Hey guys my friend was talkin shit about the SI saying it has "drive by wire". I have no idea what this tech is so I was unable to defend myself, felt bad man. Can someone please explain to me what this mystical tech does?
xxx-by-wire means that there's no physical connection between whatever you're manipulating, and whatever part of the car is controlled by that, and is instead controlled electronically.
Drive-by-wire means there's no physical throttle cable connecting the accelerator pedal to the throttle body valve in the intake manifold. In old cars, you step on the pedal, which pulls on the cable, which opens the valve letting more air in, more explosions, more speed. With DBW a computer tells the valve how much to open.
There are pros/cons for both, but neither system is really "bad". Also, it's fucking 2017. Also Si's have had DBW for like 10 years now.
Most vehicles have had drive-by-wire throttles for over a decade now. The Prius is also brake-by-wire. The Infiniti Q50 had steer-by-wire four years ago.
One of the major advantages of drive-by-wire is the ability to remap the accelerator pedal vs. throttle opening which allows for precise tuning of the vehicle's response. It can make a powerful vehicle easy to drive in a parking lot or an underpowered vehicle feel more powerful than it really is. It also integrates the cruise control function into existing hardware without the need for a separate modulator. It allows for "economy" and "sport" modes by altering the response of the accelerator pedal. Safety, performance, drivability, emissions, weight savings, and cost savings are some of the advantages of drive-by-wire.