A lifted Wrangler EcoDiesel on 37-inch tires, with hundreds of pounds of added gear and a 2,500-pound trailer behind it, can feel flat in a hurry. The fix here is two-part. The Banks Derringer Tuner adds the power needed to move the extra load, with up to 57 hp and 79 lb-ft in this application. Then Banks PedalMonster cleans up the response side by reshaping throttle sensitivity, so the Jeep reacts quicker instead of feeling lazy off the pedal. Controlled through the iDash, the driver can change power and response levels on the fly, then get stock pedal behavior in reverse for better low-speed backing control. More power is only half the job. Better response is what makes the Jeep feel right again.
Eric Autienza brought in a 2021 Jeep JLU Wrangler Rubicon with the EcoDiesel engine. The Jeep is set up for overlanding and towing, including a 2021 Overland trailer that weighs about 2,500 pounds. Before coming to Banks, the vehicle had already been heavily modified with a MetalCloak 3.5-inch lift, 37-inch tires, cage work, and beadlock wheels. Redlands Motorsports performed the Jeep build work.
Those additions significantly increased vehicle mass. Eric estimated that the Jeep had gained roughly 600 to 700 pounds, not including the trailer. The purpose of the Banks visit was to recover performance lost to the added weight and larger tires while maintaining the integrity of the EcoDiesel powertrain. The objective was not simply to make the Jeep feel faster, but to restore drivability and improve usable power for a heavily equipped off-road and towing setup.
The first component shown was the Banks Derringer, mounted under the hood near the sPOD Bantam switcher. This module is responsible for the added engine output, increasing performance by 57 horsepower and 79 lb-ft of torque. Its installation ties into the Jeep's FRP and MAP sensors, allowing the system to influence both fueling and boost.
That sensor integration is central to how the Derringer works on this application. By reading and interacting with fuel rail pressure and manifold pressure data, it can safely add power in a controlled way rather than acting as a simple one-dimensional tuner. In the context of this Jeep, the Derringer is the hardware that restores the engine's ability to move the extra weight and larger rolling mass more effectively.
Inside the cab, the Jeep was equipped with a Banks iDash SuperGauge and a PedalMonster mounted under the dash. The PedalMonster is not another engine sensor; it is the throttle-sensitivity controller. In this setup, the Derringer handles power addition under the hood, while the PedalMonster changes how aggressively the accelerator pedal responds to driver input.
The iDash serves as the main user interface for both systems. On the display, the left side shows PedalMonster status as "PM," while the right side shows Derringer status as "DER." Using the iDash controls, the driver can move through PedalMonster modes such as City, Sport, and Track, with 10 levels available within each environment. The Derringer can also be adjusted through multiple levels, up to level 6 for full added horsepower. Both systems can also be controlled through a mobile phone, but in this Jeep the dash-mounted iDash makes on-the-fly adjustment straightforward.
Before the road test began, both systems were returned to stock settings. The PedalMonster was set to stock throttle sensitivity, and the Derringer was set to SDK, meaning stock power. This established a baseline so the driver could feel the difference between the unassisted vehicle behavior and the Banks-enhanced settings.
That baseline mattered because this Jeep is no longer close to factory load or tire size. With 37-inch tires, a lifted suspension, added armor and accessories, and towing duty, the stock calibration has to work much harder to deliver the same real-world response. Starting from stock made it easier to isolate what the Derringer changed in engine output and what the PedalMonster changed in pedal feel.
Once on the road, the Derringer was increased to level 6, its full power setting, while the PedalMonster remained in stock. This allowed the test to focus first on the engine-output change alone. The immediate result was a dramatic increase in acceleration. Eric's reaction was that the Jeep no longer felt like the same vehicle or even the same engine he was used to driving.
That response highlights the distinction between added power and altered pedal mapping. Even without changing throttle sensitivity, the Jeep accelerated much harder simply because the Derringer was delivering more usable horsepower and torque. For a diesel-powered Wrangler carrying substantial extra weight, that kind of gain directly affects how quickly the vehicle responds when rolling into the throttle and how much effort it takes to get the vehicle moving with authority.
After evaluating the Derringer by itself, the next step was to activate the PedalMonster. The setting was raised from stock to City 8. With that change, the Jeep's accelerator became much more responsive to pedal input, and the difference was immediately obvious in normal driving and corner exit acceleration.
The key point in the demonstration was that the PedalMonster does not add horsepower by itself. Instead, it changes the relationship between pedal movement and throttle request, making the vehicle feel more immediate and more eager. In this Jeep, combining the Derringer's added power with the PedalMonster's sharper response transformed the driving experience. Eric described the effect as something he wished had been installed from day one, because the Jeep now reacted much more quickly and forcefully to driver input.
The demonstration then moved to one of the PedalMonster's practical control features: reverse operation. When the Jeep was shifted into reverse, the iDash displayed "Reverse Mode." In that condition, the pedal response reverted to stock behavior while backing up.
This is an important functional detail for a vehicle that tows an overlanding trailer. Aggressive throttle sensitivity in reverse could make backing maneuvers abrupt and increase the risk of jackknifing a trailer. The system therefore disables PedalMonster's altered throttle mapping in reverse, returning pedal feel to stock for better control. The Derringer can still remain active to provide power if needed, but the PedalMonster itself does not apply its sensitivity changes in reverse.
The explanation given was that the PedalMonster is speed-based and uses OBD data, allowing it to know vehicle speed, gear, and operating state. That awareness is what enables it to behave differently in reverse than it does in forward driving.
Finally, the PedalMonster was pushed further into Track mode for a maximum-response demonstration. With the Derringer already delivering full added power and the pedal sensitivity turned up aggressively, the Jeep's acceleration became even more forceful. The transmission shifts were described as strong, and the vehicle responded instantly when rolled into the throttle.
Despite running 37-inch tires, the Jeep was able to light them up under acceleration, underscoring how much the combined system changed the vehicle's behavior. The test made clear that the Banks package was not just producing a subtle improvement. On this heavily modified EcoDiesel Wrangler, the combination of the Derringer, PedalMonster, and iDash restored urgency and responsiveness that had been dulled by the added weight and larger tires.
By the end of the drive, the conclusion was straightforward: the Jeep had been effectively woken up without changing the underlying mission of the build. It remained an overland-capable, trailer-towing Rubicon, but now with substantially improved acceleration, stronger real-world response, and better driver control over how that performance is delivered.