Inline Tuners vs Derringer: Why Diesel Safety Matters
In Gale Banks’ latest video, he dives into a critical topic: the risk of using unsafe inline tuners vs the Derringer. While some tuning boxes may look like a great deal, the damage they can do to your diesel engine could cost thousands—making any savings meaningless.
What makes the Banks Derringer different? It’s not just performance—it’s protection. Unlike many generic tuners, the Derringer inline tuner includes active safety systems that monitor parameters like exhaust gas temperature, transmission slip, and fuel rail pressure. Without these protections, inline tuners can cause severe engine damage under load or in towing situations.
The Derringer tuner with iDash is currently available for:
- Coming June 2025: 2024–2025 Chevy/GMC 6.6L Duramax
- 2011–2019 Ford 6.7L Power Stroke
- 2014–2023 Ram and Jeep 3.0L EcoDiesel
- 2017–2023 Chevy/GMC 6.6L Duramax
Full Video Transcript
00:00 I’m Gail Banks. Over the next few minutes, I’m going to explain why the Daringer is the only inline tuner you should consider for your Ford 67 Superduty. All the others belong right here. The Daringer is the only smart tuner available because it has OBD connectivity that allows it to safeguard
00:24 your truck and it delivers the power that it promises. We bought and tested all the competitive tuners on the same truck, on the same day, in the same weather, on the same dyno, and over the same road. AF AG TS Performance Stealth stock, we’ve got 389 horsepower at the
00:46 road surface. For those of you looking at buying the Daringer, the peak for you guys, 443 horsepower and a best gain of 59 horsepower. The AF Scorcher, best gain of 33. TSMP8, best gain of 26 horsepower. The Stealth, 24 horsepower, best gain. And then we get to AG Diesel.
01:08 And this falls under the heading of did they actually put in additional fuel? 14 horsepower, best gain. Why bother? Daringer is the only smart tuner available. So, what makes it smart? This OBD cable. It’s what connects a Daringer to your truck’s ECU, allowing it to tune
01:27 dynamically. The Daringer is the only tuner on the market to include a watchdog circuit. When everything is working as it should, the signals flow through the relays, get processed by the Daringer CPU, and then flow out to the truck’s ECU. But if the daringer senses
01:46 an issue or loses power, it goes into failsafe mode where it seamlessly returns your truck to stock power. We’ve got our first test. We put in stealth. Let’s go see what happens. I’m going to floor it and turn off the 5V powering the board in the unit. Now, let’s accelerate this thing
02:09 up 3,000 RPM. I’ll flatoot it. Whoa. Accelerator pedal is totally dead. There’s nothing. Absolutely nothing. The engine just shut off. I’ve got the daringer installed now. Once again, 2500 RPM. Punch it. Whoop. Still pulling. And I’m running into this guy in front of
02:37 me. Didn’t fail. Still running with stock power. I can turn the box back on and we got a lot more power. That’s what I call a good test of a failsafe system. So, if you’re looking for power, efficiency, reliability, and safety, there’s no other tuner like the Daringer. Can I get somebody to take out
02:57 the trash?
Related sources
Want to protect your truck? Explore the Derringer Tuner with iDash for Duramax
Also, explore how the Derringer pairs with the iDash SuperGauge for complete visibility and control—a feature most inline tuners completely lack. You can find more on that in our iDash DataMonster & SuperGauge lineup for ultimate insight into your diesel’s performance.
Insider News: Features the latest updates, product releases, and technical insights from Banks Power.