Anyone NOT Impressed with OVTune?

I've seen tons of comments about how OVTune "fixes" the issues with the Tacoma shifting and power, but anyone pony up the $700 and feel not much changed?

I'm not overly unhappy with my 2017. It drives fine for the most part. I do still have the hesitation when accelerating hard like getting up to speed to merge. Sometimes it's fine, other times feels like a bit of vapor lock or something. Not sure it's worth $700 to fix that and usually changing how I drive does the trick.

I did have the hesitation or stumble TSB applied and at first it seemed like maybe it helped but 5K miles later not sure I see much difference.

If I had an extra $700 around I'd probably just give a try, but I don't.

Anyone in northern Colorado have OVTune and willing to give me a demo?

 

I placed my order last week. Once I have the cable and the tune flashed I'd be willing give you a demo. I'm down in the Denver Metro though.

I'm not expecting it to solve all of the shifting mania I experience in the mountains here, but I am hoping it'll improve things to some degree. Allegedly it will (based on feedback here), but only drive time is going to confirm that. It seems, to me, that full resolution is a combination of the tune and different gears (i.e. 4.88, etc)

 

I'm in the same boat.
I wanna try it, but should be saving money.

I'm considering the excuse that the transmission may last longer if the hard shifting is cleaned up.

 

Honestly, it doesn't sound like you really need/want it anyway.

My Taco was saddled with a very early M/T calibration that sucked IMO, so it WAS worth it to me.

 

Probably true, but if all the hype is true and I get more power, better response, better gas mileage and less wear on the transmission then maybe it's worth it.

On the other hand, if it's better why isn't Toyota just doing something similar from the start? I mean, if it's all about hitting MPG numbers and OVTune does it better seems like something Toyota would have figured out.

 

I would also add the he is constantly finding more he can do with the tune and is completely rewriting the code for the shift tables and always looking to upgrade and fix problems and then passes that on for free in the updates he provides. Is it perfect..? No but it is definitely way better then stock and continually being refined.
Do YOU need it..? Not sure but it has been a blessing for me.
I was almost rear ended at a stop light and when I stabbed the gas it stumbled and I almost got creamed until the truck finally responded and I moved forward and around a corner at the same time that van skidded through were I was and out into the intersection. I knew then the stock tune was dangerous to say the least.
Every tune I’ve had since 1.01 has fixed that and then gotten better over time.
For me it was well worth it.

 

Results will vary slightly truck to truck. I can only speak from the M/T side of the house, but these trucks are finicky.

 

I didnt get better gas mileage, not even close. It stayed about the same, then I got bigger tires etc and it decreased, take that as accurate as you wish to. It drives a lot better than off the lot, and just better than with the TSB. I drive it with the performance 87 tune with 87 gas and its not a whole lot "do this mod now!" better. I have it tried it with the 87 tune and 89 gas and thats a bit better. One thing it does help a lot is that while it does still down shift when the wind hits the truck/up a small hill it shift a hell of a lot smoother, but Ive stopped taking the expressway because of my 13-14mpg avg on there. I hear that 93 performance runs a lot more "powerful", but Im not looking for that so I wont be trying it any time soon.

 

I'm in this boat too, trying to justify the dough with extra mpg and just not hating some of my driving experiences..

 

Hard shifts are easier on the fluid and valve body than soft ones

 

I haven’t had a chance to upload the tune but it was cheaper than trading in.
He’s also continuously trying to update the tune and that speaks volumes for a company and their dedication to a product.

 

I'm not sure if you're being serious... Is this actually true?

 

I wish I could run a trial to see if it's worth it. Everyone said the TSB was night and day and I never noticed a difference. Not interested in paying that for a tune that has minimal impact so I'm interested in the not so great feedback.

 

I just did the tune last week, 87 octane performance tune to be specific. Here's my experience - it was a little clunky at first, barely touching the gas really made it jump forward, but the documentation does mention like a 500 miles break in period for it or something like that.

I'm probably 200 miles into it, and I am actually loving the way it feels to drive my truck now. I've been getting progressively heavier the past two years and honestly now it feels better to drive than stock. Just this morning I noticed it shift up two gears and it was SO smooth. Definitely put a little grin on my face.

I think it just depends on what your expectations are. Everyone says if you really want that perfect driving experience you also need to re-gear. So that will probably be next for me after I get my bumper in about a month.

In general though, shifting is much smoother, and there is definitely more low-end torque. Just give it some time to break in.

 

There are some people in the history of the main thread that expected more than they got. Some expected boost like power increases and such but obviously that wouldn't be realistic. I know of some who expressed anger but most of that seemed like a lack of patience with certain things primarily email response times and other trivial things. I'm a happy owner of the tune and look forward to any future refinements.

 

Yes. It is true. That’s why the second gen supercharged guys get the valve body work done to firm up shifts. The energy has to go somewhere though so it will be sent further down the drive train like your u-joints. Much cheaper to replace and easier to service

 

I’ve been on the tune for a while, mostly 91 base and 91 performance. It absolutely has more power. Are the shifting issues fixed completely? No. Mine does this weird 6-5-6-5-6 dance on a certain hill on my daily commute. Before OVT, it would downshift to 4 until it crested the hill. This happens on both adaptive and regular cruise. Am I sorry I bought it? Absolutely not. I’ve spent more money on dumber shit. And he is working on completely rewriting the shift tables. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you purchase as long as you’re not expecting miracles.

 

OP, you can see how members rate the tune here...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/poll-ovtune-reviews-3rd-gen.535928/page-12#post-19405032

 

I believe the only issue with re-gearing is the Tune is not yet optimized for gears but I believe they’re working on a future update.

 

What you say makes sense when hitting the gas.

I was referring to general driving, like a smooth MT shift at the right speed, gear and RPM is barely noticeable. And, the 3rd gen AT has the occasional 'stuck in 2nd' clunking feeling when downshifting. Hearing and feeling a bang on the downshift seems unnecessarily hard on everything.

But, Im not an expert on how ATs work.