@69assparade Yes, the flat backs cool better than stock. However, the fluid dynamics are so poor that you're killing your lubricant faster. It's like spraying a firehouse at a block wall and expecting it to go up and over the block wall.
@@monsterram6617 OE sheet metal cover. Although it's important to note that although the 4th gen DRW cover performs better than the flat-backs, it still suffers from the lack of airflow that exists behind the diff housing. Deep fins are great but if there's no air flowing over them, they don't do much.
1. How does this improve fuel mileage? 2. What is the ideal oil temperature? 3. Would this be of any benefit to a non-towing vehicle that runs 100,000 miles per year?
@@frankiehumphreyiv5972 I have watched all the videos. 1. How is the 1.5% achieved? He dosen't answer that question.. 2. Unless I missed it, he dosen't say what the ideal temperature is either. I'm trying to determine if this would be of benefit to a non towing vehicle. Does the increase in fuel economy come from less oil drag? Will the cover cool too much to actually cause less than optimal oil temperatures?
Too many design flaws with this part. After 8 Months I've had this part; 12 Pt fasteners stripped, Fill plug not stainless or zinc coated (rusted), O-ring gasket leaking, Ram air scoop cracked, low grade aluminum pitting (corroded), Powder coating peeling off, zero improvement in fuel economy. Stick with the stock cover.
We haven't posted the final video yet because our stock is so limited that if we had posted our final video, we'd sell out in one day and we'd too many frustrated customers. So, we're doing what's called a "soft launch".
@@bankspower totally understand! I've watched the series and loved it! I will own the bare aluminum unit! Then paint the "Banks" red! I only put less than 5 thousand miles on in a year... i drive OTR! Then the 6 shooter tuner! Oh, 2017 F250! Hopefully you'll have a rear diff cover coming soon....
@@bankspower Must be a very SOFT launch as you have been promising the last video FOREVER now. You should work on under promising and over delivering instead of over promising and under delivering.
Oddly enough yes this is a useful product for hotshotters but Ive run for for over 450k miles in 5 years on my stock 03 ram 3500 diff cover/diff with zero issues. Change the oil and use the OEM recommend fluid and things wont break.
Sadly they don't make it for my application!!!! I'd happily buy one in a blink of an eye if they did!!! 2016 Ford F350 4x4 crew cab Dually 4.30 Gears...
jeremy kohler I don’t think they meant for this to be hitting the trails with. This was designed to be more of a on the road deal for the heavy haulers and long commuters. I could see hot shot companies buying these up quick.
Break away, yikes I cringe just thinking of breaking a almost $400 dollar cover. Long haul trucks can use this not me I see to much off road use to spend that kind of money. Kudos to Banks engineering to reinvent the diff cover though allot of R&D went Into this. We all no Gale is a perfectionist awesome Mr Banks.
Banks never finished their testing. Prove it before you sell it. If pinion bearing lubrication is a main issue then please explain a reverse pinion Dana 44? How about the lubrication to the carrier bearings or better yet hub bearings how long do they last? Or the oil mastication that happens in manual gear box. I'm not saying it doesn't work but prove it. The dyno is one thing but a real world test would be a trailer with a 10 to 12K load up hill in the heat of summer. Real world testing would have a truck at stock ride height not 6 feet off of the ground with a fan blowing. How about a lawnmower engine that has splash lubrication and it runs for years. Hypoid gear oil is designed to cling to gear teeth. Gear oil has extremely high surface tension and shear strength. The bearing clearance in an engine is an example of how little oil it takes to lubricate an engine or gear box for that matter. Very little oil film is necessary for proper lubrication. Just a thought.......let the vitriol begin
He stopped short of just saying every aftermarket cover is a POS. I think someone made a phone call, He sure piped up real fast. For me...To much engineering for a cover. I will keep my stock one and spend the $400.00 else where on the Truck.
