POLL: OVTune Reviews (3rd gen)

2017 DCLB OR w/ 34K miles.

Order number: 2395
Date purchased/date installed: Feb 4, 2018 / Feb 27, 2018
Version / transmission of the calibration you're running currently: 1.03
Star rating you give it: 5
Any mods that would impact (tires, gears, exhaust, etc.,): 265/75 R16 Falken Wildpeak AT3/W on SCS Ray 10s.
Overall feedback of:
Shifting - Buttery smooth. Perfect shift points.
Throttle - Slightly touchy off the line, but a much better feel overall. One word - CONSISTENT.
Power - Usable. Tuned for the most common portion of the rpm range. If you love your stock truck at 3,500 rpm you're going to LOVE the new 1,500 - 3,000 range.

I've been running a Shift Sense Pro since June 2017. It is a phenomenal product and performs as advertised. It really masked the poor transmission.

I have been watching the OVT thread since around the same time frame that I installed the SSP. It sounded so promising, but was still too new for me to drop $800 on. I honestly thought it was going to be a fanboy type of quick fix that tried to squeeze every bit of hp and tq out of the truck. I mean, the company didn't even have their own truck and appeared to be based out of Hong Kong. I was very skeptical to say the least.

AND then they bought a research TRD PRO and logged every bit of progress on this thread. They (I should say HE, since Mat is @OVTune) went out of his way to make sure his customers were #1. I could go on for days about his dedication level. But in the end, the only thing you need to know is that the dude is a ROCKSTAR, STAND-UP, 100% American (and now Tacoma owner and TW participant) who has delivered my favorite mod ever WITH FREE UPDATES!

87 tune installed. 25 miles in and .... WOW! What a monumental difference.
Aside from the obvious power gains, the usability of that increase is a huge improvement AND
1. Shifts are buttery smooth and at the right time.
2. Cruise control actually down shifts to 5th gear instead of skipping to 4th.
3. Most noticeable drivability improvement in my opinion is the usability of 6th gear.
* before, I had to be going at least 70 and on a relatively flat surface or it felt like the truck would immediately start slowing down after shifting to 6th - NOT ANYMORE!!!
* Cruise control on in 6th gear at 60 mph is a beautiful thing.
Oh, and ECT w/ S-mode is stellar!

Edited to add:
The truck just feels .... well, like I expected it to feel when I bought it. I really wanted to love it before OVT and I didn't. Driving it long distances every weekend pissed me off. It's nice to just drive the damn thing now and not worry about HOW I'm driving it.

UPDATE: March 1, 2018

200 mile drive tonight. I’ve done this drive twice a week for the last 6 months - Maine to Rhode Island. Stock tune was a gear-dancing machine, countless 6th,4th,5th,4th,5th,6th,4th ... (you know what I mean!) shifts just to maintain 65-70 mph. 6th gear would NEVER hold.

Well, tonight I spent the majority of my 3-hour drive in 6th gear. Down shifts very rarely occured, and when they did, it was a subtle shift to 5th and then easily back to 5th. Remember I said previously the down shifts to 4th were countless. Tonight, I counted - 4 times, and they were warranted shifts.

It was such a fun drive. There is so much usable power now. The truck is now able to accelerate in 6th gear without downshifting and even has enough power to lug 6th gear at 55-60 mph.
IT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING.

Before tonight, my best mpg was 18.5 (18.1 indicates) and that took a lot of effort. Tonight was 19.8 (19.4 indicated) and effortless. Big kicker is my new average and the fact that I’ve never finished this trip on less than a half tank of gas.






