Question on a possible purchase of a truck

[JJT]

Hey guys ... I'm looking at possibly purchasing a friends 2000 7.3 PSD.


For performance, it has the BANKS powerpack. Ive been looking at threads on here and it seems like most people dont like BANKS products.

My question is what is wrong with them? What bad things have happened to peoples engines / transmissions after using BANKS products??

I am not looking for opinions, I am looking for factual information. I dont want to hear "he's arrogant"..."his products are overpriced"... "his products dont make as much power as others"...I just want to know if his products will cause harm to the truck or if it does a good job.

[highraven99]

it can because likev most off the shelf products they have general programming that vwill work on any truck, which in turn means that it will not really control the tranny function in autos. that eventually leads to a fried tranny. besides most off the shelf products are a little more than an icp resistor mod with a few other things getting tweeked

[ridiculously_necessary]

Originally Posted by highraven99

it can because likev most off the shelf products they have general programming that vwill work on any truck, which in turn means that it will not really control the tranny function in autos. that eventually leads to a fried tranny. besides most off the shelf products are a little more than an icp resistor mod with a few other things getting tweeked

x2

[JJT]

Is this an assumption or factual info? Im not saying your wrong, but wondering what real life examples you have. Ive been researching it and found a guy with the the stinger-plus kit on his excursion. Its basically the same kit without the intercooler and full intake. He said hes had it on there since 3k miles and now has 172k. Stated hes had no problems and tows 20,000lbs regularly. I'm looking for real life problems with this kit.

[Austinj427]

I doubt there are any major problems that come with banks equipped trucks. His "tuning" if that is what you wanted to call it, isn't extreme enough to do a bunch of damage. But like stated before, the transmissions in these trucks give up at stock power levels sometimes, so adding power WITHOUT transmission tuning is asking for more trouble.

That is why we like our custom tuning. We can make more power, for cheaper, and have a better functioning truck. Not to mention customer service. Alot of tuners will bend over backwards for their customers. I doubt we will ever see ol' Gale do a back bend.

[JJT]

How exactly do you tune a transmission? The banks powerpack is supposed to give a 104/224 increase to the wheels. And your saying his tuning is fine, its just not "extreme" right? The truck i might purchase already has all this stuff on it. Its not like I have to buy it brand new or anything.

Your saying that this is bad....??

TransCommand®

(Required with Sidewinder® turbo, Stinger® and PowerPack® systems for Ford 6.9/7.3 and Power Strokes equipped with E4OD/4R100 automatic transmissions) TransCommand is an automatic-transmission-management computer that delivers functions that no single module can. The E4ODs and 4R100s—used in full-sized Ford trucks and vans since 1989—have soft, car-like shift characteristics. Many truck owners prefer firmer shifts, especially when hauling large loads. TransCommand is the quick, efficient cure. The electronic module senses the load and commands the transmission to raise the hydraulic pressure accordingly. Light-throttle shifts are smooth and firm, while full-throttle or heavy-load driving produces solid, decisive shifts. Excessive clutch slippage is eliminated, extending transmission life. Built with high-temp, solid-state components.

[ILStroker350]

where is the truck located?
want to take a buddy along who knows these 7.3 pretty well?

[Austinj427]

Originally Posted by JJT

How exactly do you tune a transmission? The banks powerpack is supposed to give a 104/224 increase to the wheels. And your saying his tuning is fine, its just not "extreme" right? The truck i might purchase already has all this stuff on it. Its not like I have to buy it brand new or anything.

Your saying that this is bad....??

TransCommand®

(Required with Sidewinder® turbo, Stinger® and PowerPack® systems for Ford 6.9/7.3 and Power Strokes equipped with E4OD/4R100 automatic transmissions) TransCommand is an automatic-transmission-management computer that delivers functions that no single module can. The E4ODs and 4R100s—used in full-sized Ford trucks and vans since 1989—have soft, car-like shift characteristics. Many truck owners prefer firmer shifts, especially when hauling large loads. TransCommand is the quick, efficient cure. The electronic module senses the load and commands the transmission to raise the hydraulic pressure accordingly. Light-throttle shifts are smooth and firm, while full-throttle or heavy-load driving produces solid, decisive shifts. Excessive clutch slippage is eliminated, extending transmission life. Built with high-temp, solid-state components.

Shift point, line pressures, TC lockup and unlock yada, yada, yada.

When you get the truck, you could pull some of that stuff off and sell it on craiglist. (Anything that custom tunes will take care of) That should help pay for a chip from TW, Beans, Swamps, DP, PHP, DI or where ever else you chose.

And FWIW, I'm fairly certain the 104/224 is probably the highest increase they had ever seen, so they used that for marketing. These trucks probably lay down 160-180 to the wheels in stock trim. With a $40 intake, a factory exhaust with a cat and muffler delete, and a custom tune will make anywhere from 310 to 320 hp to the wheels, even more on a dyno/live tuned truck.