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

[mZiggy]

Feature has been around for a long time now. Tried to get it earlier this year but was told 3rd gens don't have that feature yet. Does anybody know if 3rd gens are compatible yet?

Yes and no. OVTune 1.05 had it.

2.0 removed it and it hasn't been added back in yet as a feature. Supposed to come at some point though. There's a work around available, but it's ghetto and inelegant and robs you of your ECT Mode. Basically makes you combine ECT with S-mode to make it happen but the code for it in the tune to make it happen is inelegant like I said. Mat has said that it's going to be a check the box type thing when it's properly available.

 

[Tyler]

OV Tune got the boot on TW.

I was just doing some research on tunes (which I find confusing nowadays) and just found out about this. I have no idea what happened so I guess I have some reading to do.

Also, I really don’t understand the OVTune to VF Tuner change. I find it very confusing. But I think my tune is outdated and could possibly be better.

 

[Tyler]

Ok, here we go. This might be a long post and I’m going to sound like a total noob, but I am a noob now.

• Why did OVTune get banned from Tacoma World?
• Can someone summarize the difference between the installation process of the legacy OVTune and new VF Tuner packages? I’m tagging @mZiggy and @Mr. Nobody bevause you guys know a lot, but no worries if you can’t reply.
• I am still using the (latest?) version of the legacy OVTune that came with the orange dongle. I have the premium / 5.29 / 35” tune. I now have a heavier truck, 37” tires, and a group 31 AGM battery… can someone summarize the potential benefits I could see from finding a custom tune, if any?

KDMax is a good tune. But I feel like there are better out there.
I’ve logged and inputted data for all these tuners. I was one of the original guys working with all these dudes.
If you have the time and want to do some research Home - Valley Tuning is a good one. Gets great MPG and his 3.0 will blow a lot of tunes out of the water.

I have another guy from TW who has a “nirvana” tune. It’s pretty amazing. I’m a HEAVY truck and right now I’m making 16+ MPG’s (35/ 5.29)

Also Downhill Dragon has a good tune “Powerthirst”

Coyoza tune was not bad either.

These are all solid tunes I have run and recommend.

Did all of these tunes pop up after OVT changed to the custom VFT model? How do people find these tunes? Is it literally just word of mouth / forums? How do you know the custom tune you are buying was made by a creditable person?

Has anyone tried the CVC tune? They are coming to my town and debating getting it done and adding the AGM alternator tune. I currently have the ovtune 2.0 . It’s just hard to think after paying the ovtune price of a year ago before the vf tuner. To also buy that etc. so I figured I would just have someone do this manly for the AGM stuff.

Can you tell me more about the AGM part? I’ll need that. Is it basically an “add-on” to any custom tune you choose?

I was thinking the same about pricing. I paid about $760 for my tune. That payment us

So I haven’t seen anything on this so I am going to ask. The tunes that are being released, are they dyno proven? Would I be better off spending 350 on the OVTUNE editable maps and then take it to a dyno and have it tuned that way? I’ve seen what can happen on a dyno but also know that dynos are the best way to tune something. I am hoping to have this done in a week assuming I get the dongle in the mail. I want to test this on my trip for the 4th.

Wondering the same. How are you supposed to know if a tune is professional quality or just a random mix of edits?

Searching for different tunes for the Tacoma. This is what I have found so far. Figured I would put it all in one place and make it easier for everyone to find the options for the VFTuner.


OVTune packs - https://vftuner.com/collections/tune-packs

Tune pack offered by Orange Virus. Options for Gears, Tire Size and Throttle enhancement.

- Tune pack - $390

Valley Tuning - https://valleytune.com/

Tunes offered by Valley Tuning with options for gears, tire size, automatic or manual transmission, exhaust mods and battery options.

- Valley Runner 2.0 - $40 Gear lock add-on +$15
- Valley Sport - Listed but no link to tune.
- Eco Pro - Listed but no link to tune

KD MAX - All I could find is that these guys are from the other forum. I refuse to place any kind of link to that forum for personal reasons.
Nirvana tune - Same thing as the KD Max. Some dude on the other forum made this tune.

