Banks or EZ??????

[Richterno1]

Hi guys…. New to this site and just wanted to say great info. .

Here’s the info I’m looking for.



I currently have a 1998 Ram Diesel quad cab 4X4 auto with 3. 55 rears. I love this thing and was very happy till I added a 2002 ram diesel reg. cab 4x4 auto and 3. 55 rears. . but the 02 has so much more power than my 98 and is so much fun to drive.

What I want to do is add to my 98 to make it fun to drive. And not really sure how to go about to do this….



Was looking at the power edge ez box and comp ez???

Not to sure about the power edge. Adding so much power with out doing anything else to the motor. But you guys know a lot more than I do.



Or something from banks… Stinger TLC system

The banks comes with:

*Ram air filter

*OttoMind TLC +81hp 208 lb-ft torque

*Big head waste gate

*Dyaflow muffler 4" stainless

*Pyrometer

*Boost gage



I don’t want to go crazy on this truck I drive it around every day for work, and some times to loads up to 8,000 lbs some times more but not an every day thing…



I just want to make it fun to drive again,, later want to add a banks brake and modify the trany, but that’s after I figure this whole engine thing out…

Thanks So Much



Sorry forgot to add its a 24V

 

[Chipstien]

Welcome to the TDR. First start with guages. Then get a EZ and some DD2's or 3's and you will be happier than a pig in mud. BTW, is this a 12 valve or 24 valve. What I mentioned would be for a 24 valve. In 98 they had the 12 at the beginning of the year and went to the 24 valve mid-year. Good luck.

 

[HOSS]

What he said!

Add a set of gauges first (fuel pressure is a must) Then go with the EZ and a set of injectors. If you are worried about smoke and or EGT's I would go with DDII's (a LOT of guys will say different this is just my personal opinion) You will love the power You may want to remove your muffler or add a four inch system also.

Be forewarned once the bug bites it is incurable so just let it happen it won't hurt... much

Good luck and enjoy the ride

 

[jwilliams3]

Go get the Edge Box either the EZ or Comp.



Banks stuff works, but you can get that power alot cheaper other ways which you will learn here on TDR.



--Justin

 

[Qualey]

I would avoid against the Banks products. Too pretty=too expensive. I've had a few problems with the "Power Pack" in my 99..... enough so that I ended up just taking the chip out entirely. I may send it back to Banks to see what they say, but I find them difficult to deal with. Much happier with my BD and VanAaken products. Also, I found the Banks exhaust to be obnoxious when under load. My '02 has a different system, and although its loud, it has a much better tone in my opinion.



Matt

 

[PeterT]

Matt Qualey,

What kinds of problems did you have? We'd like to try to resolve any issues that are related to our product. You can call our Technical Service Department at 888-839-2700 or you can e-mail me directly at -- email address removed --.

 

[Herman8r]

Rich--I have the Banks set up also. I too agree that the exhaust is loud around 2200 rpm. Power mods work great but as noted above--they are expensive--but they do work. Keep in mind--the auto trans (if that is what you have) is the weak link. I wasted my TC after I added HP. Trans can't take the added HP for long. Just keep that in mind when you do the mods.

 

[thekidfan]

First I'd like to say it's very nice of Peter to offer help and I hope he can. My personal experience is Banks products offer MUCH lower results then they claim and when you compare that with the MUCH higher price you're better off going in a different direction. Also in no way am I saying Banks products are bad or they suck, they seem to be high quality they just don't live up to the expectations they bring upon themselves. BTW I had there power pack kits on my 92 then tried it when I got my 97 and was very dissapointed so now my 98 will be shopping north of the border. Jeff

 

[Bigsaint]

I'd add a FP gauge first. If all is okay, then add a Edge EZ box. I would avoid a major fueling box and tapping the VP44 wire on the 98. 5, to avoid the loss of the pump. Just IMHO mind ya .



Scott W.

 

[tandemranch]

I'd like to concur with the comments on the Banks and the Transmission. These power upgrade WILL blow the transmission. Not to mention voiding any warranty that may exist. I put a Banks power pack on my 99 and the trans was gone within 8 weeks. The warranty was voided and your stuck in the middle, between Chrysler's opinion and Bank's opinion.

