Tune Complete! (And it’s great)

I've scheduled a tune for this weekend and I’m stoked about seeing the changes in how it drives. Big thanks to Justin from Overland Tailor Tuning (@JustDSM) and Jeff from Relentless Tuning for pitching in to make this happen so I can offer other 4th Gen owners real-world feedback. I'll be sharing everything I learn along the way so you can decide if a tune is right for you.

 

I've been looking at doing that, Definitely let us all know how it goes after!

 

Just left my tuning appointment with Jeff from Relentless Tuning. There will be a lot more to come, but for now…this is so much better than stock. I feel like Toyota would’ve sold a lot more 4th Gens if they had driven like this from the factory.

I’ve got a video in the works about this so please post any questions you’d like for me to answer in it. If I don’t know the answer, I will get it from Jeff or Justin.

Thanks @JustDSM and Jeff for making this happen!

 

Id love to know how the acceleration is after and if you notice a big difference (or any) in gas mileage

 

I too would like to know about any change in MPG---better or worse.

 

Thanks for those questions. I track mileage at every fill-up through Fuelly so I'll let you know as soon as I have a couple of tanks worth of data.

As mentioned, I'll have a video soon, but here's my first take on the Overland Torque Tune from @JustDSM's Overland Tailor Tuning. Note the word "tailor" - that's b/c there's nothing generic, Justin uses calibrations built around specific engine, drivetrain, and platform combinations. From there, you can choose the level of throttle response along with shift point profile to dial in the driving experience you're looking for. You take a test drive to be sure you're happy with the result, and if not, they'll work with you to get everything right where you want it.

For reference, I own a 2007 4Runner V6 SE 4WD with 275K miles. I live in metro Atlanta but based on timing and availability of a retailer, I drove over near Gadsden, AL, to meet up with Jeff Tillery of Relentless Tuning. That worked out well b/c I had a 2+ hour drive home to observe (and greatly enjoy) the differences. I did city and highway driving and even a few trails in the Talladega National Forest on the way home.

I chose Medium for the throttle response and Standard Plus for the shift points based on my usage: mostly normal driving with occasional overland/off-roading and towing. My overall TLDR is what I said in my post above: this is how the truck should have come from the factory. It's more responsive, shifts more smoothly, and climbs hills without getting stuck in that weird limbo where you keep pushing the pedal and nothing happens until it finally feels like you're flooring it to force a downshift. That's clutch (no pun intended) where I live because it's hilly here. That brings me to a pleasant surprise: the cruise control isn't useless for me anymore. My experience trying to use it in anything other than flat terrain was that the angle of incline, shallow or steep, didn't matter; as soon as it sensed it needed to speed up, it went to what felt like full throttle. Now it still downshifts, but adds just enough throttle to maintain the chosen speed, and that's very, very good news if you don't live somewhere flat. Never understood (and still don't) the stock behavior.

About acceleration, the throttle difference is definitely the first thing you'll notice. No more spongy pedal. You push, you go, and that's in all situations - off the line, merging onto the freeway, passing, or climbing a hill on a trail. Shifting is a bit tougher to explain outside a video but it's much smoother and shifts when it should. The smoothness was something I noticed over and over on the 2+ hour drive home.

Bottom line: the truck is fun to drive. It strikes me as one of those things that feels worth it on day one and that feeling will only keep growing as time goes on.

 

Appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and for giving us the opportunity to make your experience possible.

I truly do believe as I stated (here: https://www.4runners.com/threads/looking-at-some-performance-upgrades.45765/#post-744556) this is a platform that has pretty impressive potential. I wish we did more!

Thanks again, Russell!

 

Thank you for this input and review of the tune! I’ve been eye balling this tune for awhile now.