Tacoma - OVTUNE - VFTUNER - Update Info and Original Development

I missed you

 

sometimes I wish I had'nt stumbled onto this tune until after he released 1.02. I am not the best at waiting lol. Ive been keeping busy with designing an onboard air system until Mat finishes development.

 

Thanks for the detailed report. I was very close to buying it, but my #1 complaint is the shifting, so I'll wait till I hear some positive reports on that. I don't care about more top end power but I do think maximizing power in the lower rev range (1500-2500 rpm) would help the schizophrenic transmission stop waffling around on small HWY inclines going 65-75 mph. Sounds like progress for sure, but doesn't quite fit my needs....yet.

 

Coming from a supercharged Tundra this truck will always feel weak.. But I will say that 1.01b makes a huge improvement over stock as far as shift due to extra power at lower RPM. Yes I still find the occasional hill that puts me in 4th gear on the highway (to hold 70mph at 7000ft + elevation) But without the tune I would be in 3rd!!!

My strategy is to drop it in to S on those longer hills and hold 4th or 5th just to prevent the trans jumping around.

 

until s mode thinks you need 3rd, that happens to me when I push the gas

 

Are the people complaining about it dropping gears running larger than stock tires?

 

mine would before and after. surprisingly i lost very little feeling of the power going to bigger tires. i lost mpg though

 

I have 33" (285/75/16) tires with 4.88 gears. I'm still convinced that if you live somewhere flat and at low elevation this truck is so much more pleasant to drive. Trying to maintain 80mph going up mountains is a pain

 

I don't want to need to have a strategy for driving my vehicle anywhere on a paved surface (unless I'm towing). I want to put it in D and and not think about it and not be driven crazy in certain conditions. This is 2017 and vehicles are getting much better every year, but this vehicle is the first vehicle I've ever owned in 30+ years where I needed to have a strategy to minimize it's drivability shortcomings. That is not acceptable. I'm waiting till I think OVTune's engine/trans tunes can negate the need for a strategy whilst driving this truck. If this tune doesn't do it (cause I doubt Toyota ever will) this truck is going bye-bye in 12-24 months. I'm still thinking (hoping!) OVtune can make it right ultimately.

 

Just recognize that you're actually traveling farther on your larger circumference tires than what your odometer indicates . . .

 

Lol, I dont think ive ever done 80

 

Thanks Dylon..

BTW did you learn your lesson?

 

I can only comment on flat ground, towing the trailer+dirtbike yesterday it'll kick down to 4th to maintain 75mph going over an overpass, this does seem a little excessive as the trailer+ dirtbike only weight 650lbs

 

Caveat: this is without enough miles for learning to have kicked in.

Power: Power increases are subtle. In its current conservative form, noticing the power increase is something you have to look for. In going WOT the power curve feels smoother and transitions in throttle states produce much less "on/off" feeling. Previously you could be getting bogged down by throttle delays so bad that you increase throttle and by the time it's ready to do something, the throttle is too high, and you go from slow crawl to outright banshee. That transition is completely linear now as it should be.

Shifting: I'm noticing very little difference in shifting behavior that wouldn't be attributed to a reset ECU and/or throttle curve changes. However, the inherent ECU map changes have improved the transmissions responsiveness as when you give it throttle, it downshifts in immediate response to your throttle changes. If you give it enough throttle to warrant two downshifts, it still completes two downshifts instead of jumping right to the gear it needs. I'm unsure if this is a mechanical limitation or not, but I'd love to see it be able to avoid that in the future.

Surging: While the earlier surging complaints appear to be addressed, the same surging that occurred in the very low RPM range (1200-1500) while being bogged down with the stock map is still present. Changes in throttle sensitivity however has made is so that the transition out of that gear into a downshift is much faster so the tendency to lug in that gear and surge is lessened.

Why I'm extremely happy: While there are improvements still to be made, my hope for this tune was that it would eliminate those frustrations you have in throttle response and power delivery that are making you constantly think about what the truck is doing because it's not responding to you the way you think it should. At this point in time, it's responding to my inputs exactly as I want it to. As Dylon mentioned above, if this was the tune from the factory, we wouldn't be seeing the overwhelming complaints about driving characteristics. I've completed several drive cycles where I simply drove it. No gripes, no frustration. Given the early stages of this tune, it's a GREAT starting point.

What I hope to see in the future: Increases in power would be welcome. Transmission behavior has a lot on the table that could be improved (shifting speed, learned shift points that are too early, skipping gears on downshift if possible). Either elimination of learned behavior or reduction in tables so the consistency in behavior is better.

 

Don't egg him on.............

 

Mine runs in 4th gear at 75mph going against the wind. It's always windy here and the lack of torque + aerodynamics = this Tacoma getting garbage gas mileage.

 

Stick shift. No shifting issues. Haha

 

This is a great review that mirrors what I experienced and feel. Very common now from all who have taken the plunge. Its good to know that almost everyone, if not all, have had similar feedback.
Nice write up

 

I believe the transmission is sequential so it mechanically has to moved down two gears. It can't jump around like the new 10 speed transmission that Ford and GM co-developed.

 

Missed y'all too! They didn't block my IP so I could still continue reading the threads!

No problem. Is it worth it? Yes.

I'm running slightly larger, 3.3% bigger.