as you all may know, im looking to buy a 6.9L and ive been cruising around the net looking at prices for turbos, ive heard nothing but good about the banks sidewinder kit, but i do not have the money for it, i also looked at the hypermax kit, it was $1600+s/h and the local banks dealer wanted $3200 for the kit, and another $1000 for installation, ill do it all myself, to save the money, so my question is, is the hypermax a good setup, or should i save the extra monay, and get the banks kit? or mabey there is another setup? i mean if i get the hypermax kit, ill still have to buy and exhaust, im a bit overwhelmed, and would realy appreciate everyones opinion and even your experiances with each kit, thanks, Dustin

 

Hi Dustin, I have hade them both or to be more precicse first Banks kit was on 86 chevy 6.2 in a van worked verry well until about 285K then the 6.2 broke the crank shaft put new "crate" 6.2 in put another 85K on it & sold it. I went as far as going to the Banks shop in Azuza to check it out before buying the kit. Back then it was not called a sidewinder but it make the van run a ton better. the trip back from the coast was more fun. the next two kits I have purchased have been Hypermax first one was put on an international S-1600 with the 6.9 it worked GREAT onlu problem was with 12000lbs of cargo combined weight of truck & cargo 20K you had to keep an eye on the pyro at ALL times at 70 it pushed 1000deg constantly. when the fuel filter got a bit restricted it ran a bit cooler and slower. Second kit is on my current toy 1993 E-350 chassis class C Motorhome dry weight is 13000lbs this kit was a bit more of a challange to install being on a van took me most of a month 2 winters ago I would work on it for a total of about 4-5hrs a weekend. The only thing I did not do was turn up the pump myself. Had a buddy that builds then do that did not want to go to high. Did the install @ 45K miles now about 63K no issues. All three kits were non wastegated turbos. Did not have a boost gauge on the Banks unit only pyro but both on both of the Hypermaxes in the old truck 10 psi was no problem but like I said high temps were an issue here. On the M/H never much over 7-8 psi Oh yea the M/H is a 7.3IDI None of them were intercooled. Banks is of very good quality as well as Hypermax but with Banks you are paying a lot for the name. I think the better value for your money is the Hypermax.....Bill.

 

I have been seeing the banks sidewinder kit on ebay for 2361.56 from Sportztrailers. They have it there quite often. Don't know anything about the company. It may help to call them.

 

I got my Banks System used out of a salvage yard off of a 86' F250 w/ 6.9L. Seems to work alright now that I have spent more time cleaning it up. Altogether it has cost me $450 ($250 for the turbo system and $200 for new pipes) so far. I still need a pyro and a boost guage to complete the system. The Banks systems are very durable from what I have seen, otherwise I wouldn't have picked up a used system... IMO, go look for a used one locally and see what happens, there is a chance you might get screwed on a bad turbo but even if you do, a rebuilt is cheaper than a brand new system...

 

Hello Dustin!!! Dustin here, I have the Banks, and I only have good things to say about it.

I cannot comment of the hypermax, but I would say that the Banks is a more complete kit.

They come with the gauges needed, in the proper mounting places (pyro before the turbo)

If you do decide to purchase the banks, do it through the company themselves. They don't honor warentees on online purchases, only in a store, or directly through them.

They will also customize it to your specs. I didn't want a muffler on mine, I suggest you do the same, and they took it out and gave me 130 dollars off the system. It was the same price as i have seen online, although some places were 100 bucks cheaper, some were more expensive. I highly recommend going through banks themselves, they will probably take care of you better.

If i were you, i would ask them to leave the entire exhaust system off, except the downpipe, and buy your own 4" exhaust. just look for a system for a 94 powerstroke on ebay and you should be golden.

I have had 0 problems with my banks system, and it was very simple to install, just follow those instructions. It took me 10-12 hours or so.

I also put in a set of stage 1 injectors from www.dps-performance.com, and i still need to do some pump tweaking but they work good.

I am seeing about 12 lbs boost max, 10 before i started tweaking things. good luck!!!

 

what kind of horsepower difference are you getting with the banks turbo?? any MPG change at all?? is the money spent worth the gain you get in performance???

 

oh my gosh yes. Mileage went down, but thats because i play with it too much. I saw 20 one tank though.

horsepower is good. Its not a powerhouse by any means, but it is alot better to drive with. i can accellerate up those mountain passes, instead of not even being able to keep speed up. The power i have is very good. I have yet to see my EGT's over 1100, so i know i have room to improve on the power bit.

next to go on is an Intercooler. I don't really care what people say about them, they are good news. I can fab one myself from a used powerstroke intercooler for next to nothing.

I am thinking about doing meth/h20 injection too. If i blow a head gasket and stretch some head studs, so be it. I will tear the motor out and apart, and rebuild it to handle everything. its still a fresh motor with 110K on it. I don't think i will have a problem though, as long as i don't go too crazy. The intercooler will help fight the high compression.

In my opinion, the money is very much so worth it. I have been driving turbo diesels all my life, and when i bought this one, i felt sick to my stomach with the lack of power it had.

Don't expect a racer, or something that will light up the tires on command. expect a new feeling truck though!!! thats what mine felt like!!!

If you are keeping your truck around for a while, it is for sure worth the money.

 

oh man thanks everyone, i realy appreciate it, i see i have a few things to think about... do any of you guys happen to have know what your getting for fuel mialeage? i dont need an exact, i just want a ball park figure..... again, thanks all! Dustin

 

I was getting about 12 on the highway doing 80 mph. now i think i am getting closer to 16-17, all depends on your foot, and how well you can tweek the said engine.

Dustin

 

awesome, not only does that beat my 8mpg 390, ill be getting biodiesel for a buck a gallon from my father, so now all i have to do is get a 6.9l, a turbo kit, new fuel lines, and its IP rebuilt, sounds easy enough..........

 

making your own BD? Sounds better than the 3.25 a gallon I just spent fueling up this morning...filling the truck cost $94 altogether at the pump...

 

tell me about it.....my dad just set up a 500 gal system, we're gonna make the the first batch this weekend, suppsedely, after we get it all done, draining the water out of the oil, and all that other good stuff, we should be making about 350 gallons at a time, all for 60 cents a gallon for the chemicals, and all the other mixing materials, we plan to keeps our trucks full, and sell to friends for 2-2.50 a gallon