Monster Exhaust

[Don Peterson]

I have been talking to Banks Aftermarket Power & Braking about a "Monster Exhaust" for my Toyota Tundra 4.7L tow vehicle. This system reportedly will increase my truck's power and improve gas mileage. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience with the Banks system or anything similar? Any recommendations for or against? I will be pulling a 5000# Jayco travel trailer.

Thanks for any input.
Don

 

[DougJ]

Hi Don,

I can't speak to this particular Banks system.  However, I can report my satisfaction with Banks.  I had a PowerPack and Transcommand installed on my 1990 Winnebago Elandan that is built on a Ford chassis and powered by a 464 engine.

It certainly made a very pleasant positive difference on power, but I can't say that I've noticed any improvement in the fuel efficiency, even though I have not changed my driving habits.  That said, I have to add that I went to Banks for power not for fuel efficiency.

There are other folks on the forum with Banks experience and no doubt they will chime in.

Ciao,

Doug

 

[Wrangler]

Hi there,

I have had installed on my truck the power tuned exhaust and am very pleased with it, you might also want to check out the possibility of a super chip if it is acvailable, and cold air induction will also help

Earl

 

[Don Peterson]

Thanks for the feedback, Earl. When I talked to Banks, they said that they didn't have a chip for my Tundra. As summer gets closer and closer, I am considering the Monster exhaust, but what is cold air induction and how can I find out more about it?

 

[Wrangler]

Good morning Don,
One of the biggest robbers of power in your engine is HEAT!

Three ways to get rid of it is larger exhaust, turbo power and fresh air.

If you can get it I would go with a 5 inch exhaust all the way back. If you will look to Kand N filters and see if they make one for your truck. The basic principle is the more air in more surface area. Thats why most are Round air filters, more surface area to allow more air. They also sell a cleaning kit which I would reccomend also. I know the Tundra is new to the fullsize truck market but as it comes along more aftermarket products will become available.
Hope this helps.

Earl

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I had the full Banks kit (headers, exhaust, & Transcommand) on my 96 Ford chassis motorhome and was very pleased. However, I would look closely at the power graph details for a Monster Exhaust on your new Toyota.  Late model engines seldom get anywhere near as much benefit as older engines did and the additional power is often available only at very high RPMs, where you seldom run anyway (and don't want to run either!).  An extra 18 HP at 3900 RPMs won't do you any good.  Banks usually has torque & horsepower curves available on their web site for each specific application.

Don't expect any increase in fuel mileage - that result is pretty  rare and occurs mostly in 1970-1980 vintage engines. Newer engines are already finely tuned via their electronic controls (engine computer) and there is no easy way to get noticeable gains.

 

[John From Detroit]

I have no expierence with Banks but have read a lot of nice comments about them.  Mostly in "Performance" magazines (Hot-Rod & Racing mags) I have a couple of doctors who are into that kind of thing so their offices are well littered.

One of them is the fastest chiropractor in the west (Well, at least when he's driving his race car)

 

[Don Peterson]

Well, thank you all for the good information. I went to the Banks site and was not able to find any info on torque & power, but I left a message requesting it. Here is a quote from the Banks Web site referring to the Toyota Tundra:

"The Monster muffler more than doubles the stock flow, increasing it by 101%. As a result, the Tundra engine is able to produce more power with less work. Reducing back pressure and enhancing the exhaust flow improves engine longevity and fuel efficiency, as well." Also they state that their system "slashes back pressure by 76%" and that it "...features the rich, throaty sound of Banks' free-flowing, straight-through polished-stainless Monster muffler..." yeehah!? :

I dunno what they mean by "stock flow" unless they are referring to exhaust gases(?)

If anyone is interested, here is the link to the Banks Web site: http://www.bankspower.com/index.cfm

 

[Karl]

Don,

Your right on - stock flow is the amount of exhaust gas that (can) pass thru the system. If, and only if, your stock system is restricting the flow too much, will opening it up into a 'sewer pipe' exhaust system provide any benefit. As I said in a previous posting, an exhaust system needs some back pressure to perform properly thru a particular rpm range. That's called exhaust tuning, and has to do with pipe diameter, length, and size of the buffer chamber usually provided by the muffler itself, as well as the rpm range you drive in. Banks can and will provide hp/torque/rpm curves which will let you decide whether it'll work for your particular driving style. As RV Roamer said, if the performance increase is too high (or too low), it isn't going to help and may well hinder overall performance and mileage.