ECT Power button disables Atkinson Cycle ? I think so

Toyota Atkinson is not the same as the original Atkinson cycle design. Toyota does however simulate Atkinson through clever valve timing with help from their electronic VVTi system. Toyota's Atkinson is design to run the motor efficiently when power is not in high demand.

If you know anything about tuning motors it would make sense to you to have the Atkinson system turned off to have max power production from the engine.

If you know anything about transmissions and gear ratios, it would make sense to hold lower gears longer through the engines powerband to deliver the max power to the wheels.

Therefore if what you want is max power in a Tacoma you would want Atkinson off and higher shift points. The only thing here that can be controlled by the driver is the shift points via ETC. So why would you want Atkinson kicking in when your clearly demanding more power from the motor?

The problem is no one here can prove I'm right or wrong.. My theory is based on simple tuning tactics. If you have any real experience tuning motors on a dyno please correct me, otherwise your just a troll.

 

From what I've been hearing on TW with ECT ON the transmission limits to 5th gear only at highway speeds, this is why the MPG drops and power increases at 65MPH.

 

Hence the fuel efficiency Atkinson system is disabled...

 

Spot on regarding Toyota Atkinson implementation, and solid theory about max power. Having been in a tuning shop more times than I can count, I was thinking along the same lines.

No, ECT at least extends shift points for every gear. I don't think it limits anything, that's what "S" mode is for. Having said that, the transmission is adaptive and pretty smart, so shift points also change depending on how much throttle input you're giving. I would just like to understand, given all things equal, what ECT does with the engine fuel map and/or timing. Toyota claims that nothing. We now have a guy claiming he'll do a 3rd gen dyno run in another thread, that could prove or disprove that claim. I just want to know

 

Well, if you don't short shift, and you down shift at higher RPMs, you're going to lose mileage.

 

From what guys are saying around here ECT limits to 5th gear in S and D mode.

 

Mine goes into 6th with ECT mode as long as there is no headwind and the road is flat.

 

http://www.newrochelletoyota.com/blog/toyota-ect-button/

 

That's all lies, the engine definitely makes more power

 

I will clarify that ECT does not allow 6th gear and I went to 6th in "D" mode when I was going in/out of ECT Power. The MPG changes and I can hear/feel a slight difference in the engine with no other factors changing. It is only under light load at constant speed when I understand Atkinson Cycle would be applied. I tried it in 5th gear today at constant speed under light load and same thing, MPG change and slight difference in hear/feel.
I think that is the intake valve timing going in/out of Atkinson Cycle. At speeds above 70? depending on wind, there is no difference because engine should be under high enough load to not go to Atkinson Cycle.

Great idea on Toyota's part, just need some fine tuning and took some adjustment on driving habit.

For those comparing the very slight 2 MPG increase of 3rd Gen over 2nd, the MPG increase came with a 40 hp increase also.

Glad I found out about that "Ignore" button, making this forum lot more informative.

 

There were posts before yours comparing things to 2nd gen? Huh, for some reason they didn't show up in my browser

Seriously, though, I don't give a flying f**k if the 3rd gen is "slower" in some random acceleration test. If I want speed, I have a 500hp car in my garage. My 3rd gen is a very capable truck and off-road machine and that's all I care about

 

Oh FFS, the only thing missing from this video is a 18 pack of Bud Light. I'd have more faith in Barney telling me the meaning of life.

 

I currently have a 2006 TRD OR v6 with 145k.
I test drove the same setup in a 2016 with 6 miles on the odo and it felt a little weak in comparison.
Thing is, I've owned new cars and motorcycles through the years and they've all, every one, increased in power after a few k on the clock... Somewhere in the 5-8k range.
Toyota's are tight motors and should be no different.
Put a 2016 with 10k on the clock and the power mode turned on... It will beat a 2 gen.

 

On behalf of all envious 2nd gen owners.. How dare you!

 

I've read a variety of service manuals from different vehicles to in my time and I'm pretty sure the answers about ECT are in there.

This troll thinks he is some technical authority on a truck he doesn't own. All he can do is try to shove consumer friendly dealer publications down our throat, but never produced any hard evidence from the manufacturer.

The fact is the 3rd gen motor is different in many ways from the previous version and therefore would call for different tuning characteristics.

Unfortunately the 2nd gen trolls on this site don't understand these differences and try to use topics like these to dig them self out of the troll abyss they live in.

Lurker beware of the info these trolls provide.

 

1. No shit a different motor requires a different tune. The dispute is whether the ETC button changes the engine, which it doesn't. No different than vehicles with "sport mode", it changes the transmission shift points.
2. This dumbass is stuck in the 80's technology and doesn't believe a vehicle can have more than electronic controller and will argue against toyota technical publications because he evidently thinks he is the smarter than Toyota.

 

Putting words in my mouth again?? I never said a vehicle has only a single controller.

I'm well aware of the multiple controllers in any car, what your not all aware of is that it doesn't make sense for these to work independently of each other. In all modern cars today you will find a collection of computer controllers networked and working together and reporting back to a central controller. The central controller in 99% of these cars is the main Engine Control Unit (ECU). The ECU gathers and breaks down data from sensors and based on its mapping determines what the next course of action should be. It then sends tasks to all its subsystems (electronic controllers) to execute said tasks. Those tasks are predetermined from the programming within the main controller (ECU) and can be influenced by altering the ECU's mapping.

This computer network allows us to have features like traction control, stability control, crawl control, electronic valve lift/duration etc etc. With the transmission controller, we are allowed to safely select the gear we want to use without over revving the engine. How do you suppose the transmission knows where the engine is in its rev range? The trans controller talks to the ECU in realtime. The ECU tells the trans what gear is optimal based in throttle input and engine load.

This Troll is obviously not up to speed on modern day vehicle electronics and is in fact the one living in the 80's.

@gottaToy I said it before in another thread you polluted, if you can't contribute to the conversation like an adult or someone who knows what they are talking about, STFU, GTFO and crawl back under your troll bridge. Stop being so pathetic.

 

They had em on 1st gens as well as a ton of other Toyotas and Lexus. Maybe even Scions. Not a big deal. I just keep mine on at all times.

 

@gottaToy the Troll,

Here is what real research looks like, hopefully your learning something from all this, but then again your a Troll.

This is a somewhat dated tech document on different types of ECT's Toyota has developed in the past. The more advanced version (indirect) works with the main ECU. This doc not only tells you how it works on the surface but what is actually going on behind the scenes.. something gottaToy has failed to produce. Granted this may not apply to the 3rd gen Tacoma, but this is the kind of documentation you should be using to back up your claims. Your dealer brochures are nothing but Troll garbage.

http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/h16.pdf

 

Close to a "computer network", it uses a CAN BUS system to communicate between controllers and share some data, but often one way. The trans controller doesn't send feedback to the ECU. They often have diodes within the CAN BUS to avoid info back feeding. The engine controller doesn't tell the trans controller what gear to use. the trans controller would receive info like RPM"s, load, and items for the trans to determine what gear it needs to be in. Hence why when you push the button, the transmission controller changes the shift points. Has nothing to due with "remapping" the ECU.
In the other thread you claimed multiple times the engine controller controls everything and that there is no transmission controller. Now you agree there are may be more controllers? Seems you changed your mind. The lift/duration change isn't really changed, the camshaft TIMING is changed. You and that other bozo make it sound like somehow more lift is magically generated.