soulezoo

When I was new to diesels i didn't do enough research and bought into the "Banks Hype" and their advertisement...

The product has, however, done everything as they said and I have not had a single problem in 100k miles with it. It is just not the greatest in the power dept. It won't even spool the stock turbo all that fast much less my twins. The Smarty on the other hand is really fast and spooled my stock turbo OMG fast... but the downside is all that power made me go out and buy a new tranny, lift pump, twin turbos and etc. And I have to watch my guages more and the fuel tank needle seems to move faster now... But the upside is there are fewer mosquitoes in the neighborhood

rip 112

i can tell you from my experience that they will talk to you, but are pretty vague and sound ready to get off the phone. I want someone who is dedicated to answering questions and supporting the product. Bob is only one man, but he does a great job clarifying things here on the forums. And of course, there are plenty smarty threads that will cover alot more ground here than Banks and probably all the other programmers too.

soulezoo

Rip 112--

You know what-- I'm thinking we could start our own "before and after Banks" thread!!

But then again, they are paying money to advertise here so don't want to be too harsh-- but then again, they never read here either so how would they know??

billdozer

thanks for the info guys you have opened my eyes and ears as i was kinda buying in to the banks hype. if you were going to buy a programmer that will make respectable power and still be safe as possible what do you think the best way to go is again i understand it is kinda opinion but there has to be some numbers and proof behind the product

soulezoo

Well Banks will do all that... but costs too much...

Look at some of the quad products. They have some lower end stuff that you might like.. or a Diablo puck.. there are some others. With your truck and stock transmission... don't look for more than 65-75 HP.

soulezoo

In fact IIRC... you can get a Quad XZT towing module... I think it is 65 or 70 hp, safe egts and safe for tranny, and less than $300 on this site... someone correct me if I am wrong...

soulezoo

I looked it up and it is 65 hp and $270. But I am assuming (oh jeez don't do that) you have an auto tranny. If you are a stick, you can get away with 100 extra hp ok before a new clutch is needed.

Look for the module on the Shop DTR for more info.

billdozer

sweet thanks i am sure that once i get started i probably wont be able to get enough power like my other projects i really appreciate the info

soulezoo

Well then think twice on what you want so your are not spending money twice! I went years on Banks content with it. Then when I tried Smarty it opened my eyes big time. What a difference. But then I had to have twins and new tranny... you know. If you think you will get bitten by the power bug, buy a smarty and drive it on the lower levels. As you upgrade other things, you won't have to spend money again on another programmer.

soulezoo

It occurs to me now as well that aside from power a couple of very desirable attributes to the smarty is the ability to read and clear ECM codes. And adjust speedo for tire size. And, supposedly, it is the only thing out there that doesn't leave a "footprint" in the ECM for the dealer to find if you have a warranty issue.

billdozer

well unfortanately i am already bitten by the power bug and it is just deciding exactly what i want but you guys are awesome this is with out a doubt the most help a guy could ask for thanks again

rip 112

Yeah, they may be paying money to advertise, but what they don't know is that they are totally wasting their time here. I think they need to get on the ball. I'd be up to that thread...

03qclb5spd

I was one of the lucky ones that was too broke to afford banks products when I got into diesel performance after buying my 99 7.3. By the time I came up with some money I had learned a lot more and realized I wanted to put the exhaust on my truck, instead of bending over and putting it up....
Anyway they have some nice hard parts, but even those are expensive. The programming may work well for some, but for many it doesn't have a whole lot to offer especially for the price....wicked high. I personally can't stand the gigantic two page per engine ads that say "banks outpeforms 'em all" ....it's so far from the truth!
Brilliant!!!!!!!!