Increasing Horsepower - From The Git-Go

You can lie to everyone but the dynamometer. OK, OK, you can lie to the dynamometer too, but dyno results have credibility that not even Johnny Cochran can dispute. Gale Banks Engineering, known primarily for its turbo engine upgrades, makes some pretty hefty performance promises so we wanted to test them. We had to know the exact power increase that the basic Joe Schmoe kit could produce.

We took our '01 Ford 7.3L turbodiesel to Banks for a get-more-power install and a before-and-after chassis dyno test. Before we get all uppity about how easy it is to gain extra horses, we need to tell you a little bit about how the diesel engine works. The diesel engine sucks in air and compresses it in the cylinder. Fuel is injected directly inside the cylinder as a fine mist and mixes with the incoming air as it is compressed. The heat generated by this compressing of the air/fuel mixture ignites the fuel, spontaneously creating engine power, heat, and exhaust gases.

The Banks OttoMind chip is calibrated to run the fuel/air mixture fuel rich into the Powerstroke's cylinder. The chip is not designed as a stand-alone upgrade, and for good reason. As the extra fuel causes the cylinders to produce more power, a greater amount of exhaust gas builds up in the downpipes (called backpressure), causing negative effects on power gains. Hand-in-hand, the chip and a larger-capacity exhaust allow engine performance gains and seat of the pants acceleration advantages.

Enter Banks' Git-Kit. The kit includes an OttoMind engine calibration module, a 4-inch Monster Exhaust tailpipe, a Dynoflow muffler, and a 5-inch polished tip. The kit will run you about $795, but the power numbers from the low-buck install will make it worth it. The best gain numbers were a 38hp increase and a 69 lb-ft torque boost from about 40 minutes of work.

01. -The beauty of this kit...        read full caption 01. -The beauty of this kit is its simplicity. The new tailpipe, muffler, and tip clamp right behind the existing stock turbo's down and front pipes. The primary responsibility of the new hardware is to reduce the amount of exhaust backpressure and cool the exhaust turbine outlet temperature, as well as increase the flow of the exiting air. Backpressure restricts the output of exhaust, causing more power to be absorbed rather than utilized. A larger pipe allows more air to exit, as well as enter, the engine.	02. To install the chip, first...        read full caption 02. To install the chip, first pull out the engine control module (ECM) from its home in the driver's sidekick panel right in front of the firewall. To assure proper connection, simply separate the metal case from the computer, and Banks suggests that the contact points on the motherboard be cleaned of any corrosive particles.	03. The chip piggybacks directly...        read full caption 03. The chip piggybacks directly onto the ECM unit. Duct-tape the chip securely onto the ECM. The duct tape will secure the chip and act as a protection from moisture and dirt in the freak happenstance that you dunk your truck into the depths of a river. Before the ECM is installed, the black plastic sleeve needs a little trimming to allow the chip to fit snugly in place.
04. A Zener diode connects...        read full caption 04. A Zener diode connects to the stock electrical system and bypasses the Ford preset turbo boost limit. This allows your internal diagnosis system to "look the other way" when it sees a large gain in turbo boost levels. Additionally, and to the advantage of each specific vehicle model, each chip is calibrated individually to regulate not only the fuel/air mixture but also the maximum safe turbine inlet and outlet exhaust temperatures.	05. If you're technically...        read full caption 05. If you're technically inclined, in 20 minutes or less you can hang the exhaust and tighten three exhaust clamps. The muffler creates smooth sounds. The pipes are designed to have a larger, constant diameter with the minimal amount of bends. Chassis fitting curves are mandrel bent to maintain the integrity of the pipe's radius. The best exit is always a direct one, thus the bends generally follow a wider curve and are kept to a minimum to allow ease of exit.

No Mo' Go
New from Banks is its exhaust brake for diesel engines. The supplemental braking system assists in slowing, especially during steep highway decent. The brake utilizes a streamlined, turbo-mounted housing with a large butterfly valve. It works like this: When braking is necessary, the butterfly valve responds by closing, which allows backpressure to build after the turbine, forcing the engine to absorb power as opposed to creating it. This causes the vehicle's engine to slow, similarly to the way compression braking works in a gasoline engine.