Atlas 40 FICM Tune Review

[lifted03lariat]

Hey guys I know I'm new here, but I figured I would just throw a plug out there for PHP's Atlas 40 FICM tune and Ed @ FICMrepair.com. I just bought an Edge CTS so I could start monitoring my truck to see if I had anything wrong and sure enough I found out that my FICM was dying on me. I hadn't noticed any stiction or rough idling/running issues but my voltage would vary from as low as 25v to only as high as 38v and only once in a little bit would it hit over 45v. So I called Ed on a Monday and by Wednesday I got a rebuilt one in my hands and ready to put on the truck. I got the FICM rebuild with a one year warranty and PHP's Atlas 40 FICM tune.

I got the FICM installed on the truck and noticed that the truck started quicker than before and idled smoother as well. I also noticed better throttle response and more low end grunt. I have to say that I was very skeptical with paying for this tune as I wasn't sure if I would get anything out of it but sure enough I did. Now I haven't driven quite enough to get complete hand calculated fuel mileage gains but my lie-o-meter has gone up from 12.5-13 mpg to over 16 mpg (still going up) and it is taking longer for the needle to reach certain levels. I do drive the truck quite a bit but I have a 36 gallon tank so I dont always run it to empty before refilling it but I do fill it to the cap everytime and its like I can go an extra 10-15 miles before I hit the quarter tank mark. I have to say I am very happy with my purchase and would recommend it to anyone if they are in need of replacing their FICM.

[Thunderpimp]

Good to hear- My PHP tuner is scheduled to arrive tomorrow- I was looking to address the lack of initial torque the truck seems to have (I came form a 5.9 programmed commonrail dodge) and the MPG and smoother idle are bonuses. From the dyno spreadsheets it looks like the FICM recalibrations compliment the PCM reflashes.

greg

[strokedoutlaw]

I got the same thing and it just wakes the thing up, even pulling is way better and easier

[Thunderpimp]

good to hear as well- I pulled my bumper-pull 6500 pound camper and wasn't impressed with the effort it took to go 70mph on flat ground, much less the angry downshifts on even the slightest grade...

[2006PSDSD]

Originally Posted by Thunderpimp

good to hear as well- I pulled my bumper-pull 6500 pound camper and wasn't impressed with the effort it took to go 70mph on flat ground, much less the angry downshifts on even the slightest grade...

You're not impressed with the way the Atlas 40 pulls?

I concur . My 5th wheel weighs in at around 7500 wet, and my truck just doesn't like pulling it. EGT's are too high because the truck is struggling to pull that little camper up a grade, and it feels like the tires are all lat on the camper . Granted the EGT's get so high at about half throttle, that's as far as I can go on that pedal, so there is more power there, but now that I have this tune on the FICM, I can't go back to stock without getting a new one

[Rattlesnake18]

I've been waiting to see some feedback on the Atlas 40 tune.

[Thunderpimp]

No, I am stock at the moment. I was looking forward to a little more grunt to pull with...

The 40 is pushing your EGT numbers to unacceptable levels? Bad news.

I just wanna pull my camper and not have the truck act like it's gonna spit it's guts out onto the highway.. Sheesh I see 1/2 ton ecoboosts pulling better than me it seems....

[2006PSDSD]

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake18

I've been waiting to see some feedback on the Atlas 40 tune.

I don't know if that's the tune Bill put on there, because he never told me which one he used, but that's my guess, because I went up there to have him live tune my truck for towing.

Originally Posted by Thunderpimp

No, I am stock at the moment. I was looking forward to a little more grunt to pull with...

The 40 is pushing your EGT numbers to unacceptable levels? Bad news.

I just wanna pull my camper and not have the truck act like it's gonna spit it's guts out onto the highway.. Sheesh I see 1/2 ton ecoboosts pulling better than me it seems....

Read what I said to Rattlesnake. Maybe you have another issue, like a sticking EGR valve, or sticky turbo vanes, or a dying FICM. 6500 pounds isn't anything for your truck. Where are you at?

[Rattlesnake18]

Originally Posted by 2006PSDSD

I don't know if that's the tune Bill put on there, because he never told me which one he used, but that's my guess, because I went up there to have him live tune my truck for towing.

I am still curious about what exactly he put on your truck. I hadn't heard about the Atlas tune at the time that you had him tune your truck and I have heard a lot of good things about the Atlas 40 as of late which is different than the experiences that you are having.

[2006PSDSD]

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake18

I am still curious about what exactly he put on your truck. I hadn't heard about the Atlas tune at the time that you had him tune your truck and I have heard a lot of good things about the Atlas 40 as of late which is different than the experiences that you are having.

Well, he's not responding to my emails.... so I can't find out for sure