banks

[ADelagrange]

what is everyones thoughts on banks or bullydog

 

[MStrain]

I have the Six Gun with speedloader, I use the knob to adjust the power levels, I don't use a PDA and just figured it would be another gizmo for me to break, also I just like the simplicity of a small knob, oh yeah it also adds about $500 to the price of the six gun. It seems that alot of guys on here have something against Banks but I really like it, I originally installed the Edge EZ module but got rid of it because I think it is a POS, the power gain was not worth the $400 and my engine did not sound smooth, I could make out a knocking/rattle sound from 1600 to 2000 rpm that was not there when stock.

With the six gun, my engine runs smoooth at every power setting and the power gain is really good, I don't blow out alot of smoke under acceleration which is good since all the black smoke is unburnt fuel, also the build quality of the banks is first rate, the EZ module was a chintzy plastic box and the Banks is like a solid piece of billet. I can't compare the Bully Dog but I have not heard anything too great about it, the Bully Dog downloads different programming to your computer and the banks plugs into the timing sensors and fuel rail, it also plugs into the OBD II port but Banks told me that it only monitors things and does not alter the factory computer program, also the wiring harness made it super easy to install the EGT gauge in the cab. Hope this helps.

 

[DMcPherson]

depends, how much power are you looking for? if you want a good amount of power, I would go here www.tstproducts.com

 

[Bodie]

Bully dog makes some great downloaders for these trucks, but I wouldnt put Banks on my kids powerwheels... ... wel yeah I would, so he couldnt go fast enough to hurt himself. :-laf



JK, Banks does its job..... "safe power"

 

[DJamrose]

i have the edge juice with attitude best upgrade for the money ididn't buy it just for performance i also bought it for customer support i,ve had it for three years now and like all electronics there is always updates that come out edge never questions it just send them the juice they upgrade for free and send it back to you. now you have the latest software for the the original cost beautiful Oo.

 

[1965LONEWOLF]

i had the 6 gun banks setup , ran ok , but i sold it and bought the tst box setup and i am so much happier , alot more power and you have the room to grow with it as you do more mod's to your truck :-laf

 

[UP N MTNS]

I have the Banks Power Pack on my 01.



Alot of guys here seem to really bash Banks?



I see alot of posts asking about updates or how to reset there box name. Or posting that there truck is doing something strange since they downloaded a programmer into there truck.

I'm not saying Banks stuff is perfect but in my experience I have not had to worry about reliability,EGT's or being stuck on the side of the highway. Thats a good thing in my book.



I'm well aware that I'm not going to get anywhere near the power out of the Banks stuff that some of these guys are getting out of there box(s),but that's ok with me. I have other really fast toys for that kinda stuff



I dynoed the truck a few weeks ago and its putting out 269. 7 HP and 506. 0 Trq,not to bad for my old pretty much stock truck with 97K miles IMO.



Just my two cents.



Dont beat me up to much guys. . LOL Flame suit on

 

[DMcPherson]

my problem with banks is not their quality by all means, its their advertising and price. for the money you can get much better performance. hs anyone really read their adds, they make no sense. aparently they make more power than anyone but in all the tests I see I cant see that to be true.

if you are looking for something mild then go for it, but for the money you can get more.

 

[dtrevathan]

I had a Banks 6 Gun for just less than 3 years. It started setting codes (P0193, P0336 and P0341). So I called Banks and got a hard time from them about where I bought the unit. After a long conversation, I finally convinced them that it was an authorized dealer but my warranty had expired. They gave me a return authorization and I mailed it back to them along with a $10 check to ship it back. After 2 weeks I got it back with nothing but a sticky note on it that said “failed”. I called Banks and they informed me it did not work and it would need replaced. They said they could replace it for $699. 00. I don’t know about you but I think $700 for a 3 year life span in out of reason.

 

[johncameron]

Personally owning banks and a smarty I'd go for the Smarty first especially on a HPCR enging. I bought my Big Hoss used and it has performed flawlessly for 4 years now.



I had it re-flashed by banks and they only charged me return shipping. Quite reasonable I'd say.



John

 

[PeterT]

dtrevathan,

I am looking into your situation and I may be able to help. I sent you a PM.



Peter Treydte

Banks Power

 

[DerekW]

I installed a Banks 6 gun with speedloader option. I experienced alot of problems since install around 6-15-06. out of the the time period I had the Banks on my truck it worked 40% of the time and never when I needed it. I finally had enough a week or so ago and removed it. I bought a PPE and a TST last week. The PPE arrived yesturday, I tried installing the PPE Hot Xccellerator last night and the PPE froze up (i think) after 2. 5 hours of waiting and putting up with the cold weather survival challenge that came with the PPE I decided to reflash back to stock. I left the truck trying to reflash all night (can you say battery drain). My truck doesn't run now cuz the PPE froze up going back to stock. Now a have a 8,000lb paperweight in my driveway and I am waiting on UPS to bring the TST. Thats just my experience with the Tuners on My 2004. 5 Dodge Ram 3500. My plans as soon as I get the truck running again is to get rid of the PPE piece of junk and head over to NGM Diesel and buy a smarty. NGM Diesel is on here all the time and they seem to be a really good bunch of guys. BTW if you plan on buying aftermarket products I would not suggest Xtreme Diesel. I have used them several times now simply because how close they are for UPS ground (2 days) and I have had enough and will never do business with again. This is just some of my experience with aftermarket diesel companies. I plan on starting a thread elsewhere to talk about the good and the bad companies I have used.

 

[PeterT]

DerekW,

I sent you a PM.



