Tune vs pedal commander? Help!

Hi all! I’m pretty new to this site so rather than try to sort through a multitude of forums on here I’ll just ask the question to get some much needed feedback: Which would be the better choice with regards to getting either a tune or the pedal commander….or maybe even have both of them together?? Please share your thoughts! I’ve vaguely heard of OTT tune and OVTune for 3rd gen Tacomas but know nothing about them. My stock Tacoma definitely has throttle lag and eventually I’d like to start towing more with it so I’d like to know what my best options would be aside from changing out gears. TIA!

 

You will benefit from a tune much more than a pedal commander.
A tune will tune the entire engine AND transmission, a pedal command won't.

Spend the money on a tune. It will be WELL worth it.

I recommend OTT. Not because they are "better".
But because they have GREAT customer service.
I don't even have a tune on my truck currently. And they still help me out when I have questions.

Plus they are active on this forum.
@Boltripper and @JustDSM are the 2 big guys on here from OTT.

 

Pedal commander can only change the pedal input, and that pedal input is still interpreted by the ECM. Tune changes how the ECM thinks from the start and changes how the transmission implements all inputs.

 

Whichever tune you choose is a personal preference. I chose KDMax ( which is now YotaWerx) over 5 years ago and will never go back to stock.

 

If you will be towing, a tune for sure. I have KDMax 10 and the combination of the changes to engine performance AND transmission performance made a big difference. If I didn't have a tune, I would go with OTT tune. It is a good tune with very good customer service reputation.

 

I have a Banks Throttle Monstor. It totally changed the dynamics of the truck including the transmission. After a couple hundred miles the transmission became very responsive. It has over 40 settings, reverts to stock in reverse so you don’t go ballistic in reverse and it has fail safe. Very easy to remove for warranty work or to sell when you trade the truck. Forget pedal commander it’s not even on the same level.
If you don’t want to tune it’s a good alternative.

 

Go with the OTT tune and be done with it. You'll be much happier and won't have to worry about that pedal commander messing up your truck and sending it into limp mode or worse. It's rare, but it has happened to some.

 

Pedal commander is pure snake oil. It only boosts the signal from the throttle making the ecu think you're pushing the gas pedal harder.

A tune will adjust the throttle sensitivity as well as make more horsepower and torque. It will also change the shift points to drive better on the highway

 

Thanks for this information. I did check out their website to read about the product. The only thing I question is because the fact it also plugs into my OBD port would be what type of splitter could I get to still have access to my port to attach a gauge scanner (I.e. scanguage 2 or 3)?

 

Tune it!

 

How much roughly does the OTT tune cost? Does the tune ever need updated over time? The nearest authorized place that can offer this tune is about a 3-1/2 hour drive away from me.

 

You can contact tuner to confirm. $450 for OTT, either pay with VENMO, or cash to tuner. If needs update, or adjust tune free. I had my Tacoma tuned last month, I luv my truck.

 

Pedal Commander is a band-aid, the Banks device is pretty much the same. A tune is the best route to go. I would recommend going into the Performance and Tuning forum and check out the various tuning options. There is a lot of info there, but it will give you a better idea of what's available and help you decide what would work better for you. Take your time and digest the info available and always ask questions. The main tuners are well represented on this site.

 

Thanks I’ll check it out!

 

I called the closest tuner and maybe it was just him but he never answered a single question, he would only tell me how great it is.

In order of preference, I'm looking to stop the engine braking I get when using cruise control in a hilly area, stop the dramatic downshifting to make up speed in cruise control, reduce throttle lag, improve MPG.

 

We don't have anyone here that does tunes.
I have been using a Sprint Booster for 4.5 years with no issues.
It works great.
2 years on my 2nd gen, and 2.5 years on my 2022

 

I had the KD MAX tune since my truck was new. Now that I’m getting closer to my first emissions testing, I had OTT put their tune over the original. The reason for that was they now are carb compliant and there will be no issue checking my emissions with California. I honestly can’t say which one was better than the other, but I am still very happy with the way this truck turned out. It’s a crime that the factory doesn’t ship it like this.

 

OTT mild/medium ALL THE WAY

 

I have the OTT do-it-yourself tune, and have been through three iterations.
IMO, the tune is superb and I am 100% satisfied with it.

However, the Tacoma has a big, horrible dead spot in the pedal from a dead stop.
With a light foot, you push and push and push and get nothing.
Then it slams forward with a lurch.

This is present in both the stock factory tune and the different OTT tunes.
Conversely, our 2016 RAV4 does NOT have this defect, and the pedal functions as you expect.

I do not know if a pedal commander fixes this or not.
But the OTT tune does not.

 

the best is when you come to a stop at a light, it immediately turns green as your trans is downshifting, you hit the gas and the dead spot and the trans/torque converter makes a god awful clunk catching into gear. have to baby that first 10% of throttle!