OVTune Tacoma 3.5L Auto - Transmission / Engine - ECU Reflash

Hello everyone

This thread will serve our Automatic transmission customers specifically, and will have all of the information regarding our Tune kit and ECU / TCU Reflash for the 2016+ Automatic transmission 2GR FKS 3.5L Tacoma.

Our Automatic transmission Tacoma Reflash serves two purposes:
- Bring more power to the Truck safely.
- Create a better drivers experience


Things that are changed in our Tune are :


Engine :
- Drive By Wire Throttle maps = Enhanced Throttle response
- Torque Control = Finely adjusts the stock Torque request maps
- Throttle intelligence control = Helps to disable throttle limiting functions in the ECU
- Exhaust and Intake Valve VVT = Smoother power delivery, more power, more torque
- Target AFR = Adjust the power demand enrichment in high RPM to be slightly less rich
- Ignition timing - Ignition timing calibrated for better efficiency on higher octane fuel


Transmission:
- Completely rewritten Transmission output torque for shifting = smoother shifting
- Completely rewritten shift parameter calibration = Changed shift points
- Throttle Adjustments specific to ECT driving mode
- Shift map changes specific to D driving mode
- Completely rewritten Shift point control for all gears, with user selectable maps for different gear change options.


Our tune comes with 3 Different options which have the Same Engine adjustments with different transmission adjustments, which you may choose to suit your driving style.
There are 87 octane tunes to match

Option A - All Upshift Controls adjusted (for all upshifting on all gears)
Option B- Gears 1-4 upshift adjusted. Gears 5-6 upshift stock
Option C- Gears 2-5 upshift changed. Gear upshift 1-2 stock, 5-6 stock.



How it works-
You will need a mobile pc or tablet with 2 USB ports (or USB splitter) with windows operating system.
You load our software to your computer, and plug in the tune kit tools.
Provided in each kit is a software security module (dongle) and OBDII reflash cable.
The dongle is your LICENSE to use the software.

Product:
https://www.ovtuned.com/collections/tacoma/products/toyota-tacoma-2grfks-calibration



A easy to understand video of how the process works has been created by the user @Dylon so that people can better understand the process :





here is a driving video showing the gear shift changes for our 1.02C Shift map A.







Here is a link to our development thread which has dyno sheets:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2016-toyota-tacoma-v6-ecu-tuning-alpha-release.495735/

 

This is great. Really going to help everyone with loading. Will there ever be a handheld unit in the future? Thanks OP.

 

I’m hoping we can get the cruise control fixed somehow. Even with the tune, it shifts like crazy

 

future handheld is a 'maybe'

we wil look into further development on the AT after MT and 4.0L guys.

 

@OVTune What was the verdict on supressing the trucks built-in "learning"? I think I read you could do it, but then the trans refused to shift. I assume that means learning is still going on in the current tunes. Correct?

 

Yes the learning is still there, it is required to operate properly. However we have modified the learning. Can't disable it but we've changed how it works.

 

So as someone not very familiar with modding ECUs and tuning engines, why are you so much better at this than Toyota? If this isn't changing emissions, or decreasing MPG which was indicated in the previous thread, how come Toyota's stock tune was so sub par? Is there something else being sacrificed by adopting this tune? Is Toyota just that bad at it? Serious question, I really don't understand why Toyota wouldn't have a superior tune to anything anyone else could make.

 

Awesome to hear and looking forward to it, woot

 

The engineers that create Toyotas calibrations are much much smarter than I am. However they don't care how the truck drives. They care about meeting regulation standards.
My opinion is that Toyota cared about 2 things when they created the tune in this truck.
1. Get best possible paper MPG
2. Get it there as cheap as possible.

Looking in the ECU you can see they were rushed. I don't want to say they cut corners, but they have budgets, and the budget probably didn't call for expanding and fine tuning.

 

Tempting...

 

Customer Review: 2017 DCSB OR 4x4
Background: Purchased truck in Nov ‘16 and within weeks was really regretting my purchase due to the boggy nature, harsh delayed and busy shifting, vibrations in steering, floorboard, and gas pedal amongst other things. I spent several months working with Toyota and eventually giving up and learned a lot on the forum to help diagnose a number of things I was able to address on my own. With all the work done, however, the truck still felt sluggish and unrefined. As one last gamble on a truck I had invested heavily in mods already I took the plunge on OVTune. Best mod I’ve ever done to a vehicle. I now have about 3,500 miles across various development versions and now 300 miles on the final product.

Throttle response is instant and powerful
Intake breathes infinitely better - more roar than whine now
Exhaust smoothed out - I feel no real vibrations in any driving scenario now.
Driving experience overall is very linear and much more predictable.
Transmission still shifts but not as busy as before (the extra power from the 91 octane tune helps) and I don’t really care as much about how much or when it shifts anymore for 2 reasons. My right foot can predictably make it downshift without delay (as it should have come from the factory) and when shifting overall its smooth - no jerky behavior with the tune such as the delayed downshift to accelerate that feels on stock like you’re about to drop your transmission on the highway.
Idle is ridiculous - my wife recently asked me if my truck was even running it was so smooth and quiet at idle.
ECT is GO mode - literally can throw you back in your seat and burn major rubber if you want to (I don’t but I do love it in hilly, mountain, load situations!)
D is like ECT on stock but more refined and more powerful.
MPGs are about the same for me - 17 or so if in slow stop go traffic, 20-21 if on the highway doing under 65, about 18 if doing 75-80. - I’m stock suspension/tires but do have a few hundred pounds of bolt-ons.
Reliability was always a concern of mine but after watching my data logs and the overall feel of the truck it is so much smoother in every way I can only conclude the tune at worse will yield the same reliability, at best I feel it could do much better without all of the jerks and overly rich conditions.
Power delivery difference (especially running 93 octane fuel on his 91 octane map) is very noticeable. It's not a dangerous amount where you feel like you are harming anything but it's definitely there which makes pulling hills and accelerating into fast traffic much much easier.

I recently drove a friend's new '18 4Runner Pro. Clearly it has the 4.0L in it (at least for this year) but it just drives so much more refined and has more giddy-up than our Tacomas stock. The BEST comparison I can give is that with the tune, my truck now runs as well - if not slightly better than the driving experience in the 4Runner.

Mat is also one of the brightest and most patient folks I’ve worked with. He’s dealt with the madhouse that can be TW for months and used this feedback to refine the tune over multiple releases to reach this final product. Quite commendable to crack the ECU and rewrite so much that was suboptimal from the factory in such a short time.

So if you have an AT 3rd gen you are frustrated with or just feel it’s not living up to the power expectations that were sold to you, jump in! These are awesome trucks, sadly it seems they ran out of time, money, or common sense when it came to the final step of programming the damn thing.

 

Can Toyota see that the ECU has been overwritten if you revert back to stock for warranty issues? I know GM can on the newer stuff. Cool product BTW!

 

Subbed.

 

I want to know this too. Hate to throw away the warranty on a 40k truck.

 

No..it's been discussed by OP extensively in the other Ovtune thread

 

Subbed.

 

I really want to find one of these Tacos that has shifting issues. I have driven from DC - GA, DC- NY, and DC- CO almost exclusively on cruise control and noticed no abnormal shifting or excessive shifting.

 

Currently running 102C-A. Love it. Trucks a blast to drive if you’re looking for that, and much better under normal conditions/acceleration. Best mod I’ve done.

 

Hey Matt, are you guys still 3-4 weeks out on orders? I'm just curious what the current wait time is for people who have recently purchased or are considering purchasing. (I'm order #2106) The new, consolidated thread was a good idea by the way. Thanks!