Reasons to Select Banks

Why does Banks build different power options for most engine applications?
So you can select the best power- and price-tier for your needs. Banks Git-Kits and Stingers are popular with guys who want a significant boost at an entry-level cost, who can save even more by installing the products themselves. Seriously power-hungry customers choose Stinger-Plus or PowerPack® systems. Diesel pickup owners can also choose the Big Hoss or Six-Gun systems and bundles with the optional Speed-Loader for optimum performance. Most systems can be upgraded, so if buying in stages is your thing, Banks can accommodate.

Why don't vehicle makers manufacture more efficient and powerful vehicles to begin with?
Because a lot of people still buy them. As long as vehicles with poorly engineered intake and exhaust systems that inhibit power capture a large market, vehicle manufacturers will continue to make them that way. They are understandably resistant to taking on the cost of re-designing these components and the mass-assembly techniques necessary to fabricating them. But there is a portion of the market that is not satisfied with inferior quality. That's where Banks steps in. Banks has been taking advantage of the opportunities they create to improve power, torque, durability and mileage since 1958. We don't think that will change anytime soon.

How are Banks products tested?
The Banks engineers test new engines for development, and select those that will benefit by our methods of improving engine airflow, reducing exhaust backpressure, reshaping the fuel curve and using electronic engine-management technology to optimize performance. Prototype power systems are built in Banks Manufacturing division, then moved to the Engineering Garage to be put through their paces on flow benches and chassis dynos in condition-controlled test cells.

From there, it hits the road. The usual test-drive course is a 106-mile loop of varied terrain that rises to a long, 7-percent grade in the southern California climate. Trucks are driven in solo and towing form. Motorhomes are always loaded to replicate typical use. Banks DynaFact data-loggers continually collect an array of critical data, as the vehicle is in motion.

Back in Engineering, the results are charted, checked and interpreted per SAE standards. Development is an evolutionary process: prototypes often require more engineering before they are pronounced ready for the street. Those that do not produce significant gains never see the market.

The power and performance results for each engine application are published in a comprehensive Test Report. We are always eager to have our products independently tested in the automotive media and make reprints of those articles available to our customers.

Why are there some companies that make power claims higher than Banks?
Well, three possibilities spring to mind: 1. They really don't exceed Banks, they know it, and they fudged the numbers. 2. They only think they exceed Banks, because the tests performed were improperly conducted or skewed (a most common phenomenon.) 3. They do exceed our gains, but do so by subjecting the engine and powertrain to loads and temperatures above the durability limit. What good is all that power if it kills your vehicle? Banks Power systems always maintain a safety margin, so engine, transmission and powertrain life is prolonged. Even Banks ultimate PowerPackage, the Six-Gun with Speed Loader, has built-in safeguards to protect the turbocharger, engine, and transmission for those owners who want to have the fastest, best performing diesel pickup around. With Banks, you get the best of both worlds – power and safety.

What does Banks mean by a "grab-bag kit?"
That's a handy way some aftermarket sellers assemble a product on the cheap. They combine parts from various sources and market them as "kits" or "systems." Sometimes, parts vary from one kit to another because the supply chain changes according to what's available. Grab-bag kits are the opposite of components that are engineered to work in concert and built from the ground up—the way Banks designs systems.

Why do some companies sell their products for less?
Probably because they assemble them for less to begin with. A significant portion of Banks' development cost is in their engineering and product testing, unduplicated by other aftermarket companies. Also, many manufacturers cut costs with cheaper materials (eg: thinner-gauge, coated or galvanized steel) and crude construction (warped flanges, poor welds, sloppy tolerances for fit). Not us. Banks products are famous for their fit and durability.

Can't a gear-splitter give me the power I need?
Gear splitters—also known as under/overdrives—distribute the power output of the engine more evenly throughout the rpm range, creating an overlap of the peak power availability in each gear. However, gear splitters do nothing to liberate power gains, so the horsepower and torque peaks remain the same as stock. The advantage of a gear splitter occurs only in the narrow range before and after a gear change. Banks Power systems liberate power throughout the power range, providing a continual advantage at any rpm.