Disappointed in new Tacoma - OVTune help

It was never about being fast for me, or I certainly wouldn't have bought a V6 truck in the first place. But to deny they have driveability issues is ludicrous. I thought mine had a bad injector(s), bad plugs, or other electrical issues because it stutters and hesitates so badly. Not to mention the terrible transmission programming. I'm not looking for performance or horsepower gains by getting a tune, I'm just hoping it makes it tolerable to drive. Hell, my 2007 GMC Yukon with 330K miles is silky smooth compared to my $40+k 2020 Tacoma. I'm honestly glad you're happy with your Tacoma, but that doesn't invalidate my displeasure (and many more people in here) with the poor driveability of the Tacoma. I truly wish it was good from the beginning and I didn't have to spend money to get it to drive like it should from the factory. Like I said in my original post, I'm a Toyota fanboy and currently own three Toyota vehicles, but this Tacoma falls way short.

 

But I got a tune and getting slightly better MPGS with more power.


Took like a few thousand k miles to see improvement in fuel mileage though, the power increase was instant.

 

That does suck that your really not happy.Even though it will cost a few dollars I think if it were me I would tune the truck. I have a 2014 Kawasaki zx10 r that had a horrible tune from the factory. I did a gearing change and a tune and now it’s a beast. It changed everything from lousy to spot on. It seems like everyone that’s done a tune on the Tacoma has had good things to say. If you end up liking the tune all will be forgotten, which is a good thing.

 

@Boltripper installed KDMAX 6.0 tune, 87 Octane, light throttle tip in on my 2020 Dbl Cab Sport 4x4 with stock gears and tire size.

The good: This tune feels like I have a completely different (improved) truck. Dramatically improved the drivability. I went with light throttle tip-in due to @Boltripper recommendation. Glad I did because it is still aggressive, in a great way. Throttle is now much more responsive, not sluggish reacting like from the factory. I can't imagine needing/wanting a more aggressive throttle than the light tip-in, but to each his own. Shifting is now as it should have been from the factory. I now have great and smooth acceleration in 1st-4th gear even at light throttle. No more hunting for gears and 2-3-2 light throttle shifting like I was experiencing with factory tune. It will maintain 6th gear much better when cruising at highway speeds. Previously, I would get so frustrated constantly getting on/off of the throttle to maintain highway speeds with the factory tune and cruise control was almost intolerable. With the KDMAX tune, it will now actually pull/gain speed without aggressive down shifting and easily maintain speeds of 70-80 MPH without constantly pedaling the throttle. Super smooth downshifting from 6th to 5th gear if it needs to downshift at highway speeds.

Haven't towed my trailer and dirt bike yet, so I will have to comment on that later. Based on what I’m experiencing so far, I'm sure it will be a huge improvement.

Gas mileage seems to be about the same as before. I commute about 60 miles a day with mostly interstate highway driving. I normally drive in the 70-80 MPH range depending on surrounding traffic. I also do some city driving, probably 20%. I’m getting an indicated 20.5 MPG as of now, which is close to what I was getting with the stock tune. It may even improve with more miles as it seems to be going up slightly now.


The bad:
At highway cruising speeds and light throttle, I am still experiencing the annoying surging/missing. Not nearly as bad, but it’s still there. Also, when full throttle, I have surging, but pulls well. If I drive my Lexus with the 3.5L V6 at WOT, it pulls hard and is silky smooth when accelerating. Not this truck, it still feels like it is being held back. I’m almost convinced it has a fuel or spark issue. But I know if I take it to the dealership, they probably won’t even try to troubleshoot it, they will just dismiss it and say “they all do that” or they will just say it doesn’t have any DTC’s, so nothing is wrong. Is this an Atkinson Cycle issue? My Lexus is 2014, so I don’t believe it is the Atkinson cycle engine.


Overall:
If you want a totally transformed truck, get this tune. It will dramatically improve drivability! It will not convert your Tacoma into a fire breathing monster and I wasn’t expecting that. But, I actually enjoy driving it now and it was definitely worth the money! Thanks to @PapaRee and @TWTaco for providing a much needed improvement to the Tacoma. If the missing/surging issue was fixed, the truck would be close to perfect in my eyes. As it stands, I’m definitely closer to keeping the truck, but I wish I could fix the missing/surging issue. If anyone can offer any suggestions on diagnosing or troubleshooting for the surging and missing it would be greatly appreciated.

 

The surging problem, if I were in your situation I would hit the dealer. If there is a miss fire the ignition system may have a problem. Coils ; fuel injector,fuel pump , spark plug, something sounds strange here. The other stuff that the tune fixed is awesome. Your almost there. Push the dealer hard

 

Yeah, I've been to two separate dealers. Both gave me the same BS, "They all do that".

I've taken the truck to two different dealerships. Both come back with "Yeah, they all do that" another said "there are no DTC codes, so it doesn't have any problems". I told the last dealership I wanted a tech to ride with me to let me demonstrate and they said they didn't have one available at the time. I may try a third dealership and push hard to have a tech ride with me before they look at it.

I test drove a 2021, and felt some hesitation, but nothing like I'm experiencing with mine. Sometimes it feels like a dead miss at light throttle. At WOT it feels like it is starving for fuel.

Also, I plan on getting a tool to do some data logging and pass it on to some of the tuners to see if they can spot something fishy. If I can't get a dealership to actually dig into it or help from the tuning community, I may just wave the white flag and trade it off.

 

What about New Jersey

 

You come so far keep pushing . If the dealer doesn’t help you push up the chain . Those symptoms are not normal. I think I could be made right. You just need to find the right mechanic. Most dealerships
( all brands ) could care less . All they want to do is turn and burn. Brakes , services that you don’t really need , and easy fixes .Trading it is letting them win

 

Idk if you’ve figured out what direction you’d want to go buy a tune would help. Paparee’s tune will get you a ton of performance and make it feel like a sport truck.

Mine will keep it relatively controllable but still give performance

Moosedity’s tune will give you some good performance but the ability to control your shifts in S mode and some fantastic towing

If you have the software yourself you could try and find what tune works best for you or develop your own.

 

Supercharge, Turbocharge, or Nitrous Oxide, plus a re-gear. It will go a hell of alot faster.

 

My 2020 does the same thing

 

What is your mileage ?

 

9k

 

2020 TRD Sport AT 2WD. Light off road. Small boat towing. 30k/year miles.

I had OV tune flash in November. Totally changed my trucks performance and shifting. Went from schizophrenic crack ho shifting to Sade.... smooth. Overall I’m happy with it.

I have been seeing some posts on this KD Max 6.0 but to be honest, I don’t understand the differences. Why would someone like me reflash to KD Max vs OV tune? What’s my expected improvements? Thanks much!

 

It sounds like it's a more refined tune to me. Seems the longer tunes are out the more dialed in they become.

 

Disappointed in new Tacoma owner.

 

Thanks for your contribution....

 

I don't want to go hella fast. If I did I certainly wouldn't have bought a Tacoma. I just want it to run "right".

 

Well i can't claim the same. I can't say enough times how much i like my 2020 tacoma. Sometimes you just gotta consider the source.

 

Then just re-gear the pile of shit.