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

My last truck was an 07 Tundra, and coming from that kind of throttle response to the 3rd gen Tacoma was a difficult transition. I can't wait for my Tune to get here so I can be back to that!!

 

You've convinced me to get this. Should've ordered the other day, cause now it's back-ordered by 2 weeks.

 

The wait will make it that much more awesome

 

Out of curiosity, OVTune changes the shift points and are:
- bit better than stock
- in between stock and ECT?
- same as ECT?
- better than ECT.
I like ECT but the shift points are a bit too high for my liking. In stock tach goes to 3 to 3+ and the gears are changed. With ECT the shift points are close to 4 and a bit higher.

 

It's better than ECT and way better than stock.

I also felt that ECT would run the gears a tad too high (or hold them too long...however you want to say it). The tune doesn't simply hold gears like SSP tho...but then again, ECT doesn't either. From my perspective, the difference between ECT and the tune is that the tune does a much better job of managing the shift points based on the different inputs. ECT is programmed to account for extra weight as if you are towing something. OVTune is programmed specifically to make the truck drive well. Period.

And you can still engage ECT went you have the OVTune installed...so you can still account for extra weight while towing.

 

While you wait for the tune try driving in S4 around town instead of D. If your going to do some highway speed then bump it up to S5. 6th gear is useless without a tune.

 

Curious , Are you running the 87 tune ? Have you tried the SSP with the tune ?

 

Also make sure you have a laptop with Windows 7, or 10. And learn how to disable the defender so it is all a breeze when it comes

 

Ordered!

 

Yes, I'm using the 87 tune. I've got about 400 miles with it now.

I tried the SSP (only for a day tho). It raised the shift points (which helps in some instances), but the truck still behaves the same overall. ECT actually did a better job of changing the driving behavior, but it still felt sluggish and it felt like I was towing something when I wasn't. I still had to fight the truck at times. Like when I'm consistently gaining speed when I get on the freeway, I have the throttle about halfway down. But once I get to about 60 mph, I have to nearly floor it just to keep gaining speed at the same rate. It was like there was a lull in power.

OVTune finally put some pep into the Taco's step! I'm looking forward to trying the 91 tune shortly (already have the tank full of 92)!

 

Is a purchase necessary or are there shops that will perform the service for less?

 

I love the truck but am extremely dissappointed in the motor and tranny

 

No shops that are doing this right now to my knowledge - but there isn't anything else out there that addresses the power management and shifting like OVtune. The motor makes plenty of power (especially if you're willing to put premium fuel in = 20-30hp increase measured at the wheels) but it all sits up-top and is hard to get to without flooring it on stock. The tune evens it out and gets you some good low/mid-range gains that are very noticeable. Plus the tune is always evolving and there will continually be new updates/features and if you had to take it to a shop you wouldn't be able to easily take advantage of those. And - on the off chance you ever had a warranty issue and wanted to minimize risk of a warranty denial, you'd have what you needed to flash it back to stock tune in a matter of minutes which is helpful....

 

I’d like to test drive this tune. Anyone in the Bay Area that has this mod and willing to let me test drive? I purchased the shift sense pro and still doesn’t satisfy my needs/wants. I don’t want buyers remorse twice to fix the same Toyota problem. Thanks for reading.

 

It’s worth the coin. I’m very miserly and I research EVERYTHING...it was a no brainer. Shift sense pro doesn’t compare.
Filling up with premium as I type this looking forward to flashing new update. Join the club

 

Thanks everyone for all the great comments - I am toying with paying the $800 for this tune or lemon'ing the truck.

I've had it in the shop three times now with only 6,000 miles on it. 2017 TRD OR 4x4 AT - same issues everyone has had. Mine like to drop to 5th or 6th if you pull away from a light and traffic slows then picks up again...this is great in the middle of an intersection when all of a sudden you have to get out of the way quickly and the F'n tuck has to take 10-15 seconds figuring out what gear to be in...then bang a the truck launches.

I have been calling this what it is to my dealer and Toyota...A safety concern. Been going through the circle jerk with Toyota corporate who just seem to want to wind down the clock...they just spend 2-3 days going between the dealership on email and you on the phone...just to send you back to the dealer who drives the truck for 20 min, burns your gas, usually makes a ding or scuffs the interior of your truck, then hands it back "no trouble found...drives like sh*t as designed".

Twice now the dealer has said they "Checked the transmission fluid" using the official drip method, however my trans pan has not been wiped off, nor has the dot of paint i put on the drip bolt been broken. Pointed this out to Toyota corporate and now they want me to go to another dealer since "they" can't trust the dealer they have been sending me to.

Zero consideration for my time they have wasted...again this is a tactic...just to run you in circles until you give up. I may propose Toyota offer me an $800 accessory credit or similar - essentially having Toyota cover the cost of the tune. But if I am ever able to get a dealer to honestly check the tans fluid and it is more than 1/2 a Q low...then I'm done and it's lemon time. Only takes 2-4 attempts to repair for a lemon and if it's a "Safety Concern" it only takes two attempts to fix (In California)

Best part of all this is that I noticed the truck driving like crap when I was test driving it...and was told buy two dealers that's normal and it will smooth out in 1-2k miles...shame on me for believing them but it's a pretty normal thing in new cars to calibrate over a few thousand miles.

Does anyone know if there are changes to the trans hardware or software for the '18's? I drove an '18 SR5 4x4 as a rental for a week and found it drove much better...it did not have the tow package though so perhaps it's fluid level was filled correctly from the factory? More argument for my truck to be a lemon then if the two drive so differently...and if the OR is supposed to feel like this then trade me in for an SR5. I also noticed the OVTune site has a separate selection for the 2018's.

 

I’m not sure you can just “lemon” the truck

 

I would lemon it.
The ONLY reason our truck act like this is for CAFE/EPA mandated fuel economy. The higher the gear, the less fuel consumption since you reached the driving speed. Hunting is controlled by the truck brains to maintain a low fuel consumption. You have to thank to Obama for forcing the car manufacturers for this. Trump stated the mandate is way too demanding and rolled back the standards.
By you lemoning the truck (and hope many others) will force Toyota to fix the gear hunting like OVTune does it.

 

Realizing I'm at great risk on this forum, I'll say that I'm not so sure the EPA is the villain here. Please note I'm NOT saying you are wrong, but offering another perspective.

Some people with the OVTune are reporting better mileage. Odd, right? It's possible that Toyota just f'd up. Toyota's customer service is NOTHING like it was. The further you go back, the better in my experience. Looking at the broader picture, it appears to me that businesses can indeed get "too big" for some management teams. At some point they either have to diversify or "value engineer" both products and processes to deliver increased shareholder value.

Just another perspective offered in good faith.

 

It’s not purely emissions... my truck burns cleaner by far on @OVTune vs stock. Literally I never wanted to stand outside my truck or have my daughter on that side especially in cooler weather because it was such an obnoxious mess... not so with the tune. Very clean exhaust, without being lean

Even the logic in the stock tune says if you accelerate it dumps rich (assuming the cats just clean up all the extra fuel)...

My moneys on - they just screwed up and underinvested in the tune