OVTune VF Tuner | OVTune - Tacoma ECU flash tune options and feedback

[215Grappler]

Got the tune done yesterday - I definitely felt a difference in throttle response almost immediately and it's holding the gears longer before shifting. So far so good. I'm looking forward to seeing how mpg is impacted. It was definitely worth the money IMO.

 

[NMBruce]

This has really piqued my interest, especially after testing some ECU flashes at work. It looks like the Manual Instructions are broken, can somebody give me a bit of help why? I don't want to buy this software if I'm too late to the game for support?

Also, I'm seeing the software as $200, but the software + flash cable are $380. Is the flash cable something special? I'm thinking it's just a normal OBD to USB cable.

I am thinking about this after Toyota fixes my truck, but to me it seems like even if you buy the right stuff, you have to go someplace to get it tuned.
I am a computer moron, I use Macs, LOL. So what happens if you have to take your Tacoma to the dealer for warranty work?

one of the main reason I am thinking about this is to hold my gears, living in the mountains and towing a bit, I dont like that the transmission will sometimes not let you pick the gear.

 

[215Grappler]

Got the tune done yesterday - I definitely felt a difference in throttle response almost immediately and it's holding the gears longer before shifting. So far so good. I'm looking forward to seeing how mpg is impacted. It was definitely worth the money IMO.

Update - After several gas tank fill ups I'm now getting anywhere from 1 - 3 additional MPGs. Very happy with the performance enhancements and MPG improvement from the tune. Well worth the $250 I spent to get it tuned.

 

[Sigs]

I am thinking about this after Toyota fixes my truck, but to me it seems like even if you buy the right stuff, you have to go someplace to get it tuned.
I am a computer moron, I use Macs, LOL. So what happens if you have to take your Tacoma to the dealer for warranty work?

one of the main reason I am thinking about this is to hold my gears, living in the mountains and towing a bit, I dont like that the transmission will sometimes not let you pick the gear.

Don't do this yourself, then. It's a lot of playing with control maps and reflashing yourself. It seems like everybody likes it, so I'd recommend you get somebody else to flash a tune for you.

After reading some good threads on Tacoma World, seems like I just picked this up at a bad time. The owner of VF Tune is doing some MASSIVE reworks on his site, the store is actually down at the moment. He did get me everything I need, so I'm enjoying learning it (ice storms have me not being able to test the truck yet). I will take back some of my comments complaining about it, but don't expect anything polished for the $400 price of the cable and base software.

 

[shotgunbilly420]

need opinion so i have 285\75\16 load range E 10ply bfg km3's would anyone recommend to run 35in tire\ premium tune\ stock gears\enhanced throtte

 

[Berserker__taco]

That's a 32.8in tire. I'd recomend a tune for 33s not 35s

 

[shotgunbilly420]

i understand the diameter of the the tire but im also thinking of the weight of the tire its a E load range tire meaning 10 ply heavy i guess i can check the numbers see what a load range E 285\75\16 weight vs a 35\12.50 R17

 

[shotgunbilly420]

well not close 35in tires weigh alot lol but i for sure got answers on my next set of tires im getting bfg ko2's

LT295/75R16 128/125R E RWL

33.3"

11.6"

7.5-9.5"

8"

15/32"

E - 10 ply

3970/3640 lbs

80 psi

106 mph

61.8 lbs

Black/White Option?

623

my tires i have now are the bfg km3's

LT285/75R16 126/123Q E BSW

32.8"

11.3"

7.5-9"

8"

18/32"

E - 10 ply

3750 lbs

80 psi

99 mph

64.5 lbs

Black

634

 

[shotgunbilly420]

i will gain clearance and lose a little weight . I love my km3's great performers and amazingly the tread ware is excellent and im on a 1 1\2 putting miles on them its my daily driver I used tire gauge the other day and they were at 14\32" new they are at 18\32" so good rotations and keeping an eye on the psi

 

[shotgunbilly420]

another thing ko2's has we can go over a 100mph safely lmao

 

[Berserker__taco]

i understand the diameter of the the tire but im also thinking of the weight of the tire its a E load range tire meaning 10 ply heavy i guess i can check the numbers see what a load range E 285\75\16 weight vs a 35\12.50 R17

The only way to adjust for added weight is to regear. The OV tune will only adjust the computer to function properly with the extra diameter of the tire and gear ratio if changed. Thus improving the shift points and throttle response providing improved ride and a possible increase in fuel economy.

 

[SubaruTheTacoma]

VF Tune v2.0
Hey guys! Currently I am in the Breckenridge/Denver, CO area offering VF tune flashes, TSB updates, and vehicle option customization. If anyone is interested feel free to PM me.

