OTT Tune Review: Lite vs Mild vs Medium vs Spicy

Here's a testament to longevity: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/psssst-what-mileage-you-at.840735/page-5#post-30101552

What you're describing to me is one of the associated quirks about the OEM calibration we address with ours. Easy for me to say, sure - but I think you'd be quite pleased with our cal for the lifetime of your vehicle as the poster above has been.

 

Thanks for the input. I have noticed that Tacoma 4th gen owners are also looking to get an OTT tune. I thought the 3rd gen transmission quirks and acceleration were resolved with the 4th gen?

 

I've had my DCSB/AT TRD Sport since May 14, 2021...got the OTT Tune a year later and have not regretted the decision. EDIT: Mild Drive/Spicy ECT

Been taking my truck to the same dealership since the second Toyota Care Service (First Dealership disappointed me).

I do my own oil changes but have the Dealership rotate tires/balance check/align (if needed) and do their 20 point (or however many) inspection.

On April 1st, I've scheduled a TRD Suspension Kit upgrade at dealership...which is my USAF Anniversary gift to me, which also includes my first Work Bonus.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying my truck experience every time I take her out.

 

It's not always about just "fixing" the OEM calibration in certain areas.

The 4th Gen is capable of some impressive improvements in actual engine output over the prior N/A engines.


2024 Tacoma TRD Off-Road (All Stock, Running 91 Octane)
Red: Stock
Blue: OTT Stage 1

 

Thanks. I love my 3rd gen. Hope to love it even more with the OTT tune!

 

I'm confident you will

 

How does the different settings effect gas mileage?

 

I had my OTT tune done a few weeks ago. I went with Mild/Medium and could immediately feel the touchier throttle. It does seem to shift smoother, more like I would expect it to. It sometimes feels like it doesn't quite know what gear to be in like in a parking lot or short section of street. Before the tune, the truck would rush to get into 4th, and then falls on its face if I was getting and staying at 35 or so. It takes longer now to get into 4th, but still sometimes feels like it falls on its face at that speed, almost like the torque goes down a lot. I suspect that this is just a matter of it relearning and will smooth out after a bit? When getting up to say, 60 it all feels fine.

 

Authorized guy here in Clarksville TN

I'm gonna go pick this guys brain this week

Lite / mild sounds the way too go per my driving habits.
Not a young 20 something driver anymore

Just wanna get rid of the Transmission hunting issues.

Why Toyota dose not address this from the factory is beyond me.
Up until getting my new to me Tacoma last Nov.
I had been driving manual transmissions for decades.
I turn 62 in June.
The lite/ mild sounds perfect to cure my Tacoma auto trans "problems" which seemed really abnormal to me driving it at 1st
Then I got to be a " master" at terrian anticipation, throttle touch and application, and rpm judgment needed well beforehand and while on given terrian.
The vehicle is heavy for the 2.7 engine and auto Trans and gearing ratios. That's a given.

But a fix that is out their is the option per this tuning service.
Done plenty of Google fu research over past 2 or 3 hrs to have this done now.
And it can be reset if ever it needs to be.

Ain't like I'm rock crawling.
It's a daily driver and hunting vehicle I plan on having for 15 to 20 yrs.

Especially on highway trips searching for gears.
And using the cruise control was a goat fugg of shifting up and down and any long slope terrian going uphill or downhill.
Like to be able to use my cruise control without the trans hunting up and down or staying way too long in x gear before a up shift or down shift.

This tune sounds like a cure to a problem that Toyota should have addressed long ago.

 

Looks like a pretty active tuning thread here, figured I’d ask some questions. I have a 2022 auto V6 SR5 Taco, and have been pretty underwhelmed with the throttle response and low end torque. Wanting to put bigger tires on soon but I’m afraid I’ll like the motor performance even less afterward.

