POLL: OVTune Reviews (3rd gen)

Edited original post for 91 tune update.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/poll-ovtune-reviews-3rd-gen.535928/page-3#post-17256208

 

Too preliminary but need to mention

Order number: 2522
Date purchased: 2/28/2018 -> installed 3/16/2018
Version: 04B12 (87 octane)
Stars: 5 so far, will update later
Mods: Leer canopy, sliders, otherwise stock

Tune version (1.03)
Some like to comments and provide reviews after 100, 500 or 1000 miles. I'm going to provide my first review after less than 10.

I installed the tune during lunch and due reasons wasn't able to do the 15 minutes of idle. Had to get in the truck and GO right after work.


Wow. 14.6 MPG.

My normal drive home is just under 9 miles. Highest speed on my drive is 40mph for a mile. The rest is getting stopped block to block at every stop light, sometimes waiting for 2 turns to green before I can go. Close to 1000 feet of elevation gain and 500 feet of loss during the trip. A lot of it is slow and go up hill. It could leave the transmission utterly confused.

I usually get 11-12 MPGs on the ride home. 27% improvement.

I'll comment more as the miles wear on but I'm impressed.

================================
Updated: 3/23/2018, about 230 miles on 1.03

I'll try to make this as qualitative as possible.
Good stuff:
As stated, my commute is pretty short and mostly in-city speeds. All my complains for this type of driving are gone. The shifting seems well matched to the engine's power curve.

One of the things I've told many people is this truck never feels effortless, especially on the interstate. It's always wanted to settle into a 50-55 cruise and always works to go faster. This is now changed and runs 65-75 with no apparent stress.

For the local WA guys, last week I was driving from Bellevue out to North Bend on I-90. Near Preston there is a section where you gain about 500 feet over a mile and a half - this is a 70mph zone. The downshift from 5th to 4th happens pretty early in the hill. I was able to start the hill in 6th at 75, downshifting to 5th about mid hill and was able to crest at 72mph. It was right at the edge of downshifting but never did.

The good, the bad and the ugly:
South Bellevue, Lakemont Blvd coming up from I90 is a 10% grade, 40mph speed limit. Most go about 45-50mph up the hill. Even in ETC PWR mode, I used to get constant 3-4-3-4 dance up the hill trying to keep about 45mph. The good; starts off in 4th, have a single downshift to 3rd and it holds 3rd. The bad; I need to loose 5mph and use tons of gas (feels like 3/4 throttle) before the downshift. The ugly; the downshift is anything but smooth.

================================
Updated: 5/11/2018, 1000+ miles on 1.04
Best stuff:
There's actually a throttle position where I can climb hills in 3rd and 4th with an unlocked torque converter. i.e. enough extra revs where I'm not bogging down w/o needing to run at 2800rpms for no reason. Perhaps I'm old school but I prefer it this way.

Good stuff:
Throttle tip-in moving from a stop whether cold or warm is resolved. Can easily backup smoothly uphill in the morning without lurching.

Falling-on-face after turns is gone too. I'll nit-pick here. It feels like it was resolved by lowering the downshift threshold and then suppressing an upshift after the turn which provides the desired result. So, after a turn and I get on the gas I get a quick downshift and it holds. Other makes handle this better, but it's good enough.

Not good stuff:
Throttle response is much softer than 1.03. I need a heavy foot again to keep pace with 65-70mph traffic. I'm see-sawing between a 1/4 and 3/4 throttle to keep pace on rolling hills other moderately powered vehicles don't notice. 1.03 highway driving feels much better.

3-4 upshift point could stand to be a bit lower. 4-3 downshift point still abrupt in rapidly changing hill slope.

 

87 or 91 for the initial flash?

 

Order# 2496
Toyota Tacoma 2016 TRD Sport DBLB Automatic Transmission
91 Octane 04B02
Installed since March 15 2018
MBRP Catback Exhaust

Initial Impressions: The tune without a doubt makes the truck drive the way it should have from factory. It eliminated almost all my complaints that I've had with the truck for the 2 past years as I purchased her in Nov 2015. After about a month of owning her, I took her back to dealership and told them that there has to be something wonky with the transmission as it shifts up and down and never holds gears. Told them that I have never experienced an automatic like that. Shortly after I discovered the TSB that had been released in the states (I'm from Canada), and brought the docs in to the service manager at my dealership. The service advisor on the front lines told me that the truck is supposed to drive that way and that they could not perform the simple ECU re-flash. I left pretty upset only to be called an hour later by the service advisor that his manager told him yes we can perform the re-flash. I immediately noticed that the shifting was a bit better. It did not jump around as much anymore. However, over time I'm unsure if the learning logic has basically brought it back to it's worst. I pretty much gave up and told myself that this is what a 44k (CAD) truck is worth.

