Banks brake?? Where's the beef??

[LarryB]

FWIW

I was just looking at the Banks ad in issue 35 for their brake. I'm not sure I can swallow the hype. If this brake adds "15 or more hp" because the butterfly is 8" downstream then my 4" downpipe and remote 4" BD brake must add about 50hp.



Are they saying that waste gate flow restriction on the butterfly can caues power loss? Are they saying that the swirling exhaust gas stops swirling after traveling an additional 8" down the pipe? Looks like it, according to their cool drawings. Wow, I didn't know there was enough boundry layer drag in the pipe to stop the swirl in 8".



My thinking is that Banks is doing a really good job of marketing a questionable theory. I am sure impressed with their adds. Big, high quality, expensive and lots of them. Top quality materials and lots of extra do-dads in their packaging too. Prices are nice and high to provide fat margins. I wonder who pays for all that? Could it be the customer paying a higher price for a product that does the same thing as less expensive competing items.



JMO

Banks! Impressively run business, not so impressive products.

 

[Ramboy]

I can do without the extra horsepower to get a different brand at half their price.

 

[SStokes]

Does anybody have one yet?

I've been trying to decide which kind to buy for months. It takes me forever to make up my mind. Then I started to see all the Bank's hype. I had about decided pacbrake or Jacobs. Probably will end up with one of these, but I'd like to hear from somebody who bought the Banks. But it will have to be a he\\ of a story for the price difference. Anybody have one yet?

 

[Briar Hopper]

Gotta check out BD Power's BD Brake. The bearings in the pivots of the butterfly valve are just one excellent feature that sets it apart from the rest.

 

[forr]

Ok, so I believed the advertisement hype just long enough from issue 33 (see page 20 for the details/claims) to call Banks and ask for the info and a price (since the website didn't have the brake on spec list). Guess what I got????



Anyone care to gamble a bit... ?



Well, at the time the brake wasn't even in production for retail(but evidently it was Ok to advertise for '94-'01 Dodge pickups - you just couldn't buy one) and I would need to wait. So they sent me performance upgrade kit literature for my H. O. That would have been fine if I was interested in performance mod's from Banks, but I wasn't.



This month I received the literature on the brake. Throughout the package it tells you to reference the technical/testing data sheets attached. I guess it was, AGAIN, ok to send me the sales pitch but conveniently leave out the hard data - the testing reports that just might support the horsepower claims. I threw it in the burn pile, where it now resides with the ashes of other assorted #%$@.



From all that I've read here on the TDR site, I'm thinking BD or Jacobs might just be the cats meow

Does anyone have a supplier for BD exaust brakes in the Midatlantic area (MD,PA, DE, NJ)????Oo.

 

[illflem]

Probably need to go to another site to find someone who has installed a Banks brake. Folks here seem to enjoy needlessly flaming Banks. A guy might be embarrassed to say he bought on this on this site...



If I didn't already have a B-D, which is great, I'd probably go for a Banks, I like the high quality of their products.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

In alphabetical order, BD and Pac seem to be the most popular exhaust brakes and both are proven products. In the interest of more complete information/the other side of the story, ask BD for their dyno results and brochures on exhaust brakes. They have data that seem to indicate that the traditional elbow position they and Pac use is quite satisfactory. Once you have read about the good features of each brand, you can make a better decision.

 

[azcummins]

I bought from BD twice and they screwed me over both times. I shudder when I see those two letters next to one another.

 

[LarryB]

I'll have to agree with you Bill, every Banks item I have seen, every ad, every package has been top notch. I just have a problem with buying a $10,000 Rolex when a $200 Seiko does every bit as good a job for me. I'm not flaming Banks or their products, at least that's not my intention. I'm just saying I think if you buy Banks you pay more for nothing. The added horsepower of the exhaust brake makes me really wonder about this.



Larry

 

[QRTRHRS]

Been thinking about the price on the Banks brake or is that projected price? I don't recall the exact figures but I think you could buy a Pac or a BD, some injectors and maybe a few more goodies for the same price. Maybe come out with more than ~15HP?

