Banks ????

[South Dakota]

I had a banks sidewinder kit that included the 4" exhaust on my 89 suburban. Granted it was a 6. 2 wich is nothing compared to the cummins, however it definately woke the truck up considerbly and the banks set up never let me down. I even upgraded to the 6. 5 motor using the same sidewinder kit and it was working flawlessly up until my Burban was stolen out of my driveway in Southern California. I hope who ever has it is taking care of it.

 

[Huskerman]

When I first joined these forums almost 7 years ago, the old timers all used to have a saying:



"I am my own warranty station"



Now, a lot of the old timers no longer post and the most common thing I read is:



"How can I hide this from the dealer so I can still get warranty work??"



If you use Banks, or ANY of the after market devices that increase horsepower by adjusting rail pressure, fuel delivery or timing, you ARE voiding your warranty. Maybe you will have problems, maybe you won't. Banks and the other guys will tell you that it's covered under the Moss Magnuson Act and that the manufacturer must prove that the part is what caused the damage.



Good luck with that in court. I don't fault Banks for that, I fault the dealers who install them and lie to you that they will back you up AND the owners who try to slip one past Chrysler. I have had major engine repair work done under warranty (not a chip, I don't use them) and I can tell you that to even change an injector the dealership had to get permission from Chrysler.



How does this pertain to the original question? Well, I think it's kind of funny when people install a computer to over-ride the engineered software and then blame Chrysler for having bad customer service when something breaks and they won't fix it.



Banks (and the other guys) part in this is that they tell you they will back you up if Chrysler denies the warranty but search these threads (and the Ford and GM boards) and see just how often that happens.



Huskerman

 

[MPerez]

I had a 98 RAM with most of the bolt on's from Banks, Monster exhaust, big head WG acutator, 16CM turbine housing, Banks brake... And I had excellent results. But I had a shop I trusted make any recommendation they thought they should to add the power and reliability I needed. And this shop represented most of the major names, and some were certainly more $$ than the Banks stuff. So I went with it and had zero/nada/zilch problems. But it was a 12valve so everything is bolt on-no electronics. On the 06 I'm going Smarty.

 

[Ruckuz]

I have a Banks Power Pack on my 96. That package is the main reason i bought this truck. Before i had ever heard of TDR, or been addicted to diesel, i drove it as a work truck, and couldnt believe what it could tow without a problem.



Emailed Banks once, to get some new stickers. Sales guy called me back about noon the next day, talked about the truck a bit, i told him my boss (new company) was interested in banks for his truck. He said he'd send some info along as well as the stickers. The brochures were there, lots. But no stickers.

Emailed again, got a phone call apologizing..... nothing

Called this time, got them in 2 days from UPS.

 

[Ruckuz]

I had a banks sidewinder kit that included the 4" exhaust on my 89 suburban. Granted it was a 6. 2 wich is nothing compared to the cummins, however it definately woke the truck up considerbly and the banks set up never let me down. I even upgraded to the 6. 5 motor using the same sidewinder kit and it was working flawlessly up until my Burban was stolen out of my driveway in Southern California. I hope who ever has it is taking care of it.

Thats a beautiful truck, sorry to hear about it getting stolen. Woulda been amazing with a 5. 9 Oo.

 

[firemansdiesel]

http://www.bankspower.com/lbz-whitepaper.cfm



Found this.

 

[MoparBob]

Interesting videos. Thanks for posting the link.

 

[TCDiesel]

Does not matter what aftermarket product is on your truck. You risk losing your warranty. No matter what name brand it is. Even the Smarty if they can link it to that is the cause (if DC or the dealer found out you were using one).

There are alot of threads on different sites with trouble w/ the other notable tuners. One person has something wrong w/ the Banks. The s**t hits the fan. They improved their product over the years to work out the bugs. The others are just finding out.



Twest: Have you ever dyno a truck w/ the Six Gun w/PDA? Just curious. Maybe that will help.

