Any risks with 3rd party tune?

I recently traded in my 2019 Honda Accord 2.0 MT for a 2022 Tacoma. Absolutely love the truck but the gear hunting and acceleration is rough. From everything I've read, these aftermarket tunes can really help with those issues.

My question is, is there any risks or trade offs associated with getting a tune? This is going to be a daily driver but I also plan to take it offroad on the weekends. Right now I'm at about 300 miles on it, is there any reason to wait until I've broken in the motor? (Is that a thing still?).

Any insight would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

I can't speak to the risks or tradeoffs.
I bought my '21 TRD OR AC knowing that there were major differences between the 3.5V6 with AT vs my '06 TRD OR AC 4.0V6 with MT. As @oogielaflick explains, it's a "learning" transmission. Combined with the 3.5V6 and it's narrow power band (at higher revs), my new Taco is vastly different. That said, I've adjusted to it, and it's adjusted to my driving habits. Over time I've accepted the difference and am happy with the truck.
Adjust your expectations and give it some time - you may find that it'll get less annoying.

 

Yes, break-in IS a thing, still. Check your manual on that subject but as mentioned above, get a couple-a-few thousand on her before tweaking on the ECM. It WILL get better over time but still may not be to your liking and if that's the case, the tune is always an option. The only drawback I have seen is the scary part of tune transaction where the tuner has you sign a document indemnifying themselves from "bricking" your entire ECM and rendering your brand new truck a 5000 lb shitbox!

I plan on a tune very soon even though I'm somewhat okay with the 11.5k miles I've put on the truck since new last year. I'm doing it because I've started towing and think it will be significant improvement of the truck. We'll see!

 

I tow a trailer with my Kubota BX on it (about 3500 lbs total) and my Taco does just fine. ECT + S4 on the upgrades and S5 on the flats. But it's not a regular thing, i.e. to the Kubota dealer & back.

 

Just from an design engineering perspective, there is always a risk when you change something from how it was originally designed to operate to something else. Tune proponents will argue otherwise but they just can't say this is a 100% risk free proposition because it is not. Having said all that, maybe the risk is low but I really don't know.

Tuners also claim that a tune will not affect your factory warranty coverage as they claim it is undetectable by the dealer but I am not so sure I believe that. You start mucking around with code and it leaves a digital trail, thats a fact! Maybe dealerships cannot see the code change marker right now but I bet they will be able to soon enough. I heard some states are even passing laws making these tunes an automatic emissions tests failure criteria so they must be able to see them, right?

Don't get me wrong, not bashing the black market tune industry here. Just pointing out that it ain't a risk free thing.

 

Your warranty will be gone if a big enough issue arises where you need it. If you pop a motor, trans, PCM, or basically anything prohibitively expensive Toyota will send a FTS out to the truck and they will 100% be able to sniff out a tune if they want to. Flash counters, flags (such as TD1 in VWs), hashes, etc. You might get lucky and they won’t catch it but why risk it? I’ve owned tons of other cars that were commonly tuned and there are very few people that get major components covered under warranty if they’re tuned.

 

I'm pulling a travel trailer just under 5k lbs on a kinda-sorta regular basis so I'd like to see if it makes a worthwhile difference as I have been told it would.

 

I've pulled twice before tuning and 3X since and it most certainly makes a difference. Pulling almost 5K lb on with a Blackhawk tune which I really like out of the 3 or so tunes I've used.

 

Not saying you’re wrong, but very few major components get covered under warranty even without a tune. Dealerships will do anything they can to get out of footing the bill. This is especially true with extended warranties. The fine print leaves you much less covered than you’re led to believe when you purchase the warranty. There are plenty examples of that on this forum alone.

 

Welcome to TW.

As someone who put 30k miles on the truck before tuning, then another 20k before tuning again, here is my advice.

A new truck will change behavior at around 1500 miles. I don't know why it takes that long for the ECU to adapt to your habits, but it will.

I highly recommend waiting until then at a minimum. Preferably, wait until the first 5000 miles. Then go talk to a local tuner or two.

The tuning world has changed wildly within the last year. There are three (that I know of) popular files that are floating around. On top of that there are a few tuners that are writing and installing their own homebrew. Each flavor is slightly different. Everyone has their own solution to balancing a sporty ride against mileage, throttle response against transmission logic.

Meet and talk to a couple tuners, let them describe what makes theirs unique. Decide for yourself if the cost is worth it.


My honest review, I liked my truck before the tune, I liked it a little more after getting a tweaked version of the now obsolete m+w tune. Now I'm on a homebrew made by a local guy, and I love it. It was worth it for me, but not because I hated the truck before. It's just more fun now.

 

^

Now that’s an honest review

 

^^

Great advice @Rock Lobster

I had my truck over a year before I did the OTT 7.0 Tune in May 2022. Then another update the first week of June.

Most recently was the OTT 8.0 Tune with Gear Lock on Sept 18 which I'm still testing out the functionality and getting familiar with it. (I went from Med/Mild to Lite/Mild)

My Sport has better acceleration/torque and goes through the gears more efficiently than before.

I've been very fortunate/successful with all my upgrades to my Sport as well as the OTT Tune.

I can't thank Allan enough for explaining my Tune and helping me find the best option for my style of driving.

 

Appreciate all the responses guys.. I think waiting a couple thousand miles is a terrific idea and I will do that.

Regarding break in - how hard of a science is it? I'm kinda worried because I had to floor it to merge into traffic a few times and RPMs did def get pretty high. Obviously not ideal but shouldn't be a problem right?

 

Just drive the fucking thing like a normal human and you will be fine! You just don't want to go out right away to drag race with your buddy's minivan and / or take a lengthy long 80mph without ever changing speed road trips either.

Carry on!

 

Avoid towing for 500 miles. Technically you aren't supposed to redline it for the first 1000. Don't worry about it too much if you briefly violate either.

 

If you keep on maintenance and have evidence of doing such, I’ve personally heard of no reasonable instances where motor work or transmission work were denied under a factory warranty. Extended warranties are basically useless if it’s through any third party provider.

 

You haven’t paid attention then. I’ve come across several stories, some of which the problems were actually caused by the dealer service dept. and they tried to get out of paying. And extended warranties are basically useless even from the dealer. Just search around on this forum and you’ll be convinced of that.

 

“Just search around on this forum and you’ll be convinced of that.”

LOL. Search around on this forum and you could convince yourself of anything…

 

Well said.

Im in the same boat, I liked my truck on stock tune, but now running 94E0 SFOB tune and it’s sooo much more fun to drive. Really wakes up this awesome 2GR.

 

Haha! I will not argue that! This place has convinced me I’ve needed all sorts of things.