Banks Performance

[pullya]

I have found very little information on this site regarding Banks equiptment. It is almost like Banks is a four letter word(no pun intended). I have had 2 previous trucks( 1999 and 2002) both with Banks equipment and I had very little trouble and the performance was as advertised. Now I have a 2004 1/2 and want to add a chip but I have not been able to get any feed back from people that have used the 6 pack. I know Banks stuff is more expensive than most but have y'all had that many problems????? Would like both positive and negative feed back.

 

[Mundgyver]

I do not use Banks Equipment because I felt that I could get more for my money else where and I built up in small stages with carefull thought to what mods I wanted and why. With that said though, I am not bad mouthing them either, just was not for me.



You are correct in your observation on Banks and this site. There are those that do not care for Banks. From what I have seen, it looks to be centered on customer care and service. Not having ever delt with them, I am unable to provide any first hand experience. There are others, that like them allot and use Banks faithfully without problems or complaints.



It would be interesting to see what the average profile of a Banks customer looks like for those that are happy with them against those that are not.



I guess I would be considered neutral for an opinion here

 

[Slicks]

I was really happy with my banks, I sold the truck (05 dually). If you are interested in the six gun, and speed loader pm me.

 

[JCleary]

I like the Banks hard parts, like the exhaust and intercooler.



The high-ram doesn't fit well on 3rd gens unless you have their intercooler, and there's no need for the wastegate actuator as the turbo doesn't produce cool air much above the stock pressures.



I'm not a fan of their electronics at all. They won't tell you about how much pressure they use, and their peak to peak gains aren't what's advertised. They advertise max gains, which is deceptive.



You can get an Edge EZ to produce as much as a six gun, or a Quadzilla Xzillaraider that will smash Banks' performance gains, for about half the price.



Or you can get an Edge w/ Attitude, with great performance, no pressure, built in gauges, and the similar safety features to Banks (except the temperature-sensitive fueling---stock below 170°) Plus you don't have to do any wiring, it's plug-and-play.



Basically, you don't get much bang for the buck with the Banks Marketing Machine products. Someone (customers) has to pay for all those shiny big ads and product literature.

 

[firemanram]

Banks

I am happy with mine . The only problem I had ,was it was causing the crankshaft sensor to go off. They have been very helpful to fix it. I always contact Jeff , he is the tech manager. I don't regret buying the system. PM me if you need his number.

 

[ohnoitsyu]

About a month ago, Banks had a booth at an offroad expo in Pomona, CA. I spoke with one of their in-house sales people. He gave me his card, and said to contact him with any questions I had. Well, I had a bunch of questions that I later thought about, and so I e-mailed him about a week after the show. No reply. Two weeks later (last week), I resent it to him. Still, no answer.



If Banks can't get back to me on some easy pre-sale questions, you can bet that I'm not going to trust them with any problems that come up after the sale. Good-bye Banks, hello someone else. I guess they don't like informed customers.



Lee

 

[Nightram]

Banks

As you can see by my signature, I use Banks equiptment, and I love it! It has worked great, I have never had any problems, it was easy to install, and I have complete confidence in the system!

 

[BigGunZ]

I can't speak for their electronics but had a Sidewinder system on my 7. 3L F250. The system worked flawlessly for the 10 years it was installed before trading to my Dodge. Back then (1992) there were few options for Diesel performance other than hardware.

 

[Parks]

ohnoitsyou,

Have you tried contacting Banks techline. Maybe the guy no longer works for Banks.

 

[MMeier]

Lots of companies nowadays don't !

 

[puebla]

Parks: I like Banks intercoolers for the Cummins engines. Are there any other companies out there that sell aftermarket intercoolers for ISB-HPCR engines that are worth their while?



I was not very happy having a plastic intercooler!

 

[pullya]

It seems that most of the complaints, at least so far, are service related and not performance or workmanship related. Thanks for the information so far. Still trying to decide between an Edge Juice and the Banks six gun. Don't need super horsepower or torque, just a little more power to continue to aggravate fords and chevys. Also don't want to destroy any stock parts.

 

[Bob4x4]

There was a case in recent history a local dealer intalled a Banks pkg on an 05. The engine got toasted and neither Banks nor D/c would help. The installing dealer had the customer sign a waiver before the install. Bottom line the customer had a very large bill for a reman engine. Let the buyer beware

Bob

 

[ohnoitsyu]

ohnoitsyou,

Have you tried contacting Banks techline. Maybe the guy no longer works for Banks.

