ShiftSense Pro - transmission shift controller for Gen3 Tacoma

I'm no toyota tech but I would say something is definitely off with your engine/trans/ecu with that kind of towing mileage for what you pull. I use standard mid grade gas. Just got back from a 660 mile round trip (Golden to Durango and back) and averaged 24+ mpg. 4 in the cab and a bed full of stuff, but no trailer. The only things I have done that would remotely be considered engine mods are a GTek cai mod (can be found on this site) and the SSP. May want to remove and clean the MAF and reset the ecu. I'd be royally pissed with that mileage - enough to part with the Tacoma and go with a Tundra.

 

Wow. Down hill both ways? That's great mileage!

I average about 19 mpg here in the foothills of the Sierras.

I get 25+ mph on the way to work and about 17ish on the way home... a little over 1000' elevation change.

 

I average 17.5 in flat Texas. 19.6 was highest ever. However, let's stay on topic.

 

Mileage - up and down mountains (Going from Vancouver to Okanagon = real mountains) - If I want to keep it at 75mph or so on freeway, I'm LUCKY if I get 15 mpg. If I am cruising on flat ground at 50-60mph I push 20mpg (19.5ish).

Shitty mileage.

DCLB with a canopy.

End thread jack.

 

Agreed! Bought my SSP specifically for towing my camper. It works as expected and now I find myself using it when I want/need quicker response off the line.

 

mine shifts into 4th at 35mph, normal ?,, only shifts at higher mph when heavier on the gas,, i unhooked it when i had it serviced and just plugged it back in,,, you dont have to go threw the setup again when its replugged back in ?

 

Apologies for my ignorance, but what's the difference between this and the OVTune? Do they do same/similar things?

 

No, they are quite different types of devices with different intentions. The tune provides an alternate ECU programming which is intended to improve engine power and performance. The shiftsense is a plug-and-play device which is focused solely toward the transmission shift points (controlled through S-mode). It provides an alternate shift-mapping to allow the engine to use more of its RPM range, thereby getting up into the engine's inherent torque curve. It does not alter the stock ECU programming, it simply allows the engine to utilize the power that it already has.

 

Shifting to 4th gear at 35mph is normal for very low throttle position. That is the min upshift speed which is established for throttle positions <25 %. If you are heavier on the throttle, it will make the upshift at the appropriate speed (anywhere from 35-65 mph, depending).

(by the way, if it is working correctly, you should also see it automatically indexing up and down through the gears in S-mode., which will be shown on the dash display)

There is no setup required for the SSP, only a functional test (per operators manual). This test is recommended because it gives a very quick indication to the user that all electrical connections at the shift-lever are installed correctly and the unit is powered-on and functioning. It also confirms that the SSP is receiving data from the truck through OBD port. It is not necessarily required, although I would highly recommend it any time the 'shift-lever' connectors are removed or re-attached. I wouldn't recommend ever disconnecting any of those connectors for servicing because it is completely unnecessary. In some instances they may need to pull the OBD connector for servicing (if they are hooking it to tech-stream for any reason). If you like to disconnect the OBD before taking it in , that is fine. You do not need to perform the functional test again after plugging in OBD. If it is not connected, SSP wont engage, and it will give you 3-beeps. So you will find-out if it is connected or not right away when you attempt to engage it.

 

Anyone near Raleigh NC have one of these? I'd love to ride in someone's truck who has it.

 

Wow! I stumbled on this thread by accident and was quite intrigued. I have had my '16 TRD OR DC since the end of 2015. I have been annoyed, to put it mildly, by the erratic fumbling of the transmission looking for the right gear, whether in "D" or "S" mode, and whether or not ECT was engaged. Climbing hills (even little inclines like a bridge), cruise or no cruise, caused constant downshifting. The OP started this thread in May and it is already at 82 pages. I admit to not reading EVERY post but I got the gist early on. Most comments were positive and affirmed that this gadget really works.

I have had my truck to numerous dealers, three locally in FL and the one in Hickory, NC (where I bought it), and had the TSB done (multiple times) and the fluid level checked. In all I asked for the TSB to be redone more than once as after the first flash it did not seem to help much at all except for the relief of the clunk from R to D. Revision 1 of this TSB superseded the original and I asked for that too. No help. I am told that once the ECU is flashed it cannot be undone so I don't know if Rev 1 is able to be flashed if the original was already done. I was told I have the "most current" flash for whatever that is worth. All dealers are not created equal in the areas of competence and knowledge or even customer service. They should operate as a Lexus dealer does in that regard.

