The Banks iDash 1.8 is not just another gauge. It packages a super gauge, scan tool, controller, and data logger into a standard 52mm housing, so it fits where a normal gauge fits but does far more once it is plugged into the OBD-II port. It reads over 200 vehicle parameters, then goes further by calculating more than 70 additional Banks parameters you do not normally get from a gauge alone. That matters because raw data is only useful if you can actually act on it. The iDash 1.8 lets you set high and low alerts, read and clear diagnostic trouble codes, correct vehicle speed for tire or gear changes, track min/max values, and display up to five readings on one gauge. For owners who want to dig deeper, the data-logging version records up to 100 channels at 10 samples per second with no practical time limit beyond card capacity. It also works as part of a larger Banks system. Multiple iDash 1.8 gauges can be daisy-chained, and the gauge can communicate with compatible Banks modules over the Banks Bus Network to monitor and control supported devices like the Banks Derringer Tuner and Banks Straight Shot water-methanol systems. Bottom line: better visibility, better warnings, and real data you can use.
Banks describes the iDash 1.8 as more than a conventional gauge. It combines four roles in one 52 mm, 2-1/16 inch gauge housing: a gauge, a computer, a controller, and a data logger. Because it fits a standard gauge location, it can be installed anywhere a typical gauge would go, while connecting through the vehicle's OBD2 port for access to onboard data.
The iDash reads more than 200 parameters directly from OBD traffic, and, depending on the vehicle, it can also provide more than 70 custom calculated parameters. Banks emphasizes that this is the key distinction of the product: it does not simply display factory OBD information, but also calculates values that are not normally available on a gauge. That expanded capability is presented as opening up a much broader view of vehicle operation than standard instrumentation.
Examples of readable parameters include throttle position, mass air flow, turbo vane position, wastegate position, air-fuel ratio, and fuel closed-loop status. The stated rule is straightforward: if the vehicle has the sensor or parameter ID, the iDash can read it. In addition to live data display, the unit can also read and clear diagnostic trouble codes, giving it scan-tool functionality as well as gauge functionality.
The iDash allows the user to set high and low alerts on as many as 20 different readings. If a selected threshold is exceeded, the display shows a warning icon on the screen. Banks also notes a practical correction feature for modified vehicles: if tire size has been changed or the ring-and-pinion ratio has been altered, the iDash can display corrected vehicle speed in miles per hour directly on the gauge.
The iDash 1.8 can show as many as five readings on a single gauge screen. A built-in light sensor supports customizable auto-dimming, and the display can be configured for either English or metric units. For performance driving applications, it also includes a configurable shift light. Beyond live display, the gauge can track minimum and maximum values for up to 20 selected parameters and show those results on screen. Banks lists examples such as maximum RPM, maximum throttle position, maximum boost pressure, maximum EGT, maximum and minimum air-fuel ratio, and maximum corrected vehicle speed.
For users who want more channels visible at once, the system supports daisy chaining one primary iDash and up to three secondary iDash units. Banks also offers a dedicated data-logging model that includes a 4 GB microSD card inserted through the face of the gauge. That version can log up to 100 parameters at once, with 100 channels recorded at 10 Hertz, or 10 samples per second. Banks states that there is no limit to the number of logs that can be saved on the SD card and no fixed limit to log duration, so recordings can extend far beyond a few minutes or hours and potentially continue for days.
Recorded data can be played back directly on the iDash or exported for viewing in Excel and other logging-display programs, where the user can create graphs, bar graphs, and other visualizations. Banks positions this logging capability as competitive with software packages that cost hundreds of dollars. The company says the data-logging version adds only $70 to the internet price of $269 for the primary iDash gauge. For multi-gauge setups, secondary iDash 1.8 units are offered at a discounted price of $249 each.
Banks further defines the iDash 1.8 as a computer because it can generate more than 70 custom calculated parameters called BIDs, or Banks Parameter iDash values. Examples given include calculated horsepower, calculated torque, boost air-fuel ratio error, and total fuel trim. The iDash 1.8 is also designed to communicate with Banks modules, controllers, and tuners over Banks CAN, the company's proprietary microprocessor communications network. Through that network, the iDash can command, control, and monitor the operation of Banks inline tuners such as the Derringer, as well as systems like Banks Straight Shot water-methanol injection.
The overall presentation frames the iDash 1.8 as part of a broader Banks electronics ecosystem rather than as a standalone display only. Its combination of OBD2 monitoring, calculated channels, scan-tool functions, configurable alerts, multi-gauge networking, onboard logging, and Banks CAN integration is presented as a new and unusually capable system. Banks concludes by characterizing it as unlike anything else currently on the market and directs viewers to bankspower.com for more information.