driving performance and for some it might be a decrease. The car is equally fast with and without though.

[Bicax]

I'm sure you can get used to it, just like you could get used to almost anything. The question is if it's worth the investment and if it makes it easier for him to drive his car on track.

I hope I'll be able to provide more insight on Monday

[Bicax]

This weekend I've been able to test it more thoroughly, both on highways and windy roads and on D, DS and M.

When you're trying to drive "cool" (on D) the car has the annoying habit of downshifting a lot more promptly if you're not careful when you step on it (even if I was only slightly stepping on it, it would downshift, and that was very uncomfortable I find). When you're more playful or in a hurry, it does allow you to swim through traffic more easily (and by that I don't mean driving dangerously! ), since overall the car feels snappier. So my feelings are quite divided regarding the usefulness of the device.

Regarding the "feel" itself, it's not very nice I find since it only has the same effect as when you press harder on the pedal, so it ends up being quite frustrating (I'm having a hard time describing it, but "frustrating" seems to be a good definition for what I felt).

Overall, is it a nice thing to have? Depending on the situation, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Is it worth the money? In my opinion certainly not. If it was priced at ~100 € maybe, but not at 250 €. But this is a very personal opinion of course.

335dFan, I don't think you'll have any issues on track, you get used to it pretty quickly. Would it help? I would have to try it on track, but on the windy roads it does help a bit since your foot/pedal has to travel less to get the same effect.

[Puerto Rican 335d]

Bicax thanks for your insight on this. I was looking at this but my driving is 90% city and to many FAULKs driving around me here in PR would make me crash, Gracias!!!

[Bicax]

My pleasure!

For city driving or very crowded highways full of traffic jams I would stay away from it (or turn it off) for sure. You'll be quite tense trying not to step too much on the pedal all the time, I think, which would tire you up more.

[Bicax]

Hi guys,

Another update. I've tried the car for ~3.000km with the red mode on, and now I'm back to bypass mode (as if the sprint booster wasn't installed).

I really liked the red mode. It is more brutal than the green mode, yet it is still controllable and it is more comfortable when driving on the highway for some reason. I think that the green mode is kind of a compromise that ends up bringing you the worst of both worlds (instead of the best).

However, being back to bypass mode, I have to say that in most situations I don't miss the Sprint Booster.

I'm sorry if this review isn't very helpful, but it is one of those "feel of the moment" items that really depend on how you got up that morning and how you want your car to react.

The only thing I'm 100% sure is that, for me, it isn't worth the 250 € price tag.

[Puerto Rican 335d]

great insight amigo bicax

[AzureHaze]

Originally Posted by Bicax

The only thing I'm 100% sure is that, for me, it isn't worth the 250 € price tag.

That's the only thing making me steer clear from this product. Totally not worth the price.

[joe_planet]

I just push on the pedal more when i want the car to go faster

[acewiza]

Originally Posted by joe_planet

I just push on the pedal more when i want the car to go faster

Yeah, pushing less for the same amount of fuel seems a bit bass-ackwards to me.