Scooter's Tip Of The Week: Throttle Cable Adjustment
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From: Farmington Hills, MI
Scooter's Tip Of The Week: Throttle Cable Adjustment When setting up the length of your adjustable throttle cable, you need to ensure that when the pedal is fully depressed, the throttle blade is fully open. However, you also need to make sure that the pedal is fully on the floor at the same time. Otherwise when you "floor it", the cable could pull out of the cable stop when you try to go past wide open throttle and the blade hits the stop. This results in a throttle cable that just flops around and you car will just idle down the rest of the 1/4 mile.
Ask me how I know all of this?
(Last night, I ran a 13.6 at 94mph when the throttle cable let go 300' from the traps. I had just shifted into 4th (~105mph) and got back on the gas when it happened. I should have been into the 12s if it hadn't let go.
I had to jerry rig it back together with a nut and bolt in order to get home, so I didn't get to make another pass. Oh well, better luck next year.)
Ask me how I know all of this?
(Last night, I ran a 13.6 at 94mph when the throttle cable let go 300' from the traps. I had just shifted into 4th (~105mph) and got back on the gas when it happened. I should have been into the 12s if it hadn't let go.
I had to jerry rig it back together with a nut and bolt in order to get home, so I didn't get to make another pass. Oh well, better luck next year.) 
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Joined: Jan 2003
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From: VA
Live and learn. Thats a good time with not throttle after 300'. I've noticed that most people have problems of not adjusting the cable to get full throttle. You give good advise for people running into this problem.
That blows. I have my Lokar cable configured as you described, but got there accidentally. I was working it to get the pedal height right for heel/toe downshifting...had to bring the gas pedal waaaay down so it's just about level w/ the brake pedal at max pushdown.
Here is another tip to help prevent over-extending the cable as you describe. Put a heavy spring on the cable, between the throttle pedal hole and the cap on the end of the cable. When you floor it, it will allow the cable to fully open the throttle body, but that spring is there just in case you try and push the pedal thru the floorboard. It will absorb the over-extension.