HOW DO YOU KNOW BANKS DID NOT FINISH THE TESTING ??DID YOU VERIFY TO FIND OUT ?? I CAN TELL YOU THAT THEY CAN PROVE ALL THEIR DATA. NO ONE DOES AS MUCH R AND D AS THEY DO ACCEPT MAJOR CAR MANUFACTURERS..THEY ALWAYS LEAD THE WAY IN DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS..RESEARCH WHAT I SAID. GALE BANKS IS A GENIOUS.
@@hankclingingsmith8707 Then why start with all the fanfare with videos of a truck on a dyno with an anemometer measuring air flow and temperature readings. With bragging about all the effort and money being put into testing. Make a few videos then crickets...... . Next there's a product with a nice power point presentation. Prove it is all I'm saying. The vehicle manufacturers use real world environments. Banks set train in motion so follow through with.
@@hankclingingsmith8707 im over 400k on my stock rearend. With stock cover. All original hardware save for wheel bearings. Welding rig, tows my camper thru the mountains mutliple times a year....im over the gvwr, and have been for....8yrs now. In fact, gear oil has only been changed twice.....yes, twice in over 400k miles. So....what is the benefit of this cover again?
I have worked with alot of heavy equipment over the years. Heating of any fluid to its max or breakdown point shortens life of fluid/oil. If he got the gear oil in that rear end to stay that much lower than stock. It's going to help the gear oil protect better and last longer. Plus extend the life of the parts in the differential. Nice work banks!
doesnt take rocket appliances for someone to figure out the stock internal shape is the best and just add fins to the outside surface. good thing someone finally did it, rest are just posers. wonder how much that banks logo adds to the casting though.
Might not be a problem for the suburban cowboy that doesnt haul anything with their 100K luxury sedan with a bed. But to a commercial driver driving 100-200k mi year loaded. Something like this is actually worth it.
No doubt this is a fine working product however the best design would be to have the entire differential mainly round and dimpled like a golf ball. The dimpled surface would pull the air from the front around the curved sides to the back where fins could still be implemented without a ram air system. Making the diff perfectly round and slightly bigger with a dimpled surface would actually make it more aerodynamic than a standard one.
It’s very similar to what BMW has on some of there M cars . I guess if you want to take it further is plumb a external cooler and a pump like the Corvette Z06 performance package has. Gail and his crew did a phenomenal job.
BD at least try to be better than stock by increasing capacity but when you look at it and the way oil move in the diff. Its probably making the diff run hotter not cooler
Dose this mean and I'll have to Jack the rear axle twice put it on stands? Les Schwab and most other tire/maintenance shops not using a lift, just throw a Jack under both of the front a arms And 1 Jack under the diff when rotating my tires will this compromise the Integrity of the Breakaway portion of diff cover , it is supporting all the weight on the 1/4" thick edges of the jack pad/cup?
Dissapointing, but I mean you can't get too excited over a diff cover anyways, it's hideous (but functional) and that "fuel savings" of $250/yr sounds like total bs. Maybe compared to a truck with water as diff fluid.
The math works out to a savings of $250 per 100,000 miles. It takes me 33 months to drive 100k which mean roughly 53 months to pay for the cover. I don't keep a truck for more than 3 years.
@@caroldavid1019 He said $250/yr at 7:00 but he also did say 100k miles I missed that part, idk whos driving 100k/yr, I do 30k a year myself, but yeah I guess it's worth it for some people. At even 25k/yr it will take over 6 years for most people to recoup the cost of this "upgrade", still a nice cover though
The HMMWV tranfer case does this with a heat exchanger in the transfer case that carries transmission fluid from the radiator to keep the transfer case fluid at a stable temperature.
@@thunder57 ur funny so I guess u didn't see consumers report on the 10 worest unreliable vehicles for 2019 ram 3500 hd was # 1 for transmission problems ,crappy front, steering problems, engine cooling problems , and chevy 2500 hd made # 7 for engine problems, leaks, and on going noises. So which of these peace of shits u drive Ford didn't make that list. So next slim think before u make a comment.
