The problem with the stock 2020-22 Ford 6.7L intake is not just the filter. The whole path is compromised by wasted filter area, tight pleats, internal obstruction, thin ribbed plastic, and bellows that add drag before air ever reaches the turbo. Our Banks Ram-Air Intake System fixes the entire inlet path with a smooth enclosed airbox, added cool-air entry points, a less restrictive custom filter, and a large tapered tube that manages airflow cleanly from the airbox to the compressor inlet. The EPDM bellows preserve engine movement without putting a restriction in the airstream. The result is stronger air mass into the turbo, lower pressure drop, better throttle response, improved engine efficiency, and a stronger turbo sound. In our testing, it delivered 35.9% more mass airflow than stock and out-flowed both S&B and aFe.
The video introduces Banks' new Ram-Air intake for 2020-and-newer Ford Super Duty trucks, including the F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 equipped with the 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel. The stated goals are improved throttle response, better engine sound, and better engine efficiency. Before presenting the new system, the discussion begins with the stock intake to explain where the restrictions come from.
On the factory airbox, the turbo compressor inlet is on one side, and the intake tract uses flexible factory bellows to accommodate engine movement. Air enters the stock airbox through two paths: a front duct near the headlight and an upper duct that routes toward the grille and radiator area to provide a small Ram-Air effect. On paper, the stock box appears to offer substantial inlet area, but the internal layout and filter design limit how effectively that incoming air is used.
Once the factory airbox is opened, the filter becomes the first major point of criticism. The front portion of the stock filter contains a polyfill section that is described as doing little beyond collecting dust while impeding airflow. The pleats are packed closely together, which makes it harder for air to enter and exit the media efficiently. On the back side, the filter is covered by a wire support layer described as chicken wire, which further limits flow into and out of the element.
Banks' argument is that the apparent surface area of the stock filter does not translate into effective airflow because a meaningful portion of the filter is obstructed or poorly utilized. Instead of presenting a clear, low-restriction path through the media, the factory arrangement adds multiple barriers before air even reaches the intake tube.
The inside of the stock airbox is presented as lacking airflow management. According to the explanation, air entering from the upper scoop and lower duct is not directed efficiently through the filter. The box contains numerous strengthening ribs, a consequence of its thin injection-molded plastic construction. Those ribs appear both inside and outside the housing to add stiffness, but Banks argues that they also work against performance by disturbing airflow internally and by conducting engine heat into the airbox from the outside.
The second half of the factory airbox, where the intake tube and mass airflow sensor connect, is also described as underutilized. The rear portion of the housing does not meaningfully help route additional air around the filter and is characterized as largely wasted volume.
The factory bellows are acknowledged as necessary because the engine moves and vibrates during operation, so the intake system needs flexibility. However, Banks explains that bellows create drag and effectively reduce the usable internal cross-section as air passes through them. In other words, even if the nominal diameter looks adequate, the turbulence and shape changes inside the bellows make the passage behave like a smaller tube.
Banks' replacement airbox is built from cross-linked polyethylene rather than the thinner injection-molded plastic used in the stock unit. Because the material is denser and more rigid, the housing does not require the same network of strengthening ribs. That allows the interior to remain smooth, with the stated goal of minimizing obstructions, drag, and turbulence.
The new box continues to use the factory front inlet duct near the headlight, preserving the Ram-Air effect from that location. In addition, Banks opens a lower portion of the airbox to admit more fresh air from an area said to be away from engine heat. The system also adds a side inlet on the passenger side, again positioned to draw in cooler, drier air. Beyond airflow quantity, the added openings are also said to make turbo sound more audible from the cabin and outside the truck.
The Ram-Air filter itself is described as a fully custom Banks design. Rather than simply maximizing size, Banks says it controls the number of pleats, pleat depth, media thickness, and overall filter construction to achieve the best flow relative to stock. The company emphasizes that filter performance depends on the total design, not just on making the element physically larger.
According to the video, the Banks filter is half as restrictive as the factory filter. Its oval outlet provides 20.27 square inches of flow area, which is claimed to be twice the size of the S&B outlet. Banks also states that, because its filter uses more effective surface area and fewer pleats, it can collect more dust while remaining less restrictive than competing designs.
With the intake assembled, Banks highlights the overall shape of the system from the filter to the turbo compressor inlet. Instead of using a simple straight tube, the intake follows a smooth, organic, almost teardrop-like taper. The explanation centers on boundary-layer effects: as air moves through a tube, a slower-moving layer forms along the inner wall. If the tube becomes smaller, that boundary layer occupies a larger percentage of the passage and increases resistance. Longer tubes also add drag.
Banks says it addressed this by using an oversized diameter that smoothly tapers from the filter down to the turbo inlet. The goal is to reduce the impact of the boundary layer and maintain higher airflow with less resistance.
The system's flexible elbows are made from EPDM synthetic rubber rather than silicone. The stated reason is that EPDM is more rigid and therefore less likely to collapse under turbo inlet vacuum. Unlike the restrictive factory bellows, the Banks bellows-style sections slide over the intake tube, leaving the internal airflow path smooth. Banks' claim is that air moving through the tube effectively does not encounter the bellows as an internal obstruction. The kit also includes a coolant rest for the factory coolant hoses, matching the stock system in a way the presenter says competing kits do not.
The first competitor discussed is S&B. Banks characterizes the S&B design as taking a simpler route with a straight intake tube, which it argues is not ideal for airflow compared with a carefully tapered shape. The S&B filter outlet is also described as too small for the airflow demands of the 6.7-liter Power Stroke.
Two packaging details are also called out. According to the video, the S&B kit does not include a coolant rest for the factory hoses, and it does not provide a mounting location for the factory filter minder on trucks equipped with one. In Banks' framing, those omissions make the system less complete both functionally and in terms of OE-style integration.
The second competitor is AFE. At first glance, the AFE system appears to offer a large opening and what looks like a large oval filter outlet similar to the Banks design. However, Banks points to an internal cross brace or flow restrictor running through the center of the intake tube. That structure is said to interfere with airflow and to terminate directly against the back side of the filter, which Banks argues is a poor arrangement for performance.
Banks notes that AFE does provide a location for the filter minder, but says it omits a proper location for the coolant rest. More importantly, Banks reports that in its testing, the AFE tube-and-filter assembly flowed the least of the three systems tested: AFE, Banks, and S&B. The explanation offered is that AFE may have used too many pleats, introduced restriction through the cross brace, or failed to optimize the overall tube shape despite the large apparent inlet and outlet dimensions.
The conclusion of the video centers on measured airflow and pressure-drop results. Banks states that its intake is the highest-flowing system tested, delivering the greatest mass airflow gain at the lowest pressure drop. The specific claim is 35.9 percent more mass airflow than stock, which is said to be roughly 10 to 18 percent better than the AFE and S&B systems.
For stock trucks, Banks ties that airflow increase to improved throttle response and better engine efficiency. Because the intake is said to supply cooler, denser, drier air, the turbo can achieve the same boost level with less effort. The claimed downstream effect is that the truck can maintain highway speed with less throttle input, which should help fuel economy. The additional side and lower inlets are also said to make turbo sound more noticeable. For tuned trucks, the presenter says the gains are even more substantial, though no additional figures are provided in the transcript.