 

[bschmidt]

Yes Yes... I have the Banks Brake!!!! I'm new to the diesel scene but knew I wanted an Exhaust brake on the rig ASAP... and I rushed into buying the Banks because of all the hype! Well Well, once I recieved it I was impressed with the build quality, etc... then came the installation. Once everyting was all hooked up I gave her a try and nothing!!! After a headache and about 15 minutes of troubleshooting I found Banks supplied me with a faulty connecter on their wiring!!! OK!!! So now it works but what the heck is that horrible horrible whistling coming out of my exhaust???? The bottomline is that the brake really does "brake" well, especially with a load and at higher RPM's... but I haven't had the other brakes to be able to tell you how it compares, although a reliable source who had both the Banks and Pac claimed the Pac was better at low RPM's!!! But just the sound of the Brake "sssshhhhh" is really messing with my head, and I'm considering its replacement solely for this reason. Please tell me if other exhaust brakes sounds this way??? I would really like one that sounded somewhat similar to the real Jake brakes... I can wish can't I??? As far as the HP gain, I installed Jannetty's 4" exhaust at the same time as the brake so I don't know whats giving me the extra HP, but I'm willing to bet its the exhaust!!

Brandon

O' yes... the top of the brake has begun to rotate on me now... I called Banks and they said, "yeah it seems a lot are having that problem, we have no idea what it could be, but we'll let you know when we find out!!! Just keep rotating it back into correct position!!!" Thanks Gale! and sorry everyone for the long post!!! Just needed to vent a little!

 

[LarryB]

Mine hisses pretty good too at or close to idle. If I leave mine on at idle, someone will always ask me what the heck that noise is. I think it has a lot to do with the straight through muffler and large pipes. You won't get the big rig Jake sound from an exhaust brake I don't think. It sure is nice on long downhills pulling a load though. My last brake job was close to $2,000 so the e-brake is a sound(no pun intended) investment for me.

 

[whistleman]

Jacobs E-Brake

Have installed the Jacobs E-Brake, no problems, easy to install. Yes it does hiss when on at idle, dont think this is a problem.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I get the hiss at idle with my BD. Just exhaust pressure escaping. It has to go somewhere. You can take advantage of this pressure by the way to check for exhaust leaks between the engine and the e-brake. Just take some mildly soapy water and squirt it on the connections. Do it when it's cold though else you will get more steam than bubbles.

 

[PRout]

Dont get a hiss sound out of my BD. It does sound like a jake brake (except without the cracking sound the real ones make). The neighbors say it sounds like a firetruck slowing down to turn onto to our street. Stops great in the lower gears, not as strong as Id hoped for in the higher ones, but still very affective. Still had half the brake pads at 60k.

 

[LarryB]

ShortShift



I don't see any exhaust mods in your sig. Are you running stock pipe? Maybe that's why. How high a back pressure are you running on your brake? I have mine set at 45psi and it works good in the taller gears and great in the short gears.

 

[Blu-meanie]

Camping World has a decent price on Pacbrakes. Anybody know a better place? www.campingworld.com

 

[carson6]

hissing

My pac brake hisses @ idle but work's *****en @ hi r. p. m. ! As for bank's product's they worked fine for me and were installed in a clean manor. The bank's brake add's more h. p. if used in conjuntion with their down pipe($$)but so would any other!

 

[bschmidt]

Ummmm, Interesting??? I also heard of someone with a Jacobs that claimed to have no whistle and he doesn't have any exhaust modifications... is it the brake or the brake/performance exhaust combo??? Better work this through!!! Anyway, I realize I'm the only one to admit to owning the Banks Brake, but I'd really like to know if anyone else has had a problem with the top canister rotating!!! "you can secretly e'mail me if you don't want to post on here!!!"



Brandon

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by bschmidt

Ummmm, Interesting??? I also heard of someone with a Jacobs that claimed to have no whistle and he doesn't have any exhaust modifications... is it the brake or the brake/performance exhaust combo???

The Jacobs e-brake whistles at idle with the stock exhaust and with the 4" Jardine. See signature. You'd whistle, too, if you had a butterfly valve blocking your exhaust! :-laf



Rusty