Sibi Built Tune - https://sibibuilt.weeblysite.com/
-Located in Santa Ana, Ca. I think you have to go to his shop to get the tune. Website mentions nothing about it.


If I missed any tunes, pm me the info and I can add it to this post.

This is great info and something T3G needs more of. Tunes are probably one of the most popular but confusing topics. I’m going to get this info more accessible on T3G in the near future.

 

[mZiggy]

The difference with vF is it's newer software that has features allowing tune customizations, flashing other vehicles other than your own, different security and permissions model, stuff like that.

OVTune got banned from TacomaWorld as basically a combination of conduct, no intent to obtain vendor status which the TW admins require from people selling items en masse, and the shit storms that would get started on his threads by other users. They got sick of policing it and eventually banned him.

Notable benefits for you would include an adjustment for your tires for more appropriate shift points (which you should have observed when you got tuned on the map for 35's), hopefully more power (depends on the map and this is more applicable if you were currently on stock tune, so you likely won't feel *too much* of a difference from your current tune, but most user edited tunes harness a little additional power...). Should hopefully observe a smoother drive as well, improved shift logic. I say *should* because there's various options out there. The AGM settings would be good for you to keep your battery properly charged. But this is something you do yourself with the vFTuner software or someone does it for you. You don't get this from OVTune.

You don't have a dongle for your legacy OVTune software. The *dongle* was a security encryption device to access your tune software and was black or purple. Your orange device is your tactrix OBD device to connect to your truck.

Because you're a legacy user, you can contact OVTune/VFTuner at their Zendesk and get a link to upgrade to vFTuner for $79. Should come with an OVTune 2.0 tune pack for your ECU version.

As for the custom tunes, these are user-edited tunes and yes, they spread via word of mouth, posts and recommendations on social media, stuff like that.

No one creating user-edited tunes is a professional, but we have certainly learned a lot and made some great options out there.

For example, I created the Coyoza tune for the MT Tacomas and it quickly became the go-to recommended tune for the manuals. It was recently acquired by CVC so that they could own the brand and distribute it themselves without competition. We've since rebranded as YotaWerx Tuning and are now working on 4runner options.

For credibility, well, you're pretty much going off of the honor system and recommendations from others. But it pays to do some homework. For example, if you look at the dyno for KDMax, you can see that indeed do get to advertise that they make more power with their tune than OVTune. However, that power is removed from down low where OVTune put it and redistributed high in the rpm band where it's not needed, meaning that everyone raving about power down low is actually feeling very aggressive throttle response to simulate power. Lol *shrug* it's what it is. But if you do your research and homework on the various options, you'll begin to see the differences and can educate yourself that much better on what they offer and how they go about it.

As for knowing if a tune has professional edits or not, well, you don't really. All of the commonly mentioned tuning options use OVTune as the foundation and were basically developed via road testing and (hopefully) datalogging. I know a couple were thrown on a dyno for some help adding power, but that's what you've got.

@Tyler

 

[Tyler]

Thanks for the info. Between your response and the research I was doing after I posted, I have a much better understanding and I'm eager to get a custom tune going.

Because I have an unusually heavy truck and the 37s, do you know if there is a tune that would be best to get some MPG back (as opposed to the sporty tunes)? And if not, since I don't actually care about MPG (lol), do you know if there is a tune that focuses on acceleration improvements for heavy trucks?

The AGM settings would be good for you to keep your battery properly charged. But this is something you do yourself with the vFTuner software or someone does it for you.

Do you essentially find the AGM settings the same way you would the ECU tune? You basically search around for the "best" settings for your battery and flash that too? Or are AGM settings a little more streamlined?

Because you're a legacy user, you can contact OVTune/VFTuner at their Zendesk and get a link to upgrade to vFTuner for $79. Should come with an OVTune 2.0 tune pack for your ECU version.