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[3rd.Gen.thing.2]

So after reading through this entire thread I have a few questions:

1. Is there anything that this tune puts at risk long term for our trucks? Any way this would wear and tear heavier than stock tune? It almost seems like it would help, but I thought the question could be asked.
2. The gear hunting on the freeway is my least favorite part of my truck. Will this tune help with that overall? Will it help in cruise control specifically?
3. What are the things we need to watch out for if having someone else install the tune? I am seeing quite a few offers for it in my area...something better done myself?
4. Specifically for gear hunting - regear or tune more helpful?

 

[SubaruTheTacoma]

1) tunes made by VFtuner will not harm the truck in the long run in any way they build buffers in to ensure the longevity of the truck. That being said there are people out there who make or edit the VF tunes and "open" them up a little so everything is maxed out. even though these tunes say they get 1-2+ HP over the VF tune I would worry about running my truck at 100% capacity over the long haul.

2) Yes this is one of the main reasons to get a tune it will 100% help the gear hunting. As far as cruise control goes I will have to do some testing for that. I don't really use it at all so I have never really paid attention to this. I also have a 2017 with no adaptive CC I am not 100% on how that would change things either.

3) getting a tune from someone else is perfectly fine they should charge around $250. I would make sure to confirm they are flashing you with the VFtune v2.0 tunes. DO NOT flash any homebrew tunes that have not been tested on a dyno. People may think they know what they are changing but very few do as much testing on the dyno as VFT. Also, make sure the person who flashes you will go on a drive with you after and do some data logging to make sure the truck is running properly and the tune is in fact working. If you want to DIY you need: $750 ish this gets you the VF software a tune pack the credits needed to register one truck and the proper cable. you will also need a windows laptop and some confidence. If someone else tunes your truck with VFtune and your ECUID and VIN are unlocked anyone can flash your truck again with no cost as long as they own the tune pack. Same goes if they release a new TSB and you need to update the tune the cost will be much lower because they will only have to register the updated EDUID.

4) for gear hunting a tune would be the way to go a regear will not fix that it might actually make it worse because now the truck's computer is in no way calibrated for the gearing and tire size. A regear is for when you change tire size and or add steel armor and lift. All of the extra weight really bogs you regearing will help with the power management. That being said if you regear you should 100% tune or you are not really helping yourself at all.

you have to remember trucks are calibrated very specifically from the manufacture so if you change anything about the truck it is now out of sync. So not only is a tune important if you change tire size and regear but also a speedo/odo calibration system is important. If your speedo is out of wack then the truck never really knows how fast it's actually going and giving the computer the wrong information tune or not. The same goes with the Odo readings if you go from stock tires to 285/75/17 there is a 10% discrepancy. So that means once your truck says it has gone 300k miles you will have 30k miles on there that never physically happened. Another thing this messes with is since you have a 2018 with entune and all of the "Eco" mpg readings none of these will be accurate without a calibration system.

TL;DR- for gear hunting get a tune. for tire size change and re-gear to make things optimal you need a 2 part system to really make sure things are operating at the best capacity: a tune, and a speedo / odo calibration

 

[SubaruTheTacoma]

well not close 35in tires weigh alot lol but i for sure got answers on my next set of tires im getting bfg ko2's

LT295/75R16 128/125R E RWL

33.3"

11.6"

7.5-9.5"

8"

15/32"

E - 10 ply

3970/3640 lbs

80 psi

106 mph

61.8 lbs

Black/White Option?

623

my tires i have now are the bfg km3's

LT285/75R16 126/123Q E BSW

32.8"

11.3"

7.5-9"

8"

18/32"

E - 10 ply

3750 lbs

80 psi

99 mph

64.5 lbs

Black

634

not to high jack this thread but I am in a similar position I need new tires and have the Km2 285/75/17 and I love them I even sport white letters out.

I really want the Km3 but I am overly saddened that they no longer offer the white lettering.... that being said they don't offer anything in the 285/75 with white letters anymore.

other than weight and going 100mph (which I don't even think my truck can physically do with all my armor) are there any other reasons you are dropping to the Ko2?

 

[rhelms]

Hey guys, new to the forum. I’ve a 2016 TRD Offroad and am just beginning to look for someone in SOCal, specifically the IE, that does the OV tune. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[SubaruTheTacoma]

Hey guys, new to the forum. I’ve a 2016 TRD Offroad and am just beginning to look for someone in SOCal, specifically the IE, that does the OV tune. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you.