Fast forward 2 years and I decide to browse around Tacomaworld again. Lo and behold the OVTune thread from Mat. I was pretty hesitant and skeptical, as I did not know what type of work or the amount of man hours Mat put into this tune to justify the high price point. That and being from Canada with our current rate of exchange really put a hamper on me from buying it. So I messaged many of the members that had purchased the tune to ask them what they thought. Every one of them said it was the best mod hands down they could do to their truck. I caved and purchased the tune, installed it as soon as I received it. Everything was improved remarkably. When I demand power, she delivers. When I experience inclines, she holds gears. Most importantly, when I came out of corners I physically felt secure and safer now that if I needed the power to pull me through away from oncoming traffic she will do it. Shifts are quicker and more fluid. And that increased sensitivity to the throttle I can understand that some might find it too sensitive or twitchy but I've always been very light footed so it was perfect for me.

One of the best mods you can do hands down. The only weird thing I've experienced is during cold start up and letting go of my brake she surges forward or backwards suddenly as if I was pushing the throttle slightly. Not sure if that was intended but meh.

Rating: 4/5 for me due to the surge I get and high price point, but I'm one of those people that believe a perfect score will encompass all aspects of the products such as shipping time, customer service and price. But still, well done Mat, thank you.

 

87, I should have mentioned that.

 

Order number: 2428

Date purchased/date installed: 2/14/18 - 3/12/18

Version / transmission of the calibration you're running currently: 1.03 / 04B03 (87)

Star rating you give it: 4.5

Any mods that would impact (tires, gears, exhaust, etc.,): Stock tires/wheels. Leer Canopy.

Overall feedback of:

Shifting - Smoother compared to stock. Still juggles gears a bit on hills or sometimes locks into 5th or 6th and doesn't feel like it has power although increasing pressure on the accelerator until it suddenly downshifts. This is mostly on large hills which are common where I live.
Throttle - Much better overall, unlike stock, does not feel bogged down all the time. More consistent and doesn't vary due to cold vs warm, rain or wind, etc. Truck responds like a much lighter SUV.
Power - Same as stock on 87 Tune, but definitely moves gears less erratically and keeps the truck in the power range better without having to stomp on the pedal.
MPG - After 100 miles approx. 50/50 city/hwy, MPG is about the same as stock. Stock seems slightly better on MPG, I assume, because the truck seemed almost always bogged down in the low RPM. Now the truck gets up and moves with the same or less input. I am not typically an aggressive driver (unless I need to be), and I usually average 18-20 MPG per tank. Right now after 100 miles, I am at 19.

I was definitely going to sell the truck before the tune. Now I am about 75% toward keeping. I will give it 6 months and see where I am at.

 

Sorry if this has already been addressed, but the reponses are all quite long, so I have not read every word of every post.

But ... What if I only own Apple computers? I see a lot of .exe files in the developers examples. Can I install?

 

You can get any answer to any question on installation and whatnot over in the development thread:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2016-toyota-tacoma-v6-ecu-tuning-alpha-release.495735/page-708

For your question - yes, but it will require Bootcamp or VirtualBox or something of the sort running Windows. I use VirtualBox and Windows Insider Pro (free) on my MBP. You can get more details by searching in the above thread.

 

Sticking with 4 star review. This isn’t Mat’s issue but truck still has some poor driving characteristics after 500 miles logged on 1.03. In D the truck still races to 6th and chugs along at 1100 rps, then when transitioning from light load to heavy throttle the truck shudders and I’ve even registered multiple misfires in this scenario(per OBD fusion). Obviously the truck did this stock and Toyota calls it a normal characteristic of the vehicle. Also some harsh up shifts occurring. Truck drives great when on the throttle hard but low speed driving I still have to put it in S mode or turn on ECT to lose the chugging stutter

 

Are you running the 91 or 87 tune?

 

Oh sorry. 91 tune on stock tire size no lift, no armor, no bumpers.

