2017 Tacoma a little disappointed, need help!

Stop throwing good money after bad.

Those trucks are geared terribly. Your best bet will be to use the ECT and S mode.

 

You're fucked because you came from a duramax. That truck has power and was made to tow.
Your second mistake was buying the dealer preinstalled garbage lift.
I know I'm being blunt but I had to.
I came from a duramax as well but I've owned 4 Tacoma's including the one I have now so I knew what to expect.

 

paul - good input. where do you typically shift (without revving the crap out of it) above 3k rpm? i usually shift right around 3k currently.

 

There is also this that won't void warranty
www.tacomaworld.com/threads/aftermarket-transmission-shift-controller-now-available-for-gen3-tacoma.490113/

 

Less weight than you, and I'm also in an MT, but I have no problems towing. FWIW, I see over 1000' elevation change on my trips too. Tows about how a 3.5 should. Also tows comparably to my 2011 4.0. Deff doesn't tow like my 3500hd with a 1ton welder, fuel cell and loaded rack body. But it's all about intended use with these trucks

Good luck with figuring the tires and spacers out. I'm sure switching them out will make you happier with your ride.

 

In addition to what's been said, Larger wheels are also going rob you of acceleration. The bigger the deviation from stock the more the loss.

That could well be what you're feeling as less power. Drive someone's on stock wheels and see if that makes a difference for you.

 

This is probably easily fixed with different tires, alignment, and balance. Did you ever state what the tires and load rating are?

 

Welcome OP, and congrats on your truck, it looks great!

Not much I can add here, everyone's already nailed everything that needs to be said to solve your problem, all I can do is reiterate the part that said go back to stock, or re-gear to 4.88 and lose at the top end, but the low end will be better.

And trading to a Tundra won't be so bad in mpg because with all the mods you did, it dropped your mpg into the Tundra range, provided you don't do the same to it and you may not need to.

Best of luck!
Cheers!

 

As mentioned, your ride issues a likely related to tire pressures, poor lift install, poor alignment, or a trashtastic lift kit.

Power is likely being robbed by the heavier tires, but these engines are a bit rev happy and don't make power till above 3,000 rpm. Luckily they run way better at high rpms when compared to the 4.0. The other big thing is that apparently, the throttle plate doesn't really open up like it was attached to the cable. It's really dialed back.

The Orange Virus guys are alpha testing tunes for right now. IMO, it sounds to me like they know what they are doing, and the results are sounding quite promising, but installing the tune is at your own risk. I'm really optimistic that it will really change the driving experience with the truck. I honestly, think the truck makes plenty of power, but the throttle response is weak and the low speed power is weak.... both could be explained and fixed by a tune. Stomp on the gas in stock form and this truck scoots good enough for me.

 

1) That's good. You won't feel as bad replacing it when you're ready for a comfy ride. (Isn't 35k on the high side for an SR?)

2) Let us know what those are. There are a couple of things that might improve drivability, but making net new HP/torque is another matter altogether.

Hint: there are no 'chips' and the magical CAIs? Well, they aren't. Magical that is.

And yea, living on a lake is nice. I enjoy mine. Doesn't make the truck tow any better though.

 

More power then supercharge it. Although I'm not sure if they have one for the 3.5

 

That Mastercraft load is slightly heavier.

 

^yessah. First thing I said.

 

At least for now. Maybe forever.

 

And it be more gas efficient too, because you know, atkinson and stuff. Haha

Good refference.

 

Why do people ask such a stupid f---ing question? I've seen it 100+ times on here. Did you marry your wife after talking to her for 15 minutes. Tests drives are BS. It's a sales tool. I've never bought a vehicle based on the test drive. And i was extremely disappointed with my test drive but knew I wanted the truck anyway because I could probably fix most of the disappointing things myself. If you can't add something constructive, you shouldn't comment.

 

Exactly what I'm doing. And I'm not saying anything bad about the OV Tune but I want to wait and see what several buyers have to say, not just the few who have said "it's made a difference" or "it drives like it should have". It's driving like it was designed to, and that's not very good as most of us believe. But for the money I need to feel a big difference, not drive around for an hour trying to see if I can notice a difference. Again nothing bad about OV guys, I'm sure they have works their butts off figuring this out. I'm just not sure it's enough to justify the price. And the whole possible warranty issues that might be an issuer down the road.

 

If you were wondering what my comment was about, re-read the OP. If you failed to understand it the first time, let me help you.

Assuming he test drove the truck, items below should've been identified during the test drive. Shouldn't be a surprise weeks/months later down the road.

Why buy a dealer lifted truck when you know it's crap parts that cost 4x the value. He wanted a truck that looks good (which it does) but now the ride sucks. So, did he test drive it?

Your comparison with your wife is stupid. That's on you if you married her after talking to her for 15 minutes.

You still bought the truck after being disappointed with the test drive. Now, as a fix, you're looking into getting a tune. Good for you if you can fix the things that disappoint you.

I would rather mod my truck than fix.

PS: The 3rd gen forum makes everyone bitter.

 

I'm curious about why the OP felt he needed a lifted truck with 33s. I don't get the rush to lift these trucks, not unless someone plans to do a lot of off-roading, and I would venture to guess that about the most off-roading most of these trucks ever see is a gravel/dirt road. If all someone is looking for is cosmetics, I'd say that they are going to pay a price, and more than just the cost of the lift.

On the subject of power, mine is a v6 AT, and if I goose it, it goes. Need to go faster? Give it more gas. Isn't that the way it's supposed to work? I have absolutely no beef with the power or the ride quality, but my wheel/tire combo is stock and no lift. If I were the OP I'd ask the dealer to remove their shit lift, and replace the OEM wheels/tires.

 

What performance upgrades are you referring to? Re-gearing the axles would be the best thing that you could do. Mileage difference isn't really that great and a lot of Tundras are now showing up with 38 gallon tanks.