POLL: OVTune Reviews (3rd gen)

@G8R_Taco

 

No OV files yet for 2021. Tunes modified by members may be available however.

 

04c20 tunepacks are released

 

Is it worth me taking a 3 hour round trip and paying a couple hundred bucks to have my stock tacoma tuned? Anything I should be concerned about? Thanks for any input.

 

As a guy who had a '16 and now a '20...the tune on the 20 isn't as drastic of a difference as the earlier models but it still is an improvement. The 20 is pretty decent from the factory. Don't expect a huge difference but shifting and driveability is improved. The performance tunes are not out yet from OVT for version 2.0. maybe inquire with your 'flasher' if future tunes are possible. Or are you getting a custom user tune? (Some of these are great, and have a lot of user input, I'm running one and it is very good). I'd still say it is worth it. Improvements are still coming from OVT and the community...so it also may be worth the full price to get future improvements...such as tuning for the adaptive cruise has not yet been opened up (coming). I'm looking forward to future improvements at interstate speeds.

 

Nitro recommends 5.39 with 34s or above. Why did you go with 4.88 rather than 5.29?

 

So are we ever getting a 2.7L tune?!

 

So I took the lazy way- I had mine done by another TW member.

In all honesty I wasn't unhappy with the stock tuning. The truck wasn't lightning quick but I never needed it to be. It was quirky sure, but it was livable. I knew the goofy logic that it was trying for and I was ok with it. Purchasing the tune was mostly an experiment in curiosity and to see if I could get better milage when towing. If it performed better, great. If it got better milage, even better. If not, no worries, but it was at least worth the try.

So here's the result.

First the bad- I'm one of the few that's getting worse milage. Before the tune I would get 20-21 mpg on my work commute and a solid 15 when towing my camper. After the tune I'm getting 18-19 on my commute and the first trip towing the camper netted 12-13. Some of that is driver behavior, admittedly. But I really need better towing milage than 12mpg at a flat windless 65 mph. I'll keep an eye on it to see if the long term average changes. Otherwise I might ask for a reflash of something much more conservative in ECT mode.

Here's the good - the truck is a damn rocketship. It leaps off the line. It has no problems accelerating. It accelerates with the trailer as fast as it once did empty. It holds the highway with confidence. Without going into detail a new top speed might have been achieved without even trying. With the trailer on I see it wanting to leap to 75 mph. That's crazy, I almost feel like I'm the one holding back on the throttle, instead of the truck being the one trying to restrict me. I have spent the last few tanks hooning it up and laughing like a damn teenager.

The net- it's a completely different vehicle. I thought people were being hyperbolic when they said that. They aren't. What i just spent the last four years learning between the two Tacomas I owned, I now have to take the next several months to learn all over again. Once I finally sync my foot to the truck's brain again I might crawl back some of the milage I was getting before the tune. I would be ok with that. I've accepted that I'll never get better milage, but if I can get close to the milage I was getting, plus having the rocket toy accessible in my pocket, that's worth it to me.

Conclusion- still learning, but it has been dollar for dollar the most effective, dramatic modification I have ever done to any of my vehicles, hands down. I'm having fun with it. Its no longer a truck. It's a toy. If I can eventually learn to drive the toy like a responsible truck, then that will be the day I finally get to eat the cake I have.

 

More bite on the gear vs 5.29 so less likely to tear it up with power gains planned. Honestly it was a coin flip for me until I considered the power gains I plan to add. Sometimes still wish I had 5.29’s, but to go that low I think it will be an axle swap for me.

 

Is it worth it on a brand new 2021 stock TRD Off-road short bed? Or should I just Re-Gear with Nitro in the spring?
Mainly just want the wonky shifting to go away during regular driving, and cruise control. Will the current 2.0 tune do this, or should I wait? Am tentatively planning on flashing Monday afternoon.

Thanks!