UPDATE: March 8, 2018

This tune really shines in 4H. 12” overnight and 12 mile coffee commute this am. The new power down low is exactly what this truck needed. Other than the magnificent traction (credit to Falken Wildpeak AT3/Ws) I couldn’t tell the truck was working to turn extra wheels.
The tip in was not an issue (I now have close to 700 miles on the 87 tune)
*side note: my son drove it this past weekend while I was passenger. He commented that it seemed a little jumpy, but what does he know - he’s 16 and doesn’t even have his license yet

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT - SSP v. OVT (In response to a few PMs)
Huge difference. I just sold my SSP, but up until the OVT it was the best option I had done to my truck. The OVT is in its own category of brilliance and worth every penny. If I only had $800, I’d buy the OVT and enjoy driving my truck.
Here’s a link to the poll data. My full review is in there along with many other satisfied customers. Buy once, cry once - get the OVT and don’t look back.
***SSP is a bandaid. OVT is a solution!***

UPDATE: March 16, 2018

I loaded the 91 tune last Friday (March 9, 2018), half way through my weekend commute. I now have three tanks of gas on the premium tune. What I've noticed:
- The power gains are monumental by the Seat of the Pants Dyno. I have had so much fun on this tune. My drive is a blast and running at 75-85 mph, even up inclines, has been nothing short of wonderful - all in 5th and 6th gear. In fact, the truck LOVES to be at 80 mph in 6th at 2,000 rpms. I'm running armor and 32's at 30 psi and still getting 17.5 mpg.
- I was happy on 87, thrilled with 91, but $13 extra to fill up is a little expensive here in the North East. If premium is cheaper in your area, it's a no-brainer.
- I do feel that 91 has a couple of quirks, but only in ECT mode.
* It will hold 4th way too long if accelerating.
* It doesn't want to up-shift into 6th without nearly taking one's foot off of the accelerator. This is not necessarily a bad thing, unless you are chasing mpgs.
* The touchy throttle is more apparent.
BUT... the 91 tune ROCKS!!!
Coming over 495-S was a hoot today. Especially when I'm cruising by other 3Gens that I know are in 4th gear up the grades and I'm passing them going 10 mph faster and in 5th gear. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING!!! Thanks @OVTune

 

YES!

 

Added an edit to my initial review (post #10) since I'm now on revision 1.03C for the MT

 

Order Number: 1893
Date bought: 07/04/2017
Current tune: 04B03_04013_TCU / 04B03_1.03_87_Octane

So here goes my review of 1.03 as a AT owner. First off I have a 2016 DCSB with 255/85/16 tires and a 2" lift. I also have a hidden winch mounted up front and a softopper on the back. I have been a Ovtune customer since the 1.01 version days so I have had a chance to see the tune evolve. I ran the 1.02a 87 tune for a good 6000 miles and thought it was decent but still ran mostly with ECT on. Now I have run the 1.03 87octane tune for about 1200 miles. My initial 400 miles I thought it was perfect and didn't feel a need for ECT at all. After 400 miles though I started to feel like the shifting was getting jerky and the throttle was becoming more sluggish. I started to feel like the truck was lugging more in the 30 to 50 mph range. I ran it this way for another tank of gas to see if that had anything to do with the gas and it didn't change. So at about 600 miles I changed to running with ECT on and this has fixed the issue. The truck shifts much smoother and doesn't have the lugging anymore. As for MPG's I haven't noticed any change at all. I am averaging 15 mpg. My highway driving has greatly been improved which includes cruise control. No more bouncing between gears as much just to keep speed. I really can't wait to see how this tune works when I am towing my 22 ft travel trailer. I will have to wait a few more months before that happens as right now I am dealing with a foot of snow. If you are on the fence about getting this tune I would say don't be. Even with the lugging and shifting characteristics I mentioned in this review it is WAY better than the stock tune.

 

Order #2115
Purchased mid Nov 2017
Installed Late Feb 2018
1.03 AT 87 octane.
TRD OR DCSB: TRD cai, URD U-Spec, 265/75/16 Falken Wildpeaks
5 stars from me

I will say this tune has not been completely perfect. The dongle issues I had were so frustrating which is why it took damn near 5 months to get the tune installed. I was previously a Shift Sense Pro owner and user which helped but wasn't the fix for me. I also was one of those people that drove around using stock ECT mode 24x7.

