Tuners

Any suggestions on aftermarket tuners like a bully dog or an aftermarket chip? And do any of these really work like advertised? I have a TRD CAI and a TB spacer. Thanks

 

I represent and recommend YotaWerx Tuning

Chips tend to be more like sprint boosters and similar items: bandaids. You want an actual ECU reflash.

@TX210Tundra was one of our testers and having a 2008, he's got a model year very close to yours and so could give you a good idea of what he's experienced with us.

 

I’m going with overland tuning since I’ve already got the hptuner interface.

 

Great, thanks so much for the info, I will look into TX210Tundra for his feedback. Thanks again.

 

If your truck is supported by Bullydog you’ll get the best bang for the buck thst way. It gives you the ability to adjust certain parameters of your truck specifically how you like it.

any tuner is just tuning the surface of the truck not the deepest depths of the stock ecu. They’re all ‘generic.

 

What would entail "surface"? Because you could also easily make the argument that most if not all tune software options available do not delve into the deepest depths.

For the YW Tundra tune, I put my grubby fingers on a lot of tables for sure.

 

Your argument and mine are matching sir. Only the surface is being tuned on 100% of the solutions available for a tundra. That’s not meant to be a put down to any single company or device. It’s a fact of these trucks.

That’s why my advice to the OP is to choose which has the most options. That’s Bullydog. If his truck is not supported by Bullydog then to choose a tuner (the person not device) that he likes, to change his truck to drive how he wants it to.

 

Guess I’m still confused by what you are saying. What other parameters does bullydog do that I can’t with hp? I just tried searching their site but all that comes up for my year truck is a throttle booster.

 

I’m not saying Bullydog supports parameters of your truck which hptuners does not support. To the contrary, they both support the same thing.

the difference between Bullydog and Hp tuners:

Bullydog offers several options for each of the parameters of your truck which are changeable. Such as: throttle pedal feel, shifting, tune/octane, speed governor.

Hptuners does not offer one single tune for any of these parameters. They offer the tool for an independent tuner to change said parameters.

When you get a tune from one of the independent shops using hptuners, you get that tune. That one single tune. With the parameters they’ve changed, their way. That’s it. You don’t have a device which can customize or change those parameters to your liking. THEY could, but you can’t. Not a put down, but a fact. You better like how they tuned your truck, if you don’t THEY can change it, not you.

with a Bullydog you can make said changes with one of several choices for each parameter. Choices are good. Less choices are less good. Bullydog only supports up to 17’. If your truck is newer than this then the only choice for a tuner is an independent shop. Which is still a great choice. But it puts the ability to change your options in their hands, not yours.

 

I personally have tried Bully Dog while it is the least expensive and requires minimal hands-on from the user produced minimal results for me and my setup. I attempted DAP which had no customer support and ultimately led me into the direction of Orange Virus Tuning utilizing VF Tuner. While VFT is about double the price you do get the results that can be felt and enhanced continuously through various tunes. I have since moved away from Orange Virus Tuning like most but kept VFTuner having already paid the price of admission. Currently working with Yotawerx tuning with great results and even better support that exceeded expectations which holds its weight among others.





If you plan to keep the truck and or Toyota in general it's hard to beat VF Tuner but also hear great things about HPT. Don't let the complexities detour you as it's not too bad once you dig in.

 

Ah. Now I understand. I still prefer my tune because it’s for my truck. Not a tune based off of a 100 other trucks. And if any tuner is worth their salt, they’ll go through a few rounds of tunes to get the truck dialed in to what you want. Not a knock on bullydog, they make good products. Just my thoughts on the matter.

I do wish there was more info on tuning for these trucks like there are the other three brands but it is what it is. I like to tinker with my tunes and adjust things because that’s just who I am.