ShiftSense Pro - transmission shift controller for Gen3 Tacoma

Would regearing a stock truck help with shifting?

 

I may give this shift controller a try. My biggest complaint is the shift into 4th is way too soon. Majority of my driving is in town and even in s4 its not that good. Wonder if this controller would help this?

 

I have no issues with down shifting by maintaining exact speed without Cruise control. This is also what most of the 3rd Gen members have found.

 

Is this unit serviceable/update-able?

Do you have any plans to tweak in the future? If so, would that require buying a completely new unit?

How would future TSB revisions to the tranny programming effect the unit?

 

^^^^ This. I'd hope to find a USB connector to allow field updates if/when a revised map is released.

 

Very good question! What happens if all our feed back leads to up dating ? I sure wouldnt want to keep buying a new unit!

 

People should really go read the information the OP posted on his website, most of the questions were answered in there.

Still waiting to hear if this is going to help with driving against the wind with cruise control on. If it forces the transmission to stay in gear allowing the throttle to open further without downshifting, I'm in. If not, I'm out.

 

my truck cam with this..is called ECT.

 

We are quite happy with the current programming since gaining feedback from the beta testers. However, if in the future we feel that updates should be made available, one potential option would be for you to mail your device back to us and we could update the programming.

Regarding future TSB's. If Toyota ever does release additional TSB's, the ShiftSense Pro would continue to work as intended because no software TSB's will ever change the mechanical gear-ratios within the transmission. So fundamentally, it would have no impact on the effectiveness of the device.

 

That is an incorrect statement. You obviously didn't read this thread

 

@Mr.Miyagi

 

I'll do my best to answer your question. If you check out the power/torque curve for the 3.5L V6, you will see that it only begins to ramp up in power at RPM's >2500. This engine is designed to run in a bit higher RPM range. I think what you may be experiencing is the fact that the truck is upshifting well prior to this causing you to lose power and speed, requiring a downshift. If it is anything like my Tacoma, this then turns into a viscous cycle of upshift/downshift/upshift/downshift. What you will find with the ShiftSense Pro is that it will not be making the upshifts as early, thereby keeping you in the powerband for better performance and feel. So you ask if it will force the transmission to stay in the higher gear? The answer is no, it will not keep you in the higher gear because the engine has no power at that RPM and would not be able to sustain it. The ShiftSense pro will actually keep you in the lower gear longer, keeping you in the power and greatly reducing the number of upshift/downshift cycles. As a side note, the device does not affect throttle opening angle at all.

 

Good to know that updates are at least possible if ever needed for whatever reason. I'm very tempted to order one, but read through the FAQ and this thread, and was curious about one thing. I currently always drive with ETC on and stay heavy on pedal to deal with lazy shifts. With your device, would I still turn ETC on? I understand how your device works (basically just perfectly shifts in "S" mode all the time), but does ETC on or off make a difference still? I've never really understood what ETC did exactly, I thought mostly shift point changes (but have also read turns off Atkinson cycle too) so curious how they would interact.

Thanks for the hard work!

 

Can i stack this with my pedalcommander? It has significantly increased my happiness with the engine.

 

Quit yacking and start shipping already... . I'm pretty enthused about this new toy. Your mapping looks like a good match to how I shift manually so this could be really slick.

 

Thanks for the detailed response. Ordering later. Hoping it may show up before I leave town next Thursday afternoon. Any guess on shipping time to 58102?

 

I'll post my current MPG so it is on the record before receiving and installing the controller. I routinely get 16.5 mpg around town, when I think about it, I'll get 17.5. I almost never get better than that.

 

Ordered!

I also want to attach it out of the way - either the inside of the center console or under the seat.... I'll order the extension for the ODI II 16 pin connector - probably in 1 meter length.

I'm looking forward to the improved driving experience around town and on the freeway!

Also, the FAQs didn't mention a lot about towing - I'm planning on towing around 3,250 so I'm curious how this will work under real world conditions. I know the OP mentioned that it was tested while towing - any additional detailed info would be appreciated...

Thanks!

 

One does have to love the irony that we need an add on user developed circuit board box to properly manually shift the multi-million $$$ Toyota developed "6-speed Electronically Controlled automatic Transmission with intelligence (ECT-i)".

Seems Toyota's "intelligence" claim was a bit overstated ha...

Glad this exists, ordering one soon!

 

LMAO