OTT…is there a downside?

At how many miles did you do the tune ? Also how many miles now . The reason I am asking is as you put more miles On the stock tune
1- you adapt to how the trans works
2- the trans does adapt to you .
At 35 ish k miles my truck is truly totally fine . Now could I just be lucky or maybe the more we read here it gets in our thoughts . I truly wonder if it wasn’t brought up on on here if most people would even notice half of this stuff .

 

14k miles tuned and loving every min of it. No downsides besides wanting to go WOT more often…

 

I've had a very similar experience with my OTT on my 2021 TRD-OR. The first 1/2" of my pedal does absolutely nothing, then it lurches forward when it finally does something. My tuner tried to convince me that this is somehow a 'feature' of the tune, and that all 'drive-by-wire' pedals have this. I had him put it to Lite throttle setting to minimize lurching, but it's still annoying. Just impossible to drive smoothly around the city.

 

Did you ever find a solution to this throttle response issue? I've got the same thing.

 

The CARB legal tune is now available for us in CA.

My order is in process for the DIY kit and tunes. The intent is being able to experiment with tunes without the hassle of using appointments and fees with tuners.

 

funny you asked this, because I just reflashed with the 5.29 gearing tune and was going to give an update today.

Yes and no, with this new tune they smoothed the throttle tip in a little and we went from mild/medium to lite/mild and its much better but I still have a little deadspot/delay. I think if I wasn't geared it would probably not be very noticeable now, but the gearing amplifies it. It's far more manageable now and hasn't been a nuisance yet.

 

I am buying the DIY kit.
I am required to send a photo of my VIN sticker, and a photo of my driver's license.
I do admit I am surprised at how invasive this is, just to buy this tune kit.

The ECU tuner I bought for my Harley was also tied to a VIN number.
It simply read the VIN from the ECU and assigned it in the tuning tool.
It never asked to see my drivers license.

 

Interesting. Keep us posted on how this process goes for you. Who are you working with to get the DIY kit? I was thinking of trying to get a DIY kit in the hopes that since my VIN is already assigned (previous OTT tune), it wouldn't cost as much.

I'm definitely interested in whether or not DIY tuners have the ability to actually customize the tunes, or if they just have access to various 'off the shelf' tunes that can be flashed. I'd love to be able to mess with the pedal dead zone settings and and shift point data, if that's at all possible. Seems like my goals for the truck (ie, I want smooth drivability...) are just way different than most people who get these tunes (ie, apparently most want head-jerking acceleration...).

 

Apparently, there is a big problem with intellectual property theft.
Competitors buy the OTT tunes then reverse engineer them.
It is my understanding the DIY package includes all their variant tunes as written.

I want smooth driveability, same as above.
My hotrodding days from the last century are all in the rear view mirror.
I am no longer a kid, nor do I drive like one any more.

My wife's 2016 RAV4 6-speed A/T is FAR smoother than my 2023 A/T.
She drives in Sport mode all the time to avoid the chronic gear hunting that otherwise occurs.

I drive in ECT all the time for the same reason.
Even then, my A/T is nowhere as smooth as hers is.

I expressly want the modest down-low torque boost shown in the OTT dyno charts.
As I understand it, the "mild" to "spicy" variants are simply pedal response, and not different gear shifting patterns.

I am buying the DIY software and interface kit directly from OTT.
I want an integrated package, so if things go to shit, I have a single vendor for support without the usual finger pointing.

I'm 50 years in the computer business this year, a software developer, hardware engineer, and know my way around a computer system.

 

Who to contact for the diy? Something they offer or is it by special request

 

Reach out through web site.

OTT now has the DIY kits in stock.
$790 shipped with the adapter, software and tune files.
The tune files are $325, the rest is the VF software and interface.
The app runs on a Windows machine, and (I assume) a USB connection to the interface hardware.

They recommend buying a $99 Noco Genius 10 12v charger (from Amazon) as a safeguard during flashing to avoid bricking your ECU.

The kit comes with the Lite version of the flashing hardware.
This is a single license application, tied to the VIN of your truck.