My impressions are as follows.
- 10-15 minute install on a Windows 7 x64 laptop
- Initial tip in is a bit aggressive but feels like my Acura TSX which had a very sensitive tip in, or much like a couple Mustangs I had previously driven with sport clutches.
- Transmission shifting is so much better, it does not pick a gear, then pick another gear and act like my wife deciding which shoes to wear for her big marathon run (22 pairs later). The transmission shifts when I expect it to and I love how it feels.
- Throttle response is amazing, no more dead pedal feel and it acts as it should.
- HP and Torque are definitely up compared to the stock tune. I can accelerate in 5th and 6th gear now which I previously could not for the life of me.
- ECT mode got me in trouble with the wife. Also almost got me a speeding ticket, I was doing 130 kmph or 80 mph without realizing it. I was stepping on it like I used to and went oh crap this is license losing.
- As a plus I don't have to press ECT every time I start the engine.
- Gas mileage is up I was getting 13.5 l/100 km before and am getting around 10 l/100 km on the highway or for you Americans 13.5 = 17.4 mpg and 10 = 23.5 mpg and I was getting 14.5 l/100 km in the city and am now getting 12.7 l/100 km or 14.5 mpg to 18.5 mpg

Overall I am extremely impressed with the product. The dongles really not so much, but I understand he does need to protect his tunes and investment of time and money. I hope they continue to improve as I have read all 600 something pages over the year and keep seeing progress. The fact that Mat @OVTune bought his own Tacoma as a test bed really impresses me and I hope it continues as such.

 

Order #2028 09/2017
1.01B
1.02C-C 91
1.03 91
2017 TRD Off Road with 255/80/17
Bilstein 6112/5160 with Dakar Leafs
ARE Overland Shell.

5 stars from me. Much improved over stock. 1.03 is the best yet. More details to come.

I just filled up the first full tank after installing 1.03. Calculated mpg per computer was 18.6 with a 59 lb 33 inch ST Maxx tire 255/80/17. 2 inch lift and rear shell. After accounting for bigger tires this comes out to about 19.9 mpg. Never thought I would get that kind of mileage with a heavy, taller tire.

03/15/2018: Indicated miles since fill-up was 377 miles. After adjusted to 404 miles to account for the larger tires - 20.59 gal = 19.6 mpg. Still loving the tune. Really like the way the trans holds 4th gear when you want it to hold 4th gear. Previously, I had to shift to sport mode to manually down shift to 4th and get it to stay there without doing the dance back and fourth. Will update further once road trip over the mountains.

 

Now that yall have hopefully gotten some miles on 1.03, can anyone give any more info on whether or not they experience hard downshifts? That's the biggest issue I'm trying to mitigate by buying the tune.

 

I have nearly 800 miles on it now and have not experienced any degradation in shifting behavior and the downshifts are so damn smooth every time for m personally. I’m slowly getting to the point where I’m no longer even paying attention to the shifting since it’s getting more predictable

 

I concur with this, absolutely night and day. On average around 7-10% better mileage on my trips too. Haven't seen mileage like this ever. Hope it stays this way.

 

• Order number: 2020
  
• Date purchased/date installed: 9/2/2017 10/1/2017
  
• Version / transmission of the calibration:
  • 04B03 (automatic)
  • 1.03 87 octane
• Star rating: 5/5!
• Any mods: stock TRD Pro, so factory TRD exhaust is the only "mod". Stock tires / wheels.
• This was my initial impression after a 23 mile drive with 1.03C 87 octane.
  
  • The drive included city streets, and highway. The 1st gear "harshness" from 1.02C shift A is gone. 1-2 shift is much improved. When making slow right turns, I no longer struggle with the jumpy 1st gear like I did with 1.02C. Truck feels much more responsive, even compared to 1.02C. If I decide to give it little more "gas", push pedal down little further, truck responds like it should, RPM goes up, truck moves little quicker. If I push pedal down even further, truck downshifts and further accelerate up to speed. That "dead pedal" feeling is gone with 1.03.
    
