Turn Up the Tempo: Bully Dog’s Thruster Throttle Enhancement Device

Not everyone needs a standalone tuning solution or a handheld ECM calibrator. Sometimes just a little bit more throttle response and off-the-line “oomph” is all that’s required to make an LS or LT vehicle more enjoyable. The team over at Bully Dog gets it and has come out with one outstanding little throttle tuning solution.

Commonly referred to as the “Bully Dog Thruster Throttle Enhancement Device,” this inline tuning device has the ability to turn your vehicle’s pedal position sensor into either an all-out animal, a tame house pet, or some creature somewhere in between. With its on-the-fly adjustability, waterproof design, and ultra straightforward installation and usability, the Bully Dog Thruster is set to become a bolt-on crowd favorite in no time flat.

With the Thruster Throttle Enhancement Device] you feel the performance immediately and can control your throttle with the simple turn of the dial. It’s an easy way to give your vehicle the boost that it needs with or without a tuning device.  – Jill Hepp, Marketing Director of Bully Dog

Each Thruster Throttle Enhancement Device kit comes complete with a control box, a proprietary wiring harness, a dial control knob, cable ties, Velcro tabs, adhesive pads, and a set of OEM quality connectors for hassle-free plug-and-play tunability. You also get step-by-step installation tips with super straightforward instructions, where the only tools required are a wrench or a ratchet for loosening and reattaching battery cables.

As for the installation process itself, that too is extremely straightforward. Remember, Bully Dog is looking to corner the weekend DIY guy with this product, so it has to be a simple bolt-on affair from start to finish.

Simply affix the supplied control box to its Bully Dog wiring harness counterpart, disconnect the car battery so that the ECU can learn the correct starting pedal position, and then remove the pedal position sensor. Connector detached, slap the OEM style plug into the pedal sensor pigtail, and voilà! You have just created an in-line throttle tuning solution.

Harness and Thruster device installed and ready, it’s time to get ready for controlling all of those accelerator signals. All you have to do now is find the perfect piece of real estate for mounting the Thruster unit’s control box, which should be somewhere well away from high heat. Device connected, plug the module into the control knob via the four-pin connector located on the Thruster’s main wiring harness and reattach your vehicle’s battery cables.

Vehicle restarted, the ECU will rely exclusively upon Bully Dog’s Thruster for all throttle input calibration signals. Adjustments can be made in 0-, 25-, 50-, 75-, or 100-percent intervals, and as long as the control knob remains within reach, can be quickly toggled at a moment’s notice. Additionally, if you discover that your vehicle or driving style responds best to a particular setting, feel free to unplug the knob portion of the device while the automobile is running to lock a certain throttle enhancement into place.

All told, the installation of Bully Dog’s Thruster Throttle Enhancement Device should take no more than thirty minutes and will work on any number of modern vehicles. Naturally, certain chassis have a throttle position sensor that is either difficult to reach or is completely encased in hard plastic. Fortunately, this tends to be the only portion of the install where you may run into some difficulty, which in most cases, is easily remedied with a little DIY ingenuity.

Retailing for just under $300, and often accompanied by a holiday discount campaign, the Bully Dog Thruster Throttle Enhancement Device is a tech device with surprising performance potential and rave reviews. Furthermore, this piece of hardware will not void any manufacturer warranties and can be easily uninstalled at a moment’s notice. The Thruster also supports a slew of other OEM manufacturers outside of the GM umbrella, all of which remain backed by Bully Dog’s outstanding technical support team and 1-year warranty program.

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Micah Wright

Raised on LEGOs by grandfathers who insisted on fixing everything themselves, Micah has been a petrolhead in training since age four. His favorite past times include craft beer, strong cigars, fast cars, and culinary creativity in all of its forms.
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