Looking for Advice

[SCOTTD]

We just got our first motorhome ford frame with v10 motor. I am wanting to know the do's an don'ts for this motor and frame setup. What's the best upgrades for the $$  Extras parts I should keep onboard, things to watch for, any suggestions will be appreciated.

also is the banks kit for this motor worth it? if so does it hurt the motor in anyway? too much strain on the stock motr?

 

[Shadowman]

ScottD,

I can't help you much on your check list or what to look for on your V10, but I can tell you I just put the Banks Stinger System on my 454, and it was the best money I've spent on the MH other than the original purchase. The difference it makes on my coach is night and day.  Now, I know our set ups are different, but the perrson that talked me into purchasing the Banks system for my coach has a 05 34' dual slide with the V10 and he highly recommended the system to me.  Although I only went with the Stinger system which is the air intake and exhaust (no headers), I know my friend went with the full kit including the automind (excuse spelling). 

Ironically, his reaction was the same as mine after the initial test drive. It was not wheelie pulling power increase, but it was that merging onto the interstate, passing a slower vehicle (new concept to me), and being to actually drive in OD, which I thought had been put on my rig as a decoration.  In addition to the added performance, "I", not all, experienced an increase in gas mileage. Noticeable.  However, I attribute most of that to the fact I can use the OD so the engine isn't working nearly as hard.

Others may have their opinions and everyones got a right to them, but I would say, for the investment I made in an older coach, it was definitely worth the money invested for the reduced stress.  Good Luck.

 

[Jeff]

We just got our first motorhome ford frame with v10 motor. I am wanting to know the do's an don'ts for this motor and frame setup. What's the best upgrades for the $$  Extras parts I should keep onboard, things to watch for, any suggestions will be appreciated.

also is the banks kit for this motor worth it? if so does it hurt the motor in anyway? too much strain on the stock motr?

Scott:

If your coach is an 01 or early 02 or earlier you probably have the lower HP V-10 and Banks can provide a substantial increase in HP and Torque, If you have the later 325HP version of the engine the Banks improvements are less dramatic.

 

[scottydl]

Would a Banks kit do anything for older Ford 460 or Chevy 454 motors?  Or is it most effective for newer engines?  And I know a lot of factors determine cost, but about what would that upgrade be priced at?

 

[Karl]

There are several different upgrade options available from Banks, from simple muffler/tailpipe systems to complete intake/exhaust headers/muffler/tailpipe/TransCommand systems. Prices can be up to $3-4k WITHOUT installation. For some applications, a full-blown system is overkill, and the increase in power is not what you might expect or hope for. Newer rigs already have decent exhaust headers, so their replacement isn't cost justified. On my '96 Ford 460, it was apparent that the exhaust pipes themselves were necked down in several places, so I chose to install a system, from Walker(Tenneco), that gave me a clear 3" all the way back from the downpipe. Kept the original headers and downpipe. Cost? Less than $450, and I installed it in one day. It gave me all the performance increase I wanted and needed to handle the Western slopes. I suggest you spend a little time with a tape measure(or calibrated eye) inside the hood and under the rig, and try to locate any trouble spots like I found. You may save yourself a whole lot of money!

One thing you would want to add to the Ford 460 with the E4OD transmission is the Banks TransCommand module. The E4OD by itself has soft shifts, which translate to excessive heat and wear. The TransCommand firms them up very nicely. 1-2 hour installation by you.     

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The Banks kits do more for older engines than for newer ones.  In search for better fuel mileage, the auto factories have adopted many of the improvements that Gale Banks uses, so Banks has to work harder to improve the newer engines.  A Ford 460 in particular responds well to a Banks kit.  As Karl says, you can add just portions or the full kit and gets degrees of improvements.

A Gear Vendors Over/under Drive (auxiliary transmission) is another very effective enhancement for older power trains. By adding gears to the transmission, you get much more effective use of the power you have. In many cases, whatyou perceive as a lack of engine performance is really a transmission problem, not providing a gear that keeps the engine in its peak power range under all driving conditions.  Gear Vendors

 

[Karl]

In many cases, whatyou perceive as a lack of engine performance is really a transmission problem, not providing a gear that keeps the engine in its peak power range under all driving conditions.