    I can finally accelerate up to highway speed without fighting the transmission. Prior to 1.03, transmission race to 6th as I accelerate, press pedal down further, truck downshifts to 4th or 3rd, RPM jumps, back off pedal, truck race back to 6th, cycle continues until I reach 70mph. With 1.03, I can modulate the gas pedal and keep the transmission in the proper gear as I accelerate to speed, 3rd and 4th gear are now well behaved. Coupled that with Mat's improved engine parameters, accelerating to speed is now uneventful, for the better! Not once during my 23 mile drive did the transmission shift from 6 to 4. Truck will downshift from 6th to 5th if necessary to maintain speed.
    
    I did try cruise control for a short while on the highway. Its working as you expect, in 6th gear going 65 to 70, downshift to 5th on a hill, maintained speed and shift back to 6th.
    
    I did not notice any surging which were reported by some manual transmission owners. Over the 23 miles, I averaged 18.2mpg with moderate driving. Transmission temp was 190F, coolant temp 201F, outside temp 35F with light rain.
    
    The truck have never felt so responsive, its almost like Mat put a throttle cable in the truck, I feel connected. I push gas, truck goes, simple as that. If the learning is muted / eliminated, this is a home run.
• 10 days and 300 miles later, the tune is still great.
  • The touchy throttle tip in has gotten more civilized. Still room for improvement, but not as "digital" as it was. No sign of bad learning, power and shifts are smooth. No significant change in MPG compared to previous tune release, 1.02 C 87 octane, around19 MPG.
    
    In Kansas, we had sustained 20 mph wind with gusts up to 55 today, driving on the highway was a delight with 1.03. On stock tune, these conditions would guarantee the 6-4-6 shift dance. With 1.03, I was able to maintain 6 most of the time at 65mph, few warranted shifts to 5th and only one shift to 4th on a fairly steep hill with strong headwind.

Those of you still on the fence, purchase the tune. Cannot recommend this tune enough!

 

THIS is the thead I was looking for.

That other huge 100+ page thread was a mess and I couldn't ever follow it to get a sense of what this product was all about.




Question for product owners:

Would this improve my life with 33" 59lb tires?

 

Yes, greatly

 

yez

 

Please try to keep this thread to reviewer’s comments. We don’t need another q&a thread.
If you have specific questions, feel free to pm me. I’m sure other users will also be glad to respond.

 

• Order number: #2463

• Date purchased/date installed: 2/21/18 - 3/11/18

• Version / transmission of the calibration you're running currently: 1.0.3 AT - 91 Octane

• Star rating you give it: 5 stars

• Any mods that would impact: N/A

• Overall feedback of (Initial 40 mile impression):

• • Shifting
    • Enormous improvement over stock tune, shifts at much higher RPM and holds gears way longer. However, I've been using the SSP for around 1000 miles. I loved shift map #2, which would keep me out of 5th/6th in town.
    • OVTune still goes to 6th when cruising in town, but when you need to get on it the downshift is smooth and the throttle is much more linear. Doesn't bother me because it doesn't feel like a slug.

• • Throttle
    • I used the Sprintbooster intermittently with the SSP. I'm used to an aggressive "tip-in" which others have stated is a symptom of the OVTune.
    • OVTune tip-in feels much more natural than the Sprintbooster. I can see how people would think OVTune's tip-in is too sensitive, it might be just a tad, but it's no deal breaker or even that noticeable once you are used to it.
    • Love the throttle of the line and through the gears, it feels like I have control over the throttle completely now.

• • Power
    • The combination of the higher shift points and more linear throttle makes the truck feel like a race car. Previously, I owned a 6-speed 350z so that's where most my power comparison comes from.
    • This truck hauls ass now. If you want to pass someone, there is no hesitation or sluggishness.
    • ECT mode is incredible. The truck feels so powerful and responsive it almost feels dangerous. I probably won't use ECT unless I want to feel like I'm going to the race track LOL

• • Highway
    • This is where I'm most impressed. Everyone knows our trucks start to tail off around 70mph. On the stock tune, you basically need to downshift to 4th to even move.
    • This is also true with the SSP, the SSP might keep you out of 6th until 72mph (If I remember correctly), but you still need to downshift to 4th to get going.
    • I made a 40 mile trip today and I was pulling past people in 5th and 6th gear. I blasted around 4 cars blocking the fast lane like it was absolutely nothing.
    • Highway driving is probably my biggest gripe about driving the truck and it's completely fixed now.