PT

 

[Morse]

I run the Bully Dog triple dog and power pup. I've had both. . My only complaint is how slow the initial download is. On the triple dog you can switch power levels on the fly which is nice. It also makes great power for a stand alone box. 13. 0's in an 8,000 pound truck with a 62 and 90hp injectors is respectable. I had an edge/attitude hot version and it would make the truck die going down the road for no reason. . This sucked in traffic. I sent it back. The power felt comperable to the normal power pup by the seat of the pants meter. I did have one on a dmax that worked great.

 

[Cummins724]

I had a Big Hoss on my truck for a week & it didn't impress me at all..... I actually called Banks & asked if it was broken. The power increase was hardly noticeable. I sent it back & bought my edge comp & Oh my God what a difference in the truck... . way more power & way more fun to drive. If the Big Hoss really gives 70hp..... then I'd say that the comp gives 400hp, but its only rated at 120hp.

 

[AndyT]

I had the Banks 6-Gun with Speed Loader on my 2005 and it gave me a lot of trouble. Most of the time, the truck ran fine, with decent power gains. Every now and then, it would start misfiring violently no matter what setting the switch was in. The CEL would come on and a code check revealed a problem with the crank position sensor. I sent the unit back to Banks, receiving a replacement a couple weeks later. The replacement had the same problems as the original, so I returned it for a full refund. It took some serious discussions with the people at Banks to get the full refund, but it happened.



I am now running the Quadzilla standard box and am very pleased with its performance versus the cost.

 

[TCDiesel]

Most of GBE customer problems are associated with unauthorized sales,(Ebay)etc,these are third party sales. All authorized dealers are to support the Product they distribute. I don't Think you will find a complaint anywhere of BANKS products in a T&C sale. T&C receives many calls on BANKS product for Technical support,just to find out the Place where Purchase is unknown,GBE has put great effort in stopping third party sales in the last 8 months,But I have notice again, some NOT approved sales at (Ebay).



Most Problems customers experience with any Performance product install is lack of support. I can't remember not finding the cause of any problem cause by additional performance from any manufacture,Sensor,wiring,harness, etc,the problem is how can approved dealers continue in business on third party sales, without charging for support.



I will share one account, Customer call with NO function on PDA. was instructed to bring vehicle in for diagnostic. sure enough no function, PowerPDA was sold as New, We found that the Tuner had been install previously ( had History ) and the Palm E2 software card was voided and the E2 memory was dis-functional,so after 1 new Palm E2 and software update and Tuner history deleted he was up and running ,But at the Tune of $100. 00 for service and $200. 00 for E2 and flash and card. T&C wants all BANKS customers not to experience dissatisfaction and additional costs. This customer had no warranty recourse. BANKS has NEVER refused a warranty claim by T&C. GBE has always cover it ,within terms and at times beyond.

 

[tiredofgreen]

A friend of mine had a Banks 6 gun on his 03 and had nightmares installing it and uninstalling it when he went to sell the truck. I drove it many times and have to say it was very smooth! I have a BullyDog Triple on my early 07 and it blows the socks off of the 6-Gun. The 'seat of my pants meter' says it is much more powerful since BullyDog has an optional setting for low range power which is very nice. If it needs to go in the dealership for work, you set it back to stock. I hope the memory gets cleared out. I guess I will find out sooner or later-maybe. For around $500, it is well worth the money. Since you have the 06, there are some other cool options like running your fogs with the brightlights on, auto door lock/unlock, disable seatbelt chime, etc. I think you get the picture. Hope this helps!

 

[AWestbrook]

Here's my take on Banks. I have th Big Hoss bundle with dual exhaust on my 3500 dually. Although when I bought it they told me that the duals would fit and now they say it doesn't. I have it on mine so I know it fits w/o rubbing the spare. Also they say it is a custom mount for the PDA but it isn't for the Dodge. It is a suction cup that mounts to the windshield. It broke the first 2 wks on my truck and I custom mounted it myself. Also when I ordered it I was not told that the intercooler was not even made for my truck so I waited for 2 months for the intercooler with no feedback from Banks customer service. Now that I have my little complaints out of the way, I have had no major probs with Banks. At first I had the faults but it was due to the fuse connection in the fuse box was loose. I put some electrical tape on it and have had no faults since. I have recieved more faults from the Volant CIA than anything. Other than this I have recieved good results. NOT extreme power but safe clean power. It is still phenomenal compared to stock but not extreme power like a PPE I had on an '04 dually. I am pleased overall but not extremely impressed compared to the $3400 I spent. I am planning on turbo and injector upgrades this spring to compensate for the extreme need I feel for power. Oo.

 

[TCDiesel]

I here Ya AWestbrook, Banks Retail sales (Sale Guys) mis-lead at times,at Present Some retail (Sale Guys) are still telling customers the LBZ PowerPDA is shipping or it will ship Mid Feb, O don't worry We (SALE GUYS) won't charge your Card until shipped. WE T&C keep GBE in-line for our customers,No blowing smoke here,To a certain extent BANKS keeps us in Business. No need for customer to worry Here,NO charge for Keeping BANKS in-line. I have found GBE to have quality control and software management to be less than 2% failure. BANKS engineering and product development is awesome. I need to be-careful here (T&C Diesel),In most cases is less cost than GBE retail,But this is not the Platform we sell on ,customer service is #1,no need for #2,everything is covered in #1.



O the T-dog has worked great stack with the PowerPDA and Six-Gun, Again in most cases its the download that causes most problems,When done incorrectly is not easily fixed or removed,downloader are much higher risk of potential problems.