What is Colorado Toyota Tuning?
• Colorado Toyota Tuning LLC was founded in 2021 by Adam who has always been a Toyota enthusiast himself (owned a first gen Tacoma, now in a 3rd Gen Tacoma).
• Currently Adam his best friend Ryan (who was a mechanic, and drives a Prius!) work together to keep things running seamlessly.
• We are the only authorized OTT Tuners on the Front Range in Colorado providing calibrations for Toyota’s (and some Lexus) vehicles
Where is Colorado Toyota Tuning? Where does tuning take place?
• Colorado Toyota Tuning operates out of Denver Monday-Saturday- our address is:
1520 Saint Paul St., Denver CO 80206
• Upon booking, detailed instructions with the address will be provided in a confirmation email. We don’t have a big formal "shop”- please just shoot us a text when you’re outside per the instructions and we’ll be right out to you
• If a group is gathered with interest from at least 5 interested parties, we will travel to you. This will require advanced scheduling and coordination.
• We do occasionally make trips to Colorado Springs and Fort Collins and will post on social media when a trip is scheduled. However, if you’d like the tune ASAP, it is fastest to come to us. You can also reach out via email and request us to add you to our email list to reach out to when we do have an event in your area- we will never spam you with emails, only when we are hosting an OTT Tuning event
What are the benefits of the tune?
• Additional low and mid range torque. Many Toyotas feel underpowered from the factory, and the tune puts torque and HP right back into the range where we drive the most (in lower/mid RPM’s, though there is increase everywhere).
• Throttle response. On the stock tune, it's like the truck sits and thinks for a moment after you press the gas before it goes. Even then, it takes forever to get up to speed. With OTT, the truck responds immediately. Throttle response is actually linear with the tune as opposed to unpredictable.
• Reduced gear hunting and smoother shifts (or if you have a manual, reduced rev hang and smoother, tighter shift/clutch). Gear hunting (especially in the 3rd gen Tacoma’s) drives everyone insane, rightfully so. With the extra torque of OTT, the truck can now utilize a wider RPM range to maintain gears.
What are my options for throttle response?
• We offer 4 settings for throttle response: Light, Mild, Medium, and Spicy.
• If your vehicle has an ECT button, by default the tune will step up one throttle setting (if you go with light, with ECT on throttle will be one level higher and set at Mild). If your vehicle doesn’t have an ECT button, you will be able to chose one setting from above and see if it is the right setting for you.
• Typically if your vehicle is more of a stock setup, the light setting will be plenty as it is already much more responsive than the stock/factory tune. If you have large tires you may want to step up to mild/medium ECT. Typically medium/spicy will be too much for many people but if you enjoy a twitchy pedal feel it may be right for you (it is highly recommended to go lower on throttle with a stock truck).
• The higher settings can be enticing, but we actually recommend keeping it in the lower end. If the throttle is too high for your set up then things like stop-and-go traffic are no fun, and no one wants to constantly spin tires in the winter. So keep it a step lower for daily driving, but use ECT liberally! It's the fun button that ramps your throttle settings up to the next level.
What if I need to change throttle setting or retune at a later date (for gears, etc.)?
• Adjustments to the tune you got are free if you have OTT already- please email us to request a booking link for the free retune
• If you are on a different tune, it is full price to switch to OTT. However, if you are a past client of ours, we have a coupon (please reach out to us for it so we can verify)
• If you were tuned on OTT before 1/1/2024 and require a CARB sticker/paperwork and registration, there is a $50 update charge- please email us to request a booking link for this
What octane do I need to use?
• The tune is “octane learning”, so you can use whatever octane/gas you normally do (even 85), though your vehicle will run better with higher octane, especially with the tune
• You will see the most benefits from the tune running higher octane from a top-tier gas station (we do recommend avoiding sam’s club and Costco due to it being hit or miss)
• Most Toyota’s have relatively high compression ratios, so they knock far less with higher quality gas like 87 and up (with and without the tune)
Will my cruise control (or radar cruise control) be better too?
• Regular cruise control (non-radar cruise) has the same shift schedule as the tune—the difference is how the ECU uses the throttle. It is very aggressive in it's application of throttle to maintain speed so it's not "perfect”, and not as smooth as feathering the throttle yourself on hills etc., but it is still better than stock by a good margin
• We can’t access the radar cruise control maps— the tune will not change these settings
• For us, if it’s a big grade we’re going up/if we’re loaded with a bunch of weight we just flip off cruise for that short stretch and it will hold gears a lot better than stock, then flip it back on after we’ve climbed it
What's the process?