Will continue to update as I put more miles on the tune.

 

That's a bold comparing to a 350z. Any testing in 4x4?

 

I have yet to see reviews from the cowards leaving 1 star. Must be people from SSP dev team

 

Why even start that drama? That's comparing apples to bananas.

 

Fair point.

 

• Order number: Bought from forum member
• Date purchased/date installed: 1/18/18 & 3/10/18
• Version / transmission of the calibration you're running currently: 91 Tune
• Star rating you give it: 4+ (a 5 has to really put my panties in a bunch)
• Any mods that would impact (tires, gears, exhaust, etc.,): None

I installed my tune this weekend. I bought the tune two months ago at a marginal discount from a forum member, just before the smaller dongle released I've been following the forum 'ad nauseum' and am ready to take a breather from following the tune thread. I may even unsub for a bit. Here's my take on the changes/value of the tune.

My ride: I have an '18 OR DCSB. Bone stock for weight and performance options.

My driving style: I tend to drive with purpose, but don't race up to speed. Neither do I brake hard in order to stop at lights. Instead, I tend to forecast traffic and coast when appropriate. But neither am I opposed to using the skinny pedal for fun or traffic needs. Occasionally, I'll get a hyper-miler mindset on the way in to work and use the skinny pedal very carefully. Depends on traffic, but I don't do it that often. 9 tanks of gas pre-tune and I'm averaging 17.4 mpg with a best of 19.1 mpg.

My drives: I live in the DFW 'burbs, and it's pretty flat here with marginal grades and lots of high speed highway. I have an 18 mile commute each way. About 12 miles of highway at 50-70+ mph when traffic is flowing, and 6 miles of surface road with ~8 lights hit or miss at top speed of 45-50 mph. I run 93 octane almost exclusively, for the detergents etc. and piece of mind. Usually Shell, but other top-tier if necessary. Comments on the necessity for 93 octane will likely be ignored.

Tuning: I got prematurely excited with the release (Yeah, I really said that). '18s had to wait a bit longer for Matt to release their tune. I used an ancient Toshiba laptop running Windows 7 Home or something like that and it went more or less the way the instructions indicated it should. I thought about using my Mac, but didn't want to commit permanent storage for this use case. Flashed successfully the first time and I did the obligatory 15 minute idle. I might have cut short at 13-14 minutes. Then I flashed the transmission.

Pre-tune gripes:

• Racing to top gear in search of gas mileage.
• Non-linearity of gas pedal, particularly at highway speeds. Actually, most speeds.
• Shifting... Not really sure how to describe my dissatisfaction with this, it's almost as if it doesn't understand synchros and there's no smooth transition from one rpm to another via the torque converter.
• Disconnect between demand and response; requested increase in speed takes so much pedal, that by the time you're another 2 inches into it, it decides to downshift X2 and now you're racing the engine.
• Aural experience didn't seem to match the truck's performance and response. I think this has to do with the car-like behaviour of this engine-transmission combo.
• Hard acceleration from low rpm up through 5k was miserable, not even WOT. You get this 'I'll think about it' initial response, then it decides to go, then around 3k it decides to really go.

Pre-tune pros:

• Yes, it would scoot if you really asked it to.
• In general, the engine-transmission combo is really quiet (who isn't at 1.5k rpm?).
• For relaxing driving, it really is a pretty comfortable combo.

