Overland Torque Tune (OTT) by Overland Tailor

I'm in the computer business... and fully understand avoiding IP theft.

Most of the TW members here have gears and tires.
Mine is factory box stock and will remain so.

The graphic above for the stock throttle is exactly what my foot feels.
It seems I have to put my foot into it from a dead stop, and keep adding more foot.
The MILD profile is linear and probably more what I'm used to with the 1991.

When the CARB approval comes, I don't know which trannie profile to request.
I do use ECT and S3 or S4 very regularly, as desired to avoid constant shifting.

I'm really interested in whatever tune puts the most area under the torque curve below 3,500 rpm.
Yes, the 3.5L is an over square design, and as such a higher revver... just not my interest.

[ edit ]

Reached out to your INFO@ email address.

 

Hey guys, I got mine tuned last week (Lite/Mild) and first of all, thanks for all the hard work you guys put into the tunes, and things do feel much better than stock. It even cruises in 6th gear on the freeway now (although I have heavy 255/85r16 tires so if I do left off the throttle enough for it to shift into 6th, the speedo slowly falls so I have to give it a bit more gas which brings it back to 5th) and ECT with the Mild throttle makes it feel like a Sports mode now. I am curious though, throttle response does feel more improved in low speed traffic but on the freeway, say I'm going 65 and want to speed up to pass someone, I push down on the pedal but it'll still take about half a second for it to down shift into the correct gear before it moves. It'll downshift once, then a second time like stock but if I click the ECT button and stab the throttle, it'll downshift once then immediately again like it's all one downshift and get me going with less delay. Is it supposed to still have that delay in downshifting before picking up speed?

 

I appreciate the kind words; thank you!

Our transmission tuning is set up to select an appropriate gear for your speed and pedal input (torque request). Sometimes, depending on the weight, drag, headwind, grade, and other factors it's not going to always be in the gear the driver wants it to be. But it's important to remember the transmission uses a simple 2D look-up table to define the appropriate gear and when to command an upshift or downshift. The logic is quite simple.

For a given pedal input, is your output shaft speed > than the upshift value in the map? Yes - Upshift. No - Remain in gear.
For downshifts, the same logic (reversed) applies. For a given pedal input, is output shaft speed < than the value in the map? Yes - Downshift. No - Remain in gear.

There is no fancy or complicated algorithm or logic that infers being on a hill or when you're on flat ground versus hills. So, with the logic used, every option or set of values used is ultimately a compromise. You're giving something or some characteristic up for another. Get it wrong, and you can end up with the OE shift schedule , something that's hyper-busy and constantly working its way between gears, or something that just seems to hold onto gears far, far too long. It's also just as important to understand that with these compromises, we're working with a less than ideal setup from the factory (in the 3rd Gen Tacoma). Where the vehicle is fitted with a relatively high-strung engine that needs RPM to produce its peak torque, a double overdrive transmission and in your case "heavy" oversized tires.

The cold hard truth is - There just isn't a one size fits all solution to the puzzle. Especially when considering the above and mixing individual opinions and driving styles/needs into the equation. Some individuals want a "busy" transmission, while others believe it should hold 6th gear at all costs. While all of these strategies are possible, their compromises far outweigh the benefit of satisfying a particular desire for the truck to do something hyper specific in a given situation. Our approach works well in just about all situations with a wide range of drivers and driving styles. We've used custom-built models to find the "optimal" values and put them through extensive real-world use to validate. We have 3 unique transmission profiles that are used depending on the gearing of the vehicle to correct the pitfalls associated with a one size fits all approach. In the end, we have a usable solution that corrects the issues we (and just about everyone else) have with the OE transmission calibration while still being set up to meet the needs of the masses. We have folks at every end of the spectrum seek out and use our calibrations.

But in your specific situation. Given the vehicle setup, it sounds like the conditions you're in the vehicle should remain in 5th gear in the instance you're describing. You're backing off the throttle to induce an "artificial upshift condition" where it isn't ideal. When you back off the throttle like that, you're essentially saying, "I need less torque." The ECU responds by executing a shift to the double overdrive gear, thereby reducing the mechanical advantage afforded by the lower gear, dropping RPM, and reducing actual engine torque (generally speaking). You're expecting the vehicle to maintain speed? In my opinion, your expectations of the vehicle are unrealistic in this specific instance. Had you allowed the vehicle to remain in 5th in this instance or waited until the conditions were appropriate and let the shift schedule work as intended, you would have found that when appropriate, the vehicle would have shifted to 6th and been able to hold.

Yes, ECT is configured with a more "sports" oriented shift schedule. You'll find the shifts to occur at a higher RPM, taking advantage of the torque curve of the engine, and downshifts scheduled earlier with less pedal input required to induce a downshift. Again, all to keep the engine in the meaty range of the power band.