• Please disconnect anything that is plugged into the OBD before your appointment. If you have a remote start that plugs into the stock OBD, please temporarily disconnect it and make us aware where the stock OBD is. We also recommend disconnecting any throttle devices such as pedal commanders etc. before tuning as most people end up selling them (if you don’t want to disconnect it, turning it off by cycling the power on it till no LED lights are showing is fine too)
• We will read your ECU and see if you are on the latest software from Toyota
• If your vehicle isn’t on the latest software, we will update the ECU with the latest software from Toyota and then proceed with the tune.
• We will discuss what we think the best throttle option is for you based on your setup, and your use and needs. You will have the option to chose a throttle response setting that works for you (see above section). You aren’t locked in to this setting though- if you feel like it’s too much/not enough throttle after test driving it initially or even after letting it settle, it is free to adjust it for you- just let us know!
How long does it take?
Overland Tailor Tune (most situations)
• You can expect the process to take between 15-20 minutes (depending on if you need an ECU update first). Sometimes it’s as quick as 5 minutes to flash the tune for newer vehicles. We encourage you to take it for a test drive to see if the throttle setting is right for you, but are also welcome to come back at a later time once you get a better feel for it for free if you need an adjustment.
Overland Tailor Custom Tune with Data Logging for Forced Induction
• You can expect the entire process to take roughly 1 hour (though sometimes more or less depending on if we need multiple log reviews/retunes)
Can my vehicle be tuned back to stock?
• Yes, which is free if you are on OTT, though no one has ever wanted to!
• If you are on another tune that hasn’t been done by us there is a $150 fee
Why should I get OTT?
• We appreciate that OTT has spent the time, money, and effort to create a complete dyno catalog for every model they support. They don't rely on the "butt dyno" for confirmation bias. The tunes are refined on the dyno, which ensures performance gains that accompany real world driveability, and are monitored for reliability (knock values/KCLV,, etc.). Other tunes have been shown to make less Torque and Horsepower than stock through manipulated dyno data.
Should I get an aftermarket Cold Air Intake?
• We recommend avoiding an aftermarket cold air intake or aftermarket filter all together. Almost every single aftermarket cold air intake we have logged (across all Toyota platforms) has thrown off AFR (air to fuel ratio) significantly, and usually results in the truck running very lean (or rich) even on the stock tune. Most of them also reduce TQ/HP contrary to their marketing. This is especially true with Tundra’s.
• The only aftermarket CAI we recommend is the TRD/Toyota version, but even that actually skews things slightly (though not as much). The stock CAI outperforms all of them in terms of power as well as reliability, so we personally recommend leaving it.
Will this void my warranty?
• We make no guarantees or promises that tuning will uphold your vehicle's warranty, however, many of customers across the US have had their trucks at their local dealership with no warranty problems or issues, and dealerships have referred clients to us. Please use your best discretion when considering tuning your vehicle.
My vehicle isn’t supported yet- will it be?
• We can’t control what ECU’s are supported, and all the vehicles currently available are listed on our appointments. However, more vehicles are constantly being added. If you’d like to stay current when a new vehicle is supported, you can follow us on our Instagram or Facebook for announcements, or shoot us an email with what vehicle you’d like to see supported in the future so we can add you to our list to reach out to if/when it becomes available.
Will this work with Pedal Commander?
• While most customers haven’t had issue, it is not recommended. Customers feel that the tune addresses all the issues of why they got a pedal commander in the first place, plus many other benefits that the pedal commander doesn’t address.
• The tune is a fully realized solution that addresses all of the Tacoma's driveability issues. The pedal commander addresses one issue (laggy throttle) and it doesn’t do so in an effective way- it only tricks the angle of the throttle curve and is quite rough.
*Do not use ECT power with the tune and pedal commander installed. Though rare, people have reported the pedal commander will trigger limp mode in conjunction with ECT on and a tune installed (particularly with higher throttle settings on the tune). This can easily be cleared via a code reader or through disconnecting the battery.
Methods of payment?
• Debit or Credit Card, or PayPal booked through the “appointments” tab
• We can also accept Venmo if you need a time outside our typical hours and wish to pay at time of appointment. Please reach out directly for scheduling if choosing this option.