 

Order number: 2521
purchased\installed: 2/28/18 - 3/13/18
Version / transmission of the calibration you're running currently: 1.03 / 04B03 (87 octane) - AT. (*now have 1.04)
Star rating: 5
Mods: none
Miles on tune: about 400

(*Update for 1.04 at end)

1.03

First some background - I’ve been a Shift Sense Pro user since last spring when it came available. Even using the SSP, I found the throttle control of this truck incredibly aggravating. Any driving situation, whether it be city driving or long highway trips, required constant modulation of the gas pedal. The SSP helped remedy some of the strange shifting of the stock tune, but of course it does nothing for the throttle mapping.

After installing the tune, I am THRILLED with The throttle feel. As others have stated, it’s very linear....no more constant modulating of the pedal or stomping on it to make the truck go. Before the tune, the truck seemed to fight any effort to speed up (or even hold speed sometimes). That is no longer the case. It feels like it should have from the factory. I have not experienced any of the surging that has been reportedby others. Tip-in also feels perfect to me.

Highway/interstate driving is 100 percent better than stock. The truck holds 6th gear, even at speeds around 60.....this completely transforms the truck’s behavior on the highway. If a downshift is warranted, it does it smoothly and without drama and then goes right back to 6th. This fix alone made the cost of the tune worth it for me......the “gear dance” on the highway was one of the things that made me regret buying this truck. Fixed.

There are some things that still need improvement IMO (and keep me from giving it a 5 rating)....

Driving in “D”, the truck is still way too eager to upshift too early. IMO, this truck should NEVER be in 5th gear below 45 mph....5th gear is too tall for anything slower, yet it often wants to upshift to 5th at speeds as low as 35. Once it upshift, it wants to try and hold onto 5th gear which gives the truck (even with the improvements the tune gives) a gutless feeling. In city traffic, the result is bogging and unneeded shifting.

Another similar example is when making a right hand turn on a green light.....the truck is too eager to upshift to 4th as I’m trying to accelerate out of the turn. An immediate downshift is then required to accelerate. So it’s this whole 3rd-4th-3rd-4th dance issue that the stock tune had.....it’s still there. This problem alone is what prompted my purchase of the SSP (and it resolved that issue).

I was hoping that the tune would fix these shifting issues, but it has not (completely). It Is better than it was stock.....downshifts are quicker and smoother. That said, I think the shift logic of the tune needs a bit more refinement in later updates......specifically in delaying the shifting into 4th and 5th. I really wanted to finally be able to drop this truck into “D” and drive it without goofy behavior.....it’s not there yet. With some adjustments to shift points, this tune will absolutely be a rating of 5 for me! Until then, I’m at a 4 rating.

*update for 1.04

I’ve been driving with the 1.04 87 tune for about 3000 miles now. Any complaint that I had with the previous tune has pretty much been resolved. There really are no instances of goofy shifting behavior in city driving like before.....I don’t even think about what the transmission is doing. The truck holds 6th gear well at highway speeds and cruise control actually works (although, I rarely use it).

The best way I can characterize the tune......it’s intuitive......it seemingly reads my mind. I press the pedal and the truck reacts as I expect. That’s saying a lot seeing as the stock tune basically did THE OPPOSITE of what I was expecting most of the time.

Money well spent and absolutely no regrets purchasing the tune. Highly recommend. I’m considering the transmission issues with this truck fixed now with 1.04.

(Update 7/9/18 - towing)

After driving on 1.04 for about 5k miles, I finally had a chance to do some towing. We have a Jayco 1006 popup (about 2500 lbs loaded). I’ve towed it fairly long distance three times now.

The first time was on this same route a year ago (about 250 miles).....no tune. At interstate speeds using S5, the truck gear hunted CONSTANTLY....too many downshifts to 4th to even count. Quite annoying and fairly poor gas mileage (13-14 mpg). Any speed below 65 and it was necessary to put the truck into S4 to tame the transmission and keep it from constant downshifting.

The next long trip was last fall when I used a Shift Sense Pro using program #3 (no tune yet).....behaved much better, but still plenty of unnecessary downshifting.

This last trip, I was tuned on 1.04 (87) and used S5 with ECT. Excellent performance! The truck stayed in 5th at highway speeds and really only downshifted to 4th when it felt warranted. Even at speeds as low as 55, the truck held 5th gear unless i was on an incline or accelerating. The tune really helps with towing! My average mpg for this trip was around 15-16mpg doing about 72mph most of the way.

Since getting the tune, I have been holding onto my Shift Sense Pro in case it came in handy for towing purposes. Have decided it’s time to pull it out.....S mode along with ECT makes an excellent shift program for towing with the tune and the truck holds higher gears better without the SSP.

