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Old 01-26-2011, 02:08 AM   #1
ragdoll
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banks exhaust etc.

I know some of you have installed Banks exaust brake on your truck other than braking what other advanges do you reieve from that investment. Thank You Jack
 
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Old 01-26-2011, 02:16 AM   #2
H. John Kohl
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My primary performance is the additional breaking without having to touch the brakes. With this concept in mind you have to plan on braking early and not drive like a TAXI driver and brake at the last minute. And holding speeds down hill as long as you are in the correct gear. These two actions are worth the cost in my opinion.

Second, in cold weather the exhaust brakes loads the idling motor and helps it warm up faster.

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Old 01-26-2011, 02:57 AM   #3
ragdoll
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John did you gain any improvement in MPG. I'm sure you must get a little boost in proformance. Anything else? Thank You Jack
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Old 01-26-2011, 03:21 AM   #4
H. John Kohl
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by ragdoll

John did you gain any improvement in MPG. I'm sure you must get a little boost in proformance. Anything else? Thank You Jack
The exhaust brake does not improve performance. I did extend the life of my brakes. I had to replace the front brakes at 80K and the rear at 100K. The exhaust brakes mechanically adds restriction to the exhaust flow for breaking.

To get better performance you have to get more air in and less restriction on exhaust.

The other banks additions may have helped a little but I will never drive the truck long enough to recoup the cost with MPG. I do have more performance, Horsepower/torque and like it.

Would I do it again? Yes if I had another cash award. But being retired and on fixed income the only things I would require is the exhaust brake and the intake manifold upgrade.
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Old 01-26-2011, 04:07 AM   #5
ragdoll
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Thanks John. Since I have that new 6.0 long block put in 5/09 I'll be keeping it untill we go to a pusher motor home. was just trying to spruce it up a bit.for the cost I wouldn't buy it just for braking purposes.I have 75k on my brake now and still have 55% left in front and more on the rear.maybe a color change on the lower half of the truck? Jack
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Old 01-26-2011, 04:08 AM   #6
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quote:Originally posted by ragdoll

I know some of you have installed Banks exaust brake on your truck other than braking what other advanges do you reieve from that investment. Thank You Jack
I have the Banks Power Pack and the Banks Exhaust Brake. I had them installed at Banks Engineering in Azusa, CA. I was more than surprised with the performance of both. The Power Pack gained me 1 1/2 to 2-miles per gallon which I wasn't even expecting. The Exhaust Brake allows me to have a lot more peace of mind when slowing down and when descending the many hills we encounter. I have gone back over our travels and have discovered that both installations have paid for themselves. It's well worth the money if you are going to drive your truck for as long as we have.

Orv
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Old 01-26-2011, 04:29 AM   #7
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I purchased the Banks six-pack performance system and the exhaust system for my prior short bed 4x2, 6.0 diesel Ford F-250 (installed in their factory in Azusa, CA). The Six Pack is a 6-position Diesel Tuner, a "speed loader" and gauges. The exhaust system increased the plumbing from 3" to 4". I had to learn to watch the Exhaust temp (EGT) to prevent the damage from running things too hot but turning the dial down helped things a lot especially on long hill climbs which were now awesome. Of the six settings I used 5 when not towing and 3 or 4 when towing (dropped to 3 if EGTs were on the rise).

MPGs improved on the average of 2.5 towing and not towing. Some times it was no improvement because I enjoyed driving my truck so much I raced it more than I should have. But there was a noticeable improvement when I drove sensibly. Except I couldn't stop any better (or slow down on hills).

What I really wanted was an Exhaust braking system but Banks had not finished its development until recently, so I missed out.