That's very true with the E4OD. There's a big hole between 2nd and 3rd gears.

 

[Mblaster]

460 owners rejoyce.
Banks claims up to 68 hp and a huge 94lb-ft torque increase.

 

[Jeff]

460 owners rejoyce.
Banks claims up to 68 hp and a huge 94lb-ft torque increase.

And you get it.

 

[Shayne]

For Sure Jeff  Wouldn't be without it.

 

[Shadowman]

Just got off my first real road trip with the new Banks Stinger on my 1995 Chevy 454 TBI. Results are very impressive. The Stinger System consists of the Air Intake and the Exhaust at a cost of $900. I installed the whole thing in about 8 hours, but I'm far from mechanically inclined, although with a RV, I'm finding the need to improve my skill set!

I live in Utah, where a drive to the grocery store consists of a 6% grade I drove to Souther Utah this past weekend with a loaded trailer of ATV's. For the first time since owning my RV, I was not the one going up the hills with my flashers on and driving on the shoulder of the road allowing people to pass me. This time I was passing other RV's as well as Semi's, and not creating a road block in the process. There was one time, where I was just enjoying the drive and looked down to find I was doing 80 MPH and it was running like a champ. I don't like traveling that fast with that much weight, so I quickly backed it down, but it was nice to know could if I needed to.

In addition to the added power there were 2 other huge benefits for me. First was increased gas mileage. Last year on the same roads, I got 6.5 MPG, this time I got 7.75 MPG. I think most of this gain was from being able to actually use the OD this time, last year I had to stay in 3rd 98% of the time because of the lack of power. The other benefit was for the rest of the family.. Because the engine wasn't working nearly as hard, the inside noise was reduced by a factor of 4 in my opinion. We could comfortably carry on a conversation, and I could be irratated by the kids video games and cartoons

Long story short, for me, it was the best $900 I spent on my coach, aside from the new tires.

 

[scottydl]

Wow, I'm getting convinced and I don't even have a MH yet!  I especially like the idea of self-install... Shadowman I'm probably about like you when it comes to mechanical ability.  I can get around, but don't have the tools or experience to really get things done quickly.  What was the install process like, and was there any particular sticking point that would cut a lot of time off if you had to do it again?

 

[Shadowman]

Scottydl,

Again, Congrats. I'm sure you'll be extremely happy with your purchase. If it even leaves one memory for you and your family it's already paid for itself.

As for the self install, honestly it was a piece of cake. The only thing I would have done different is to lift the front off the ground a little more or have a very short creeper.  But heck if you can scoot around on your back for a few hours your set.

As for tools, make sure you have a full set of sockets and wrenchs. The one thing that helped me greatly was a reciprocating saw (sawzall) with a good metal blade.(I wasn't planning on keeping the old exhaust). It also helps if you have an exta set of hands to help hold stuff in place.

For me the hardest part was seperating the muffler and exhaust from the Catalytic Converter. I ended up using the sawzall and cutting it off. Just be carefull not to saw to far and cut the CC inlets or outlets.  As for the pipe that went up, around, sideways over the axle, I just cut it in a few places and took it out in pieces, you'll never get it out in one piece.

I bet it took me 4 hours for the whole process, but I only had the second set of hands for the later half. I was actually surpised at how well it went together.  If your going to get a 40 HP or greater gain in HP I would highly suggest it. I think the gain on mine was around 58 HP. As has been mentioned some of the newer models won't benefit as much, so go to Bankspower.com and see if it will benefit you. Best of luck, if you have any problems, they have a great help line, or post it here, I'm sure it can get answered quickly.

 

[scottydl]

Again, Congrats. I'm sure you'll be extremely happy with your purchase. If it even leaves one memory for you and your family it's already paid for itself.

Well we don't have one yet, but will be buying as soon as the funds are secured and the right MH comes along.  There are too many Scott's in this thread.    Great tips though, I definitely got this thread bookmarked for future reference!