Undriveable 2021 TRD-OR - HELP WANTED

I think that's the right attitude. Now that I know I'm not an outlier, and that the constant shifting is not going to damage anything, it does feel like I could learn to treat this as a 'harmless quirk', rather than something that makes me want to yank the wheel into oncoming traffic...

 

Thanks for the feedback/recommendations guys. The only way I've 'tested' this at this point is by modulating the throttle with my hand (both in park and in drive). I can say for sure that I can push the throttle down a significant amount with nothing happening to the RPMs.

Testing this more systematically (ie, with a multimeter) to pin down the origin definitely makes sense. I'll have to do some reading before I try to unplug the pedal to test it (seems like something I'm likely to screw up...).

I do have an appointment with my Tuner to update the tune tomorrow. I'm going to move to the lightest pedal response setting, which if nothing else, should make the dead zone less noticeable. He drives a tacoma with the OTT tune on it. Before he updates the tune, I'm going to have him drive it to see if he notices a difference.

 

Sorry - didn't read all 9 pages so my comment may be irrelavent. I don't have a tune and have no interest. Please understand; I am not knocking them - I have no doubt they perform well - just not for me. I WOULD highly recommend Pedal Commander and Shift Sense Pro. Have made my truck a joy to drive - huge difference (not kidding). Instant gratification and can be removed with ease if needed.

 

I’ll have to do some reading on Shift Sense Pro, as that’s not something I’ve heard of. Can you describe what that does/how it works?

 

https://www.dz-custom-innovations.com/products/shiftsense-pro

 

If I am not mistaken it operates the trans in "S" Mode (shifter lever must be in "S" position) and bases its shift points on preprogrammed "Levels".

 

Hey, check out his pedal with your hand while you are there! If his has no lead it that is good to know, and maybe he would swap pedals for a minute.

Also, from what I have read, it is not suggested to use any pedal commander type mod WITH a Tune. Makes sense to me, though I have not tried it. But just think about it, the tune changes the response to the pedal, and now on top of that the pedal commander will be exaggerating pedal movement communication, to the tune. Seems likely to exaggerate some aspects of the pedal curve. Speak with your tuner, if you are considering this option.

 

Definitely didn't suggest using Pedal Commander and Shift Sense Pro WITH a tune - as an alternative.

 

OP could simply have a bad pedal assy

 

I wouldn’t use that WITH a tune

 

I drove out to the tuner Tuesday and we had a constructive dialog about what I've been experiencing. Regarding the downshifting, he echoed what everyone on here has been saying. The tune can help, but it's not a 'fix'. Regarding the pedal feel, he drove my truck and insisted that his truck has the same 'dead zone' at the start of the pedal. He indicated that that is by design, and a required safety 'feature' for all drive-by-wire systems. He indicated that runs his tune on the lightest pedal response setting for this very reason.

I had him re-flash my truck with that 'light' (previously was on 'mild') pedal setting, and the dead zone is definitely a LOT less noticeable. I'm now able to push the pedal down fast enough to get through that 'dead zone' without really noticing it, and the response after that dead zone is slow enough as to not jerk the truck forward.

Overall, the truck is a lot more drivable after the change to the tune. And by keeping the truck in S5 mode on the highway, and keeping my speeds at or below 65 mph, the downshifting is minimized. I still unlocks the TC going up any bigger hills, but I think I can live with that.

Once again, thanks to everyone who responded!

 

The only suggestion I can think of that might help those that just can’t live with their Tacoma is to bring it to my house, park it, hand me the keys and start walkin. I prefer you do this soon so I can drive it…

 

Glad the tune eliminates most of the dead zone. I'm at the medium level tune and think I will downgrade to the mild. I'm hoping this minimizes the 5mph coasting to re-accelerating jerk as well.

 

I know exactly what you're talking about. Super-slow-speed driving in traffic was pretty tough, even on the mild setting. Going to the "light" seems to have mostly eliminated that effect.

 

Definitely apples and oranges. If you can find a Dyno chart of these engines, you'll see the power band is pretty peaky. Yes it has 280ish hp, but below 2k rpm you are only getting like 80hp. I think torque peaks at 4600 and HP at 4800, and they are very steep peaks. Mine only holds 6th if we're going downhill with a tail wind, at less then 65mph. Much above that and the aero drag alone necessitates a downshift just to maintain speed.

I'm sure you have been told already, but you do have to wind these engines up to get into the meat, it's just their nature, and your big tires and highway gears aren't helping. Mine is like driving with nitrous on a 4500rpm switch, but it does start perking up around 3k.

 

Yeah, I'm a slow learner, but I've definitely come around to this reality. I've heard the term 'usable power' before, but never really understood what people were talking about. Now I do. The way I drive (like a grandpa), the truck is pretty much always running in the 100 bhp or less range. Now that I understand that, I think I'll be less annoyed when the tranny has to take action to get me up a hill...

 

It is surprisingly unpleasant to get used to. I still get frustrated with it. Somehow, I manage to stay below 3500 most of the time.

If you wanted the highway experience of lower gears but don't need the low speed advantages, you can just lock 6th gear out by selecting S5.

 

What would be really nice from the tuners, is if they could change the logic such that the lockout with 'S mode' started in the current gear when activated.

 

All completely normal: The turd gen experience

 

If you pretend you're driving a '98 Supra instead of a 3rd gen Tacoma it makes that downshift to 5th and sudden jump to 3k rpm that much more enjoyable. I've been told I should seek help for my imagination. Fair.

On a serious note, OP, have you had the chance to drive on the highway with that new tune yet? I'm curious at the lowest level tune if it jumps down to 4th (mildly simulating the original gear hunting issue) or if the shift points are close enough to maintain only a downshift to 5th when going up a hill? Not sure if that makes sense, or if I'm understanding how the tune works fully, but that's the best I could do. ha.