Tech Articles Archives

Being the middleman or Fire-breathing exhaust

Wouldn’t you know it, I’m trapped in the middle seat on this leg of the flight to Florida. It’s not a good situation due to the fact

May 6, 2008

Customer Q&A #5 (with Peter Treydte, Banks’ Director of Technical Communications)

QUESTION #5:
You didn’t directly answer some of my questions, but if I read between the lines, it would appear that there would be no benefit to me to add your upgraded intercooler, (I bought the Six-Gun etc. to tow 15,500 lbs) because the transmission and drivetrain may not take the power of a level 4 or 5 while heavy towing and climbing. Did I understand this correctly?

April 3, 2007

Customer Q&A #4 (with Peter Treydte, Banks’ Director of Technical Communications)

QUESTION #4:
I recently had Camping World install a Banks Six-Gun, Speed-Loader with EGT and boost gauges in my 06 Ford F-350 CC SB 6.0L Super Duty P/U. I previously installed the Banks Exhaust system myself. My question relates to the Banks Speed-Loader owners manual. On Page 4, Paragraph 1, 2 and 3. There appears to be some contradiction and confusing information presented…

March 3, 2007

Customer Q&A #3 (with Peter Treydte, Banks’ Director of Technical Communications)

QUESTION #3:
Your information has been most helpful. A couple of more questions.
1. How does Ford treat the “Six-Gun and Speed-Loader” re warranty issues?
2. Are any of the 6 settings optimized for Towing and or Economy? If not, which one’s would be best for those applications?
3. Since I think you are getting more power by increasing the fuel, how are you getting better mileage at the same time?
Read on for the answers…

January 16, 2007

Customer Q&A #2 (with Peter Treydte, Banks’ Director of Technical Communication)

QUESTION #2:
My situation is that I don’t have a problem with my power output once the engine downshifts and the RPM’s go up, but I want more power low down (1750 RPM) so that the engine does not have to down shift as often (and use more fuel). (One thing that I have noticed is that it downshifts when the turbo boost reaches 20 psi., is there any way to raise that figure?) This is why I am looking for figures in that range, apples and apples you know, which I understand you are unable to provide. I guess the factory figures that show lower power curves must be done on an engine dyno, instead of a chassis dyno. Speaking of the figures with a manual transmission, at least that would provide a reference point. Right now I am in the “dark”, so to speak…

August 23, 2006

Personal Diesel Assistant

Banks iQ Takes Diesel Tuning to the Next Level

April 30, 2006

Vacation… all I ever wanted? or “Dude, where’s my car?”

(Please note: there is a car story here… really.)

The word “vacation” has never been one that has meant much to me. Growing up time-off from school or work was an opportunity for my loving family to work on the house, an exercise in perpetual futility. Tear down a wall, build it back up. Paint the inside, outside, walls, parakeet and dog. Backyard flat? Hell, the kids can dig that fish pond. Oh, and it needs to be 4-ft. deep. I’m not really complaining… just unlocking the door so you can understand my malfunction. To me a vacation is really just a time to get things done, even if it is work related, and really not to lounge on a deck or vegetate. Not that something like that is wrong mind you… I’m just damaged in my way of thinking compared to most of the human race. Thanks for another thing, Mom and Dad.

August 15, 2005

High School Biodiesel Brain Power

There are lots of articles being written about “home-brewed” biodiesel today but I’ve felt that most of these backyard projects getting ink are the automotive equivalent of brewing moonshine. I say this, because while the end result is probably combustible in a diesel engine, the biodiesel fuel produced is not refined and finished to any known standard.

Here’s a project worth mentioning for a variety of reasons. Technology Teacher, Michael Winters, at San Gabriel, California’s Gabrielino High School’s Tongva Technology Center began an Eco-Fuel Research Project five years ago to educate his students on the benefits of alternative fuels.

July 20, 2005