I will put together a complete HowTo when mine arrives.
It is currently in transit USPS as of this writing.

 

I just went through the DIY kit process, whole package $790 shipped. You have to go to the Overland Tailer Tuning website and use the "contact us" link. It's also recommended to get a power supply for the battery during flashing, which was another $100. The Vftuner software isn't the most user friendly and instructions on VFtuner website and in this forum are out of date and missing seemingly very important information that is required in basically the first step. I was able to figure it out without help but it was frustrating. There are a few specific details OTT could easily provide at the beginning to make using the VFtuner software easier but they didn't with me. The OTT owner is responsive, provides his phone# and will provide help if needed. I've only driven the new tune for a few miles so I cannot comment on how great it is in all scenarios, but first impressions are the throttle feels more responsive.

 

I received the following instructions in my email conversation.
I have no idea why a phone is involved, other than in your pocket at the time.
It is my understanding the flash is done with a Windows laptop.

Make sure your ECU ID when you identify is 04C21.
If it's not let me know.
If you try to flash a wrong file, you will brick your ecu.

I recommend a Noco Genius 10 set to the Supply Voltage 12.0V Button for any ecu flashing.
This is selected by the MODE button which will light the "12V Supply" indicator.

Don't use any smart charger that doesn't not have the supply voltage setting.
You will brick your ecu.

Make sure your PC will not start another program or update windows.
You will brick your ecu.

Turn Off Bluetooth on your phone
Make sure you have good WIFI

 

You do not want the truck connected to your phone via Bluetooth. WIFI is for the laptop.

 

AFAIK the Tacoma does not have wi-fi so I am clueless what I need this for.

Does the VF software have some lame-ass need to call home?

I will keep the phone powered off to ensure no BT connection.

 

Yep, VFTuner needs an active internet connection to be used. I have my phone connected to my truck all the time when I flash. Not saying do that...but I've never turned it off before flashing (50~ successful flashes on my truck, only 1 bricked ECU lol)

 

What a load of shit.

 

From what I recall, it’s needed for the “prepare ECM” step to verify your ECM is one that’s been unlocked. In other words, a verification to make sure an ECM has been paid for to be unlocked before the program will calibrate it.

Why is the Wi-Fi requirement a big deal?

For what it’s worth, I have flashed a bunch of times and never once used a battery tender to maintain voltage nor have I turned off Bluetooth on my phone. Not saying you should skimp, but it hasn’t ever mattered to me. The flash process being about a minute long means it’s pretty quick and in my experience, as long as I have about 12.4-12.6V at the prepare step, I’m good to go on the flash. And I even have a stock condenser fan added that runs the entire time I do a flash. Nobody else has that. Still fine.

I should add that I don’t use Bluetooth from my phone to the truck at all (I only use wired CarPlay, not Bluetooth audio stream), and so if communication from the truck to the phone is the concern, then my input is not relevant. So if you do use Bluetooth, then turn it off. If you don’t connect to the truck then it won’t matter.

 

Would you mind sending us an email with the information you feel would have been helpful for you but was not included? We'll certainly take a look at it and see if we can improve the instructions. Appreciate the feedback.

 

I had to submit a photo of my VIN to order the tuner kit.
This tells me the package is configured for my VIN only.

The software is smart enough to read the VIN when connected, and should compare with its configured VIN.
Or, the software is should be configured offline with a code generated from the registered VIN.
This could be done with an internet connection if necessary, where the laptop is close to a reliable wi-fi or LAN connection.

The tuner for my Harley works this way and does not need a wi-fi connection.
My wi-fi router is in the front room of my house.
The signal may/may not be sufficient.

I have a very long CAT5 cable which will give me a full LAN speed reliable connection instead of depending upon spotty wi-fi.

My kit has not yet arrived, but I am learning the requirements:

• $790 for the tuner kit and tuning files
• $100 for the Noco Genius 10 12v supply charger
• Reliable internet connection at the Truck flashing location
• Photo of VIN at purchase
• Photo of drivers license at purchase
• Windows updates disabled
• Phone BlueTooth truck connection disabled
• ECU ID verified as 04C21