Looks awesome. Only thing negative I can see is the possibility of the lower vents getting pugged in mud or debris but even if that happens, this cover is going to lubricate and cool better than anything else I’ve seen. Make one for a Dana 80 and I’m likely in.
@@speterbilt Did you see the data? The cover pays for itself. And, no, it's not for mall crawlers. Now, they'll probably love it, but it wasn't designed for them.
But cooling would not be a problem in the north. Being its cooler to begin with. In fact they the OEM's are adding heaters to the rear dif> And you can make a custom built plug for it. Or maybe banks can.
I think you made a good point. Change the differential fluid at regular intervals. No problems. I think a cheap cover that has a fill plug and a drain plug to help with maintainance is desirable. I hate using the stock filler hole.
If you service regularly and use the the truck for commuting you won't need this cover. I only start my duramax to pull my fifth wheel travel trailer or my race trailer so I think it would be worthwhile. Servicing would be more convenient as well
Banks killed it! Yet again, gotta wait for my F250 covers to come out though. I guess the Fiat and Chevys actually need it more though so I understand 🤦♂️ 😝
@@JonLIsALoser I have the aluminum one for mine as well. I think I picked it up for around $100 a few years ago. The Banks one looks really similar with the exception of the air scoops. I do like the clear sight plug for looking at fluid level. I wonder if you can get just the sight plug.
@@kylevanwinkle2081 I was wondering how deep into the comments I would have to go to read a Ford driver asking "wheres the one for the Ford" and someone saying "in the junk yard" or something similar. Lol. Didn't have to go far! I love it.
You bastards! What about us 7.3 Ford guys? WTF. Hauling my 5th wheel around the country with one of these would give me a piece of mind. Not that I worry now. Diff fluid gets changed once a year anyway.
Gail says plainly many times the axle manufacturers knew what they were doing with the stock cover shape, which is why he just improved the stock design
All the negative and smart ass comments got me laughing. Use common sense, if you are towing the maximum weight of your truck, on the daily, IN F*ING ARIZONA IN JULY then yes, this cover will prolong your oil life and rear end. Prolonging oil life, means you have less maintenance because of longer oil life>less oil changes due to thermal breakdown, more money saved on gear oil. YES, thermo breakdown happens in hot rear ends, like engines, just over months or years (depending on application) compared to internal combustion engines. This may not increase your axel/wheel bearing life, and I am not about to start the process of arguing WHY this cover is NOT for everyone, BUT I sure have READ all the bullshit comments from the haters that have already SHUNNED it's development. AND YES, it has been proven, and YES Gale DID finish the data, so y'all can quit the bickering. This cover is either for one of two truck guys: A: The guy who never leaves the asphalt in his $70K truck that's all chromed out and probably SQUATS to pee just like his truck, and let's not to mention the guy who spends his free time in a mud hole. OR!!!!! B: The guy crossing mountain passes in southern Utah in the middle of summer, with a load of auctioned cars and trucks on top of his purpose built 5th wheel car hauling trailer. OR, the guy hauling 4-8 ,1500# beef cows non-stop acrossed southern Texas any given time of the year.
Looks like the ram air scoop will catch a rock and or dog..... Fuck all that. I'll stick with just filling my diff with anal ease and a rusty cover....
I watched the videos he did on this subject, I didn't see a final video thou. Great design and look, price point SUCKS!!!!!!! I understand he spent a lot of time researching testing,etc... but come on man almost $400
The expensive part isn't the materials or the manufacturing. You're paying for the time and labor of the men and women who designed it. As we can all see, they did an excellent job.
Banks is a marketing genius! People lining up to give him their money. Very impressive. How many have experienced rear end or axle failures using the OEM cover? My guess is not many, and if it did fail, it wasn't because the fluid was to hot.
