Pedal Commander vs Tune

I actually would lean more toward sprint booster after reading the reviews on it....

 

I can see that, 1st to second it rough!

 

reviews by people who haven't tried the tunes so literally no comparison. which is why you created this thread. hmmm. see you around and good luck.

 

Thanks for entertaining my wishy-washiness. I am still undecided, the tune is definitely winning. Will let you guys know what I decide.

 

I have a MT and decided to get the tune instead of PC. It got rid of the rev hang issue, which was the main reason I got it which I dont think PC addresses. 1st to 2nd shift is night and day, truck is actually fun to drive now at stoplights.

 

I weighed both and decided to do neither. The PC or Sprint Booster (basically the same thing) both run off the accelerator connector which was never meant to power another device. Some people love them and have no problems. Others end up with CELs or the device fails and leaves them with no pedal input just at the wrong time.

Aside from the potential warranty issues, the main reason I decided not to do a tune was basically summed up by you - you are basically letting someone hack your ECU in a parking lot or wherever you meet them. Once you leave the level of the people like PapaRee who develops or someone like a Tonered who is extremely knowledgeable and honest and has helped tweek these tunes, the people you are getting to tune your truck are basically enthusiasts who could disappear at any time. They are not techs and do not run a business. Do they know what to do and/or have the equipment if they accidentally brick your ECU during the tuning process? Do they have the financial resources to make you whole if they can't? You just don't know. Lots of people get tuned and it turns out fine, but to me my truck doesn't run so bad as to warrant taking that kind of risk. YMMV.

Like I said, just my $0.02

 

The guy who did my Coyoza tune (MT specific) is a parts guy at a Toyota dealership. He says his boss knows about his tuning side gig and is unconcerned.

 

From following the KDMax thread, I know to be an authorized tuner you have to have a legit business, carry insurance, buy the pro version of VF Tuner ($1200), etc and that most of them have a pretty robust tool cart with them (power supply, etc). To be fair, I'm sure it varies between tuners but there is a minimum level of commitment (i.e. $) for them to be able to say they are an authorized tuner. That being said, I flashed my own tune since I wanted to also be able to noodle around in Techstream and flash future KDMax versions myself without having to drive 1.5 hours to my nearest tuner.

 

That's great to hear that the KDMax folks are doing that. Shame they don't all do it. I guess it would pay to do some due diligence on the tuner and only pick from the KDMax list of authorized ones if you are considering that tune.

 

I have the Pedal Commander and it really improved throttle response but then again I have the 2.7L, If I had the 3.5 or if tunes were available for the 2.7 I would go for the tune over the PC

 

With all due respect sir, I never said irreversibly. I understand that if you do enough tunes eventually this will happen, and that it is, in the vast majority of cases, reversible as long as you have the skill and the equipment. I simply raised a question that IMHO should be asked when choosing a tuner, since (other than the KDMax authorized tuners it appears) there is a wide range in skillset and business legitimacy among people offering tuning services. And I don't need to seek out Matt or worry as I have chosen not to tune my truck. The OP asked for opinions, I simply gave him mine. He can decide if mine is worth considering or baseless, as you are entitled to express yours. Thanks for sharing your views.

 

I have the Pedal Commander. (had it on my 2018 and now on my 2021) Works well for me.
I never tried the tune. (Might be better, might not?) I can't really say.
But since the PC works well for me, I don't really have any need to do a tune.
My PC is set at "City +2" The "sport mode" was just too annoying to drive daily. (too responsive)

 

I have tried both the KDmax tune and a Sprint Booster (but not at the same time). In the end I preferred the Sprint Booster, and I’ve been running it with no problems for about 5 months. I have also been running a SB in my 2017 4Runner for 5 years with no problems. On my truck (as I can’t speak for anyone else’s experience) when I had the KDmax installed, I had a noticeable dead spot in my throttle between about 30% and 60%, particularly in 4th gear. I could rock the pedal back and forth in that range in 4th gear with virtually no response from the truck in most situations (which is not the case with my stock tune). I don’t know if this was unique to my truck, the type of driving I do, the roads I’m on, or perhaps something occurred with the data transfer, or something else, but it was a noticeable issue for me. I also experienced some some hard shifting/shuddering under heavier load with the KDmax (while going up long uphills, which felt a lot like a miss) that only happened intermittently during the week that I had the tune installed, never before or since. Obviously there are a lot of people happy with the performance after KDmax, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case for me, although I wanted it to be. The tuner offered to redo it and even tweak it for me as needed, but I was just too far away from him to come back possibly multiple times to try dial it in (and my ‘21 never had the erratic shifting in the first place, that many seem to). So we just returned it to the stock tune and all is good.

The SB simply puts more throttle access in the front half of the pedal, where it feels much more natural (like most every other vehicle I’ve driven in my life). And although I could get the same end result by mashing the gas pedal down, it just feels wrong to me to have to do that just to get up to normal cruising speeds. With the SB, I never think about the throttle anymore while I’m driving my truck, and that makes it more enjoyable.

 

Downshifting? Whats that? lol

 

Thanks guys, all good feedback.Appreciate it.

I totally understand the varying level of service from the different tuners. Kind of normal when it comes to something like this. Buyer beware.

brian2sun, I appreciate the feedback as you had both. Interesting.

 

I kind of notice that if I let the truck shift, even in Sport. If I use the shifter, third gear is crazy good with the KDMax Pro tune. And by the time I put it into 4th I am no longer looking to accelerate. I haven't been to a drag strip or anything but that is just on the public roads and highways type of stuff.

 

I had one on a Subaru. At first I was like "okay, that's better". But it didn't actually change shit and I ended up unplugging it because I hated it. I lost MPG's on the highway and all it did was make the pedal more sensitive. Just put your foot in it or get a tune. These pedal things are a waste of money.

 

I was joking mate. I drive a 10 speed manual for work. I know all about downshifting.

 

Yea, I'm also not sure they know what a millennial is.

 

I am a millennial….