Tacoma - OVTUNE - VFTUNER - Update Info and Original Development

I'm just trying to figure out if I can get over the hard downshift issue. I'm between trading the truck in on a full size alternative or doing this, but investing the money only to still have the issue is something I'm trying to avoid. Perhaps my driving conditions make it ripe for the hard downshift, but I literally experience it at least a half a dozen times on my drives to and from work.

 

Understood..

Auto trans guys with 1.02C, can you provide any thoughts ^^^^?

@bshammer0

@TRDOBSESSED

anyone?

 

i'll have to back to you on this one...to be honest i haven't felt a hard down shift in quite a while. Heck i have an 8 yr , 100,000 mile warranty , so if if does down shift hard . Who knows if it is effecting the truck in a bad way ?

 

All I can say is buy it... Yes I will still occasionally get that clunk downshift in the morning when cold on my first stop, but all normal downshifts (even if I'm hammering the brakes to stop) are buttery smooth.

 

I was on 1.01b and loved it. Just upgraded to 1.02C-C this past weekend based on BSHAMMER0. So far so good. I notice the downshift when it's cold but I would not call it harsh. It almost seems slightly softer on initial launch in 1st than 1.01b but I notice the longer 2nd to 3rd and power is good and trans behaves well throughout. My truck is stock intake and exhaust and wheels/tire but does have a ARE overland rack and 5160/6112 lift.

 

did you make sure you have the latest TSB update to the trans? Dealer did mine about a month before I did the tune and it made a big difference in trans behavior. Although, I never had the really harsh 2-1 downshift.

 

Oh yeaaah! The dealer and I have gotten real acquainted over my demands to see exactly what the code was on the print outs they give you when you finish service.

 

I don't have the hard down shift issue either, not on stock file or any of the other tunes. Do have a hard hit when going slow around a corner in the hood and then trying to roll lightly on the power. This is a 1.02C (A) issue.

 

A lot of us waited a lot longer than that...

"If you pay for it, it will comeee"

 

The only way I can put it to folks on the fence is that I used to hate driving my truck, now I get in and enjoy the driving experience. Yes there are some quirks that will always be there with this truck, but they are just minor quirks. Linear throttle response, a bit more power, smoother shifting, etc., all contribute to a superior driving experience vs. stock. And to be honest, even the shifting on 1.01b was better than stock - even though nothing was "changed" on shift points I suspect b/c of the more predictable and linear throttle response it tended to shift better when you wanted to vs. stock. Still learned some bad habits but overall I have been very happy with this purchase since 1.01b was released and subsequently 1.02c though 1.02b didn't work out well for me.

I think at this point you'd be hard pressed to find many people who bought the tune and feel they didn't get their money's worth - many even felt this way with 1.01b and wouldn't have thrown a fit if no further improvements had been made. Everything else has been gravy and just continues to refine the driving experience.

 

I understand you are excited and want to get going but as I have mentioned to everyone, and you specifically, several times is that some parts of this process are slow, and out of my bound for control.

I have no good reason to make delays. I have explained to you I am on the other side of the world right now, doing several cars and development on cars for tuning in Hong Kong, so at the moment it is partially the timing for this week and preparations of last week.

If you cannot wait any longer, send me the kit back and I will refund you.
You have already emailed me several times, threatened me with a paypal claim,
told me you have no patience for this, etc.
I am a very easy going person and will do everything I can to work with my customers.

But this is your second time ordering after ordering the first time and cancelling, then re-ordering when you got it for a better price which was $705. Not nearly a grand.

I do all development myself and do many more cars than just the Tacoma. You are not my only customer. I have customers around the world that I must attend to.

Also your kit was delivered october 16th so you have actually only waited 9 days so far from once you received your kit. My site says in plain english that this is something that sells out fast and to expect 3-4+ weeks from time of order to shipment. 5 Days of those 9 days I have been outside of the country / preparations for the trip.

If I had a faster way to do this of course that option would be on the table. However our kit is the easiest to setup (even though it's not super easy) and the SAFEST for the car. SAFEST way to flash the ECU without fear of BRICKING it. As a result of using the SAFEST way to flash, setting up takes a little longer.

Now, I have 5 cars to tune by friday including a 600+HP EVO on Nitrous tomorrow and it's already 12AM.


If I wanted to be an ass I could do this much faster using a different tool. But guess what that tool has zero flash protection and if ANYTHING goes wrong the ECU is permanently fried. So I do not even consider it. You want that tool I'll set you up in a day. if Anything goes wrong kiss the ECU good bye. Unlike our current kit where you could literally rip the cable out of the OBD dongle half way through, unplug the battery and your ECU is still safe.



For everyone else, I truly appreciate your patience.

 

Well Said !!!

 

The price had nothing to do with the re-order, the decision to keep the truck was the deciding factor.

Yeah, $705 is close to a grand. I paid on 05Sept2017, so yes, in plain English, it has been nearly 2 months.

The "not having patience" was expressed to you in email as we had just found my cousin dead in his car who
has been like a brother to me for 40+ years. So you're correct, currently I'm a bit stressed out.

 

really sorry to hear that. condolences from out here in the ether.

 

thx man, appreciate it, it's been rough to say the least. we don't even
know wtf happened. the unknown makes it a lot tougher to get some closure.

 

So what you are saying is you just left Central for Wanchai...

 

@blkbelt42 really sorry for your loss, I know how that can cause a lot of stress and put our fuze in the short position. Hang in there, if you can!

Overall Mat's done some pretty awesome things with these underwhelmingly performing trucks in such a short timespan. But we all knew going in, he's a one-man show. The process of getting everything set up initially is a pain and confusing, etc., Just part of what we all got into when we forked over the cash. I can say that once all was set up, everything is super easy and I have experienced he "safety" he mentions myself when I have had a corrupt file (my Pc problem not the tune's) and a cable come loose mid-flash. In both examples PCM alerted me and told me NOT to turn off my truck and then I refreshed and all worked just fine. So I do feel "safe" with the solution even if it's a wonky setup process initially and requires a lot of back-and-forth.

When Mat first started on these trucks I figured it would be 6 months minimum before a minimum viable product (MVP software speak) would be available and within weeks he had 1.01 out in the world which was an incredible first step. Perhaps as things mature more there will be some simpler solutions like handhelds but not anytime soon from what we're seeing. That said I know how it feels putting out the money and not feeling like you've gotten anything as of yet - if there were other competitors who were as good, cheaper, quicker then you could easily just move on if you needed to. Fact is, no professional tuners (like the caliber Mat is who I'm sure is paid as much as 100 taco tunes to do some of these race cars) have given thought to these trucks. I'm just glad he was poked by a member and showed us some love and I hope he's making a good penny doing it as he should.

We see the same stuff all over TW though. Like Zach at Prinsu - another one man show, lead-times were often 8-12 weeks (or more) and people got frustrated but then a lot of folk would conclude it was the best looking rack for our trucks so most people waited it out. Eventually it got big enough he sold it off so things could move faster without him being the bottleneck. Let's be nice - I don't want him selling this off to another less skilled person to run. We have access to the man right now.

 

To be blunt and honest, and as one who deals with people who are in shit situations daily (I'm a nurse)...

Finding your cousin dead, while unfortunate, is not this companies problem. The stress induced from this incident doesn't excuse you from being an irate and difficult ass.

You bought a product THAT IS IN DEVELOPMENT. Be patient and deal with it,or take up OVT on his very kind offer to return and refund.

Simple as that.