In March 2022, I was smiling ear to ear as I drove away from the local Toyota dealership with my brand-new Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road. With less than 100 miles on the odometer and a full gas tank, I felt as if I could go anywhere. I bought the Toyota Tacoma for many reasons, but the top factors were its renowned reliability, off-road capability, and picture-perfect aesthetics.
I promised to keep the truck completely stock for the first year at a minimum – I wanted to test out the capability of my dream truck and since I was in love with the look, why change it? A few months passed, my mind changed, and I decided it was time to go down the mods rabbit hole.
In a relatively short amount of time, I discovered two main complaints with the Tacoma: engine performance and fuel economy.
On and off-road, the Tacoma handled very well. Acceleration was slow, and the shifting wasn’t smooth, though. For example, if I lightly accelerated from 2,500 to 3,000 RPM, fuel economy would drop to 10-12 MPG. The old-school 6-speed transmission also constantly hunted for gears. I tried out a Ranger to compare, and yes, its transmission is smoother and faster than the 2022 Tacoma.
So, it was time to do something to remedy these shortcomings of an otherwise perfect truck.
Note: CVC Tune is only compatible with Automatic Transmissions.
Table Of Contents
Is The V6 Powerful Enough?
Toyota offers a wide selection of engine and trim level packages for the Tacoma. The experience I am sharing is based on my 2022 Tacoma TRD Off-Road with a V6 engine and automatic trans.
Previously, I owned a 2021 Tacoma SR5 Pre-runner (2WD) with a V6. That truck averages roughly 21-22 MPG on a relatively flat freeway when driving 65 MPH. With my completely stock 2022 Tacoma, I was averaging 15-16 MPG under the same conditions.
I still can’t quite comprehend why a mid-size pickup truck gets equal or worse gas mileage compared to many full-sized pickup trucks. After doing a bit of research, I found two options to improve the engine performance of my Tacoma…
- Pedal Commander – A plug-and-play modification that manipulates your throttle response.
- ECU tune – This changes the mapping of the engine’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU), a computer that manages your vehicle’s systems and engine performance.
CVC Tuning
CVC Tuning has developed an ECU tune that is safe and effective. It improves fuel economy, throttle response, and increases power.
Chan, the owner of CVC Tuning, offers mobile tuning across multiple States (California & Las Vegas). If you are interested in tuning your truck on your own, you can buy his files and the necessary equipment including the cable, and vF Tuner software. CVC provided excellent customer service and they made sure to answer all of the questions I threw at them. They even went as far as to offer me free updates for my tune!
I decided to go with an ECU tune because this option could help solve both of my problems with one modification. However, I was a bit nervous at first because I bought the Tacoma for its reliability – what if something went wrong? I didn’t want to risk losing the reliability so many Toyota engineers worked hard to create.
With some time, I gained reassurance through more research and reading reviews. I also had friends who recommended it, so that was a huge help.
Final Thoughts
I have driven my Tacoma for nearly 35,000 miles over the last 2 years with the CVC for 87 octane gas. After my fair share of testing, I am confident in saying that this is a safe modification, and well worth it. Not only has my fuel economy increased by nearly 2 MPG, but acceleration and gear shifting also improved.
My main concern was the possibility of negative side effects. I use my truck as a daily vehicle for work and also on the weekends for play. The CVC tune has proved to be reliable and safe through freeways, rocky roads, and up and down many winding mountains. The gear hunting has been greatly reduced and shifting feels way more in sync. No more swapping to the manual shift position to make it up inclines!
Overall, I strongly recommend considering an ECU tune. The performance improvements are well worth the cost. However, make sure you do your research and find a reputable business, as not all tunes are created equal. If these aren’t done correctly, it can be detrimental to your truck.
I read your article with some interest. You noted what many people have about lack of power and poor shifting auto trans. As for me, I don’t get it. I have a 2018 TRD Sport 4×4. Pure stock with 60k on the odometer. Granted, I live in OH where the terrain is pretty flat, and I don’t go off-road other than the occasional dirt road. But I have never got less than 20 mpg. Typical steady state highway gets me 22-23 at 75-80 mph. If the truck in the pictures is yours, I see a lift kit, big tires and… Read more »
Dave, I know EXACTLY what you mean haha. Many owners have never driven a 150-horsepower Toyota truck from the 90s! The expectations have been raised way too high, or at least influenced by a new market for tuning products. A stock Tacoma is a little rocket, does great in all conditions, has good overall MPG, and is insanely reliable. That said… I do still see a benefit for tunes (and even throttle controllers). There is a bit of a dead spot in the low-mid RPM range, especially if the transmission doesn’t drop a gear in time, or just doesn’t drop… Read more »