Banks Power Pak for Cummins ISC 8.3L

[Windsor02]

I am considering adding a Banks System to our 2002 coach and would appreciate any input on the success anyone might have had with a similar system.

They claim an increase of 85 HP at 2000 RPM's and 150 lb-ft at 2000 RPM's measured at the flywheel.

We are getting ready to go fulltime and thought a little more power can't hurt.

[BernieD]

Windsor

Your are probably near the max on some of your specs; the '02 Allison 300MH has a limit of 400hp and 1200#/ft torque. There could also be heat problems with your cooling system. Double check with the coach and chassis builders as to the capability of adding hp and torque. Actually a little more power can hurt. What is your GVWR and travel weight?

[Gary RV Roamer]

Banks makes good stuff, but it's a lot of money for the extra power. And you don't run much at 2000 RPMs, so the usable gain is less.

According to the Banks torque & HP graphs, you will exceed the Hp rating of the transmission above 1800 RPMs, but it is probably only briefly and I would suspect it won't be  a problem. The torque never exceeds 1200 ft-lbs, so not a problem.

[Jeff]

I don't know if it is just me or part of the aging/retirement process but the power/speed of our 330 Cat has become less and less important after 6 years and 80k of driving. We just spent two months of touring southern Utah and the mountains of Colorado and didn't even think about having more HP. The coach's average MPG for that trip is 8.5 which I know I couldn't do with a 400-500 HP motor back there.

More importantly is that we have had NO problems this summer which I would become concerned about running an engine at or over its design limits.

[Windsor02]

The GVWR on our coach is 32,800 lbs. The last weight ticket was 32,080. The car we pull weighs 5,000 lbs.

In talking with a service rep at Allison he says that the transmission will take the 1200 ft/lbs as well as the 435 HP. It was also mentioned that the sensing element for the stock setup is designed to cut back on the RPM's if problems present themselves whereas with the Banks System it doesn't monitor the same things.

So with all that being said I think we'll wait and see what benefits we get from buying a smaller tow car and the use of the "Mode" switch on the Allison. The "Mode" switch makes the transmission shift about 200 RPM's sooner keeping you in the Torque curve of 1400-1500 RPMS where the real pulling power comes from. I have noticed a big difference from doing this. One of the Allison reps said if it were his coach he would drive all day with the "Mode" switch on.

[herd]

QUOTE: "One of the Allison reps said if it were his coach he would drive all day with the "Mode" switch on."

Is the "Mode" switch that you're referring to the same as "Tow/Haul" on a Chevy?

[mayfair]

I agree with the others. Banks stuff is nice, but it's way overpriced.

I don't know much about coach's, but as far as the Cummins guys who run Dodges, most avoid banks stuff

[Ned]

The mode switch on the Allison is usually programmed to lower the shift points by 200rpm to minimize shifting between gears while in rolling country.  This is for RVs, in other applications it can be programmed for different behavior.  It does no harm to leave it on all the time.

[Gary RV Roamer]

Is the "Mode" switch that you're referring to the same as "Tow/Haul" on a Chevy?

No. The Allison 3000 & 4000 series trannies have a programmable switch on the shifter called "Mode", which in the RV application is set to a different shift pattern usually referred to as "Economy Mode". It works as Ned described.  The Allison 1000 tranny in the Chevy truck is set for a different function altogether when the Tow/Haul switch is pressed.

[TomC]

Hi All
I have the 3000 series Allison tranny. Is there a way to determine if it has been programmed to the "economy mode" as Ned describes? A few years ago, an Allison rep told me that I would have to take my rig to a dealer to get it programmed since they all left the factory unprogrammed.

TomC

[Jeff]

Hi All
I have the 3000 series Allison tranny. Is there a way to determine if it has been programmed to the "economy mode" as Ned describes? A few years ago, an Allison rep told me that I would have to take my rig to a dealer to get it programmed since they all left the factory unprogrammed.

TomC

The next time you are out on the highway engage the cruise and observe the RPM that the tranny downshifts on rolling hills. after watching it for a few miles push the "Mode" button and observe the shift points again. My 3000 will hold the higher gear for about 200-300 RPM's lower before downshifting to the next lower gear. For my 330 Cat that means shifting down to 5th at about 1500 RPM instead of 1800 RPM.

Most RV Allisons are programed this way.

[Phil]

Hi All
I have the 3000 series Allison tranny. Is there a way to determine if it has been programmed to the "economy mode" as Ned describes? A few years ago, an Allison rep told me that I would have to take my rig to a dealer to get it programmed since they all left the factory unprogrammed.

If you have a Cummins engine, Cummins has free software that will let you change the programming of the engine and Allison transmission settings with a computer.  They make you purchase the computer interface device but, the program is free and easy to use.

[TomC]

Thank you all for the great info.
I have the Cat 330 so I will follow Jeff's input.
Rolling hills? I'm going over Loveland and Vail Passes in the next few days , They don't qualify, right?
Seriously, thanks for the info.

TomC

[Ned]

TomC, economy mode won't do anything in the mountains but wait until you get to Nebraska