In a special edition of Truckin' magazine, we upgrade a Ford 6.4L turbodiesel for performance and mileage with a Banks Big Hoss Bundle
There is still no new magic to making power with today's diesel engines. Computers get smarter, exhausts get cleaner, and yet the basics remain the some. More air and fuel in the engine with proper tuning equals greater power. Diesel technology has progressed to the point where we can now have gobs of torque while emitting cleaner, non-sooty exhaust smoke. Nobody knows this fact better than Gale Banks and his company, Gale Banks Engineering. With more than 50 years in business, and having tested nearly every combination under the sun and even created a few one-offs, Banks is an authority on clean and durable diesel power. His goal is to allow the maximum power available without creating a catastrophic engine breakdown. With a 222-mph diesel Dakota and a custom Duramax road-racing truck capable of nearly 5,000 rpm, we believe him when he speaks of diesel performance.
What does all that hoopla mean to the end user? It means that we can have the impressive over-the-counter performance we desire, with hundreds of hours in testing to assure the products work as advertised and are safe for our non-racing truck engines. To give you an example of what we're talking about, we headed over to J-Star Motors in Anaheim, California, to peek at the installation of Banks' Big Hoss Bundle on a 2009 Ford F-250 fit with a 6.4L twin-turbodiesel. The kit is sold under one part number for a nice and neat package shipped directly to your door. Included are a Six-Gun Tuner, Banks iQ digital controller, Ram-Air intake, stainless Monster exhaust. and Techni-Cooler intercooler. With a maximum advertised horsepower addition of just under 100 hp and nearly 200 Ib-ft of torque, we were looking forward to hauling a trailer over Half Dome or maybe just keeping it simple and changing the rotation of the Earth .. . traction permitting.
Read the rest of the article and see a ton of install photos here »