So taking this thread to heart I put out 175 George Washingtons to give it a try. I have spent more on less. My SSP arrived earlier this week after not much wait at all. So today, while the laundry was starting it's wash cycle, I hopped out to the driveway in the heat of the Florida morning sun and proceeded to begin the install. I watched the video last week and read the instructions this morning over coffee. From memory, the thing was a piece of cake from the start to the end of the functional test. The water had barely filled the washing machine. Well Ok, it did start agitating. It was a small load.

I was so excited I had to drive it. Well my first Wow! is followed up by "holy crap Batman!" I only drove two miles or so and the first three quarters of a mile in my development has a 15 MPH speed limit so it really did not want to get out of 2nd gear due to the programmed shift points. Easy enough. Manually upshift to 3rd. The next test after the neighborhood had a 40 MPH limit so it wanted to stay in 4th. No big deal. Upshift to 5th. I do these things to keep RPMs below 2000 around town for economy sake, nothing else. Out on the open road I'll let her rip. Love the purr of the TRD Pro exhaust and the aFe intake filter.

My take? A hearty thumbs up (so far at least). Gotta get on the interstate and check my local bridge. For now the around town driving should be much more pleasurable. Jury out on mileage after this. Currently I get 20-21 around town and better on the road. I have stock "size" wheels and tires and no gearing changes.

I have spent quite a bit of dinero on my Taco making it my own with many Pro upgrades and I was on the verge of ditching it for a Tundra or even an ecoBoost F-150. Now I might have saved $15,000 for the time being and will keep my little TOY for a while longer. We'll see what changes for the Tacoma are in the works but as far as I can see there are none on the horizon in drivetrain improvements. Only Toyota's safety sense stuff is in store for the '18s.

Bottom line. Hats off to the OP and the engineer(s) who did the grunt work to develop this beautiful tool. It might be a bit pricey but it beats $15,000 any day. Well worth the cost. I'm impressed. Kudos to OP dcz108 from one engineer to another. A couple minor suggestions OP. It might help to have longer cables, a smaller (if possible) housing, and to have the OBD cable coming out the opposite side of the connector. That's all I can critique. It WORKS!! Maybe you should talk to Toyota engineers who seem flummoxed trying to fix a well-known issue with the Gen 3 Tacomas.

NOTE---Some separate info for those following this thread: Next on the horizon for Gen 3s is a safety recall to replace the Crankshaft Position Sensor (Safety Recall H1H). It is NHTSA recall No. 17V-356. The summary is the original sensor may have an excessive amount of anti-corrosion coating causing the sensor to malfunction. The MIL light might come on or the vehicle could run roughly, misfire or even stall. Stalling at higher speeds--don't have to say what could happen there. I already checked with one local dealer. They knew nothing of it (go figure) but after checking said they do not yet have the parts in stock. Hurry up and wait.

 

When you up shifted it turned SSP off.

 

Debating on getting one of these. I live in oklahoma and make long road trips often. The only thing about the truck that bothers me is the constant shifting when going down the interstate around 70-75mph. the slightest incline or winds make it drop to a lower gear, keeping the rps up around 3kish, then eventually back down to 2.2kish.

Will this help keep it in 6th when cruising interstate?

 

75+ on flat interstate; yes.
Otherwise, it stays in 5th.
Not having 6th is no big deal as far as mileage goes. SSP downshifts less, so it's a wash.

Whereabouts in Oklahoma?

 

Thanks for the input. Just wanting to constant gear shifting when going highway speeds to stop.

Right in the Arm Pit of oklahoma.

 

Bethany?
If you're ever close to NWA, I'll let you try mine.

EDIT
Or anyone else in or around NWA.

 

I did not hear a beep to indicate that.

 

Something sounds amiss then.

 

I will double check on my next foray out after this Florida rain quits. Could be with the window down the breeze and road noise masked it.

 

SSP can only keep the transmission in a lower gear than it would be otherwise, and that is its whole philosophy. It can not hold a higher gear. If you need power to maintain speed going up a hill, you will still downshift to 4th.