Anyone NOT Impressed with OVTune?

Almost everyone whether stock or lifted that I’ve chatted with are reporting 1.5-2mpg better with 4.88’s because the truck can maintain speed better (carry its own weight/momentum) so the engine isn’t using as much fuel. This is one of the bonuses with going to a gear change

Another gentleman on here did 4.3’s in his AT and mentioned that he wished he did 4.88’s because the change with 4.3’s was barely noticeable

 

Well if that's the case then what would have been Toyota's rational for not going with 4.88 to begin with? It seems likely that hitting MPG numbers was at the top of their list for the engine and transmission.

 

Too tall for what? Right now, the stock truck is optimized for efficiency. If you change ratios, you lose efficiency. Simple. That "screaming" transmission is designed to scream. It is not the 70's.

Let me ask you a question... If you have a Tacoma going 70 mph on level interstate with stock gears versus another Tacoma going 70 mph on level interstate with 4.88 gears, which one is putting out more torque? How about horsepower? Both trucks are completely stock other than gears.

 

He is wrong.

 

Amen brother!
Metro Atlanta at one point had some of the most courteous drivers.....not anymore sadly

 

Government regulations for a very diverse demographic

 

The truck can carry its own weight better and keep it in 6th gear. You don’t have to press the gas as much to hold speed even if the rpms are higher (slightly) so you are using less effort to move the truck. There is no way that screaming 4500 rpms to move the truck uphill isnt healthy over time for the transmission

Check this out:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XxBWZGQIScI

Also Lots of good info here
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-4-88-mega-thread.511967/


Even Toyota can screw up sometimes

 

That's interesting, but only anecdotal so not really proof of anything plus from a company selling the gears so no real motivation to show any downsides. Also, he's driving around 60 mph, which is where the tacoma seems to do best MPG-wise.

I get 20-22 mpg tank after tank mostly flat-ish driving around northern CO back and forth to work with mixed highway/city. I can get closer to 24 on a trip to the mountains and back. Lower of course going up and higher coming back but overall average is pretty good because I'm driving around 45 mpg average. I'd like to see how the 4.88 gearing does w/respect to RMP and MPG when doing 75-80 mph with stock tires. Going to be around 500 rpms higher so I can't see how MPG will be better. Sure, if I drive 60 mph on the freeway might be fine. Mine stays in 6th just fine at that speed though it doesn't have the power to do hills in 6th.

 

It is very much true and the whole purpose behind the original shift kits installed in the GM, Ford, Dodge transmissions. Long drawn out shifts are much much worse on clutch packs and valve bodies than swift kicks in the ass. If you drive any of the GM or Dodge vehicles most of them have a tow mode switch. That switch activates a shift kit program. It forces the transmission to build-up a lot more pressure so that it when it reaches the shift point it's much more instant. Your manual for your truck will tell you not to tow anything in over drive (I restrict mine to 4th gear) and to activate the electronic controlled transmission. If you have a drive round with the ECT let up on your dashboard you will feel a very definite difference in the way the truck shifts. That definite difference is actually the way the truck should shift all the time.

 

In city I avg 16-18 on roads trips 19-22mpg
Lifted, armor, bigger tires, gear. OVtune helped with that mostly, but I’m excited for the gears

 

Do the quick/hard engagements put any extra tension on other parts of the transmission when making contact?

 

I'm sitting here in amazement reading this thread. It makes it abundantly clear That far too many people failed to do their research before they bought a 3rd Gen. truck. If you're worried about having to re gear your truck you're doing it wrong. 33s, Max. If you're running bigger than that you should probably be driving a Ford or a Chevy. The tune is intended to correct some driveability issues. You're not tuning a turbocharged STi. You're not tuning a 5.9 or 6.7 l diesel. You're tuning a gasoline engine designed for maximum fuel efficiency. Miracles will not happen, Unless your planning to spend thousands. Toyota, after all, stands for Take Off Your Oversized Tires Asshole. I'm on my 9th Toyota truck. The only time I ever went over 33 I went to a 35. There was nothing I could do to make that truck perform as well as it would with the 33s. The other thing you guys are looking past are things like your power steering rack and your pump.

 

I have ruled out almost every single mod on my tacoma because of the diabolic mod culture that exists. Wrong forum... I know right!

The only thing I am considering is the OV tune anymore, for the sake of drive ability and better low end power. But at $700 I'm not sure how another vendor hasnt rushed to the plate with a $399 handheld solution. I'm still waiting for OpenFlash to join the party but after the limited number of posts here it seems that he was just blowing smoke.

 

You didn't answer my question. You sidestepped it neatly.
You see, engine RPM means nothing as far as efficiency, as long as you stay within the optimal designed range. Just because your engine runs at a lower RPM does not mean you use less fuel lol. Believe it or not you can use MORE fuel at lower RPM. Why? Because the amount of fuel used depends on the engine LOAD, not RPM. The transmission shifts gears to better meet the engine load requirements, so by changing ratios you have simply changed shift points, except for highest gear.

Good luck and quit drinking the kool-aid. Just because something sounds logical does not make it so.

 

I believe I did, my truck isn’t stock. Tuned, lifted, armor and 32” tires. I said I would be at higher rpms, not lower. Numerous people in fact almost all who have re-geared are seeing better mpgs tunes or not because the power to weight ratio is better utilized. Efficiency is handled at the engine with the VVT and the tune. The difference between stock 3.91’s and 4.88’s at 60-70mph is 3-400 rpms respectively, but that little rpm jump will allow the truck to actually use 5th and 6th gear better.

Our trucks stock are REALLY heavy (4600 lbs!). Add a few pounds and the power to weight ratio gets worse.

Your comment about changing gears means changing shift points is true, but so is how the truck has to work to carry its own weight. The Power to weight ratio is what I’m concerned about because my truck rarely sees 6th gear. If I was completely bone stock then yes, the tune would be fine by itself, but going up a mountain pass and losing speed in 5th or even 4th gear only to have the engine screaming is not efficient or a good design.

I’m tuned and will be tuning again for 4.88’s with a tune specific for them so I will not only get optimized shift points, mpgs, but better utilized power for towing highway and going slow when off-roading whether it be trails or snow.

Again, every single person that I’ve spoke with that has 33” or less tires has been overly happy with the gear change with zero regrets. The common consensus is that it’s how the truck should have come from the factory.

Hope this answers your question

 

Not in an automatic. Everything is done with bands and friction packs. Those are the items that are the weakest links (in the older GM 700R4 however the weak link was a crap steel planetary gear). The input and output shafts are hardened steel. The friction packs (clutch pack) will slip long before the shaft twists. In a manual you have not only the gear faces but the syncro to worry about. The 2nd gen M/T was notorious for weak syncros, especially the 2nd to 3rd shift. The transmission was never designed to be quick shifted (I learned the hard way) but was otherwise pretty damn tough.

 

Another quick question. For those who have it, do you always drive in D or does adding this make using S mode more fun too? I tend to drive in S mode 90% of the time unless I'm on a long road trip, then I'll use D, but I like having more control of slowing and accelerating so I leave it in S

 

I usually leave it on S4 on surface streets and S5 on the highways. S5 at 70mph is about 2050 rpms with my 265/70/17s. Oh, I keep ECT on all the time too.

 

And this is with the OV Tune?

 

Correct, 87 Performance on 89 oct.