On my truck I had a sealant in between the cover and diff. No drain plug either. Also no way to check the level and color of the fluid. That was enough reason for me to buy one. My truck is all banks. I don’t run a tune but have their monster exhaust, intercooler, intake elbow and ram air intake. More horsepower and lower EGTs. I did this for engine longevity. I also have coolant and oil bypass filtration and an external full flow transmission oil filter, deep pan and ported shift solenoids. Ford 6 liter is 18 years old and 143,00o miles. I tow an 8800 lb 35’ trailer. I’ve had no engine related failures except for an EGR valve under warranty, and at 17 years, a mass airflow sensor. I’ll keep lining up to by Banks, as I plan on keeping my truck for a long time.
@@rodgraff1782 Every cover has a way to check the level and the color of the fluid. You remove the fill plug and stick your pinky finger in the hole. About one knuckle down you should he hitting the top of your oil level. Pull your finger out and inspect the color if you desire. This is a nice cover, no question, and people who like to modify their rides as a hobby should enjoy it. I just think its overpriced and your money could be better spent elsewhere. But these will probably sell like hot cakes. Like I said , the man knows how to make money.
Are your fuel savings number correct? At the 7:00 mark, you mentioned a fuel savings about $251 per YEAR?!!? If I expect a 1-1/2% fuel savings, that would mean about $16,500 annual fuel bill to realize $250 savings per year.
Driving 100K mi a year as stated yes the numbers add up. My 2015 RAM 5500 service truck weights roughly 17,000 lbs loaded I get between 8-9 mpg for reference. 100K mi divided by 8.5 mpg gets 11764.7 gal of fuel used multiply that by 2.71 for the average price for a gal of diesel gets $31882.35 then multiply by .01 for your savings gets you $318. This thing will not save you much at all unless you are a commercial driver but in that case these things will be worth it. Not just in fuel savings but increased longevity in your diff oil and potentially less wear and tear on the differential itself. There are all these people in the comments complaining about a product not meant for them all the while not even realizing that there are people outside of there own little world that can use this well engineered part.
It depends. A 1.5% increase in fuel savings would equate to going 101,500 miles on 100,000 miles of fuel; a bonus of 1,500 miles. Depending on your truck's fuel economy, price of fuel, and how much you travel, the saving can vary. For example, getting 12mpg and paying $3.00/gal would be a $375 saving per 100,000 miles. This may be a benefit to some people who hotshot or otherwise tow frequently, but usually the rule of thumb is anything under 5% isn't worth it, practically speaking. Plus, 1.5% is such a small amount that it could be attributed to a variety of outside influences and not be purely from the diff cover. Also, I've yet to see this cover compared to the AAM aluminum cover that comes on the 4th gen DRW. The BANKS cover looks very similar inside and out, minus the air ducts. Maybe they'll cover it in the BANKS video when it comes out? 🤷♂️
It seems a bit pricey for me. But well thought out and designed in my opinion. I like the extra cooling and the 3 plugs for servicing and to be able to see the fluid.The o-ring gasket is a good idea as well. Seems quite robust, I think it would be favourable especially for people who would be doing a lot of towing/hauling. (:
@@johnjbarnes78 It's a too cute by half gimmick. Unnecessary and only very marginally effective. The large external fins and the internal fins are more than enough to transfer heat from the oil to the cover to the air. Fortunately they can be easily cut off. But no problem, it's way over priced anyway, I won't be buying one. It's mostly a cosmetic item of very minor practical utility.
I hope with Mr. Banks does the AMC20 cover for my Hummer, he remembers that our diffs are upside down. Those scoops would be up in the air on my diffs.
I like the design and the thought and research Banks put into this. Have come to expect this from Banks along with the premium price. Surprised there is no port for a temperature probe as there is with Mag-Hytec. Also share other's concern about lifting with with a floor jack at the differential housing for tire rotations and suspension work. But having a drain plug and a sight gauge and not having to mess with RTV encourages the regular 15,000 mile maintenance called for on my RAM 3500.
@@adidas4275I have the Sterling version of this banks cover on my 2006 ford F250. There is a plug for a temp sensor on mine And there is a flat spot in the middle that you probably could Jack up on the scoops are off to the side on mine. I’m not a fan of jacking the differential.
