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How Banks Power Works - It's all about Airflow

By Banks Power

In the confines of a stock motorhome or truck, your gas or diesel engine’s inherent power is limited by factory restrictions in the intake and exhaust. With your engine starved for air, a tremendous amount of power traveling through the power-train is unnecessarily wasted before it gets to where it matters—your vehicle’s rear wheels. Airflow restrictions make poor engine efficiency, which soaks up fuel, runs a hot exhaust, compromises performance and shortens engine life.

Diagram

How airflow restrictions waste power

  • Intake restrictions cause engine to labor (“pumping losses”)
  • Exhaust backpressure generates a tremendous engine heat-load
  • Power is robbed from the crankshaft to expel exhaust
  • Cooling fan runs often, wasting power and making the cab noisy
  • Hot, overworked lubricants degrade faster and increase friction
  • Gasoline-vehicle makers mask poor-airflow problems (eg. detonation) with overly-rich fuel
  • Excess fuel is wasted, worsening mileage and emissions
  • Inadequate airflow chokes engine’s potential

Think of an engine as an air pump that produces power. To run it, fuel is needed. In a typical stock vehicle, a gasoline engine produces only about 250 horsepower for every 1,000-horsepower’s worth of fuel put in. Diesel engines are more efficient—they put out about 320 horsepower for every 1000 in, only wasting 68%—still leaving lots of room for improvement!

Air Intake Solutions Found in Banks Power Systems

Banks Super-Scoop® Inlet

Banks Super-Scoop® inlet
Banks replaces obstructive factory airways with big, streamlined inlets like Banks Super-Scoop, to take advantage of the natural supercharging effect of “ram-air.” If you’ve ever held your hand out a window while traveling at 60 mph, you’ve felt its force. Rainwater and debris is directed out the bottom.

Banks Ram-Air® IntakesBanks Ram-Air™ Intakes
This cutaway compares the height of Banks’ cast Hi-Rise air-filter cover to the stock lid—its sloping top and greater volume direct more cool, dense air into the engine. Also included is Banks’ larger, free-breathing Ram-Air filter, which outflows any competitor and lasts a lifetime.

Twinram® IntakeTwinram™ Intake Manifold
Banks exchanges the factory manifold in Cummins B 12-valve applications with the TwinRam, which doubles the inlet area and optimizes air distribution into the cylinder head to direct boosted air more equally into all six cylinders. By balancing cylinder-air volume and temperatures, Banks yields a smoother output. TwinRam amps up the power rating, improves fuel economy and durability, and reduces emissions.


Exhaust Flow Solutions Found in Banks Power Systems

TorqueTubes® comparisonTorqueTube® Exhaust Manifolds
Unlike the factory’s crunched, blowout- and crack-prone exhaust manifolds, Banks forms bulletproof, 100% stainless TorqueTubes that are tuned to literally pull exhaust from a gasoline engine—liberating huge torque increases. TorqueTubes are constructed with 5/8"-thick flanges that are welded 360° on both sides, then machined dead-flat for precise mounting, usually without a gasket. TorqueTubes’ design provides for factory spark-plug heat shields, or eliminates their need entirely—no high-buck plug wires required!
Quick-Turbo® with BigHead Wastegate actuatorQuick-Turbo® with BigHead™ Wastegate Actuator
Drawing on their experience with high-performance turbo systems, Banks designed a quicker, ultra-efficient turbine housing that improves diesel airflow, knocks out turbine choke and provides a sharp throttle response. Quick-Turbo builds low-end torque and raises boost peak by as much as 66%. Banks BigHead has twice the diaphragm area of any other wastegate actuator, and its higher spring pressure keeps the valve seated longer, so there’s no “wastegate blow-open” to compromise power. BigHead marches to peak boost sooner, maintains maximum usable boost without over-boosting, and produces more mid-range torque.

Dynaflow® muffler comparisonDynaflow® Muffler
In this example, the stock muffler’s 1-3/4" dual outlets combine to form a puny 4.80 sq. in. internal flow area. The massive 3-1/2" outlet on Banks’ stainless Dynaflow muffler provides an 8.95 sq. in. area that greatly reduces backpressure.

Instead of the small, torturous chambers the factory uses to inhibit flow and control noise, the large acoustic chambers in Banks Dynaflow are resonance-tuned to damp out annoying tones without excessive restriction, producing an exhaust sound that is authoritative, yet civilized.
Monster® ExhaustMonster Exhaust® chartMonster® Exhaust
Banks forms huge constant-diameter (3-1/2" or 4") exhaust components that help slash backpressure, commonly 75% to 90%. In this example, the internal flow area of Banks’ 3-1/2" single tailpipe is 86% larger than both stock pipes combined. Banks utilizes heavy-gauge stainless steel and adds a polished stainless tailpipe tip for a handsome finishing touch.
Monster® T.O.P.Monster® T.O.P.
Banks replaces the crushed factory turbine outlet pipe with a mandrel-formed, stainless Monster that flows 26% better and protects diesel durability by keeping the turbine outlet EGT safely below 1050° F. Includes integral stainless-clad ceramic matrix heat shield (not shown) and pyrometer probe fitting.