ShiftSense Pro - transmission shift controller for Gen3 Tacoma

Why is this device necessary if TSB 0077-16 was supposed to fix the shifting? Many people have posted great results after getting the re-flash from the TSB.

 

Interesting.

 

I don't even own a 3rd gen Tacoma (yet) and I'm looking forward to some solid reviews on the device.

Kudos to DCZ for the R&D on this.

 

I waiting for someone to run a tank full of fuel through an post fuel mileage results using SS.

 

I installed it Thursday night and used it for a drive to Houston yesterday. The install was easy and the unit performs exactly as advertised. The beeping is at a much lower volume than I expected and doesn't bother me at all.

The shifting is improved in the 0-40 MPH range. I have a 35 MPH hill leaving my house and the truck will normally goof around with 4th and 5th gears. This unit does it perfectly (mostly 3rd and eventually 4th).

I like the unit during acceleration up to highway speeds (keeps you in the powerband), but I'm a little less enthusiastic about low-throttle driving at higher speeds. I have a 45 MPH stretch of about 3 miles leaving my neighborhood that the truck normally handles very easily in 5th gear. This unit keeps it in 4th until about 57 MPH. If I could reflash it myself, I think I'd move the low throttle 4-5 shift down to 45 MPH. I'd also move the low throttle 5-6 shift down to 55 MPH. That is a personal preference though, as I don't mind needing a single-shift to get power when cruising.

All the above being said, this unit does exactly as intended and exactly as advertised. The truck remains within the powerband instead of bogging down. I think this was a very clever idea and it solves the problem of early shifts during acceleration. I think I'll probably use it a lot during acceleration and then kick it over to D for cruising.

 

Nice review. Quick question for you . When you are cruising in D at lets say 65mph , when you put it over to S to engage the shift sense , what gear does it go into ? Edit, make that just under 65 as I see it will not go into SS if it is 65 or over.

 

Thank you!

 

@dcz108 Not to 'kinda' derail the thread - but I have to ask.
What other vehicles are you working on developing this unit for?
The 2015/2016 Colorado & Canyons have remarkebly similar shifting issues and are in need of something like this. Currently, the only options are tunes and the Pedal Commander just makes it feel 'unnoticable'. If you're not already on the www.coloradofans.com forum - you might get some interest in beta testers over there.

I know the market might be much smaller due to the short existence of the 6 speed.....

 

It goes to S4 and then adjusts upwards as you would.

 

Related but not related question...is there any way to customize how the cruise control works? I would love to limit my cruise to something like no more than +15% throttle position to maintain speed. I'm guessing that since cruise is ECU-controlled that it would basically have to be hacked in the same way that they are working on to do ECU tunes?

 

This made me smile a little at your expense...I was on the fence shopping between a Tacoma and Canyon. Not at all unhappy with my decision but every once in a while I wonder what kind of problems the GM guys are having. Its reassuring to know that the single biggest complaint that most people seem to have with their Tacoma is shared by you Canyoners.

 

Exactly this, you don't need the truck being in 4th gear at 55mph unless you're using a decent amount of throttle to accelerate up to speed, <15% throttle it should change to 6th

 

Here's a random idea... if you reset the transmission's "learning logic," and re-teach it exclusively using this device, would the tranny start shifting the way this device does?

Or would the "learning" ignore any shifting that happens in S-mode?

 

A couple of thoughts related to this, and believe me, a ton of time was spent in establishing the minimum shift-points in the final mapping. As an example, for the 4-5 shift at around 57 mph: several months were spent tweaking in increments of 1/2 mile per hour from 45mph up through 62 while watching power, RPM, shift-counts, etc. What you will find is that the gear-ratio drop from 4-5 is pretty large. You could absolutely make the upshift into 5th at lower speed and low throttle, but it will leave you sitting well below the lower end of the power band. Any time you get back into the throttle for just a bit of grade or acceleration, it would require an immediate downshift right back to 4. One of the primary goals of the device was to significantly reduce the continual up/down/up/down of the OEM transmission, which means it is more desireable to keep the min-shift up just a bit higher to keep good separation between the upshift and downshift maps. The minimum-speeds in the map were all established to keep the engine RPM where it likes to be running, while at the same time mostly eliminating the constant up-down shifts of the OEM map. Because shifting any sooner would leave it immediately falling flat due to the large gear-ratio separations of this transmission. Hope this helps to explain it a bit.

 

So basically what you've done with this novel device is "over-ride" the gas saving features that Toyota is mandated to achieve... Toyota has NO choice, I assume....they must meet a certain MPG requirement. If this "re-map" of the ECU brings the truck back to where the 2 gens were, then it's merely an "over-ride" to Toyota's Mandated MPG requirements...

That's OK, but I think the MPG's are likely gonna drop as a result. I know that does NOT matter for a lot of people...me included.. But maybe it should be marketed as an "ECM override" ... device.

Just a thought.... I don't mind the way my tranny works...now that I filled it..! 26.5 mpg CDN on the HWY.. (that would be like about 22 MPG US).. cuz you guys in the US have smaller gallons...!! hehe

 

You identified a problem, came up with a clever way to solve it, engineered/refined that solution, and brought it to market. My hat is off to you.... all I've ever done is whine about it.

 

Totally agree.... Wish the inventor lots of luck...!!

I think this device will be a hit..!!