More Power, Better Mileage - 1999-2004 Ford F-250 Super Duty V-10 Pickups

  |   ford F250 Super Duty driver Front Side Hood Open View Ford's 6.8L gasoline-fueled V-10 Triton is a torquey over-square engine that comes in most F-250 Super Duty pickups as well as several popular motorhome chassis. It's a tough 415ci engine that, in stock trim, puts 310 hp and 425 lb-ft to the flywheel, and it loves to tow heavy-duty loads. It's reliable and pretty thrifty on fuel, at least as far as a 415-inch engine can be thrifty. In short, Ford's V-10 is well-engineered, so when you make changes, they better be good ones. Gale Banks Engineering (GBE) is known for making good changes to engines. The company's been at this a long time and has a solid track record -- literally. GBE has helped set and break a ton of racing records in just about every venue. So when offered a chance to review and test the company's PowerPack system for '99-'04 gasoline-fueled 6.8L V-10 Triton-equipped Super Duty pickups, we didn't hesitate. Our test mule, a brand-new '04 Ford F-250, was strapped on to GBE's Mustang dyno for a baseline test the day before the installation of the PowerPack. The stock truck produced 200 hp at 4,300 rpm and 268 lb-ft of torque at 3,700 rpm at the rear wheels on GBE's Mustang chassis dyno. As you can see from the dyno charts, it made substantially more after GBE installed the PowerPack system.   |   01. The PowerPack system includes a Banks Ram-Air intake; Electronic OttoMind engine-calibration module (optional); stainless, heatshielded TorqueTube exhaust manifolds; stainless Y-pipe assembly; stainless, low-restriction Dynaflow muffler; stainless 3.5-inch constant-diameter Monster tailpipe; and 4-inch polished-stainless tailpipe tip. The system also includes a comprehensive owner's installation manual. Owner's Report
As good as the dyno figures are for this system, the ultimate test is driving it on the road. Fortunately for us, the owner of this truck was taking it on the road for a month, hauling a 10,500-pound fifth-wheel trailer, so we were able to get a lot of good information on driveability, reliability, and fuel efficiency. After living with the system for 7,500 miles, the overall impression of the Banks system is completely positive. Especially regarding fuel efficiency. The owner reports he got between 8-1/2 to 9-1/2 mpg while towing, depending on the grade of the road he traveled. And on empty, he got as good 14-1/2 mpg. Driveability and throttle response were much better, and it pulled hard when he needed it. The truck was noticeably quicker to accelerate and more responsive to throttle input, making it a lot more fun to drive. When he needed the torque, he'd gear down and put it at the torque peak, and the V-10 proved to be as tough as the toughest grade he needed to climb. Hey, what more can you ask of a product? More power, better mileage. It's sounds like a good combination to us.

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Torque:rpmStockPowerPackGain2,800230291612,900238297593,000246298523,100254299453,200259300413,300265301363,400267302353,500267303363,600266304383,700268305373,800263300373,900265301364,000262294324,100255289344,200250282324,300244277334,400232270384,500224265414,600218259414,700204248444,800196244484,900185237525,00017623155 Horsepower:rpmStockPowerPackGain2,800123155332,900131164333,000141170303,100150176273,200158183253,300167189233,400173196233,500178202243,600182208263,700189215263,800190217273,900197224274,000200224244,100199226274,200200226264,300200227274,400194226324,500192227354,600191227364,700183222394,800179223444,900173221495,00016822052 Stock Specs
6.8L Triton V-10 iron-block, aluminum heads
•Bore/Stroke: 3.55 x 4.16 in
•Displacement: 415 ci, 6,802 cc
•Compression ratio: 9.0:1
•Fuel injection: Sequential multiport electronic
•Valvetrain: SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder
•Horsepower: 310 hp @ 4,250 rpm
•Torque: 425 lb-ft @ 3,250 rpm
Quick Dyno Spec Check
Horsepower, Best Gain
•Stock: 168 hp @ 5,000 rpm
Banks: 220 hp @ 5,000 rpm
Gain: +52 hp (31%)
Horsepower, Peak to Peak
•Stock: 200 hp @ 4,300 rpm
Banks: 227 hp @ 4,600 rpm
Gain: +27 hp (14%)
Torque, Best Gain
•Stock: 230 lb-ft @ 2,800 rpm
•Banks: 291 lb-ft @ 2,800 rpm
•Gain: +61 lb-ft (27%)
Torque, Peak to Peak
•Stock: 268 lb-ft @ 3,700 rpm
•Banks: 305 lb-ft @ 3,700 rpm
•Gain: +37 lb-ft (14%) 0-60 mph, Loaded
•Stock: 28.10 sec
•Banks: 25.50 sec
•Gain: -2.6 sec (9%)

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