I can help you out no problem I will be back in LA / OC may 15th possibly earlier. Feel free to pm me
With any questions

www.StTTuneShop.com

 

[rhelms]

I can help you out no problem I will be back in LA / OC may 15th possibly earlier. Feel free to pm me
With any questions

www.StTTuneShop.com

ok thanks. Will do.

 

[nickyreno]

Honestly I’m a little jaded that Orange Virus made his tunes such a pain in the ass to get.

 

[SubaruTheTacoma]

Honestly I’m a little jaded that Orange Virus made his tunes such a pain in the ass to get.

Why do you say it’s a pain in the ass to get?
I found the process easy and now that everything is loaded it takes about 5 minutes to flash a truck if that.
Editing is complex but that makes sense these new trucks have so many parameters to set. You don’t exactly want someone who hasn’t done research messing with that stuff. You can break and fix a lot.

 

[nickyreno]

Why do you say it’s a pain in the ass to get?
I found the process easy and now that everything is loaded it takes about 5 minutes to flash a truck if that.
Editing is complex but that makes sense these new trucks have so many parameters to set. You don’t exactly want someone who hasn’t done research messing with that stuff. You can break and fix a lot.

Tell me how I can get my truck tuned

 

[SubaruTheTacoma]

Tell me how I can get my truck tuned

you can pay about $750 to DiY buy the software, with the cable, and a tune pack for 1 truck.
or
you can pay someone (like me) around $250 to do it for you.

There are people who do this tune all across the country if you need help finding someone let me know.

Edit: or if you are asking about the actual tune process if you can install a computer program, measure the voltage of your battery, and load a file you can flash a tune. editing and changing a tune that's where it gets complicated because newer trucks have so many parameters you can adjust

 

[nickyreno]

you can pay about $750 to DiY buy the software, with the cable, and a tune pack for 1 truck.
or
you can pay someone (like me) around $250 to do it for you.

There are people who do this tune all across the country if you need help finding someone let me know.

I can’t find anyone near me and I’m not willing to make a 2 day trip just to get it.

I also struggle with the idea of driving a great distance to pay someone I’ve never met to mess with the parameters on my ECU simply based on the fact that they’ve had practice. There’s no checks and balances in place to protect the consumer in case their engine blows from bad tuning.

 

[SubaruTheTacoma]

I can’t find anyone near me and I’m not willing to make a 2 day trip just to get it.

I also struggle with the idea of driving a great distance to pay someone I’ve never met to mess with the parameters on my ECU simply based on the fact that they’ve had practice. There’s no checks and balances in place to protect the consumer in case their engine blows from bad tuning.

In part that is true. This is why I only flash VF tunes that have all been dyno tested and user proven. There are people who make homebrew tunes and those you need to be very careful with. However, if you think about it is almost the same risk you run doing any mod to your truck. Change your bumper? do they do crash testing? I know ARB does and it preserves the trucks crumple zone so I went with ARB. Also, no checks and balances with that to protect the consumer the insurance will say get bent you modified the truck and the bumper Fabrication company will probably have somewhere on the site that says for off-road use only. I realize the inherent risk is much greater when diddling with the truck's computer but it's the same idea.

If you are really interested I will be driving from Oregon to LA sometime around May 1st ( sorry its a little in flux right now so I dont have an exact date) we could set something up since Tahoe is kinda on the way and I love the mountains currently staying in colorado mountains snowboarding for the winter.

www.StTTuneShop.com

PM me if you have any more questions or want to set something up

 

[nickyreno]

In part that is true. This is why I only flash VF tunes that have all been dyno tested and user proven. There are people who make homebrew tunes and those you need to be very careful with. However, if you think about it is almost the same risk you run doing any mod to your truck. Change your bumper? do they do crash testing? I know ARB does and it preserves the trucks crumple zone so I went with ARB. Also, no checks and balances with that to protect the consumer the insurance will say get bent you modified the truck and the bumper Fabrication company will probably have somewhere on the site that says for off-road use only. I realize the inherent risk is much greater when diddling with the truck's computer but it's the same idea.

If you are really interested I will be driving from Oregon to LA sometime around May 1st ( sorry its a little in flux right now so I dont have an exact date) we could set something up since Tahoe is kinda on the way and I love the mountains currently staying in colorado mountains snowboarding for the winter.

www.StTTuneShop.com

PM me if you have any more questions or want to set something up

You able to do updates or Speedo calibrations remotely?

 

[SubaruTheTacoma]

You able to do updates or Speedo calibrations remotely?