@@adidas4275I have the Sterling version of this banks cover on my 2006 ford F250. There is a plug for a temp sensor on mine And there is a flat spot in the middle that you probably could Jack up on the scoops are off to the side on mine. I’m not a fan of jacking the differential.
Mine has a plug for a sensor (1/8”), and a flat spot in the middle. The scoops are off to the side, but I would still use a rubber cushion between the diff and Jack.
I don’t think that it will catch enough grime to completely block flow. It would be a good idea to check that when you spend a good bit of time off road.
That's not the whole story. The fluid dynamics are so poor in the flat back covers it costs you money to use them. And, they don't get the lubricant up and over to the pinion as well as the stock cover.
@@bankspower I've seen the videos and agree with the principles you've explained. What are the side effects of excessively cold gear oil? I live in Montana and -20 degrees Fahrenheit is common in winter my question is wood the additional cooling prohibit 75-140 from reaching operating temperature in those severely cold ambient temperatures? I've seen a lot of flak in the comments section here how about you not releasing your video first. I think it's a good way to do it in this case so that you can address these kinds of practical application questions that are going to come up in the video that you do publish. Cheers love your products manner of thinking as you've done always shrug off the negativity and do what they say can't be done. I know I sure as hell am with my chasing of your land speed record in a first gen Dodge.
aside from catching air like he said but also the chance to catch anything laying in the road , like say a chunk of semi tire or such. maybe not but it just looks like those extended corners could cause a problem.
I watched all the testing he did on other after market covers. All they did was add some bling to the rear end. Most made the fluid hotter and aerated the oil. Both are bad for the gears and bearings. Also the break away sections will not cause any leaking so you will not be stranded on the trail or road.
Where did he ever publish the numbers. How do you know it make fluid hotter. That was pure speculation. The fluid got aerated with the stock cover as well. I also watched the whole series.
If you don't want one that'll pay for itself in 200,000 miles then just buy one of the bling bling ones for 250 bucks that'll never pay for itself, if not cost you your rear end. Its that simple.
They have only been doing r&d for around a year. And their test truck was a dodge. So of course the axle they make first is going to be the dodge/GM axle.
1. Performance engineering is always somewhat expensive. 2. This is not just for show or weekend warriors, it appeals to Hot shot drivers that drive over 100K per year and regularly pull loads weighing 20K pounds. 3. Gale Banks has been in business for over 50 years and develops products for major vehicle manufacturers. He tests the shit out of his products and documents it.
here is the thing, 2006 Silverado 3500, along with a lot of others, the fill level is .6 inch below fill hole, what idiot does that, does this cover address that? didn't say it did? did they know that? if they didn't address that in the video, who knows. I'm thinking of drilling a hole and installing a small plug to address the problem, a lot cheaper, I guarantee I'll put a gauge to check temperature before I send that much money to cure a problem I may not have
Cooler oil = longer engine life. I never thought the square back covers would work. Too much working of the fluid. People spend 250-400$ on covers that don’t do anything better than stock. This cover works, it’s worth it compared to the competition. It’s the difference between a engineer and testing vs throwing something together.
I’ll be buying one.... I’ve done my research..after you guys did... is it critical? Nah.... but there is a reason engineers made diff covers the shape they did,, kinda rounded inside for maximum flow and and least resistance inside..and if you want bling... these are engineered better
Its going to be funny when someone puts this on a rock crawler and then rip it off. Then blame the manufacturer as it's not durable. This is for highway use only IMO. It's a good idea. It's a hell of a price tag though.
Seems to me the cover is built upside down. More heat will reside at the top of the diff so why not have the ram air fins at the top??? They could also get more performance without their name interrupting the air flow not to mention the lower hanging ram air scoops could more easily be broken off.
Don’t need that fill hole. You can fill the diff the old fashioned way through the fill level hole. If you can’t figure out how to do that you shouldn’t be changing your diff lube.