I thought I read the trade in would be free. Either way, I'll contact them so I can get started. Are custom tunes generally downloadable online or does this VF Tuner scene really only do business in-person / on a dyno?

 

[mZiggy]

Thanks for the info. Between your response and the research I was doing after I posted, I have a much better understanding and I'm eager to get a custom tune going.

Because I have an unusually heavy truck and the 37s, do you know if there is a tune that would be best to get some MPG back (as opposed to the sporty tunes)? And if not, since I don't actually care about MPG (lol), do you know if there is a tune that focuses on acceleration improvements for heavy trucks?


Do you essentially find the AGM settings the same way you would the ECU tune? You basically search around for the "best" settings for your battery and flash that too? Or are AGM settings a little more streamlined?


I thought I read the trade in would be free. Either way, I'll contact them so I can get started. Are custom tunes generally downloadable online or does this VF Tuner scene really only do business in-person / on a dyno?

Fuel economy has so many variables that even with a mostly stock truck you can't really give a solid answer, only anecdotal stuff, and with your mods...well, I wouldn't worry about it.

AGM settings are pretty streamlined and generally/more or less fall into "static" or "tapering". Meaning the voltage being given drops as the truck reaches temp and doesn't always provide the battery with a constant 14.6/7v, it may drop to 14.2 like mine for example.

The vF upgrade is free if you trade in the dongle I described. You do not appear to have it, so it's $79 since you were already fully digital on your version

 

[Tyler]

Fuel economy has so many variables that even with a mostly stock truck you can't really give a solid answer, only anecdotal stuff, and with your mods...well, I wouldn't worry about it.

AGM settings are pretty streamlined and generally/more or less fall into "static" or "tapering". Meaning the voltage being given drops as the truck reaches temp and doesn't always provide the battery with a constant 14.6/7v, it may drop to 14.2 like mine for example.

That's kind of what I figured.

The vF upgrade is free if you trade in the dongle I described. You do not appear to have it, so it's $79 since you were already fully digital on your version

Ahhh, I see. Thanks for all the info. Now to find the tune I want to use...

 

[mZiggy]

The custom tunes are acquired by reaching out to whomever makes/sells/distributes them. People across the nation tend to be in a "network" flashing tunes for people, such as KD or Coyoza or CVC, etc, but obtaining just the tune file since you'll be able to flash yourself is generally done by talking to the actual creator/distributor of whichever tune.

There's also helpful threads on TW for doing it yourself. Such as this one: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/self-taught-tuning-by-mooseditty17.713241/

 

[mZiggy]

@Tyler

Personally I'd recommend CVC Tuning if I had to choose an AT tune.

You can also make the edits yourself if you'd like and even experiment with other tables. Not everything is included on the forums since various users like to obviously keep some stuff to themselves where competition is concerned.

With your mods, you may find it beneficial to do the tune yourself since you may need many tweaks and adjustments.

 

[cgalloni]

Anyone that might be able to provide a tune in south Florida ?

 

[mZiggy]

Anyone that might be able to provide a tune in south Florida ?

The '3GT - 3rd Generation Tacoma' Facebook page has an OVTune connect post with a map showing everyone who's added themselves as offering flash services.

 

[Tyler]

@mZiggy

VF Tuner Tuning Kit

TUNES ARE NOT INCLUDED WITH THIS PURCHASE. Supports K Line vehicles (with VF Tuner K Line Release expected Q1 2023) 1) vF Tuner program and license = this allows you/anyone who uses your laptop to edit tunes 2) Toyota Flashing Tool = this allows you to flash/upload tunes to your vehicle 3)...

vftuner.com

When the tuner is sold out, how long does it typically take to be able to get one?

