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By Gale Banks
I founded my company, Gale Banks Engineering, in 1958, but it wasn’t until
the first fuel crunch of 1974 that we began developing engine-power products for motorhomes.
Banks was primarily known for building and customizing high-performance vehicles, with
a heavy emphasis on turbocharging gas and diesel engines. That experience as “California
hot-rodders” provided a solid background optimizing engines for power and durability.
In the competitive world of endurance racing, we earned a number of marine and land-speed
championships, including World’s Fastest Passenger Car (that record held for better
than a decade), and World’s Fastest Pickup (record unbroken to this day).
But RVs presented new challenges. One thing’s become apparent to me through the
ensuing years: they keep getting bigger! Once they reach the legal length, they go and
get wider. And heavier: the manufacturers pack in a lot more gear, and people tow more
dinghies, too. To motivate all that mass requires a lot of power—not the easiest
feat, when the object you’re propelling has the aerodynamics of a brick.
Even though the engine suppliers are slowly catching up, it seems there’s a never-ending
chase for more power. Today’s rigs are fine for 70 or 75% of buyers, but they don’t
satisfy the remainder. Fulfilling the needs of RV owners who want a higher level is
where aftermarket power-enhancing products—like Banks Power systems—fit in.
We engineer, test and manufacture Banks Power products at our facility in Azusa, California.
I believe that the approach we take is unique in our industry. Our racing heritage established
exceptional standards in power, durability, fuel economy and engine efficiency. Out
on the Bonneville Salt Flats, or running up a river in New Zealand, our high-performance
engines required the power to sustain incredible speed—but even more importantly,
they needed to possess the durability to finish the race. The demands of endurance racing
honed our aptitude for developing engines so efficient that they could be raced many
times, to win multiple championships. That foundation gives the Banks engineers a definitive
advantage in designing power products for everyday use.
Contrary to what you might imagine, Banks Power products do not “make” more
power—by removing intake-and-exhaust restrictions that limit an engine’s power
potential, they literally liberate horsepower and torque. In diesel applications, we
know that simply amping up the fuel flow will increase power, but that is a sure way
to kill an engine. By starting our power-enhancement process with improved airflow into
the engine, and slashing backpressure at the exhaust end, we are able to meter in fuel
to match the increased airflow. That accomplishes a number of things: it achieves the
optimum air-fuel ratio; maintains a lower exhaust-gas temperature (EGT); improves engine
efficiency; meets or exceeds emissions standards; lessens engine wear-and-tear; and
unleashes monumental gains in horsepower and torque.
There’s another thing we discovered, after applying our “airflow always first”
rule—fuel economy improves. If you consider what Banks does for an engine, you
realize that mileage must come with the bargain. Hot engines drain power: by increasing
airflow, Banks-equipped engines run cooler. Engines that have diminished airflow (i.e.,
“pumping losses”) must work harder to produce horsepower and torque: Banks
removes factory restrictions to flow in more cold, dense air at the intake, and runs
a free-flowing exhaust that actually extracts exhaust-gas. Engines that are starved
for air waste fuel: with higher-pressure air in the cylinders, the fuel that is introduced
into the combustion chambers is not wasted. The bottom line is, when proper airflow
is present, mileage can’t help but improve.
A Banks Power product is the power option you can’t get from the factory. For Ford
and GM gasoline motorhomes we offer up to three system levels: Git-Kit, Stinger and
PowerPack®. Top-of-the-line PowerPacks typically combine a free-flowing Banks Ram-Air
intake with a 100% stainless-steel exhaust system comprised of Banks TorqueTube manifolds,
Dynaflow muffler, and Monster exhaust pipes. Unlike others’ modified headers, our
TorqueTubes are the only tuned-length exhaust manifolds designed specifically for motorhomes.
TorqueTubes release colossal torque when you call for it—so you pedal out of the
hole quicker, merge faster, and march up steep grades without unnecessary backshifting.
Cummins diesel pushers benefit from up to two options, Stinger or PowerPack. Both systems
reduce the power required to turn the turbocharger, provide higher peak boost, and achieve
full boost faster, for strong acceleration without turbo lag. PowerPacks add custom-engineered
intake components to the Stinger platform, to optimize and balance ram-air in the intake
tracts.
Modern engines require electronic engine management devices, so we have developed the
OttoMind engine calibration module, included in Cummins 24-valve applications, and optional
for the Ford V-10. This device uses sophisticated software to manage fuel flow according
to dynamic conditions, always maintaining the optimal mix without over-tuning your engine.
In diesel applications, exclusive features we call “TLC” prolong drivetrain
longevity. So, instead of selling just “parts,” Banks power products take
a system approach that combines streamlined intake and exhaust components that work
in concert with our fuel-management technologies.
At Banks, we perform comprehensive dynamometer and road tests, and publish the results
for all our product applications. Along with capturing a host of power and performance
data, we measure the stock vs. Banks distance required to go 0-to-60 mph and 40-to-60
mph. How many feet does it takes you to merge with freeway traffic, and to safely pass?
Time-to-achieve speed is a captivating statistic in racing, but when you’re moving
a rig down the highway, it’s distance that’s really meaningful. We want to
get you from a standstill to 60 mph within 1,000 feet—a typical onramp. Usually
that means our product knocks about a football field off the stock distance. And Banks
Power cuts way back on how much of the “wrong” side of the road you need to
occupy in order to get around that farmer in front of you.
We apply the winning methodology we developed in racing—for 42 years now—to
equip trucks, SUVs and motorhomes with the most powerful, durable, fuel-efficient and
reliable engines on the road today. We have a saying: no matter what model year your
vehicle is, with Banks, it’s Better Than New.
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