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Engine & DrivetrainDiscussions about the engine and drivetrain of your vehicle.
This is a discussion thread titled "Does your Tundra really "learn" how you drive?", within the Engine & Drivetrain forum, part of the Technical & Vehicle Assistance Forums category.
When I purchased my '05 Tundra I was told and I believe I read in the owners manual that the "computer brain" in your truck would "Learn" how you drove and that was one of the reasons they recommended a "break-in" period.
Fact or fiction?
If fact,
What "learning" is done and by what part?
I know the difference from my truck to my father-in-law's truck.
He drives much slower and his truck responds slowly, it also shifts lower in the RPM band than mine ever did even before I began my monster list of mods.
Mine however will willingly rev up.
The other thing I noticed was when I make a right turn in my truck, I used to (before the locker) brake before the turn and then accel through the turn. His does not do this, his is willing to coast through the turn.
I think what it learns is whether you are driving high speed, highway, or city and which one mostly of, also what your driving tendencies are.
The toyota tech that we both go to told me he had never driven a Tundra that accellerated the way mine did.
These are both exactly the same truck other than paint and interior color, we have exactly the same options on our trucks and they are the same year, they were even built within the same month and purchased on the same day, I don't think you can get a better test group than that...
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08 Silver Crewmax 5.7 4x4 SR5... ICON, CAMBURG, ALCAN, RBP, TOYO, ECLIPSE, SAVV, FOSGATE, KICKER, JL AUDIO, V-LEDS, PIAA, HELLA www.wheelersoffroad.com for all your suspension needs!!!
All I can say is that my truck seems to feel different after towing for an extended length of time, after the trailer is removed. Now, the real question is whether this is due to ME becoming used to the the feel of the truck with a trailer and then suddenly having the extra drag removed; or whether the TRUCK has adapted to the extra throttle response required to accelerate with the trailer load, and now suddenly has this extra drag removed.
I can't honestly say, but I think the throttle response does "learn" something while I am towing and then "unlearns" it after the trailer is removed. In my other tow vehicles I always had to let my foot adapt to the changing load and be extra agressive in the amount of pedal movement when pulling out from a dead stop or when approaching a hill. The Tundra seems to minimize the "extra" travel required. I just completed a 1250 mile tow from San Antonio Texas to the Dayton Ohio area.
All I can say is that my truck seems to feel different after towing for an extended length of time, after the trailer is removed. Now, the real question is whether this is due to ME becoming used to the the feel of the truck with a trailer and then suddenly having the extra drag removed; or whether the TRUCK has adapted to the extra throttle response required to accelerate with the trailer load, and now suddenly has this extra drag removed.
I can't honestly say, but I think the throttle response does "learn" something while I am towing and then "unlearns" it after the trailer is removed. In my other tow vehicles I always had to let my foot adapt to the changing load and be extra agressive in the amount of pedal movement when pulling out from a dead stop or when approaching a hill. The Tundra seems to minimize the "extra" travel required. I just completed a 1250 mile tow from San Antonio Texas to the Dayton Ohio area.
And i thought i was going crazy after hauling a land cruiser, camping gear, beer, etc to and from Pismo Beach last week. It sure seemed the truck had more power after i un hooked everything and drive the truck the next day.
Wow! I had no idea the Tundra ECU was capable of doing this. Is this legitimate? Can anyone actually confirm this with Toyota information? I must say that I'm not a believer of this Tundra "brain" idea. Sorry.
- Max
__________________ 2004 Tundra Double Cab SR5
Mods: Extang Platnum Tonneau Cover, Cobra 11 Band Radar Detector, Three 6.5" TangBand Subwoofers powered by a JBL 150.1 amp.
Yes the truck does "learn" your driving patterns - if you do a search on this forum you'll find several discussions relating to the ECU in terms of mapping of fuel/air mix and mapping of RPM/shift ranges. This is one of the things they had to study too while developing the Unichip for the Tundra - to see how that ECU adapts itself to your driving habits during the "break-in" period.
The ecu does learn to adjust to your driving habits. Mine hold the rpm higher, I almost have to let off to get it to upshift when I reach a speed I want. I tow alot too so that's why the ecu has to learn to hold the revs up until I let off. This makes it feel stronger but it doesn't actually give you more power, just more responsiveness.
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When I purchased my '05 Tundra I was told and I believe I read in the owners manual that the "computer brain" in your truck would "Learn" how you drove and that was one of the reasons they recommended a "break-in" period.
Fact or fiction?
If fact,
What "learning" is done and by what part?
Hey, since our Tundras seem to have basic learning/programming capabilities, is there anything about them having a "black box?" I know some GM models have black boxes that record data, does Toyota do the same thing?
You can bet on it, different boxes record different data. I learned from another website that the airbag "black box" PERMANENTLY records certain parameters surrounding significant events - even if the event is not large enough to set-off the airbag. This information is not erasable, ever. I was involved in an accident where the other vehicle was a 2003 Camry and am now being sued. My attorney is looking at obtaining this data from the other car. I believe it does involve getting a court order to have a dealer download and decode the information.
I also am under the impression that the engine control computer always has something like the last 30 seconds of data stored in it, but that this information is erasable.
You can bet on it, different boxes record different data. I learned from another website that the airbag "black box" PERMANENTLY records certain parameters surrounding significant events - even if the event is not large enough to set-off the airbag. This information is not erasable, ever. I was involved in an accident where the other vehicle was a 2003 Camry and am now being sued. My attorney is looking at obtaining this data from the other car. I believe it does involve getting a court order to have a dealer download and decode the information.
I also am under the impression that the engine control computer always has something like the last 30 seconds of data stored in it, but that this information is erasable.
OUCH!
Good luck, especially if you were in the wrong (not saying you are). I had a small "incident" where some idjit in a Cavalier stopped suddenly ahead of me and I had to slam on my brakes, and still ended up tapping her (about 5MPH impact or less). No damage to my truck, but she had a dent on her bumper (which didn't match where I hit her car). She tried to say she was hurt, and there was extensive damage to her vehicle. She lied. In a nutshell my insurance told her to take a hike, or they'd go after her for insurance fraud.
Get this, the lady even drove by where I lived, stopped and looked at the house, and even came to a yard sale my family was having! I didn't say anything to her at the time, because I was leaving to deliver an entertainment center. I of course provided this information to my insurance company when they asked me about "my side."
Sorry, just had to ramble there.
Yes, it is amazing how "smart" some vehicles are. I keep thinking that sometime when I'm talking to my truck (yes, I talk to my vehicles. Doesn't everybody?) that it will start talking back. Especially after I start chewing it out for "farting" in my face. Dang catalytic converters burning off excess waste in the fuel!
I think I read on here somewhere that you can also disconnect your battery for about an hour and the ECU will reset and learn again. On my wifes Lexus they actually had to reset the ECU for another reason and he told me about people noticing their cars had more pep. Around here it's common to be stuck in traffic anytime between 5am and 10 and again at 2:30pm to 8:00pm. When they reset her ECU they had to "reboot" it and upload the baseline data again.
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2006 Tundra V8 Salsa Red Pearl Dbl Cab, Limited 4x4, Leather Interior w/ Htd Captain Chairs, SRS Side Curtain Airbags, Moonroof, All weather guard, DRL's, LSD, Rear Audio, Overhead Console, Touch Screen DVD Navigation, Line-X, Husky Liners, VSE Bazooka Sub, Retrax Bed Cover.
Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought him back.
Does your Tundra really "learn" how you drive?
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