Banks

inquenciocha · February 22, 2020

Good info Bass and I hope it was just the regen. Mine comes in on Monday and I'm down here in Phoenix... just over a 1000ft I believe.

FirstAscent · February 23, 2020

Yeah Bass thanks for the honest review! Curious to see what others think of it, hopefully we’ll have a couple more opinions on here in the coming week from the others who purchased it as well.

Bigbucks10 · February 23, 2020

Just installed mine this afternoon. Honestly at first I didn't know if it was working. I only tried level 6 and stock. I have not towed anything , nor have I really tried to do anything hard. Just normal daily driving. Not much seat of pants different. I do have some questions. By the way , same install suggestions as previous post. Cable is just long enough, barely. Make sure to take the shortest route.

When you start the truck and walk out look at derringer under the hood. My led in blinking ORANGE. This staying like this for maybe 10 seconds then turns green and stays green until you turn off and restart. Same thing if you just power to accessory and don't start the truck.

Manual says should be green all the time. If not it is flashing a code or error. Mine never does any codes like explained in instructions , just starts off orange then goes to green.

I will tow with mine on monday, I would be willing to bet the gains will be better seen then. Install was super easy and clean. I went with the suction cup mount install of the pillar . I actually use my grap handle and didn't want to forfeit it. The suction cup mount looks pretty crappy and you can't hide the wires too well. I wish the it was lower profile and could be mounted from the bottom up on dash instead of hanging down from the windshield , it would look like a cleaner install.

I don't know what's best to monitor. What is everyones suggestions . I like to know what gear the tranny is in, SOT level, Oil temp, not sure what else .

I will report back next week with updated towing information for everyone. Since I drive with a very light foot, I was hoping to see a little gain in fuel mileage both empty and towing. Then at least I can not feel guilty for spending the money on this mod.

Suggestions on what to monitor?

Also can someone check their led light on derringer and report back.

thanks

bass mechanic · February 23, 2020

Just installed mine this afternoon. Honestly at first I didn't know if it was working. I only tried level 6 and stock. I have not towed anything , nor have I really tried to do anything hard. Just normal daily driving. Not much seat of pants different. I do have some questions. By the way , same install suggestions as previous post. Cable is just long enough, barely. Make sure to take the shortest route.

When you start the truck and walk out look at derringer under the hood. My led in blinking ORANGE. This staying like this for maybe 10 seconds then turns green and stays green until you turn off and restart. Same thing if you just power to accessory and don't start the truck.

Manual says should be green all the time. If not it is flashing a code or error. Mine never does any codes like explained in instructions , just starts off orange then goes to green.

I will tow with mine on monday, I would be willing to bet the gains will be better seen then. Install was super easy and clean. I went with the suction cup mount install of the pillar . I actually use my grap handle and didn't want to forfeit it. The suction cup mount looks pretty crappy and you can't hide the wires too well. I wish the it was lower profile and could be mounted from the bottom up on dash instead of hanging down from the windshield , it would look like a cleaner install.

I don't know what's best to monitor. What is everyones suggestions . I like to know what gear the tranny is in, SOT level, Oil temp, not sure what else .

I will report back next week with updated towing information for everyone. Since I drive with a very light foot, I was hoping to see a little gain in fuel mileage both empty and towing. Then at least I can not feel guilty for spending the money on this mod.

Suggestions on what to monitor?
Also can someone check their led light on derringer and report back.

thanks

My light flashed orange as well, while I was looking through the manual looking for orange with no luck I checked it again and was flashing green also, so it sounds like it’s probably normal behavior.
As for monitoring I don’t find the Derringer setting to be all that great. I like to know what gear I’m in and I want to know the DPF level, EGT, regen status, boost so I’m using the 5 square boost on top, then EGT upper left, DPF RE, lower left is gear then DPF level bottom right.
I played with a 6 position adding derringer power meter but it displays numeric rather than a bar graph.
I may throw together a different gauge setup and store it for easy access later.

Sounds like your feelings on the power are similar to mine.
When I think about it, adding 144 ft lbs if torque and 81 hp is just over 10% of what is stock and I guess that is about what it feels like it added. Got to remember the damn truck weighs 8,000 lbs! So where that much power added to a 300hp car would seem a huge improvement verses a truck that weighs a lot more with a lot of power from the factory I guess it’s about right.
Bummer though I was really expecting a wake up to the performance that was more obvious.

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bass mechanic · February 24, 2020

ok so i've put about 200 miles on the truck, and tonight took the family out to dinner, my wife and daughter both said the stock setting seemed faster than the level 6, and I went back and forth a couple times to get another opinion. They agreed the tuned setting 6 is faster but we all agree it's only faster in some of the taller gears. I think it's because the engine needs time to build boost and the 10 speed clicks off gears so fast and between each needs time to get the boost going.

That said, i saw 34 PSI briefly this evening between a gear change. I played with a ford f-250 with the 6.7 from a light and don't know if he was trying or not but left him in the dust. also played with a ram 1500 with a hemi, smoked him pretty easily to 100 but the governor kicked in and he eventually passed me.

all in all the truck is faster but because of the short gear changes you can't really tell and this is where i think towing a heavy load will become apparent.

i think sustained pulling up a hill for example holding a gear and letting the turbo spool up to 34-35 psi while the exhaust temp goes up is where the power will really shine.

I also noticed the stock the rpm's linger right around 2700 between shifts, where as on level 6 the engine hangs around closer to 3k when your giving it the full beans.

