Power issues

So Frank, you and i both have identical trucks except you have OV tune and I do not, but i am re-geared. We are both at 10K feet and we both need to tow 2.5K a hundred miles. Which one is better?

I would have added output torque. You moved your torque around for better drivability. I know it's great but there is a difference. This person wants to haul a bunch of weight every day at a high elevation. A SC would be her best option but there is none available for a long time.

I have recommended OV tune to several on here with drivability issues. I am just trying to offer best advice possible. In this case it's more output torque.
Greg

 

Is both a valid option? Regear and the ECU option?

I have to change the timing on my Audi 4000, it gets a tad bit lower end torque, like 10-25, but that makes it drive at 9,000ft like normal.

The elevation outs so much stress on cars- which is why they get tested up here

 

It's simple Greg, why not start with something that's super easy, way cheaper, and solves more issues than just peak engine power?

You told the OP that her only option (for her situation) was a re-gear. That is your opinion, not fact. OVtune may in fact work for her. Why not give it a try Greg?

 

No tuning is going to beat a regear-especially towing. In this instance, I wouldn’t waste money on a tune. Just regear if you need it. Or get by until an SC becomes available.

 

I would agree with you for towing and rock crawling. The thing is, this tune doesn't only add power and "move torque around". OVtune found that the engine was being artificially and deliberately limited (torque) at low RPM on the stock tune. That has been fixed. The truck drives much much better on the latest tune version. I'm not trying to sell you something, but you have to drive it to believe it.

 

I can believe it would drive better than stock. I have (even with the manual) noticed a slight engine hesitation with hard or moderate throttle. I would wonder if this issue would be smoothed out with tune.

 

Get a Tundra....lol

 

Where do you live? That looks like Silverton. I am from DGO and drive Silverton area 4x4 a lot.

 

Very close, I live in silverthorne the photo with the peaks in it was taken on Tincup pass, so close!

 

No Manual Trans Option in a Tundra...

 

Hi Keela, I'm truly sorry for clogging up your thread with all the back and forth, tune vs. regear. They are both great options IMO.

The latest M/T tune clears up many driveability issues, the most notable being throttle delay. If you can stomach all the BS over in the OVTune M/T and Alpha threads (guilty lol), you can get an idea what it's all about. Hell, there may be some peeps that are in the same situation as you that can answer your questions!

 

No real way for the dealer to know that you have the tune, and least that's my take away from following the OV manual thread. But, it's also a couple-minute job to reflash the truck back to stock before any trips to the dealer.

 

absolutely! @Trident904

 

Nah, don’t be sorry! This is interesting, considering I’m probabaly going to be doing both, especially after lifting it: for regear- this is educational.

I come from the Audi scene, where lower is better, and torque isn’t sought after because it’s already there. It’s just so different.

 

Plus- tundra is too big! I already have a dodge for towing, I needed a little putt-putt truck for fun and driving around.

 

@AtlasPilot

 

Sure, both would be an excellent answer. Re read her OP again... she has added a ton of weight. She is close to 10K ft which means she is pushing about 170 hp now instead of 270 hp at sea level. She is gonna lift and add larger tires.

And, no matter how you slice it, OV has moved the torque around. Yes, it has access to existing torque at low end, but it has not added any anywhere. The re-gear is the option, that she can get right now, that will add (not really add - will multiply what you already have to the wheels) torque across the entire RPM range. That is what a re-gear will do. OV Tune takes what is already there and distributes it across the range for a more pleasurable driving experience. It does not add. It does not multiply. It moves it.
BTW I do not have either. I have re geared in the past and I have used similar tunes in the past. Full disclosure so I am not trying to sell you anything just because I think it's best.

 

I’ll second this.

I would recommend doing the tune first followed by gears if you still think it needs it. The 4.30 diff and transmission in the MT is working quite well for a lot of people who have put larger tires on it and weight. The auto needs a regear much worse than the MT.

 

I have no doubt ovtune would definitely help a lot., but toyota probably set it this way to meet emissions and fuel mileage. If you don't have to go through emissions test, try this first. If money is not an issue I would Regear, I hear complaints of reverse gear being to high, so it would help there as well.

 

The 4.88 mega thread!! https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-4-88-mega-thread.511967/