By Gale Banks
Today’s gasoline-burning motorhomes are seriously underpowered. Even when outfitted with the most contemporary engines, there doesn’t seem to be an improvement in overall performance. As the engine makers have added power, the motorhome manufacturers have added weight to their coaches. So you have never-increasing, and even decreasing, motorhome performance.
This is a problem, because motorhome performance directly equates to safety. When you’re accelerating to merge onto an interstate, you had better be going the same speed as the semis are at the end of the on-ramp.
Power is just one issue we have with today’s motorhomes; fuel economy is another. If you’re satisfied with your motorhome’s fuel economy, there are some things you need to know. The modern gasoline engine is better at wasting fuel energy than it is at making power from it. Only about 25 percent of the fuel you use actually produces power. The rest goes to heat and parasitic losses—the power needed to run accessories and draw air into and push exhaust out of the engine.
I understand that RV owners want additional power on demand and better overall fuel economy. This is not a new situation. Back in 1974 when the fuel crunch hit, it was no surprise that the truck and RV magazines came to us for fuel economy solutions. At the time, our endurance racing engines were legendary for their power and economy; we just applied the same science to RV engines. Man, did that work!
The system Banks Engineering designed improved fuel economy and power, so we trademarked it PowerPack®. This system eliminates intake and exhaust restrictions, removing parasitic losses and liberating power the engine is already making.
On the intake, Banks Ram-Air® replaces the constricted stock air filter and inlet ducting. When an engine doesn’t have to work as hard to pull air in, power is freed to propel the vehicle. Plus, the intake is mounted at the coach’s nose, so vehicle motion rams the incoming air, providing a mild supercharge.
On the exhaust side, Banks TorqueTubes® manifold assemblies actually vacuum exhaust gases out of the cylinders, so there’s very low pressure on the piston as it pushes out the exhaust. The TorqueTubes are tuned to form a vacuum at the engine’s torque peak, to really amplify its ability to work. Add to that the Banks 409 stainless Monster Exhaust and now you can move some big freight. On later models, additional power is available when you piggyback a Banks OttoMind® engine programmer with these components. The OttoMind adjusts fuel delivery and spark timing to take further advantage of the improvements made by the Ram- Air, TorqueTubes and Monster Exhaust.
I’m in my 49th year in the engine business; my Banks PowerPack systems are in their 33rd year and never better. I’m a racer. I want my products to win…and they do. I’m darn proud of that and the 220 people at Banks that make it happen.
Want more information about Banks PowerPacks? Log on to RVPower.com for technical and performance details, or contact your local Camping World dealer. Better yet, ask one of our customers. Banks PowerPack…power with a fuel savings payback!
