2016 OVTune Tacoma 3.5L Manual Transmission / Engine ECU Reflash

composites and plastics are a great idea, and can wear better than metal when all is right. i completely agree, and i would not be wanting to replace well functioning parts just to be "all metal" or whatever. fact is, the clutch ass'y we have (pre TSB) is not right. pretty far from it. the squeaking & groaning is super annoying, true, but i'm not motivated by that. i am motived by the lateral play of the pedal. this has been my complaint for 3 years and 2 trips to the dealer to try and fix it. they won't. so i will.

 

Myself, I am not a good designer. Although, I do think that I have a decent eye for picking out good and bad design. Like you said, there are good examples of metal, plastic, and composite designs and many, many more examples that are just trash. Our clutch pedal looks like a science project that only saved money at parts production. I might bet that they lost money overall with the costs sunk into redesign and TSB replacements.

For one, putting a non-linear clutch spring on a MT transmission is about as silly as the accumulator. For that, I wish we had the 2nd Gen pedal with perches for a linear spring, but I believe it was even worse for owners if I am remembering correctly.

 

15 mph yeah maybe, but mostly use 2nd. Above 15 mph for first, nope.

 

how this swap will go isn't exactly clear. the 2nd gen writeup i found talked about a slightly different mounting point on the FJ and the pedal arm is angled different, so it requires a different vector of force. he wrote that the Taco pedal requires more forward force where the FJ pedal requires more downward force. he had to 'massage' it which of course is as clear as mud.

my builder knows the Tacos more than most, but the key is his background in drift car building. that is ALL ABOUT THE CLUTCH and that's his zone. once i set him free with this, he may end up with something hybrid. i'm not sure. he's so good i can leave it to him. at least that's what i'm saying now, good luck to me.

 

I have never been in an FJ, but I think the seating position is more upright like most SUVs and tall cars these days. So, that makes sense.

It do enjoy the Taco, where the seating is more legs forward. This is my preference.

It sounds like your guy will get it set up well. There was nothing in that mod thread that looks like the entire thing was reconstructed, just a couple cuts and welds to fit the footwell and get aligned properly.

 

The fj is still the best MT I’ve ever driven. No contest.

 

Interesting. Isn't it the same GB as ours, just a generation back? So pretty much the 2nd Gen minus the plastic clutch pedal.


For me, nothing has yet eclipsed the short drive I had an NA Miata. I had to get it back to the friend that tossed me the keys because I was about to have some serious sideways fun. It was even better than my holy grail, a Porsche 993 Cabriolet that I got to drive once. It was a nice drive and I would not want a convertible 911, but the steering / clutch / transmission combo wasn't as good as the Mazda.


I had a lusty ride in the passenger seat of an E46 M3 MT. That was probably the best spot for me.

Also for mr psycho rower here, I did actually enjoy the short ride on a friend Tuono V4 with the shift assist. It was butter smooth through the gears at any RPM.

 

i gotta give up this damn dream.

 

I did. Sick, raw machine that a family can still use, but . . . No more euro cars or bikes.

Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, Kia / Hyundai, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawasaki are pretty much our shopping list. No lux deprecation or reliability issues and cheaper to buy and maintain.

 

yep. i have had this particular dream, E46 M3 MT, since i first saw a E46 M3. game on.

life happened and i never got it to work out. but if i insisted on getting one at this point it would be a nearly impossible project with my resources. i'd say 'one day' but don't think that applies to finding one of these and being able to do something with it.

 

Yeah. I scaled it back to a 325i MT wagon, but that didn't even pan out. Testing the waters with the Saab and Volvo were enough to reset our perspectives.

 

No idea but it was crisp and solid and felt like it was built like a tank

Ive driven all the generations of taco manuals and the fj was better than any of them. I do think the 3rd gen taco is better than the 2nd though (aside from the stock motor). Since being tuned, I don’t miss the second gen.

 

Interesting. There are a ton of FJ on the roads around here.

I think folks were right about the 3rd Gen setup to the point of OVT. Now, I do honestly feel that the 3rd Gen has the torque and better driveline. I don't want to say that too loudly.

 

So you're adding one to your fleet, yes?

Also I feel like the odd man out.... My clutch doesn't squeak, whine, wonder, or paly sideways with the girl next door. 32,072 miles on it, about 8k of that post adm

 

Anyone play with a new "dead pedal" or "foot rest" for the 3rd Gen? The second Gen had an un-carpeted foot rest (chincy as it was) that was solid and the 3rd Gen has a little piece of polystyrene (or what ever it is) that is covered by the carpet and then the all-weather mats. I don't want to bring the rest any closer to me, but I don't like the soft feel. Maybe its just because I'm used to a solid surface from other vehicles, but I was interested to see if anyone here had played with a mod to give a solid surface to rest on. I've found some possibilities on Amazon and I'm searching the old interwebs for something that might work, but thought I would check in here to see if there is any real-life experiences out there.

A quick search of the forum didn't turn anything up for me.

 

I have no issue with it being slightly spongy. If you want it firm, you could get some resin, a couple layers of fiberglas, and done. Or, 3D print a replacement. 40% fill would probably do it.

 

...I’ve considered it..

 

Dewit

And then I'm gonna come drive it for funsies

 

Angle Grinder and some touch up paint?

 

I keep hoping I can find a wrecked one to swap the trans and t-case into @Mrs2Fang 's 4runner....