Overland Torque Tune (OTT) by Overland Tailor

The New TSB's have ZERO to do with anything related to engine/transmission function/operation. It's just temperature switches/thresholds that are altered.

 

Appreciate your well-articulated and subjective opinion. It's a bit like comparing apples to oranges, but it completely transformed the drivability and performance of my 2.5 Gen with the 4.0 5AT. If you're happy with how your truck drives now, then consider yourself fortunate.

 

I agree with you. I do consider myself fortunate, for whatever reasons my truck doesn’t seem to have the same issues that many describe. I’m not trying to minimize the fact that many people are unhappy with the way their 3G Tacomas shift from factory. OTT obviously makes a difference considering how few negative reviews and comments I’m able to find.

I’m not hating on the OTT tune. I’ve read most of the comments in this thread and only a handful, if any, have proposed that maybe more people should drive the truck for a while before getting a tune. Ultimately that decision will be different for everyone. I fully support anyone willing to modify their truck. It’s honestly fantastic that there is a solution for those that require it. And I understand many people may simply want to improve what is already a great truck. There’s a reason we all buy Tacomas and there’s also a reason why so many love the OTT tune.

I would honestly love to experience the difference. As I said in my previous post, I was on the fence. It’s $590 in my area, and I already love my truck. Perhaps I’m being too cautious and I should pull the trigger. I know I said that “if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it”, but I can also understand someone that asks themselves “if it ain’t broke, can it be even better?”

 

Where are you located, specifically?

 

I just got home from the tune, I'm satisfied.
I'm in the hills, and it's a mod worth the cost.
Thanks Jeff, and Matt.

 

Newfoundland, Canada

 

At present exchange rates, that's ~$425 USD, which is very competitive.

 

I bought my 2019 new. Drove like shit. I didn't "expect" this upon purchasing. I had them apply a TSB not long after purchase. Drove OK but then "relearned" to drive like shit. I was reluctant to get a tune forever for some of the reasons you mention--particularly long term reliability. But after 30/35k miles I pulled the trigger and overall I'm glad I did. The OTTune makes it drive more predictably. It's not flawless...I feel like I have more "clunks" than before and have to manage my throttle carefully to avoid them. And yes that gives me some pause for concern. But less concern that lugging around with the stock tune, with valves/injectors (not sure which) rattling around at low RPMs.

 

Couldn't have said it any better. It's not perfect, but it's exponentially better than it was when it was stock.

 

What would make it perfect? If you can explain what you want, maybe it can be addressed.

 

I think as a byproduct of "holding onto the RPMs" longer is the occasional slam/thunk into the next hear. A typical scenario is going downhill with a little bit of engine braking, then when it levels out and you get on the throttle a little it "slams" into what seems to be the next gear. Honestly? Maybe it always did it even before the tune--but I don't remember it. And it may not be a problem at all. But it is a little bit unsettling from a reliability standpoint. And, again, I don't know if it has anything with the tune. I try to manage it with an easy throttle but It's not predictable.

I'd love to hear theories. While I appreciate the tune, if I had any inkling I'd be sacrificing longevity with the tune, I'd go back to stock. When I bought it, the feeling was it was mainly just to "fix" the stock tuning with the trans, with slight performance bumps for the motor.

 

The price isn’t really the issue for me. I am genuinely curious though how the truck would drive after having it tuned.

I also honestly feel like I would be generally glad I got the OTTune if I pulled the trigger on it.

One of the things I did after Toyota applied the TSB was ensure that I drive with enough throttle to avoid any lugging as you described. Also, I don’t know if the hilly terrain where I drive or if perhaps the premium fuel that I run makes any difference, but my truck has not relearned to upshift early and then immediately downshift as it once did when I first bought it. The throttle certainly takes a lot more input than my 2G Tacoma, but I just roll into the throttle and the truck pulls until it’s appropriate to call upon and smoothly shift into the next gear. It did take some time for me to learn how to drive it, but it’s nearly effortless now that I’ve learned to apply more throttle earlier and roll into it until I’m at the desired speed. I suspect that’s also one of the reasons the OTTune shifts better. The throttle is modified and it likely contributes greatly to the smoother shifts and improved gear holding. I have no experience with the tune, but I would assume that’s at least part of the story as to why it helps so much. I also realize there is much more to the OTTune.