 

[mZiggy]

@mZiggy

VF Tuner Tuning Kit

TUNES ARE NOT INCLUDED WITH THIS PURCHASE. Supports K Line vehicles (with VF Tuner K Line Release expected Q1 2023) 1) vF Tuner program and license = this allows you/anyone who uses your laptop to edit tunes 2) Toyota Flashing Tool = this allows you to flash/upload tunes to your vehicle 3)...

vftuner.com

When the tuner is sold out, how long does it typically take to be able to get one?

What do you mean sold out? Doesn't say anything about being sold out when I view the page.

As for how long it takes to upgrade and all that, that can vary and I haven't kept tabs lately on Mat's response times. He's been super busy with all sorts of shit, I go weeks without replies for all the various emails I send him, for stuff like turbo tune stuff, GX tune testing, 4runner tune stuff, etc.

Regardless, you shouldn't be buying the full price vF unless Mat told you that you need to. You should be eligible for the $79 upgrade price since you have legacy software.

 

[hawsa]

Thanks @mZiggy This is all great info. I've felt pretty stuck as like Tyler, I spent $800 or so on the full vFtuner and see everywhere these specialty tunes for only a couple hundred bucks. My truck is a MT, so of everything I've seen, it does seem like your Coyoza tune (now sold by CVC, correct?) to be the best option there. How does it do with the 'rev hang' on our trucks? I really am less interested in power gains and more the driving experience. Shifting at high rpms in the MT is a PITA and was hoping that it addressed that issue before I went and threw more money at it.

 

[Tyler]

What do you mean sold out? Doesn't say anything about being sold out when I view the page.

I meant that it said sold out this morning. I see that it doesn’t now. Works for me!

I already forgot I can get it for $79 instead of full price. Thanks for the reminder… whoops.

 

[mZiggy]

Thanks @mZiggy This is all great info. I've felt pretty stuck as like Tyler, I spent $800 or so on the full vFtuner and see everywhere these specialty tunes for only a couple hundred bucks. My truck is a MT, so of everything I've seen, it does seem like your Coyoza tune (now sold by CVC, correct?) to be the best option there. How does it do with the 'rev hang' on our trucks? I really am less interested in power gains and more the driving experience. Shifting at high rpms in the MT is a PITA and was hoping that it addressed that issue before I went and threw more money at it.

Rev hang was improved, but I never did fully eliminate it. But for what it's worth, I also never really chased after it terribly hard because I have the unpopular opinion of "it's a truck, not a race car, it'll have rev hang regardless" lol

TLDR; improved rev hang condition but not fully eliminated

And yes, CVC Tuning now owns the Coyoza brand: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/coyoza-tune-development-and-feedback.719707/

 

[mZiggy]

I meant that it said sold out this morning. I see that it doesn’t now. Works for me!

I already forgot I can get it for $79 instead of full price. Thanks for the reminder… whoops.

Hey man, this morning I saw a comment on the VF forum by Mat saying that legacy users can upgrade to VFTuner Lite for free. Don't know what the difference is for that version but that may be an option for you. Perhaps no edit options or something, idk.

 

[Tyler]

Hey man, this morning I saw a comment on the VF forum by Mat saying that legacy users can upgrade to VFTuner Lite for free. Don't know what the difference is for that version but that may be an option for you. Perhaps no edit options or something, idk.

Thanks for letting me know. I’ll look into the Lite before I buy. It does sound like it might be no edits from the name.

 

[Tyler]

@mZiggy - Can you share the link to that comment if you still know it?

 

[hawsa]

Rev hang was improved, but I never did fully eliminate it. But for what it's worth, I also never really chased after it terribly hard because I have the unpopular opinion of "it's a truck, not a race car, it'll have rev hang regardless" lol

TLDR; improved rev hang condition but not fully eliminated

And yes, CVC Tuning now owns the Coyoza brand: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/coyoza-tune-development-and-feedback.719707/

But.... I want it to be a race car Haha well... I'll take every bit of improvement I can get. I'll be reaching out to Chan.

 

[mZiggy]

@mZiggy - Can you share the link to that comment if you still know it?

