I recently installed Rostra's cruise control on my '03 Evo and will post some pics of the install once I get a chance to take some.

Some tips/points:

1. We mounted the cruise unit onto the master cylinder after bending the supplied bracket into a 180 degree loop.

2. We had to remove the throttle body to dremel a small channel into the throttle pulley to accept the piggyback wire loop connector for the Rostra throttle cable. It's a little etra work but it made the existing throttle cable able to move freely as if the piggyback wasn't there.

3. We used the main harness grommet on the passenger side below the ECU to bring the wiring into the cabin.

4. We tapped into the ECU harness for the tach and VSS signals.

5. We drilled into the lower steering wheel shroud to mount the control lever.

Overall, it took about 7 hours but that's mostly because we didn't have any Evo-specific instructions to follow. Still, I think it's well worth it especially for long trips. I wish I had done this years ago when I first got the car.

Feel free to PM me or post any questions.

Drive safe!
-Franc

 

Definitely would love if you took any progress pictures.. long time honda guy, new to the EVO (bought yesterday) and planned to do the cruise on it asap as well.. but on an unfamiliar car.. even being handy, it is a scary proposition. Wish I had a shop/service manual to refer to to hunt out wiring, etc.Congrats! Does it work just as you imagined it would?

 

^^+1 Also looking for the pictures you got of the installation. It kinda sucks sometimes when you don't have cruise control and makes it a lot easier to get yourself into trouble on the highway without it. I think I'll be investing in one of these soon enough.

 

I wonder if it would be possible to make a ecu patch for a very basic cruise control using the stepper motor. Use one of the ADC inputs to set cruise at the speed you are currently going and thats it. No accel or decel functions. Also include like if the clutch switch or brake pedal is touched it disengages.

 

It works very well. I didn't have good info on setting the DIP switches so I sort of patched together some settings which I'll post once I get a chance to look at the actual unit and take some pics. The only complaint is that if I'm going uphill and set a new speed, the cruise will drop 1 mph then overshoot 2 mph then drop two, etc. sort of like an oscillation. The problem is that the boost kicks in while it's speeding up then the throttle closes pretty abruptly and it'll cycle like this for a little bit. Other than the uphill thing, it works perfectly. If you're maintaining a speed you've already set it doesn't do this at all no matter how steep the uphill or downhill, it only happens if you try to change the set speed while heading uphill. To be honest, I called Rostra and they suggested some new settings to fix this problem but I've gotten used to not changing speed while going uphill so I haven't bothered to change the current settings. When I take the pics, I'll post both settings and you should just try both and go with the one that's smoothest. Changing the settings just involves flipping the DIP switches on the cruise module but getting to the module requires removing the strut tower brace. That's why I've left it alone. I would recommend you try the different settings after you've installed and tested everything then bolt on the brace once you're happy.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with the setup and only wish I had done it years ago when I first got the car!

 

Big thanks to you... just got the car Monday (7th).. so I'll follow your advice and do it sooner rather than later. or perhaps I should state this as before the 1st speeding ticket.. not after...

 

I would recommend anyone who's even thinking about it to just get the cruise- believe me you'll be glad you did. It makes the Evo the ultimate highway car!

 

Lets see some pics

 

Ok, I'll try to take & upload some this weekend.

 

Here are some pics. The forum will allow for 5 uploads per message so this will be broken up into sections.

These attached pics show how we bent the bracket to mount the module to the brake booster.

 

Here is how we rerouted the throttle cable and piggybacked the cruise cable. The bracket we ended up using to mount the cruise cable is one of the factory brackets that are left over once you reroute the throttle cable. We cut it and bent it so it becomes a simple bracket as in the pic. The two nuts on either side of the bracket are how you'll adjust the cable slack at the end. Rostra recommends 1/8 -1/16" of deflection, so there should be very little slack in the cable.

 

We used the main ECU grommet which you need to unbolt from both sides. The nut on the cabin side is a biatch to get to because it's blocked by a bracket so you need an open end wrench and a lot of patience. A deep 10mm may work as well but we didn't try it. Inside the cabin, we tapped into the main harnesses in back of the ECU for pins 58 (tach) and 86 (VSS). Evo Motorsports has a nice online diagram of the pinout. Remember that the pinout diagram is as if you are looking at the ECU from the back.

 

Finally, there are pics of the control lever mounted on the car. You can adjust this as needed- it clears my knee easily but you can install it without the angled spacer so the arm points out more and it will angle down less. I also mounted it farther away from me so I don't accidentally smack it while using the turn signal lever but it can be mounted much closer so you can tap the buttons while steering. Whatever you decide, double check your location before you snap on the wiring connectors, though, because once you do you can't slide the spacer on or off or remove the lever without cutting the wires although you can still adjust the angle.

At some point I'll take a look at my DIP switch settings. Rostra's tech Thomas recommends setting switches 3, 7, and 10 to ON and the rest to OFF but I think mine are a little different. As you can see, the battery, strut brace, and upper IC hose will block any adjustments so it's wise to do the fine tuning before you put everything back for good.

I know it looks like a lot of work and a PITA, but believe me it's worth it in the end. In general, the instructions with the unit are pretty good. These pics should help along the way.

Again, hope this helps and post/PM any questions.

Take care,
Franc

 

Awesome, I'm more excited to tackle this project now!! Thanks.

 

How much is this kit?