I had to trade this truck in when I bought my Monty and do not have the funds now that I'm retired to improve my current TV - the drawback to retiring early. It can also affect your warranty. My limited funds are being used for other mods and the Banks stuff is lower on the list for now.
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Old 01-26-2011, 04:53 AM   #8
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quote:Originally posted by ragdoll

I know some of you have installed Banks exaust brake on your truck other than braking what other advanges do you reieve from that investment. Thank You Jack
I have a number of Banks mods on my truck (Hi Ram intake, Cold Air intake, Monster Exhaust etc.) and a Smarty Jr. tuner and they are all great for better performance and mileage improvement.
But the best mod for towing IMO is clearly the Banks Brake which I had installed at their shop. Towing a friend's 30 ft. TT to Lake Tahoe and back was amazing with the exhaust brake! Another advantage (at least for my Dodge) is that you get a seperate switch for disengaging O.D. so instead of using the factory switch on the gear selector lever and having to choose between Tow/Haul mode OR O.D. off, I can now do both.
So for coming down the steep grades, I have it in Tow/Haul mode, O.D. turned off and except for the very steepest grades, really never need to use the regular brakes to control speed. The Banks Brake works in the lower gears too...I've used it in 2nd gear for a really steep section and it was fantastic!
You also get a module to help control the transmission T.C. lockup so it works better with the exhaust brake. You can read up on it on the Banks website.
Very high quality and I highly recommend it...of course the BEST PART is the cool sound (like a big rig but not as loud)! j/k
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Old 01-26-2011, 04:55 AM   #9
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I have both a exhaust brake and a tuner on my 01 Ford. The brake is simply a butterfly valve that closed the exhaust. The higher the RPMs the more affective the brake is. We travel thru the mountains out west primarily. The exhaust break was a priceless tool to have in my opinion. The only thing better is the full Jake I have on the Volvo.

I installed the tuner on my Ford back in 05. Back then I kept detailed fuel log records. Comparing my records for the year prior to have the tuner installed to the first year of the tuner installed I was a 8% increase in fuel economy. The key is not trying to have too much fun with the new found power the tuner will give you. Based on fuel cost at the time it took me about 2 years in fuel savings to recoup the cost of tuner.
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Old 01-27-2011, 04:26 AM   #10
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after talking to my local muffler shop owner who showed me his f350/o6 he said all you need is to put on a 4 in. exhaust from the cat back.(cat stops the black smoke which I didn't know was even there). that is only half of the exhaust system but it gets rid of the muffler which he said is very restrictive. he said this will improve your preformance and help with mpg, you'll notice the difference. at a cost of only 433 for parts & 75 labor I guess I'll give a shot. thanks to all of for input Jack
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Old 01-27-2011, 04:54 AM   #11
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by ragdoll

after talking to my local muffler shop owner who showed me his f350/o6 he said all you need is to put on a 4 in. exhaust from the cat back.(cat stops the black smoke which I didn't know was even there). that is only half of the exhaust system but it gets rid of the muffler which he said is very restrictive. he said this will improve your preformance and help with mpg, you'll notice the difference. at a cost of only 433 for parts & 75 labor I guess I'll give a shot. thanks to all of for input Jack
Are you saying you would be running with NO muffler? Or is the guy replacing the stock unit with a lower restriction one in addition to the 4" tubing? You might not be happy with the sound if you just eliminate the muffler completely. There are many low restriction mufflers (either individual or as complete systems) that will help mileage, EGTs and performance (a little) but not be too loud. I am happy with my Banks Monster exhaust...4" single sounds good, but not loud while cruising. $433 seems high for just some 4" tubing. Personally I would make sure it's SS too.
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Old 01-27-2011, 06:10 AM   #12
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Just to add about the exhaust. I had a Magnaflow 4" performance exhaust installed. It goes from the turbo back and deleted the cat with a flow through muffler and a 5" tip. The engine makes more noise than the noise coming out of the exhaust tip. Standing back there when the truck is running sounds like a lot of air flowing through a big pipe with a little whistle. Cruising down the road the engine is still louder than the exhaust. As far as milage I can say I picked up about 2-3 mpg, empty and towing.
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Old 01-27-2011, 06:54 AM   #13
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I installed the same Magnaflow system a year ago. I did see a slight improvement on the mpg but not as good as yours. The cost was the same as OEM from the dealer but I have the lifetime warranty on the stainless system where Dodge would only warranty for 6 months.
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Old 01-27-2011, 07:06 AM   #14
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I only gave the basics trying to keep post short, along with the stainless steel 4 inch pipe I get a s.s. low restrictive muffler with a 5inch tip. Butch (owner) said if you replaced it all you will get a loud whistle from turbo along with adding $1500 to the bill and won't help much. Will let you know later if it was worth it Jack
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