 

I paid the same out here in BC.

 

I’m a stock daily driver with one mod of 265/70R17 A/T tires and a hilly hometown.

I was hesitant too. Reliability concerns long term.

My thoughts……..

When I first purchased the truck I started to notice the odd shifting. Most times up shifting way too early, temporarily lugging the engine causing it to downshift right away. The sensation was like a power cut.

Also, making a right hand turn causing a momentary dead throttle was hard to get used to. The ability of the truck to maintain a constant, reliable road speed in certain situations was also evident.

There were odd times when under certain conditions the truck would actually drive great. Other times not so much. Under perfect conditions the truck would haul ass too. Casual countryside back roads were enjoyable along with exploring logging roads. But the worst days seemed to be on my busy, daily, congested commute keeping up with traffic. Found I did lots of S-mode driving.

So, with this 3rd gen, there is a lot going on. Atkinson cycle engine with port and direct injection. Torque made higher in the RPM range. The ability of the auto transmission to fully lock, unlock and partially unlock. Soft AI where the engine and transmission have a meeting and try to anticipate your next move. Tall gears in the rear. All to meet tighter emission targets along with improved MPGs. Not to mention Vehicle stability control and traction control playing a role in how the truck performs. Lots of engineering going on here. Maybe too much?

Anyhow, after 3.5 years of driving it stock I paid the $590.00 cdn to get the tune. Been about 5 months now.

Like most, huge improvement over stock. For the most part the premature shifting has been eliminated. Throttle response improved. I can drive around a corner now and not have the throttle go limp. Daily driving has improved immensely. Find I don’t have to use S-mode much anymore. Majority of the days I’m like fu$k yeah, this is awesome.

But, it’s not perfect. The OTT tune is like an awesome 3rd party software update to our Tacomas but cannot make up for some of the hardware shortcomings.

So, considering what OTT has to work with in terms of the 3rd gen platform I get it. However, the “clunks” have increased. It’s like having a manual transmission in too high of a gear at times. Don’t know if this is related to the auto’s ability to fully lock, unlock and partially unlock. There are times when the truck will still get you in eco mode by running at 1000 RPM. Then make you feel like you have to press the throttle to get it to gear down. There is still the odd dead peddle feel in certain situations. Be it in the city daily driving, looking for more throttle going up a mountain pass or maintaining highway speed. Some situations the throttle seems a little too twitchy then other times just right. I’m running Lite/Medium. It’s really sensitive in ECT mode with medium throttle sensitivity.

Despite this I would not go back to stock. Unfortunately, with the 3rd gen it comes with a lot of quirks. I’m fine with it but I do expect long term reliability in return. So far so good. Really love this truck.

 

Hi! Not sure if I should ask on this thread but my VfTuner cable is not recognized anymore. I wanted to reflash a different throttle setting today and when I open up VfTuner software, it sez email support@vftuner.zendesk.com to register my cable. Been flashing my own for a couple of years now with the same cable. I copied and paste the serial to Vftuner support. Anybody know what happened? TIA

 

Have updated it recently? They bricked all the old versions.

 

Send me a PM with some screenshots. See what I can do to assist.

 

I figured it out. Removed old and downloaded the latest 3.0 and my device is now recognized again! Thanks!

 

Any possibility of a 3rd gear lockup in ECT mode? Maybe only when in S-mode? I had to pull some fairly steep and long hills last week and even though I was only towing a 4x4 ATV on a 5x8 open trailer the truck needed to shift to 3rd a couple of times and those are the only times the trans temps climbed. I think a regear to 4.88 or 5.29 gears is the real fix and if I've still got the truck when the powertrain warranty is up that'll probably be at the the top of my list.

 

Regearing the truck is likely what you need in this scenario with the information available.

We don’t monkey with the converter settings to arbitrarily have it be a bandaid, the settings are matched to the respective shift schedule.