OVTune Tacoma 3.5L Auto - Transmission / Engine - ECU Reflash

So you basically flashed your gearbox/TCU file with the stock gearbox file you read prior to uploading the tune?

 

Yep. Was just a theory given all the flashes I've done with various tune versions, etc., that it may not be a bad idea for a reset. Seems to have had a positive impact but who knows...

 

Interesting. I just flashed Sunday and have been very happy with it so far, but don't have enough miles to experience the learning effect.

 

Interesting, I wonder what @OVTune thinks about this...

 

They don't advocate multiple reflashes.

 

To confirm, OVTunes original flash was a separate flash for the tranny and motor correct?

 

Sub

 

No only for the ECU but as part of the READ process you do pull down a file for your ECU and transmission/gearbox

Again reflashing the gearbox file may have no real bearing on performance as the core shift behavior is contained in the ECU which is the single file you load as part of the flashing process. This was more of a curiosity on my part than anything...

 

I have a question for people who are running the tune. I am interested in trying it out but I'm wondering if I would see a major benefit from it. For some reason, I don't notice most peoples gripes with the transmission. Mine doesn't hunt for gears (except with cruise on in hilly areas), The throttle delay is rarely noticeable to me, and it doesn't shift erratically.

My annoyances: I wish I had a bit more lower end torque, and hate that if I get on the throttle it suddenly roars to life around 3k. The downshifts are a bit harsh on occasion (I do get the hard downshift when cold coming to a stop).

Will the tune aid in clearing up those 2 annoyances? I'm waiting to see what 1.03 offers, and I can live with the way the drive-train is stock but I'm not opposed to flashing a tune if it makes my truck noticeably better.

 

You can definitely feel more low end power with the tune, from my personal experiences though you are unlikely to see this on Dyno charts (hard to measure that low). Besides that I'd say the power you do have is more accessible without having to floor it as is the case on stock. The throttle response becomes more linear and gets closer to an "analog" throttle of the old days vs. the drive-by-wire that doesn't necessarily always equate to MORE THROTTLE when you press it. The truck is still going top make more power up top by design but the tune does make the <3k stronger. From my initial testing of the pre-release 1.03, I can say the delayed downshifts haven't happened for the last couple of weeks I've had it flashed so I'd stay tuned on that front as it looks like he's nailed it from what I can tell.

The biggest things you'll notice that fall in your camp of annoyances are throttle, ignition (more power from premium for example - which will help you on the low-end), and the work he's done on the intake/exhaust VVT makes it feel more refined and smooth. Good luck!

 

Things get lost quick in these threads, so I'm linking a blog post from OVTune back in the fall that does a pretty good job explaining in better detail what the tune targets:

https://www.ovtuned.com/blogs/news/2gr-fks-toyota-tacoma-bringing-new-life-to-the-tacoma-platform

 

Wow! Thanks for posting that. That sold me, I didn't even know the stock ECU was set to downshift instead of open the throttle. It explains a lot of it's quirks...

 

Keep in mind, this engine is designed to make power in the higher RPMs similar to a car engine. A regear at some point will help you get to those RPMs faster. It’s the more expensive mod so a lot of us are going with the OVTune first.

 

Yeah, I totally understand that, and I knew it when I bought the truck. Like I said, I can live with it as is but if there is any ability to improve it even slightly, I'm all in. After reading the link bshammer posted I realized how terrible these trucks were tuned from the factory though.

 

Didnt know this blog existed. I think alot of users should read this before commenting. Has tons of useful information! Little more complex process than i originally thought

 

Kind of having buying remorse after finally starting my attempt to install. I am pretty mechanically inclined and can build engines and swap out suspension all day no sweat. But holy crap this install seems ridiculous. Do I really need to buy a laptop in order to do this??? I went to start the first steps as far as installing the drivers and one of them wont install? Getting some weird error message I have no clue what it means. The I scroll down at the rest of the instructions and my head about spun off. Are all you guys installing these yourself? I feel you need to be a real savvy computer whiz to do this on your own. I was really hoping this was going to be a little bit easier to install. I completely lost faith in my ability to install this. The OVtune guys dont have a phone number to call so I can only email and wait for a response then try again next weekend. Id probably pay someone $150 to do this for me.

I have 2 questions for you guys

#1. Is there anyone in So Cal area that has done this and willing to help me? I'm seriously willing to pay. ( Huntington Beach area)

#2. Has anyone come across this issue when trying to install the Guardian driver? Says " Dongle with specified search conditions not found"?

 

Did you watch the video I made?

 

nope, can you post it to save me from reading 37 pages of bs? lol thanks

 

Did you read the very post of this thread?

 

Yes i did, watched both videos. Neither help me situation. Am I missing something?