Is it really worth buying ? BANKS Parts

[bradgreen0616]

Quick question... ive been looking into deleting my truck but am starting to shy away from doing so. I have been hearing alot about (Banks power Ram ) products, such as banks intakes, dpf back exhaust systems,tuners, intake elbows ect. So these parts are all supposed to work with dpf system on your truck and give your truck better preformace at the same time. Has anyone tried these products and do they actually make a difference you notice? I was going to order a whole set up of various diffrent parts from banks but figured id ask around. For now i just ordered the pedal monster and i dash and try it out. Has anyone tried these products ?

 

[BossHogg]

The only Banks product I have is the iDash data monster and it is on my ECODiesel, I was interested in learning more about the regen process.

I've seen all the marketing hype on Banks and other manufacturers' performance-enhancing products that certainly wets the appitite. The only Banks product I would consider is their grid heater replacement but it is over $1,000. As long as my grid heater "jiggle" test passes, I'll leave the engine stock.

The engine is an air pump and the intake and exhaust are designed to support the CFMs the engine passes. Any gains made by adding expensive but pretty bolt-on parts will be unnoticeable from the facet of performance but succeed as eye candy.

The Derringer product Bank's offers sounds like it can cause the Cummins to launch to the moon but I've read very little about real-world results on the Cummins forum. There isn't much a product like the Derringer can do outside of tricking the engine controller with modified sensor readings to force additional fueling and damage your cash flow.

I'm stock, standard output, and able to easily tow everything I connect to the truck, all typically under 17K of tow weight. I also have zero issues and so far 100% reliability with nothing more than scheduled maintenance.

This is all subjective but I'll stay with my tried and true philosophy of "don't fix what isn't broke".

 

[crash68]

^^^ what he said
Auto manufacturers today squeak just about all the performance out of engines they can and there's not much a bolt on can add for performance that justifies the cost. If you want the part for the looks or the sounds that's another subject.
Interesting rumor from back when Ram first switched to the common rail injection on the Cummins ('04.5 model year). Bank helped designed the exhaust system for that truck.

 

[mtnrider]

Don't waste your money on the Banks stuff. There is nothing to gained by bolting his stuff on. Notice he has no real useful data to back all his marketing claims?

If you really want to do something look into Calibrated power emission tuning, that will get you more bang for the buck. Of course any of this is going to void your warranty if you still have one so keep that in mind.

.

 

[nlambert182]

Is deleting worth it? That depends on what you're to accomplish. I deleted both my Cummins, but not for performance. Both of my systems started failing and I was left with little choice. It did increase my mpg quite substantially but that was about it.

They could make a lot more power with the tunes but I never turned mine up. As crash said, the manufacturers have already tweaked them and they're sitting on the edge of what they will reliably hold anyhow. I've seen too many grenade transmissions from a delete/tune and then blame the 68rfes for the failure.

 

[BossHogg]

Don't waste your money on the Banks stuff. There is nothing to gained by bolting his stuff on. Notice he has no real useful data to back all his marketing claims?

If you really want to do something look into Calibrated power emission tuning, that will get you more bang for the buck. Of course any of this is going to void your warranty if you still have one so keep that in mind.

.

The OP's panel says he has a 2023 Cummins. To challenge the warranty of a $70,000 or more truck with bolt-ons is, well...

 

[nlambert182]

I definitely wouldn't delete one under warranty.... I would only go that route if it were a necessity and warranty were long gone.

 

[Tominator223]

Wait till warranty is up . Go watch banks video’s on utube. You might get some answer’s to your questions

 

[nuckinfutz]

I had my '17 6.7 recently umm...err, updated, and chose the Banks intake only to get the grid heater out. And it's reallll purdy. A friend who has the exact same truck had the bolt loosen up, costing him a couple days while travelling stateside.

 

[Kellyl97]

So I’m considering putting this banks system on my 2017, since I get the great good fortune of a new engine due to the much debated as to “how big of a problem the stupid grid heater bolt” is… my engine fell to the bolt. How do you like the upgrade? Do you notice a difference in performance? While people seem to argue the bolt isn’t a problem, my truck sitting at the shop with a munched piston 6 says otherwise so you won’t convince me it’s “not an issue”. My debate is now, do I lower my risk of recurrence to zero? I mean, I’m already dropping 18k on the repair, what’s another grand on the update to the banks system?

 

[nlambert182]

You're one of the few unfortunate ones... exactly who Banks is looking to sell their overpriced products to.

There's no noticeable performance improvements to be had from installing the Banks intake horn. Plenty of info out there on that. IF I were worried about the bolt and wanted to delete the grid heater I would just install a grid heater delete kit and keep the stock intake. The grid heater delete can be had for around $200-300 versus the $1k price tag on the Banks.




If it were me though, I would just do the wiggle test ever so often to make sure the bolt never gets loose again and leave it as is. I know it happened to you and that truly sucks considering the cost, but the grid heater bolt failure is fairly rare. Having it twice would be about as likely as winning the lottery.

If you want performance, the only real way to get it is with a full emissions delete and a good tune but be warned. If you start cranking up the HP on the truck you're likely going to toast the trans. They're not built to handle anything more than they left the factory with.

 

[stevenP]

So I have the extended warranty from mopar, this issue would be covered if that bolt fails wouldnt it? I will still do the wiggle test, on occasion though. Saw a utube video on the grid heater by pass routine. This guy said that the BCM, threw a CEL and code because it was expecting this large current draw from the grid heater on start up. Was a very informative video on the subject. His truck was a Gen4.

 

[nlambert182]

Yes, it should be covered under warranty, but as with all things I'd read the fine print. Sometimes they have a way of excluding certain things.

 

[brian42]

Banks is pricier than just about everybody else because he goes to the trouble of getting things certified for use in California. Then he passes all the additional R&D costs on to us.

"Back in the day" (pre-emissions equipment) there was power to be had by those willing to spend the money (and time) to build their sled puller to show off at the mall parking lot. With all the sensors, computers, and regulations these days the drivetrain is pretty much maxed out as many have said...for power or durability. To get any real gains you will need a basket of parts and electronics, and someone to be able to troubleshoot it when you put it all together and doesn't work right.

I've been down that road (2003 Ford F-250 7.3L Powerstroke) and it was fun...but very expensive.

Now I am happy with some accessories to personalize my vehicle but I leave the powerplant alone unless there's an issue. If it's still under warranty that would be a no-brainer for me, especially with parts/electronics/labor prices these days.

 

[MSG66]

Don't waste your money on the Banks stuff. There is nothing to gained by bolting his stuff on. Notice he has no real useful data to back all his marketing claims?

If you really want to do something look into Calibrated power emission tuning, that will get you more bang for the buck. Of course any of this is going to void your warranty if you still have one so keep that in mind.

.

the monster ram get rid of the bolt grid heater ever fall off and opens up for more air

 

[nlambert182]

the monster ram get rid of the bolt grid heater ever fall off and opens up for more air

What??

Did you mean... "The monster ram gets rid of the grid heater bolt?" If so.... there are tons of delete kits that are way less pricey. Opening up for more air flow serves zero purpose if the truck isn't tuned.