Reference the comment just above the link I've linked here (which is Mat's comment) for context

Clear CEL after dump tube install - vF Tuner Forums

So my brother installed some dump tubes on his 16 Taco that we had previously tuned with the vFTuner tune pack. Now he is getting the CEL. What are all you guys doing to clear that CEL short of spending more money on simulators or similar? I've reached out to Matt via zendesk to see if I could...

forum.vftuner.com

 

[Tyler]

Reference the comment just above the link I've linked here (which is Mat's comment) for context

Clear CEL after dump tube install - vF Tuner Forums

So my brother installed some dump tubes on his 16 Taco that we had previously tuned with the vFTuner tune pack. Now he is getting the CEL. What are all you guys doing to clear that CEL short of spending more money on simulators or similar? I've reached out to Matt via zendesk to see if I could...

forum.vftuner.com

Thanks. Not even a Google search tells me what the Lite version might be. Maybe I’ll join that forum to ask about it.

 

[TermLimits]

Finally got around to making an account on here after chatting with @Tyler for a bit.

Any questions about Valley Runner/Valley Tuning in general please feel free to ask me. If you’re not comfortable asking the question on the forums, you can submit a contact us submission on our website.

ValleyTune.com

 

[Tyler]

Finally got around to making an account on here after chatting with @Tyler for a bit.

Any questions about Valley Runner/Valley Tuning in general please feel free to ask me. If you’re not comfortable asking the question on the forums, you can submit a contact us submission on our website.

ValleyTune.com

Welcome! I’m stoked to be able to get tuned soon. The weight of my truck and the 37s will definitely put the tune to the test.

By the way, do you offer a tune for the group 31 AGM battery?


(I changed your account to a vendor account.)

 

[mZiggy]

Welcome! I’m stoked to be able to get tuned soon. The weight of my truck and the 37s will definitely put the tune to the test.

By the way, do you offer a tune for the group 31 AGM battery?


(I changed your account to a vendor account.)

Does this mean I need to have a vendor account, since I represent YotaWerx Tuning, and formerly Coyoza?

Performance - YotaWerx Tuning Services and Feedback

YotaWerx Tuning is located in El Paso, TX and is a partnership of local Toyota enthusiasts who offer tuning/flash services for supported vehicles. We have been offering flash services since June 2020. Linked below is a map of our YotaWerx Tuning network. Please view to see if there is a YW...

tacoma3g.com

 

[Tyler]

Does this mean I need to have a vendor account, since I represent YotaWerx Tuning, and formerly Coyoza?

Performance - YotaWerx Tuning Services and Feedback

YotaWerx Tuning is located in El Paso, TX and is a partnership of local Toyota enthusiasts who offer tuning/flash services for supported vehicles. We have been offering flash services since June 2020. Linked below is a map of our YotaWerx Tuning network. Please view to see if there is a YW...

tacoma3g.com

You can if you want to. It automatically goes to accounts that are here to represent a brand. Since you were here as a regular member, it’s up to you if you want to switch.

 

[mZiggy]

You can if you want to. It automatically goes to accounts that are here to represent a brand. Since you were here as a regular member, it’s up to you if you want to switch.

Is there any particular reason to do so for a personal account being simultaneously used to represent a brand, like in TL's case?

 

[Tyler]

Is there any particular reason to do so for a personal account being simultaneously used to represent a brand, like in TL's case?

No, because I don’t charge for the vendor accounts like most forums do. So in your case being a personal account, it’s totally up to you.

 

[Tyler]

@mZiggy — you would also be listed here:

Notable members

tacoma3g.com

 

[mZiggy]

No, because I don’t charge for the vendor accounts like most forums do. So in your case being a personal account, it’s totally up to you.

@mZiggy — you would also be listed here:

Notable members

tacoma3g.com

Screw it, why not..

I'll take it I suppose. Maybe one day you'll have to make policy changes to how things are done like TW and then I'll already be g2g.