I did not find a techline e-mail address on the company's web site (it could be there, but I didn't find it under "contact"). While it is possible that the guy is no longer there, I doubt that. I resent the e-mail again today to him and to -- email address removed -- including the link to this thread.



In the companies where I've worked, when someone leaves, there is still someone who checks the outgoing person's e-mails for a while, or forwards them to another address. After all, when someone leaves a company, that person's customers and contacts are not simply lost. That's poor business. If that were the case, then I'd hate to have a technical problem and have to work with someone to resolve it, worrying that the person may not be there the next day.



All of this is moot - he does work there. I just called to check. However, I want the answers in written form so I can better digest them. The sales guy's name is Bruce Bonfield.

 

[johncameron]

There was a case in recent history a local dealer intalled a Banks pkg on an 05. The engine got toasted and neither Banks nor D/c would help. The installing dealer had the customer sign a waiver before the install. Bottom line the customer had a very large bill for a reman engine. Let the buyer beware

Bob

If the same truck had a TST on it would TST flip the bill for a new engine?



"I am my own warrenty station"





My Big Hoss has worked flawlessly since installation. I am happy with it.

 

[MRosinski]

Get the edge, I had the 6gun w/spd loader on the 04'. Installing the edge takes 20 mins the first time, the 6 gun will take a couple of hours. Edge on level 2 will smoke the crap out of a six gun on lev 6 w/loader. The other nice thing bout the edge is that you can upgrade to the HOT ver. if you ever want for free. Thats 80 hp. for free. Oh and banks tech line take hours, there sales line is instant. Thats just my experiances.

 

[JCleary]

Get the edge, I had the 6gun w/spd loader on the 04'. Installing the edge takes 20 mins the first time, the 6 gun will take a couple of hours. Edge on level 2 will smoke the crap out of a six gun on lev 6 w/loader. The other nice thing bout the edge is that you can upgrade to the HOT ver. if you ever want for free. Thats 80 hp. for free. Oh and banks tech line take hours, there sales line is instant. Thats just my experiances.

Yes, the Edge is a superior product.



Additionally, if you're worried about your motor and warranty, the Edge Juice does not use fuel pressure on the 600/610 modules. Timing and duration only. (If you have a SO/HO, it uses some pressure, but not much)



Rail pressure relief valves and injectors are expensive. You may want to keep that in mind when purchasing your module.



Another nice option is the Bully Dog Triple Dog. Smoooooooth power, better mileage, and zero pressure in Tow and Performance modes. If you run in Extreme, it uses pressure, but the ECM won't commmand more pressure than the rail sensor can read (according to techs at Bully Dog). So this means your rail stays under 26k all the time, something that can't be said for the six-gun or most other pressure boxes.

 

[pullya]

Has any one had any problem with the transmission shifting weird when you are towing after you installed the Edge?

 

[RMalone]

I replaced a Six-gun with a TST, no TST isn't going to cover a smoked engine, turbo or anything else. But TST will tell you that and they tell you that DC will say no way also. Banks said (on the phone, when purchasing) that their electronics should in no way void the warranty. Riiigghhhht!



When I called Banks, it took 20sec to get someone willing to take my money, great, no problem. When I called Banks with a tech question I hung up after 20min on hold. TST had a tech guy on the phone within 2min, more than happy to answer questions. I have dealt with both companies and TST has by far better customer service.



All this said, the 6-gun worked just fine (with the exception of crank sensor codes). Pretty good power though it was touchy and seemed to defuel intermittently even though banks gauges were showing no condition that would require defueling. Perhaps the DTT electronics confused the banks and it thought the transmission was slipping, I dunno?



I can't speak for the edge products but the TST on level 3,3 would straight up spank the 6-gun w/speedloader on level 6. Remember the speedloader just adds some more pressure over the normal 6-gun.



I made a large puchase with banks and most of the equipment I bought is sitting on the work bench. If you like the stuff and want to spend the cash on Banks go for it, their products are certainly not junk. Please DO NOT buy Banks A-pillar cover it is by far the worst I have seen (60 cents worth of flimsy plastic that they charge 60 bucks for).

 

[Mundgyver]

Don't need super horsepower or torque, just a little more power to continue to aggravate fords and chevys.



Pullya,



I think this is just good old fashioned MANUVERING POWER Oo.