Tune updates would need to be done in person because I have to plug into your OBD port. Speedo calibrations happen with a small module installed behind the speedo in the dash. once installed you can easily update it yourself if you have a windows pc with a usb port. At this time I don't have remote updating tools for VFT

That all being said the only reason you would have to update is significant tire size change or regear. IF toyota released a really important TSB that the dealership forced upon you they could still load the TSB and never notice the tune it would erase the tune so at that point we would need to reflash you.

 

[3rd.Gen.thing.2]

1) tunes made by VFtuner will not harm the truck in the long run in any way they build buffers in to ensure the longevity of the truck. That being said there are people out there who make or edit the VF tunes and "open" them up a little so everything is maxed out. even though these tunes say they get 1-2+ HP over the VF tune I would worry about running my truck at 100% capacity over the long haul.

2) Yes this is one of the main reasons to get a tune it will 100% help the gear hunting. As far as cruise control goes I will have to do some testing for that. I don't really use it at all so I have never really paid attention to this. I also have a 2017 with no adaptive CC I am not 100% on how that would change things either.

3) getting a tune from someone else is perfectly fine they should charge around $250. I would make sure to confirm they are flashing you with the VFtune v2.0 tunes. DO NOT flash any homebrew tunes that have not been tested on a dyno. People may think they know what they are changing but very few do as much testing on the dyno as VFT. Also, make sure the person who flashes you will go on a drive with you after and do some data logging to make sure the truck is running properly and the tune is in fact working. If you want to DIY you need: $750 ish this gets you the VF software a tune pack the credits needed to register one truck and the proper cable. you will also need a windows laptop and some confidence. If someone else tunes your truck with VFtune and your ECUID and VIN are unlocked anyone can flash your truck again with no cost as long as they own the tune pack. Same goes if they release a new TSB and you need to update the tune the cost will be much lower because they will only have to register the updated EDUID.

4) for gear hunting a tune would be the way to go a regear will not fix that it might actually make it worse because now the truck's computer is in no way calibrated for the gearing and tire size. A regear is for when you change tire size and or add steel armor and lift. All of the extra weight really bogs you regearing will help with the power management. That being said if you regear you should 100% tune or you are not really helping yourself at all.

you have to remember trucks are calibrated very specifically from the manufacture so if you change anything about the truck it is now out of sync. So not only is a tune important if you change tire size and regear but also a speedo/odo calibration system is important. If your speedo is out of wack then the truck never really knows how fast it's actually going and giving the computer the wrong information tune or not. The same goes with the Odo readings if you go from stock tires to 285/75/17 there is a 10% discrepancy. So that means once your truck says it has gone 300k miles you will have 30k miles on there that never physically happened. Another thing this messes with is since you have a 2018 with entune and all of the "Eco" mpg readings none of these will be accurate without a calibration system.

TL;DR- for gear hunting get a tune. for tire size change and re-gear to make things optimal you need a 2 part system to really make sure things are operating at the best capacity: a tune, and a speedo / odo calibration

Thanks for the reply dude. Honestly, the savings would be awesome to have someone else do it, but the DIY in me just wants to buy all the stuff so I can do it when I want and put it at what I want.
I really do appreciate the reply. It sounds like this tune is really just the way to go.

 

[AlanR]

Anybody in Dfw area installing ov tune?

 

[nickyreno]

The mere fact you need to have a forum or social media presence in order to find someone in your area to install an OV Tune is what makes it a pain in the dick. It also makes you dependent on other people which I fucking hate doing.

So you discover there is nobody near you, because you don’t live near a major metropolitan area, now you’re either driving or hoping someone reliable has a trip planned. I’ve been scheduled 3 times with tuners and all 3 have bailed.

I’m honestly at the point of just saying fuck it all - if I want reliable tuning I’ll have to get it with a forced induction system.

 

[SubaruTheTacoma]

The mere fact you need to have a forum or social media presence in order to find someone in your area to install an OV Tune is what makes it a pain in the dick. It also makes you dependent on other people which I fucking hate doing.

So you discover there is nobody near you, because you don’t live near a major metropolitan area, now you’re either driving or hoping someone reliable has a trip planned. I’ve been scheduled 3 times with tuners and all 3 have bailed.

I’m honestly at the point of just saying fuck it all - if I want reliable tuning I’ll have to get it with a forced induction system.

I mean it is just something that is fairly new in the Tacoma world as it grows in popularity I’m sure it will become easier and more off road shops will offer it. All good things take time.

I hear you in rural areas it can be tough.

if you are going to do forced induction you will want to tune your self. There are so many variables especially living in the mountains you will want to be able to tweak it. There are also not a ton of options with forced induction and one of those options is being developed by OVTune. That’s one of the main reasons I decided to DIY my plan is to turbo my truck.