 

Just tuned my 2021 TRD Off Rd w/AT and WOW what a positive diff the tune made. Running the stock performance tune w/91 Oct. Fuel. Better gas mileage, noticable power increase, better pedal response, less annoying down shifting. Smoother shifting overall. Highly recommend it. Thanx OVTune!

 

Where did you get a stock performance tune?
Is it a beta? Or someone made you a custom tune? Or 1.05?

 

Just tuned my 2021 TRD Off Rd w/AT and WOW what a positive diff the tune made. Running the stock performance tune w/91 Oct. Fuel. Better gas mileage, noticable power increase, better pedal response, less annoying down shifting. Smoother shifting overall. Thanx OVTune.

 

Has anyone done a 2021 2.7L tune?

 

Bought the OVTune VF Tuner & 2.0 Tune pack which includes several tuning options. I like the stock perf tune best b/c I'm running my rig bone stock, except I did install a borla catback exhaust and K&N air filter.

 

Sorry about the newbie question but here goes. j

I've been following this OVtune a LOT and I get lost in the weeds a little bit. I am not looking to do a custom tune, but there is a meetup here with a licensed member doing tunes. I believe the options are

The details: For xx$ they’ll be getting a 2.0 OV tune map and have these option to choose a tune specific to the following: regular or premium fuel, stock, 33in or 35in tire size and stock gears, 4.88 or 5.29.

If any kind of further customizations like AGM battery type or speed limiters removed there is an additional process and cost involved. We would have to schedule anything like that on its own day through my website and it would be $xxx The difference is I would need to create a custom tune file & flash the ecu vs just flashing the ecu with the tune pack files provided from OV tune.




My truck: 2019 OR, going to 33's soon, 3 inch lift/level, CMC, no added weight or gears planned

My questions: Does anyone think this included the TSB to 04B33 to help with the Cruise control problem
I go off road occasionally but it is my daily driver, will gas MPG take a bigger hit with premium fuel tune (currently geting 18-19 average per tank)

I have gone cross-eyed with the 100's if not 1000's of pages of OV tune. If anyone has any input I would greatly appreciate it.

Cheers everyone!!!

 

This tune made me love my truck. I just bought it in early December, and was having some buyers remorse. Seriously considering re-gearing until I got the tune for about 10% of the price of a re-gear. With this tune you don't need a pedal commander. I'm waiting for the excellent gentleman who tuned my truck to customize a tune with shift lock in sport shift mode, as I don't ever use the ECT hooligan button.
This tune fixes the wonky shift points, and cruise control issues. It allows access to the engine power band much better, and feels like it shifts the way it should.
For the money some guys waste on a Pedal Commander, I have a truck that now runs the way it should, and doesn't piss me off.
Totally worth it.

 

How did you accomplish this? I am looking on the VF Tuner website and either the site is down or I am missing something; I can't figure out where to find the products (aside from t-shirts/stickers).

I bought mine in December as well and feel the same. The motor feels like it has enough power but the goofy highway shifting has me always thinking about it... otherwise the truck drives great. Its too bad that the truck needs a tune right from the factory to be honest, I had read about this before purchasing but I had no idea how annoying it would be.

 

This is exactly how I feel. I’ve read hundreds of posts but still don’t know which product to buy. One product is the tune software, another comes with a cable, what about credits. I wish someone could walk me through step-by-step what to buy and then do. This mod is at the top of my list.

 

Find a fellow TW member who does it. I was lucky enough to find a guy on the forum who lives in the Portland area. He had all the hardware, and software. All I paid for was him to come out and tune the truck. He said he'd re-flash for me if I need it, and he's working on getting the parameters for the s mode shift lock for me. I don't know enough about tuning to do it myself.
Yes. The OV website is vague AF. I got the impression that they kinda moved away from development of tune packs in favor of selling the tools, and software to do it yourself. That would be fine if it were as simple as a flahpaq or similar system, but it's all done through a laptop. That automatically makes it something I don't want to mess with by myself. Your mileage may very. There are lots of good people on here that can help you if you reach out to them.