Overland Torque Tune (OTT) by Overland Tailor

On the Spicy setting, if you just give it the same amount of throttle as you used to, yes it can go a bit harder off the line than you may be expecting. There are multiple different throttle response settings you can use. Mild or Medium would be better if you want less response but still more than stock. With my weight and the fact I tow a boat / camper a ton, I went with spicy. You can always have the tuner re-flash it and change the throttle response later.

Really depends on your foot and how you drive. My wife drove it and she didnt shotgun it off the line once. She said it felt perfect. She is a much lighter foot on the gas than I am apparently. She loved the new feel and responsiveness. She felt the shifting was worlds better as well.

 

So the choices are Mild, Medium, & Spicy?

 

Did it also alter your shift points? Is the vehicle changing gears earlier/sooner than before.

 

I believe there are 5. Stock or just slightly better than stock?, Mild, Medium, Spicy and Extra Spicy

It did. Makes it shift like you would think it SHOULD shift. Holds gears longer and does not gear hunt. When on hills, I would have to put the pedal almost to the floor for it to downshift, now just a little gas and it downshifts. Little more and it downshifts again. Its much more intuitive how a transmission should shift. I was at the point where any actual incline, I just stopped fighting it and put it in manual shifting. I didn't have to do that once on the trip back from the tuner (over a mountain pass 5k' elevation). The shifting just performed fantastic and the little extra boost in HP/TQ helps as well up hills.

 

You can pick what sensitivity you want: Lite, Mild, Medium, Spicy. I think you can even keep it stock if you only want the transmission done. I went with Medium and it's probably a tad too sensitive for my mostly stock 4R, but I've adjusted my foot/brain to it now and its fine. I would think Mild is the sweet spot for stock 4Runners and go up from there if modified to be heavier(Armor, Tires, etc.).

 

I have the OTT Tune with the spicy setting and it's not jerky or jumpy. The throttle is more sensitive than on medium setting but I got used to it pretty quickly. The OTT Tune is absolutely worth it.

 

Did you get the tune recently since they added the transmission tune?

 

I got it about a month ago and it included the transmission tune. The 4Runner now drives like it should have originally from the factory imho.

 

That's high on my to-do list.

 

Good to know! I have had tunes on my other vehicles including my Hayabusa and Toyota Fortuner and there is always a give and take with these no matter what the tuner says. Do they give you limited access to the software to change the tune intensity at home via a PC/USB or do you have to get another appointment with them to change the tune settings?
But, I am going to see if I can find and drive a 4runner that has one of these in city before I commit. Plus, since my 4Runner has considerable miles, I am skeptical on making changes that would increase stress on the engine and other parts.

 

have you switched to premium or you stayed with regular gas?

 

If you're on the fence about getting the OTT tune, just do it! I recently had Paul at PNW Tuning in Portland, OR tune my 2017. It's a completely different vehicle now.

 

Premium

 

From what I understand, premium gives you the full potential of the tune while regular can still be used but is not as performance oriented. I wonder if the tune is still worth it one would stay with regular gas instead of premium?

Guessing the gear hunting would still be improved?

 

Yeah, even with regular gas you still get the better shifting and a bit of a bump in power as well as the throttle response.

 

Agreed, just the transmission improvements alone are worth it. It just makes it a better vehicle even on regular fuel so I’d recommend doing the update and enjoy driving your 4Runner.

 

for you guys mentioning the transmission, what were your problems prior to the tune that were improved?

 

Someone else will give a better answer, but:

Gear hunting when under load (highway/towing/climbing hills/passing).

 

Shift logic/programming is poor.

Upshifts aggressively before rpms are high enough to sustain current speed if you're on anything other than flat ground. If you live near mountains or tow anything, you have to use manual/limit mode (can't remember what it's called).

Lots of gear hunting at freeway speeds if anything other than perfectly calm, level conditions.

I'd imagine, like most things, it's driven by emissions constraints.

If the motor had more power, the aggressive/optimistic upshifting might work better. But in stock form, the truck falls on its face.

Jason

 

From the owners manual:


It's the rather poor "AI" programming of 'D' mode that sucks...all in the name of operating efficiency, if you're traveling on flat ground. For us in the mountains we're forced to use S mode all the time, even without towing anything. I'm glad I got the tune, pulling a 1500 pound trailer with another couple thousand pounds of construction supplies is no longer a problem...I do travel slower though but I'm okay with that.

 

interesting. So does the tune alter line pressures and duty cycles of the PWM solenoids? I wonder if it will help with the annoying TC shudder that seems to be pretty common with the A750.

 

I would also be curious if they increased line pressure but I doubt it. I got the tcu tune and have about 500 miles on it. seems to mostly just keep shifting more smooth, controlled and less erratic. Seems like it does not down shift as easily and until it really needs to. It does not shift any harder, leading me to believe no increases in line pressure, just changing shift points and torque values.

 

So far my transmission shifts through gears almost as smoothly as from factory set-up. The feeling is less 'cadillac' smooth when the TC locks but it's almost imperceptible unless you're really trying to find fault. I think the sensation I'm feeling has more to do with the increased pedal (throttle) response.

I've never had any shuddering issues with my transmission since day one, even after a trail ride or a looong hill climb in the deep of summer where my transmission temps reached a touch over 205ºF. I have changed the transmission fluid twice now so perhaps that has something to do with it?