The SSP is a great remedy/solution at a great price point for those without a tune, but the OVtune really has made the SSP unnecessary for what I need.

 

Define chugging.stutter?

 

Stumble, misfire, chugging, lugging, I’ve heard them all. From what I understand it’s when the engine is In Atkinson mode. When in a high gear at low RPM my truck feels like the engine is stuttering like a miss. It always has even on the stock tune. I’ve taken it in to the dealership numerous times for this and told it’s a normal characteristic of the vehicle. There are several other threads on this on the forum. Engaging ECT eliminates Atkinson mode (I heard)

 

• Order number: 2540
  
• Date purchased/date installed: March 4th - March 17th
  
• Version: 1.03 87 octane
  
• Star rating : 4.5 Stars

• Modifications: Fox 2.5 RR 3" lift, Fox 2.0 RR extended 3-5" lift w/ Daker leaf pack 2.75" lift, 285/75/16 KO2, Prinsu roof rack, APEX rock sliders, Mobtown engine and transmission skid and Flowmaster super 44 muffler.

• Overall feedback of: First, I wanted to start off by saying I was truly embarrassed to drive my truck with other people with the gear shuffle dance GSD. I never saw 6th gear and driving in 4th my truck would be screaming to climb. Trying to drive 75 was impossible since 5th didn't have the torque and 4th would have to much so when you back off the gas it up-shift to 5th again. So either I was driving 65 mph which doesn't happen in Texas or scream at 80 mph and kill my mpg. I bought this truck thinking I was going to drive it to 200k miles and make it a designated trail rig then pick up a Tundra when the family got bigger. Butttt every modification I made just made it harder and harder to want to keep the truck I loved so much. A few times I almost walked in a toyota dealership and handed the Tacoma keys for a Tundra. Went on an off roading trip from Houston to Big Bend Ranch State Park in February and the drive was TERRIBLE! Had significantly lower mpg compared to everyone ( GMC 1500 Sierra, Tacoma, Jeeps and a 4runner w/ a trailer) and was even getting worse mpg then a 4runner with 33" tires, 3" lift and pulling a homebuilt trailer and RTT. It was just Embarrassing!!! This tune hands down erased all thoughts and concerns from the past 2 years. I wanted to thank Matt for not only an amazing product but working on a Saturday to give me the tune within 4 hours of emailing him!!!

• Shifting: Off the bat I have surges in reverse and in forward cold start which I will admit was there on the stock tune but wasn't as noticeable. The tip in which people were mentioning I do have but love it as it reminds me of my 2014 GT Mustang. Its nice for the people with heavy modifications. Diving hands down the shift points are all where its suppose to be stock. The shift are in the prime locations of the power band to get moving but doesn't kill mpgs. Makes you wonder what Toyota could have made this truck and can still if they performed a little more R&D. Hopefully they make up for it for the new 4runner with 3.5L Atkinson w/ 6 speed.
  
  
• Throttle: The sensitivity is perfect besides the surges on cold start.

• Power: The power is really there guys I promise! The engine just isn't paired with the transmission properly and even now after the tune I still believe Toyota used too tall of gears 4 - 5th. I shouldn't be jumping 1k rpm every gear shift and get to 5th and 6th and have 300 rpm jump.

• MPG: So I have around 200 miles on the tune and drove from Houston to Lake Charles where I work during the week. Normally Ive been getting 16-17 mpg @ 70 mph and I believe a lot of it is due to the heavy 10 mph winds with gust in the 15 mph South to Northwest we have been having. Yesterday I was getting 19 mpg @ 75 mph (I CAN NOW CRUISE AT 75 MPH ANNND CRUISE CONTROL WORKS). The biggest observation is the mpg increase driving below 40 mph. The instant read out is way above the norm and gets up to speed faster and cruises at a higher mpg. Before I would press the gas and watch the mpg drop and let go and it wouldn't rise which just blew my mind. Now I press the gas mpg drops and let go it rises especially over bridges. The mpg starts increasing before I reach the peak where before it wouldn't come back until midway down the backside of the hill.

UPDATE: March 27th 2018 - 500 miles

• Tune has made the truck so much more enjoyable to drive and is just less stressful. Longer drives are not exhausting trying to over correct with the skinny pedal. I feel the tune has tone back a bit but honestly its probably bc i've gotten use to moving when need be in the right gears its just there isn't power in the lower RPM. I plan on regearing once I move to 4.88 but first i'll try the 91 tune so I have a comparison before and after then move back to 87 tune. I haven't fully enjoyed the full benefits of the tune bc its been so damn windy average 15 mph and gust in the 20's killing my mpgs and cruising speed in 5th and 6th. Still push 4th alot to drive 75-80 mph. I can say its really nice to have cruise control driving around at 65-70 mph only moving into 5th ever so often.

