Ford 6.7L Enthusiast Reviews Derringer

Reviewer: Tyler H.
Vehicle: 2019 Ford F-350 Super Duty SRW CCSB- 3.55 Gear
Background: I am by no means endorsed or being paid by Banks Power to write this product review. I am writing this review to simply share my experience with other passionate performance enthusiasts. I paid full price for my unit through an authorized retailer. I installed the derringer myself using the provided instructions.

I am a 31 year old Mechanical Engineer (B.S. University of Maine) that grew up around racing with a passion for performance. Every automobile or recreational vehicle I have ever owned has been modified from its original state to improve performance and drivability. Prior to owning the Superduty referenced in this review I was a loyal General Motors customer. I drove a 2016 Chevrolet 2500 HD equipped with the 6.6L Duramax LML Diesel Engine. Immediately after purchasing the LML I set out to improve it. I purchased an EFI Live Auto Cal loaded with PPEI tunes for a power increase of up to 200 rear wheel horsepower. I paired the tunes with a single 5” Flo-Pro exhaust, S&B cold air intake and AirDog 4G lift pump. I drove this truck one full year without issue towing loads of up to 13,000 pounds. This was a great running truck. Being in sales I drive on average 1000 per week so it was quickly becoming time to trade. After struggling to get the trucks ECM and TCM to recognize the reinstalled emissions equipment and stock tuning I became very frustrated and told myself I would never delete a truck again. It was expensive to delete and also expensive to return it back to stock for trade in.

Product Review: I first learned about the Derringer and its capabilities after a friend purchased one for his GMC L5P Duramax. I couldn’t wait for Banks to release one for the 2017+ Ford 6.7L Diesels. I purchased a Derringer the same day I saw that it was released on Banks Instagram (@bankspower) page. As soon as it arrived, I installed in about 90 minutes. I was thorough making sure all the wires were hidden well and the install was neat. After a quick test drive, I couldn’t believe how much more fun the truck was to drive. I instantly thought of my old deleted LML and said to myself “I missed this.”

I now have over 3,000 miles on my truck with the Derringer installed. The truck requires less driver input to accelerate which I love. It drives more like a gas truck with quicker throttle response. Once the truck is rolling the power is very linear and always available. It’s not peaky and only useable at certain RPM’s like some other tunes. My biggest complaint with this truck after driving a deleted truck for 50,000 miles was how lazy it was from 60 MPH and up. It would fall on its face when you needed that extra power to climb a hill or pass a vehicle on the highway. With the Banks Derringer those days are gone, especially on Power Level 6. The truck now accelerates as hard from 60+ MPH as it does from 30-50 MPH. The truck now has the top end pull like my deleted LML. Maybe not quite as radical but certainly close enough to the point where I no longer find myself missing that extra power and response. This Ford is so much fun to drive. One would never know it’s a 1-ton. I can’t get over how noticeable 59 rear wheel horsepower and 106 lb-ft of torque really is. It goes to show that the advertised gain is truly factual and not some marketing gimmick.

The iDash DataMonster is absolutely incredible. The capabilities are mind blowing. My favorite feature is the regen status. I was always curious why Ford didn’t give us any kind of instrumentation from the factory to view regen status. They gave us all kinds of other bells and whistles. Not only can I see regen status, I can see the diesel particulate filter (DPF) soot level percentage. With the iDash 1.8 you can easily see exhaust gas temperature (EGT) which is great for those long pulls with my loaded gooseneck trailer.

Since installing the Banks Derringer I have been asked by many about the fuel economy. The Derringer does optimize the air fuel ratio compared to stock. The Derringer runs at 19:1 while stock runs at 18:1. If I drive my truck “normal” I have seen up to 2 miles per gallon (MPG) increase on Level 3. That improvement is seen driving in all types of situations including highway and city. I may be different than the average consumer in that if something truly adds power I don’t care about the fuel mileage. Ideally matching the stock MPG’s is great but if not, so be it. The Derringer has exceeded my expectations not only from a performance perspective but also fuel mileage. I have been driving my truck on power Level 6 for the last 1200 miles and have seen no decrease in fuel economy from stock, even with a heavy foot.

I can’t say it enough; this truck is so much more fun to drive with the Derringer. It doesn’t get much better than having a sports car feel in your heavy-duty truck. If your considering one of the other “knock off” tuners, don’t waste your money. If you want to stay emissions intact but looking for more from your 2017+ Ford 6.7 diesel this is the answer. The Derringer isn’t burning through gallons of DEF because it’s dumping in extra fuel even when it doesn’t need it. It’s not plugging your DPF prematurely. The DEF consumption rate doesn’t seem to be any higher than stock. If I wasn’t experiencing this myself, I would say its too good to be true. The Banks Derringer is the real deal!Thank you to the Banks Power team for delivering a great product to those of us that are always looking for more but without the headache of the full delete. I will be a Banks customer for many years to come after experiencing this engineering excellence.

Thank you to the Banks Power team for delivering a great product to those of us that are always looking for more but without the headache of the full delete. I will be a Banks customer for many years to come after experiencing this engineering excellence.