I am curious to see what if anything the exhaust adds, and I would also like to know if a better flowing muffler will help make a little rumble and free up some back pressure so it will spool a little faster.

everything about a diesel engine depends on boost, and it takes a while to build it to get the most potential out of the engine.

i did a power brake launch with about 5-6 psi and it came out of the hole like a scalded cat and left some rubber on the ground as well. but again it's all about how long it takes to make boost verses how long till you run out of gear and it has to close the throttle for a smooth shift.

i can tell the truck seems more peppy with regular driving, it doesn't take as much pedal to get the same results so you might be able to say it has a "more sporty feel" not exactly a "kick in the butt OMG hang on!" kind of feeling.

i am sure it will tow way better with the kit and probably hang in a higher gear than without.

would love to hear more feedback from folks here and see if our opinions align.

thanks!

inquenciocha · February 25, 2020

So just unboxed the fun. Any no shit, must do before hand tips?

I dig the thought of more power but what's everyone seeing as for mpg gain. I know, I know, everyone's foot is a little heavier now. Haha

sdelam · February 25, 2020

I havnt seen any MPG gains. It does increase power, on ramps are a blast with it.

Bigbucks10 · February 26, 2020

I am interested to what setting gives any mpg gains as well. I don't care about any addition power. I use this truck to tow a 8500 trailer everyday for business. I have a baseline for stock , but only have 2900 miles on truck. I am going to run a tank of fuel at each setting and report back. My routes and percent of towing are pretty consistent.

If any beta testers have already done this please advice.

Another finding. When just driving the truck on level 6, not towing, e brake not on, also not in towing mode, when going down a hill the truck will not advance gears. It stays in a lower gear to hold you back? My truck do not do this before installing the derringer.

sdelam · February 26, 2020

10 minutes ago, Bigbucks10 said:

Another finding. When just driving the truck on level 6, not towing, e brake not on, also not in towing mode, when going down a hill the truck will not advance gears. It stays in a lower gear to hold you back? My truck do not do this before installing the derringer.

Mine has always done this on steep hills. One hill in paticular, near work has made this kick in from day one with the truck.

bass mechanic · February 26, 2020

Mine has always done this on steep hills. One hill in paticular, near work has made this kick in from day one with the truck.

It also has to do with brake applications, if your in tow haul mode every time you hit the brake it will drop another gear (to a point) if you have the exhaust brake on you’ll do less brake applications.
Derringer has nothing to do with this operation.

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sdelam · February 26, 2020

2 minutes ago, bass mechanic said:

It also has to do with brake applications, if your in tow haul mode every time you hit the brake it will drop another gear (to a point) if you have the exhaust brake on you’ll do less brake applications.
Derringer has nothing to do with this operation.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I concur, not Derringer related.

jpgcrna · February 27, 2020

I'm pretty disappointed in the results people are experiencing. I was hoping for something a little more dramatic. I feel like 140 ft lbs is a pretty big increase for people to be wondering whether or not they can tell a difference. I was really looking forward to getting a derringer for this truck too...

Does anyone feel like the transmission may be what's limiting the truck?

Stock, my truck seems to have a lot more lag than my '15 did. From a stop it's pretty powerful. Pulling hills, same. I experience a ton of lag though if I slowly roll a stop sign, or barely come to stop, then a light turns green etc... I feel like the transmission hasn't fully made it down to first gear or something, then I try to go and there's a good second or 2 of lag.

I was really hoping for some improvement in this with the derringer. Anybody notice an improvement in this?

sdelam · February 28, 2020

16 hours ago, jpgcrna said:

I'm pretty disappointed in the results people are experiencing. I was hoping for something a little more dramatic. I feel like 140 ft lbs is a pretty big increase for people to be wondering whether or not they can tell a difference. I was really looking forward to getting a derringer for this truck too...

Does anyone feel like the transmission may be what's limiting the truck?

Stock, my truck seems to have a lot more lag than my '15 did. From a stop it's pretty powerful. Pulling hills, same. I experience a ton of lag though if I slowly roll a stop sign, or barely come to stop, then a light turns green etc... I feel like the transmission hasn't fully made it down to first gear or something, then I try to go and there's a good second or 2 of lag.

I was really hoping for some improvement in this with the derringer. Anybody notice an improvement in this?

I have had the Derringer for a bit now as part of the beta tests. It does make a noticeable difference in felt power and acceleration. I loved the truck before I installed it and now I don't think I could go back. It really shinnes on interstate on ramps and pulling trailers on inclines. Unfortunatly it does not fix the pedal lag from a rolling stop that you are noticing. That lag has been my biggest complaint from the start with this truck. Banks is coming out with a "Pedal Monster" that ties in to the iDash and is supposed to address this. Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to play with one of those yet to confirm.

jpgcrna · February 28, 2020

8 hours ago, sdelam said:

I have had the Derringer for a bit now as part of the beta tests. It does make a noticeable difference in felt power and acceleration. I loved the truck before I installed it and now I don't think I could go back. It really shinnes on interstate on ramps and pulling trailers on inclines. Unfortunatly it does not fix the pedal lag from a rolling stop that you are noticing. That lag has been my biggest complaint from the start with this truck. Banks is coming out with a "Pedal Monster" that ties in to the iDash and is supposed to address this. Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to play with one of those yet to confirm.

Thanks for the reply. I am inclined to order one and see what I think, but I think I may wait and see some more reviews on it before I do. I am kind of surprised that banks hasn't released any media on the 2020 release. It's almost as if they aren't as excited about this one as they were about the one for the '17-'19's. Not sure. I'm definitely interested to see how the pedal monster interacts with the derringer. And somewhat interested to see if the pedal monster does enough on it's own without the derringer, meaning giving a little more power down low where I think most of us want to see it. One thing is for sure, I like the new transmission so far, but I think it could definitely use a little polishing as far as gear selection, etc.. I think it's the only thing we're overcoming here when we talk about pedal lag, etc...