UPDATE: August 9th 2019 - 2.0 Beta

• Installed 2.0 Beta 93 oct. tune and have ~200 miles on the tune 70% highway 30% city. Recently installed KM3 285/75/16 and took a hit on mpg (~1 mpg) from my KO2's. The truck previously would lug in 5th or 6th on 1.05 93 oct. tune then gun to 4th to get moving then drop down to 5th. It was getting to the point I had to feather the throttle to stay in 4th to keep it from dancing 4th and 5th entering ramps ~ 70 mph. Week ago drove 180 miles from Austin to Houston and had to drive in 5th gear to stay at 75 mph with an empty truck and was getting around 15 mpg and was stressful working the truck. The 2.0 Beta right out the gate just shifts like a normal vehicle and surprisingly makes my heavy truck feel nimble. The rides quieter since I can hear my MT tires where before it was just the engine lugging or screaming above 3k RPM. Engine RPM drives smoother in the low 1k but when accelerating the tune achieves a smoother pedal input using TC slipping. I do notice I have a coasting feeling when driving vs "Don't let off or we are braking". MPG instant read out shows to be more efficient but i'll report back once I've ran a few tanks.

 

• Order number: #2518
  
• Date purchased/date installed: Feb 28, 2018 confirmed purchase/Mar 17, 2018 installed
  
• Version / transmission of the calibration you're running currently: 1.03/04B03/87
• 2017 DCLB Off Road
  
• Star rating you give it: I gave it 4 stars because there might be other mods that I think are better, but between the upgraded stereo, Husky floor mats, and OVT, it's pretty awesome.
  
• Any mods that would impact (tires, gears, exhaust, etc.,): Nope, bone stocker with 2200 miles when installed
  
• Overall feedback: I'm very happy with the mod. Once this tank of gas is gone, I'll probably give the 91 octane tune a run and see how I like that.
  
  I work from home, and live halfway up a mild grade right off the highway so my regular mix of driving is a short stretch of 60mph, and then city driving. Up to this point, I've been putting the trans into S, and pushing forward once to allow 5th. This stopped the incessant attempts to shift into 6th at every opportunity. The tune was worth every penny for that alone.
  
  Several months ago, I was out in LA and picked up a Challenger V6 for a rental, and it had no power, no power, no power, and then power coming on like gangbusters. The Tacoma was driving the same way: no power, no power, shift to 6th gear, no power, and then, downshift to 4th RPMs to the moon, and POWER!!! It was hard to drive on the 405 in traffic, and the Tacoma sucked to drive for the same reason.
  
  After the tune, the throttle response is linear the way it's supposed to be. I don't know whether it's because of the change in throttle response, or if there is a big gain in mid-range power, but if feels like there's been a bunch of power added in the 2K-4K RPMs.
  
  Yesterday, I had to drive a couple hours South of where I live for a get together. That gave me the opportunity to test out the cruise control, and the highway manners. It drove like a completely different truck. I was afraid to use the cruise control before as I figured it would downshift to 4th just to maintain speed up a hill, and that's never been pleasant. Now, it has the power to maintain 6th, and if it has to shift down, it drops to 5th gear and holds there.
  
  I really don't know what else to say, it was well worth the money. The stupid hybrid atkisson/otto engine still sounds like crap, but at least it no longer drives horrible.
  
  I don't really track my fuel efficiency, but it seems like I'm getting better gas mileage now both around town, and on the highway.
  
  Just DO IT!!

 

Hmmm...

OV tune or buy food for my kids.

Hmmmmmm...got damn it why is life so hard.

 

That’s an easy one, feed the kids! Enjoy them until they don’t need you anymore There will always be a Tune later.

 

I have this exact size/weight tire and love the tune! I can't believe how much Matt has improved this truck. On the prior tune, I was still about 80-90% commited on gears because I live at 6000 ft of elevation and have 12K ft mountain passes to get over from time to time. Now I don't think the truck needs them. The mid and low range is so much better. Still waiting to fully test up the passes next month.

 

Best combo would be the SSP and OVT without the full lock in S-mode unless in ECT.
I really liked my SSP but sold it to a member who needed it.
I wish Mat could just map the D shift points EXACTLY like the SSP in mode 1 and it would be game-on!!!