Having said the above, it's still not a 'bad' truck. Behavior modification goes a long way to adapting car and driver. For example, my FJ picked up that dreaded torque converter shudder at around 60k. It just didn't know what to do at certain rpm and load. Didn't matter the gear. It would start to shudder very obviously as it locked/unlocked. Take it out of overdrive and it disappeared because the converter locked. I took the shop foreman for a ride and he said "I know exactly what that is and it's not your TC". He said it was a loose tire. I smiled. I could reproduce this effect at will. Toyota declined to fix the issue since I was a few k past mileage warranty. 120k miles LATER, I was still driving that same FJ with the same TC. My left brain and right foot learned how to accommodate. All it took was a little more or less gas pedal and the shudder disappeared. It was almost subconscious by that point.

My first drive: We took the pups for brunch so I tend to drive a bit like a granny when we have them on board. This used to be hard on me and the truck. Go through a turn slow so as not to toss the pups, and by the time you come out of it you're already in 4th. Try to accelerate and you get nothing, or if enough pedal is applied it downshifts and overcompensates and you're revving. Now, gears hold a bit longer and the increased power is usable and the truck responds like I want it to. Right foot = go, not, 'let me think about it for a minute and in the meantime here's a little noise and even less acceleration'. Shifting was smooth and the truck seemed to be much better at knowing what gear to be in. Braking was also nice and the truck came down through the gears fine. I think the TC unlocks earlier as I feel like the rpms drop earlier than before.

Oops, my very first drive: Took it around the block to see what my money bought me. Yay, definitely more responsive. Parked it after a mile.

My next drives: Took it on the obligatory runs to Autozone to pick up parts for my dashcam install. Spirited driving and it was much more responsive and predictable than pre-tune. I could anticipate how it would respond more accurately than before. Reproducible is the word that comes to mind. It would scoot before, but you never really knew how much pedal to give it. The Aural experience and the butt dyno seem to be much more in sync. The engine sounds like what I'm feeling. The two are matched now. This definitely wasn't the case before.

My morning commute today: Traffic was bit light, but it was much more enjoyable to drive. Highway speeds were 70+ mph. Surface streets were 0-50 mph. There was no annoying shifting, power was noticeably better, it held most overpasses in 6th gear and when it needed to shift to 5th it did so smoothly and the power delivered immediately. I used the adaptive cruise control and it did just fine. It unfortunately keeps too much space for commuting as others will slip in. One thing I notice is I seem to get to speed more quickly now. That may simply be an after-effect of using more pedal previously and the aforementioned behaviour modification will kick in.

Post tune pros:

• Definitely more low end grunt
• Shifting is much more appropriate
• Holds highway speed better, accelerates in top gears better

Post tune cons:

• Possibly caught wind of the low rpm/cold surging others have mentioned.
• Possibly caught some of that tip-in others mentioned? I think it might have been the torque converter dialing in shortly after rpms climbed? Not really an issue though.

Mileage: I flashed mid-tank, with the system indicating 18.5mpg average for the tank already. I landed at work with 18.6mpg on the average tank meter. That's certainly within the noise band of my usual results so nothing to report there, other than 'no change'.
It's still a car-like engine in a truck, so it's never going to be that towing machine we all wish for. But now it can get out of it's own way without wailing like a 4-banger. It shifts smoothly and with purpose. It holds gears as it should, and accelerates on demand. Hmmm, drives sort of like my FJ did, but with 1 more mpg so far. Not an impressive feat if you've looked at the air profile of the FJ, which got me an average of 16.5 mpg across 190k miles.

So I've been trying to find a good analogy for this tune. The truck was 'fine' before... you know, like when you ask your spouse how they are and they say 'fine', but you know something's really not 'fine'? It's a dozen small things you pick up on. Not true anymore. It was like a having a really good chocolate cake with crappy whip-cream-fluffer-nutter-tasteless icing. Your eyes say "mmmmmm". But your taste buds say "what's wrong with this cake, something's just not right". Now, contrast that with a cake that has a great smooth layer of thick buttercream and it tastes the way your eyes tell you it should taste. It's like that. The truck doesn't fight itself. The pieces work together. Your butt dyno and eyes/ears are in sync with each other and the truck.

So there you have it, my assessment. Will post up some mileage numbers once I have a more accurate estimate of change.

<damnit! Forgot my meme analysis>