 

[thouse]

I can only say good things about Banks. You can get more power for less, but they stand behind what they sell. My cruise control would not keep a set speed when I towed a heavy load. I spoke with several people at Banks about it, and they built a modified Ottomind unit for me. They also shipped it to me next day air (no charge), so that I would have it for a trip that I was taking. The new unit solved the problem.

I should also mention that the unit was more than a year old when I noticed it. I had never tried the criuse when towing before.

 

[Herman8r]

BIG SAINT--did you have a VP44 pump go out?



Mine is on the edge. I called Banks to ask if the OTTO Mind could blow a pump. They said "no way". The Bosch repair facility states they see a lot of pumps fail due to the Banks Sys. Who to believe???

 

[RKohn]

"Too pretty=too expensive"

What's that all about? Obviously the Ottomind wasn't designed for looks, otherwise why would Banks design it to mount behind the dash instead of on top of it.



These guys all build good boxes. They all have an occaisional lemon. And nobody's absolutely perfect when it comes to customer support.



I'm impressed with the Blue Chip FMS's features, but the blue case don't go with my red truck. The high end TST looks cool, but I hate driving with digital gauges. Edge is ok looking, but not impressive. If I forgot to dis anybody else's box... . too bad. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.



I think smoke is a beautiful thing.

 

[Qualey]

"Too pretty=too expensive"

What's that all about?



It has nothing to do with the box design. I refer to the High Ram and all the other items in the Banks Kit. Looks cool, does nothing. I have had much better results with previous products and sent a reply to the individual from Banks who responded. In my opinion, the Power Pack does not deliver what it promises and my truck runs much better without it. Consider it constructive criticism for a company who feels that they make the best product on the market.



Matt

 

[speedracer]

Get some gauges(egt, boost, fuel pressure) and an ez. The ez wakes a stock truck up by a very noticeable amount, and should make it fun to drive again. The stock auto transmission wont take more than an ez or a small injector upgrade without lifespan shortening damage. If you've got some money to spend, you could upgrade the transmission(which a lot of people say makes a night and day difference), but it can be pretty pricey. If you did that you could add some big power. But if all you want is a moderate power boost to make it fun to drive again, an ez should do the trick.

 

[Bigsaint]

Herman8r, negative, my VP44 is doing fine to date. The reason I stated that was that I believe that it's easier on the pump to make the bulk of your HP with larger injectors and a EZ, rather than pushing the envelope with a high end box and small injectors. Others may disagree, I'm hardley an expert, just my opinion mind ya



Scott W.

 

[Herman8r]

Bigsaint--you suggest the EZ. Is this simular to the BANKS OTTO MIND? How does it hook up & function? I noticed on your profile that you have a TST power box. The BANKS rep. told me that TST is the builder for their product which on my truck. Could both of us have the same box??

 

[HVAC]

Lift Pump

Several concerns like to blame aftermarket mods for injection pump failure. It pains me to think that we have not drummed this point home, but if you have a bad lift pump your injection pump is going to croak with any mod that produces more fuel.



You folks that are asking about stuff hurting the VP44, what is your lift pump pressure? Have you checked it. Do you have a fuel press gauge in the cab?

 

[RKohn]

Nice pic Nowell..

Better get that camber tweeked. Coming down from those wheelstands is hard on the alignment.

 

[Bigsaint]

Herman, to be painfully honest, I know very little about Banks products and have no idea how the ottomind wires in. While I do have a TST PM3 Comp piggybacked to my EZ box, I very seldom use the TST and typically leave it set on "0". I like the EZ box as it's not pushing the VP44 beyond it's boundries (sp). Any box, such as my TST PM3, that taps into the injection pump wire is forcing the pump to work harder to provide more fuel. They way it was explained to me, by several that have attended Bosch certified classes, is that the VP44 is only mean't to pump X amount of fuel during it's lifespan. Any attempt to force the pump to work harder will shorten it's lifespan. Personally, I'd rather spend my money on something other than a new pump if I can do so while making the same RWHP. That's why I run the BD 5 injectors and the EZ box as a daily driver. I may be way off on this topic as I'm far from a Bosch tech. , but that's the route I chose for more ponies .



Scott W.