Tune Questions from an Idiot

that's why we do this right? share ideas, successes and fails!

 

sounds good! i'm looking forward to it!

 

These guys seem pretty straight forward on what effect tunes will have on powertrain warranties. I was kinda thinking about getting it done but don't want to chance it.

https://www.stage3motorsports.com/Stage-3s-Stance-Tuning-Your-Vehicles-Warranty.html

 

I gave up trying to keep up with the OVtune threads a long time ago but I was under the impression that after one of the 2.0 beta tunes OVTune basically said "screw it im done I can't please everyone, here is VFtuner you people do it yourself" and thats why we have all these custom tunes now and no official OVtune 2.0 Final Final Final lol did I miss something? Is an official final OVtune 2.0 still coming out?

 

OVTune claims there will be "Ultimate" tunes that will be released to tie everything together. Whether they release next week or next year or ever at all is anyone's guess.

 

That's not fully it, but part of it. The reasons there are all of the custom tunes are money and that the software makes it pretty easy to tweak the unedited Tunes.


Yes. The 2.0 Ultimate Tunes are supposed to be the wrap up of all the work.

 

I appreciate all the replies to this thread and I think I now have a much better understanding of what is involved. The main thing this education has done is convince me that while certainly mediocre, the safe bet is to stick with the stock tune. There are just too many variables and I am too conservative (aka chicken) to risk it. I may have to push a bit harder on the gas pedal, but at least I will sleep at night.

 

Thanks for the response. I've skimmed portions of those threads but I'm interested in the more technical aspects of the tune itself and those threads are 95% filler like 'where do I get the tune', 'what's a TSB', 'will it void my warranty', etc. Most people don't seem to interested in the actual changes in the the tune itself as long as they see a positive change in the way the truck drives which I get.

I assumed there were changes to the AFR because you said "From my observations, it runs at Stock AFRs in the same or larger regions of the maps." which sounds you like you cannot say for certain there were no changes to the AFR. If I'm wrong I stand corrected.

And that's exactly what I was getting at by my post. There are many claims that state these tunes increase hp and tq. Back to my previous comment, I'm impressed if the amount of gains some are claiming are resulting from stock AFR's and solely from changes to ignition timing, valve timing, etc. Obviously you can't speak for all tunes, but for the tune you offer what increase in power can one expect?

While you drive behind those cars do you know what modifications they have and what tune they're running? Or else you're just making assumptions of your own. Most heavily modified small displacement FI cars are running catless which is probably what you're smelling. Not trying to debate you here just wanted to know some of the technical aspects of the tune since that's often overlooked in these threads.

 

I'm not going to hand hold you through this.

https://vftuner.com/blogs/news/taco...ently-tested-amazing-results-upcoming-updates

Raw fuel versus SOx / NOx is quite different. Regardless of cat delete (without a tune, that would be silly), 9:1 AFRs, or coal rollers, it is all cheap and bad tuning.

 

That's actually helpful. After OVtune was banned and all these custom tunes started emerging, I stopped referencing VFtunes site as I thought there were other/better tunes out there and the information wouldn't apply but that's obviously not accurate. And off topic I know, but the thing I appreciate about the tuner cars is that if you search their forums and research tunes and power mods, you actually see people's dyno charts posted so you see quantifiable results from the modifications they're making. The truck scene is completely different and other than the Magnuson Supercharger thread most guys aren't going to dyno their truck even after getting a tune or installing an intake, exhaust, etc.

 

I'm glad that it helped. There's a lot more there in the blog / news section.


All the shared tunes use the vF Tunes and software as a base. There are a few other non-vF tuners out there, but I don't think any of them have dug as deep to the code.

The one thing to know about Maggy is that they started with the Stock file, not 2.0. So, there are no / very minimal AT edits.



I agree that not much has been posted in the way of dynos and traceability. Some folks tried to get dynos in, but for whatever reason, not much came of it. I think the thing is that there isn't much left in the N/A version of our engine. vF Tuner feels there was maybe 10hp more before longevity of some parts were affected. Any more than that and drivability suffers and the setup becomes more of a competition setup.

The main benefits that you get from the tune is great drivability and consistency, esp in normal driving, not WOT. It can be felt at the revised 7,250rpm limiter. The motor pulls hard through 6k and drops off naturally for a shift. It's the 4k and under region that needed the bulk of the attention.

For me, the Taco is fun through any roll on, corner, and twisty road.

 

9:1 would crazy rich! My other car is catless and supercharged. It runs pretty much spot on at 12:1 and it reeks like gas...

 

I was being silly, but the tunes that kids are using around here smell like they could scavenge some useable fuel out of the tailpipe.


It's funny how it used to be an everyday thing with carbureted vehicles. I miss it in a nostalgic sense, but not in an everyday / commonplace way.

 

If I wanna go fast I get in the convertible, but I don't want my truck to be a limp dick with bad shift points.

 

I think part of the reason hp/tq are not discussed is the main complaints I read here about the 3rd gens are slow throttle response (hence the popularity of devices like the Pedal Commander) and gear hunting. Sure people always want more power (especially those who had/have 2nd gens), but it was more about drivability then power. It's been awhile but when I first read about OVTune, I felt like so much time and attention was being spent discussing the stock shift tables and if I remember correctly that's one area where he felt there was a lot of bloat. I'm reading through the blog you linked and not one mention of shift tables lol. I'm also located in CA so that's why I'm particularly interested in the specs of the tune but at least new cars here are exempt from smog for 8 years so I'm not freaking out like some people

 

Exaggerating slightly, to drive the stock tune on my 2018 felt like this:

0 - 90% pedal: 10% throttle, 1200rpm
91%+ pedal: 100% throttle, 5200rpm

The primary benefit of a tune is that it simplifies and smooths the throttle and shift mapping so that the shifting and throttle more linearly, intuitively, and repeatably correspond with pedal input. Torque, power, and the other goodies are just bonuses.

 

On my side and with Taco to Taco differences, I did not experience any throttle lag. I even flashed a known bad Beta tune to actually feel a dead pedal that some folks had talked about on the Stock tunes. For what it is, I was always happy with the power up top other than the 6k limiter that I was always bumping.


IMHO with the tune, we are more or less equivalent to the 2nd Gens in the bottom end. It would be cool to see some numbers there. Similar Taco with at least similar wheels / tires. But, there are gains to be had on the 4.0l front. I was amazed what the TSB tunes do for the top end. Three folks that I have flashed very much agree. A couple later 2nd Gens and later 4Runner. Perfectly smooth sweep from idle to redline.


For the AT, the code was completely rewritten for 2.0. There is probably 100+ AT maps that are available on the user side of the tune. VFT has more and will be releasing AT only tuning options.


The new CARB thing will be interesting. Probably a few months before we get info on tuned Tacos getting through?

 

Reading this entire thread...what does the OV Tune do for gas mileage and do the other brand tunes do the same? If the OV Tune increases my mileage by 2-3 mpg, I'll definitely pull the trigger. I drive 20k to 25k miles/year.

 

That'd probably be a good survey question. My experience is same/similar mpg but better response. The shifts points are later so that means more revs which doesn't translate to better mpg.

 

I have had 3 different tunes as well, and have stayed the same MPG with all three for the most part. Some of the claims of getting 4 mpg (sometimes more!) better seems like outright lies-- or just a claim after heading downhill for some time. I dont see the MPG gain being a realistic reason to get the tune, but in that same breath, I would not drive my truck with the stock tune ever again. Im sure there are some tunes out there specifically for MPG gains, and may help out more than my "91 Octane Max Performance" tune, but driving these trucks long distance will wear on your mental state if the shifting isn't remapped.