BANKS HEADERS for 2016 Winnebago 38Q

We put the banks system on our 33' Newmar with the Ford V-10 engine. Nice power boost and with stainless steel headers vs cast iron, no fear of cracking a header going up then down steep grades due to getting very hot going up and rapid cooling going down. As far as mileage we did not notice a significant difference.

We now have a 34' Itasca Ford V-10 without the banks and I can tell a distinct power difference. Having spoken to several banks owners fuel economy does not seem to improve much if any, but performance does.

Headers alone will never increase fuel economy. It is what it is, and nothing short of spending thousands will gain you 1MPG. Headers alone will do nothing but lighten your wallet and make for a louder driving experience.
Most gas motor add ons are designed to increase HP, and at that only in the higher RPM range.

Another consideration with headers is the loss of back pressure. Going downhill you will need to use your brakes more often due to the reduction in back pressure since the headers allow the exhaust to flow better.

And make sure you get a good set of heat resistant spark plug wires.

And make sure things like the speedometer cable, starter wires, starter and other hoses/mechanicals are heat shielded or far away from the headers.

My speedometer cable was close to the end of the header and it melted from the heat going up a long grade. No more miles per hour til I replaced it and heat shielded it.

Another time the insulation on the power cable to the starter melted and the wire shorted to the frame when the engine rocked under load.

THank you everyone for the very helpful information.

Actually, headers do improve performance through the whole RPM range.
Banks' dyno chart

Engine braking is not created in the exhaust system on a gas engine.
But is created in the cylinders.
Adding headers will not reduce engine braking.

Richard

Mine only has 3,000 miles on it so not broken in enough to really know. They say 10,000 before you really know how you are doing. I do know I am driving with fewer RPM's most of the time. I have been in a variety of wind so hard to judge. This coach is much bigger than my last two and getting about same mpg so that is good.

I got Banks headers, Banks cold air intake, Banks exhaust and 5 star tuning and my mpg still sucks, 6 to 7 mpg but I have lots of power..

Headers can give some improvement to MPG. However since most RVs get less than 10 MPG an 10% increase would only be 1 MPG. If you are in the 7 MPG range a 20% increase would be 1.4 MPG which would put you at 8.4 MPG. Driving habits can make that much of an improvement. So keep expectations in line with reality. I put banks on my old ford 460 and saw about a 0.5 mpg increase but the power difference on hills was significant about a 10 MPH increase on Tiger Mnt in WA. My newer (2005) workhorse 8.1 already had the banks kit on it when I purchased it so I am unable to compare before and after.

Mike

On the older 460 Fords and 454 Chevys the Banks systems added about 80 HP. Check their web site I believe on the newer Ford the banks system only adds about 1/2 that HP. With a 32 ft MH and 362 HP you will have plenty of power. I have talked to many owners that have installed Banks, Thorley's etc., every one reports more performance, reduced eng heat, but no MPG increase to speak of.

I own a 2004 FR Georgetown with a 2-valve Ford V10 and added the Banks system and tune similar to 5-Star and got a great improvement in power and driveability, but nothing on the MPG side. I haven't seen anyone say they could ever measure a real increase in MPG with the addition of the Banks system, but most don't add it for MPG anyway. As for your 2016 version of the V10, I'd be very curious to hear from anyone who has actually added the Banks to the 3-valve motor to see if they felt an improvement in power. I've heard where the 5-Star tune was well worth the money for optimizing the motor's performance and improving transmission shift characteristics, but because the newer motors breath so much better with the added valve, I'm not sure the Banks mod is so worthwhile anymore. Possibly on the 2016 with the slightly lower HP it might have more impact than before. But only the guys who've added the Banks on the later models will be able to say for sure.