Again, the amount of pedal input required to execute a downshift is a balancing act. There isn't a timer on the shift. It's all driven by how much pedal you've applied and your output shaft speed. The time delay you're mistaking in the shift schedule is just the time it took you to depress the pedal enough to hit a spot on the map where the look up value in the table was higher than your current output shaft speed.

I hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the info! I figured the lack of torque and the less than ideal setup from factory plays into this.

Also, I noticed that (at least in ECT mode), if I'm flooring it, I'm able to get the truck to rev past 6k and into the "red" on the tach. I know the engine in the Camry and IS350s have a higher redline than in our trucks, does the tune give more leeway for the engine to rev higher than stock? I'm not complaining. I love revving out engines and it's why I have a Civic Si that revs to a screaming 8k rpm. Funny enough, the honda actually cruises at around 3-3.5k rpm in 6th gear on the freeway between 70-80 mph. The Honda boys say it's because the car just lacks torque to keep the vehicle at speed. I don't care though, I just wanna hear that engine roar and hit vtec every day, lmao.

 

Yes, a bit. 6MT Trucks are stock at 6300 and as you mentioned, many that share the same combo are even higher.

We allow the truck to safely rev to where it stops making power. There is no need to keep it going higher and higher for the sake of rpms that produce no discernable results.

V/R

 

D-883!

 

Congratulations!

 

Question: has anybody done the OTT themselves with the DIY kit?

I'm curious what comes with the tune that you buy from OTT.
I'm told the kit offers multiple throttle profiles that are user selectable.

Are the transmission profiles also acceptable?

It seems to me, the DIY option allows the user to change profiles without repeated visits to the tuner.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-ott.824615/

 

Yes, I DIY'ed my own OTT tune installation, using an HPTuners® MPVI2+ interface. I wanted the ability to revert to stock tune easily & quickly in case I decided to sell the truck, or if I thought the tune was causing any problems w/ mileage, performance, or reliability. (Over the past 2 years and ~16K miles since I installed the OTT tune it hasn't caused any issues I'm aware of.) I recall being actively very satisfied with the tune itself for the first 2K miles or so after installation. Like many things, familiarity & repetition changed my perceptual baseline, so I'm no longer actively aware of it in daily driving. I've gotten used to it and it has become "the new normal." I should try flashing back to stock tune for awhile to appreciate the difference.. just haven't had enough time/motivation to do so.

In my case I have the 2nd gen 4.0L V6 with a manual transmission so I didn't experiment with any transmission-related differences. I did however receive the standard "mild / medium / spicy" array (as 3 separate tune files) and could switch among those if I wanted, as well as going back to my stock/unmodified tune. I've chosen to stay with the "mild" tune since my truck is a daily driver.

I didn't have any problems flashing the tune, but you are well-advised to read up on the best practices for flashing, which mainly revolve around being certain that the voltage supplied to the ECU before & during the flash (i.e. your battery) is adequately high and perfectly reliable. (Battery in good health & fully charged. No loose connections or flaky grounds. No accessories on the truck turned on, i.e. lights/fans etc.)

Some people might use a battery tender while doing this. From an abundance of caution I wouldn't use any modern "smart" tender (such as the NOCO® series,) most of which use various forms of active current/voltage probing, possible PWM charging current profiles (?) etc. Rather I would use another "dumb" battery of some kind in known good health. A perfectly flat (in the DC waveform sense of the word) & unvarying source of voltage.

 

Not to be a Debbie Downer....could you possibly post the actual CARB letter with the EO# instead of a letter on company letterhead? Please. I ask as I am not finding D-883 on any of the CARB site searches.

 

Q: is the new CARB legal tune the same as the dyno chart for stock vs torque tune?

If not, do you have a dyno chart for the CARB legal tune?
The chart shown here is what I'm wanting for my entirely stock 2023

Also, the DIY kit is far more appealing to me, than driving 320 miles and paying $500 to a tuner.

 

Agree. I was unable to locate anything with that CARB-EO number.

 

I’ll have to get smogged here soon and am interested in this since. Is there a specific tune I need to request?

 

The EO was awarded yesterday afternoon. I'm sure it'll be on posted on their database soon. Until then!

 

The dyno chart previously posted is accurate and applicable for OTT-CE (tune w/ CARB EO).

 

You can ask for the OTT-CE file, but the CE file is what we supply as default.

 

Perfect! And Congrats, not an easy or cheap task!

 

Thank you! And no, it was not.

 

just need a 2nd gen option....

 

As I understand it, CARB / emissions certification for the 2nd gen 4.0L 1GR-FE is in-progress. One Tacoma market sector at a time...