Yes ,Most stock trucks with PowerPDA and Exhaust/Drop in Filter SL setting 200% fueling 115hp/260tq, My own Personal truck with PowerPDA with Big hoss bundle,Banks Full Intake,SPS 62/12, Complete Built ATS trans,Stock Injectors/L-Pump Cp-3, T&C Mild Rail, best 160-170hp / 385tq. When Stacked same setup 300hp,adds some drugs 350 Plus.



03 SO trucks will create more Hp to fill the gap that exist from HO/SO. 04. 5 06 hp 125hp135 increase.

 

[GMcLeod]

I had a Banks Big Hoss on my 01, sold it for the Edge Comp and have been sorry ever since. It's not because the Edge was a poor product but because I've seem to have lost fuel economy. I thought I wanted adjustable power levels, like that somehow made me feel more in control of my truck, when in fact all I want is reliable safe power from my truck. Banks has been in the game longer than the new boys in town and from what I've been able to see they test their products relentlessly. My truck was made for work and not the drag strip. Your truck wont last if you stack chips or put huge injectors in. Banks may cost a little more but that's what proven products cost; a little more!

 

[Cummins724]

Emailed Banks once, to get some new stickers. Sales guy called me back about noon the next day, talked about the truck a bit, i told him my boss (new company) was interested in banks for his truck. He said he'd send some info along as well as the stickers. The brochures were there, lots. But no stickers.

Emailed again, got a phone call apologizing..... nothing

Called this time, got them in 2 days from UPS.

I never heard of any other company, but Banks before buying my truck. I bought that Big Hoss & was excited that it was coming next day air. My brother had a 318 gas engine in his 99 ram & I talked major smack about beeting him bad after the banks gets installed. I installed the Big Hoss & he smoked me bad on the way to work the next day. I switched to the edge comp & spanked him by a couple truck lengths..... got my respect back. I am a body man... . went to take the Banks Power decals off my truck a month later & they peeled the clear coat off my door. I used adhesive removers & everything... . even heat gun.

 

[Cummins724]

I had a Banks Big Hoss on my 01, sold it for the Edge Comp and have been sorry ever since. It's not because the Edge was a poor product but because I've seem to have lost fuel economy.

Maybe there was something wrong with both of the Big Hoss modules that I installed or something. My truck just wouldn't work with Banks... even cleaned all grounds & everything, but still couldn't get any good power. Did you notice more power than using smarty? better mileage?

 

[firemansdiesel]

TWest,

Sent you a PM.

 

[GMcLeod]

Maybe there was something wrong with both of the Big Hoss modules that I installed or something. My truck just wouldn't work with Banks... even cleaned all grounds & everything, but still couldn't get any good power. Did you notice more power than using smarty? better mileage?

If I recall right Marco has said that Smarty only increases your horse power by 50 or 60, not sure which one. The Banks Big Hoss is about the same, the difference is when the power is applied. I've read that Smarty takes torque limiting out of the picture, which gives you instant power to the wheels. Banks products, from what I understand, apply power smoothly to limit shock to drive train components; so less noticeable, but still producing the power. Having used most every chip on the market chasing the holly grail, I like the way my Smarty programmer delivers instant power to the ground, even though one day I'll end up rebuilding the axle's and probably the DTT transmission sooner than if I had the Banks Big Hoss chip installed.

Why your truck didn't seen to work with the Banks products is a mystery, I hope you have better luck with your current chip. This is just my two cents on what I found to be true with my setup. That could be the answer right there, my setup; no two truck will produce the exact same results.

 

[Cummins724]

My truck definately works well with edge, smarty, superchips, bullydog, hypertech. I don't know... . maybe the Banks is hit & miss, but all other tuners work well.

 

[RWatson]

As you can see by the signature, I have lots of Banks stuff. I originally had an OttoMind and had tons of problems with trans temps. Spoke with Banks on numerous occasions, with no luck until leaving numerous less than great posts about my experiences with the product and company.



I ended up exchanging the OttoMind for a Big Hoss and wish I had purchased an Edge. The Big Hoss appears to give little performance.



Please don't get me wrong, Banks has been around for 50 years and there are many satisfied customers, I regret that I am not one. I am currently trying to convince the boss at home into letting me put a DTT trans, injectors and an Edge. That should keep me for a while :-laf