KDMax-Pro Tuning--NOW YotaWerx Tuning

I have been running kdmax pro sport throttle for about 6 months. I am very happy with the sport throttle.

It's been a big improvement over stock. I have a couple questions for the experts...

What is this new +XT version?

Does S mode change anything besides the high gear selection? Lately the truck has been downshifting on the highway more, and I've noticed running in S6 seems to act better than Drive at 70mph plus...

Is this just in my head? Thanks in advance.

 

+XT just moves 6th gear shift further . So 5th holds longer

 

I'm on pro XT with sport throttle. I don't really touch 6th gear till about 65+ mph . It will go into 6th around 60mph if conditions are right

 

Depends on your driving style. Lite is just like it should have been from Toyota. Normal is quicker from a dead stop and feels more responsive in any gear. Start with normal and it is too jerky you can back off to lite.

 

Ok. Thank you for your reply about XT.

If anyone has any insight on the S6 question I'd be curious to know if there is any difference. I had read once that S mode didn't use "learned" data. I was wondering if this had any truth to it. Thanks all.

 

I'm 65 and I drive more conservatively than I did 20-30 years ago. My days of being the first one out of the gate at the traffic light are long gone. My main goal with the tune is to eliminate that "bleh" dead feeling when you step on the gas, get smoother shifting, and less gear hunting. Sounds like lite is where I will probably end up. Appreciate the input

 

I really like the lite!

 

Dave and I have both noticed that SMode doesn’t use as many variables to determine shifting. You set the maximum, and it keeps the truck below that.
In the past when we had a customer that we could not easily get to, we would have them use S5 or S6 instead of Drive. This would eliminate the problem until we could fix it.

But to answer your question, there aren’t any SMode specific settings for shifting in VFTUNER. It just sets the maximum gear that the truck can upshift to.

 

You should start in the middle-Normal Throttle- That is what I’d put your truck on. That way you have room to go down if it’s too much, and room to go up if it’s not enough.

 

I am in a similar situation as you are. I am 63 and things have changed since my early days. My truck is stock except I have E series tires for gravel roads and a fiberglass cap. I have tried several medium and aggressive tipins and have always settled in on the lite (used to be wife tip) tipin. Any gravel at a stop sign with a tipin more than lite and I am spinning my drive wheel in 2wd. When towing with ECT on, the tipin is more aggressive and because of the trailer weight it works out fine. Lite tip for me !

 

It does eliminate the throttle lag that we all hate. They all are a huge improvement.

 

225 miles on a half tank premium fuel pro XT stock gears 315/75/16 5400lbs

 

Normal!

 

Word of mouth from happy customers goes a long way! Pat heard nothing but good things about the tune from my neighbor so he decided to come by and make it happen on his 18 OR yesterday. We talked about throttle settings and after test driving my neighbors 22 on Sport, he decided that’s the setting for him Great meeting him and growing the local Tacoma community!

 

You may have missed my recent long-winded post, but I wrote about this as I did the DIY route myself.

My truck is far closer to stock than most TW members, which is why I think you see the "normal" and "sport" throttles being so popular.

I've got stock-ish sized tires at SL rated 265/70R17s and like a 1.5-2 inch lift all around with only weight being the bed mat and the tonneau, so pretty trivial. I tried "normal" throttle setting and thought I liked it being so responsive, but after a few more miles it got kind of annoying how touchy it was, especially if you hit more than two stoplights in a short period of time (not even getting into stop/go traffic). Reflashed to "light" throttle and it's perfect.

My recommendation would be to go with "normal" and drive some of your typical routes and see how you feel. If you feel it's too touchy like I did, it literally takes 5-10 minutes to change to "light" when you DIY.

My assumption is tunes are an aftermarket-focused commodity for people that put tons of aftermarket stuff on their vehicles. You'll notice in the photos in this thread and descriptions that a lot of the folks are running 285 sized tires or e-rated tires and armor, bed caps, gear, tents, etc etc. Touchy throttle makes sense for all those use cases but I think it's overkill if you're not decking your rig out or running 285/70R17 or taller tires.

Doing the DIY route allows you to play, so just see how the different versions change things and go from there. Once you get past flashing the TSBs and initial installation, it's unlikely you're going to break anything and reflashing the tunes through VFTuner is straight forward and quick.

Edit to add after reading the "conservative driving" comments: I'm in my 30s and enjoy spirited driving, but even with that in mind, the normal throttle setting was too much for normal driving.

 

Thanks @brtnstrns - great comments!

If anyone is not near one of our tuning resources and is looking for KDMAX Pro's offerings please let me know - remote kits are here and ready to ship! We work with you on getting things setup and installed....from emails/calls/even remote desktop support. If you have a Windows 10/11 laptop and Wifi access at your truck then we can make it happen! Just msg me (@wahoobie) or (@PapaRee) for info and you can DIY your truck even if you are not local to any of us. (KDMAX Pro Resource Map: https://kdmaxprotuning.com/locations)

 

We are looking to add authorized KDMAX tuners to the following locations below.
Great opportunity for anyone interested in joining the KDMAX network of tuners.
Contact @TWTaco for more information.

1. Alaska
2. Washington/Seattle
3. Hawaii
4. North Dakota
5. South Dakota
6. Utah
7. Wyoming
8. Texas/El Paso
9. Pennsylvania
10. Massachusetts
11. New York
12. Florida Melbourne/Miami
13. Illinois/Chicago

 

Is there any need/want for one in New Mexico?

 

PM sent.

 

One factor to consider is if anyone else drives the Taco. In my case, my spouse drives the Taco more than I do except in winter because I have further to travel to work than she does. My previous tune was a bit aggressive and although she likes to go fast, she found it annoying in city traffic.