Another issue I’m having is the motor seems to knock or ping (possibly detonation?) some when getting on the throttle at low RPM. I read somewhere that using 91 octane fuel, as well as cleaner fuel such as Shell can eliminate this, and for me it has. I even notice smoother shifting with 91. I did the usual maintenance to address the issue such as air intake filter, oil and filter, spark plugs with OEM Denso plugs, and cleaned the MAF sensor and throttle body. Still the biggest difference seems to be from using 91 at Shell stations. Only problem is it’s almost $1 more per gallon. Can/does the OTT tune make the 3.5L V6 get more benefit from using 91 so I’m not throwing my money away? Is there something more serious happening with my motor that needs to be addressed before getting a tune? I read an official Toyota document stating that some mild pinging with 87 octane isn’t uncommon and to just use a higher octane to avoid damage to the motor in the long run. I find this kind of an odd thing for Toyota to do though. Also, does the tune benefit from having an aftermarket high flow intake and/or exhaust?

Edit: Or maybe after a tune I won’t need 91 anymore, and I could just keep using 87 no problem.

 

A couple things to consider.
Advanced timing gives more power and can cause a knock(fuel quality dependent).
If your priority is a power(and with larger tires you have to have the power), then you have to stick to a 91-93 fuel
If you must run 87, reach out to OTT team to cleanup ignition and vvt tables for that region of rpms
I've been running 87 tunes since 2019, with occasional higher octane tunes. Under normal driving with occasional drop to 3rd, I can stay in lower 20s for kclv, highest i went is 27 (temperature dependent).

 

Can the non 91-93 octane specific OTT version be run like non-tuned Tacoma, in the sense that you could fill it up with regular or premium without damaging anything? I know Toyota claims to not even test the Tacomas on premium octanes, but running premium does no harm.

 

Yes, same concept as OEM "tune". Technically, premium gas does not cause any harm, except your wallet

 

You can run 87-93 octane fuel on our calibration without issue. Premium fuels 91-93 Octane will perform better and will often times lead to slightly better economy as well.

Our VVTi and ignition timing is optimized for the broadest possible powerband the engine can produce for fuels of 87-93 Octane fuel. If running 91+ octane fuels you should see KCLV values of 25-27 with our calibration sometimes higher if you have exceptionally good fuel.

I'd encourage you to try the tune using the fuel you normally run as long as it's quality fuel. The slight bump in power that we're able to provide with the tune will be noticeable even on 87 octane. If you can swing it, we would encourage everyone to run premium when/where they can as the truck will benefit though we also understand the cost/benefit ratio isn't always for everyone. You wont see any benefit naturally aspirated from upgrading the cat-back exhaust. At the 370whp level we only found a full Y-pipe/Cat-back to be worth 7-8hp.

Your fuel economy is more dependent on how you drive with those settings than on the settings themselves.

 

As a potential buyer, if I come across pinging under certain rpms/loads, are you open for adjusting tune(s)?

 

Wow, lots of good replies and info here! Yes my main goal is increasing power. Increased efficiency would just be the cherry on top! That would be awesome if I could still run 87 and up the octane when I’m driving in the mountains or something for optimal performance. Can’t wait to get my truck tuned now, the closest shop I see online to my location is near KC, anyone heard good things about Adventure Motors in Grandview, MO?

 

Truthfully I don't think you're going to have an issue but we can provide custom calibrations as long as you buy it without the EO or understand that once we modify the file you can no longer use the EO.

Our calibration is designed to operate within a range from approximately 20-30 KCLV, depending on fuel. Generally speaking most truck all report higher values than even the stock calibration when tested on the same tank of fuel. If you're operating outside the aforementioned window on our file, it's a sign of something external likely being the culprit. Trying my best to not come off boastful, our current calibration is in use by a VERY large number of vehicles. The only times we have issues are when customers occasionally find themselves with a sour tank of gas. Audible knock is not something you will experience on our file with quality fuel.

 

Adventure Motors will undoubtedly get you taken care of. Tell them "Justin" sent ya!

 

Thanks for the information. My question was bases on comments left on ott relates threads