Chevy and GMC Duramax Diesel Forum banner

Gale Banks

5K views 32 replies 13 participants last post by  dl0310 
#1 ·
Has anyone been keeping up with Gale Banks on YouTube? He is doing a series on the L5P, but I think most information will cross over to other generations and other brands as well. He has some good info on Rearend covers too.
 
#3 · (Edited)
He has some good info on Rearend covers too.
I watched those videos but I never found where he actually proved the covers were bad. Did i miss a video?

The videos I watched were of him making the wild assumption that automotive engineering is top notch and that every part is meticulously designed for optimal performance. You serious, Clark?

And, seriously, please do not state his demo with the clear cover is 'the evidence'. That 'test' assumes the oil profile with a stock cover is what is necessary to maintain good lubrication. Until that assumption is validated it is an assumption.
Show me metal wear rates of the exact same vehicle running the exact same oil under the exact same conditions for the exact same duration, one with a stock cover, one with an aftermarket cover. Then i might be willing to listen.

Until then, i'm going to be cautious when any company that doesn't even make a specific part (only their competitors do) tries to tell me that said aftermarket parts are not good designs.
 
#17 ·
The testing of the differential covers is yet to follow. All Banks did is give some initial observations and insight to what he thinks will be the outcome of the testing. I will guaranty he is putting more time and testing into this than anyone who put an aftermarket diff cover out there. A lot of what he talks about makes good sense. Parasitic drag is power loss. More is not always better, that is why you do not overfill the crankcase with oil and the same for the differentials. His videos so far on the L5P gives great insight into what he is finding is the limiting factors on making more power on this latest version of the Duramax. Dean
 
#8 · (Edited)
I could never have a stock truck, or all stock any vehicle.
All stock is just to boring.
In fact this is going on mine as soon as it arrives :thumb
 

Attachments

#10 ·
consumerism has its advantages:
the consumer chooses his/her lifestyle – what goods are necessary and what luxuries can be afforded.
the opportunity to enjoy this world (food, drink, entertainment) in various quantities.
economic advantages to a large segment of the population (middle- and upper-class).
the opportunity and motivation to improve your social standing by working hard.
 
#12 ·
:thumb :smile2:
 
#14 ·
And it feels dam good, doesn't it.:wink2:
 
#16 ·
I'm not so much into buying the standard upgrades as I am into making things better. I once had a small FWD car that had a hand brake between the seats. It set automatically when you pulled it up. You pushed the button on the end of the lever to release it. I thought it would be a better situation to have the hand brake not set until you pushed the button. Don't ask me why. I just thought it would be better. I disassembled the brake and tried to drill a new hole for the release rod but the ratchet pall was hardened. I annealed it, drilled it and then rehardened it. I had to bent the release rod to make it reach the new hole but in the end it worked like I wanted it. I was so proud of myself.

I've had several cars since then that had similar setups. I've never modded another.

Sometimes we just have to mess with things to see what happens. Sometimes we want it to look different from everyone else's. Sometimes we think a certain mod will improve some function. Sometimes it is hard to say exactly why we want a mod. Those who don't have the urge to modify don't understand (my wife) but those of us who are similarly afflicted don't need an explanation.

On the same car I installed an aftermarket grill. It held two driving lights. I thought it looked cool and it sure lit up the country side. More often the result of my ministrations is hard to define. I still have all kinds of plans for my truck.

Viva La Mod!
 
#18 ·
After about 200,000 + miles then he’ll be able to do a comparison.
Then he’ll find no differences.
Fancy looking diff covers are for bragging rights and that real good feeling.
This is all about trying to convince people his product is better than others.
Sadly, some will fall for his testing gimmick picking up some desperate followers along the way.
 
#20 ·
I really don't see how a diff cover can have any real effect on anything important. It looks from the video like it can change oil flow some but there is such a hurricane going on inside the diff that oil will get to everything regardless. Perhaps some reduction in aeration would help and in that case a rounded cover might be better than a square one but I'm with DRC on this one. The only real reason to have a special diff cover is for cosmetics.
 
#21 ·
I bought a diff cover purely for looks. Yes you can see it as I have no spare tire and a rollpan. Purely cosmetic. Same for trans pans front diff covers. Any technical information gale releases is just for his sales benefits. Anything else he keeps quite secret. Theres nothing he sells that is worth the price imo. He is a very very smart individual though and did do a decent amount over the years for diesel performance. I think most of his dragsters run on about 30% diesel and 70%nitrous though :rofl
Over and out :thumb
 
#23 ·
I’m curious on how many people has had differential failures with the stock differential cover still on and was proven the failure was caused by the stock diff cover. 'dunno;
Or
Is this just another one of those BS sales tactics to sell something that they know a few will fall for, and freak out if they don’t buy one just for the reason Gale is claiming.

My 79 Chevy (original owner) still has its stock diff cover. :surprise:
 
#25 ·
That settles this debate IMO.
Aftermarket diff covers is no longer listed as a need part, it’s now listed as a I just want part. :thumb
 
#26 · (Edited)
I think the whole idea of aftermarket diff covers started when hotrodders started putting enough force into differentials to distort the cases and break parts. By having a stronger cover the amount of distortion could be reduced. Then along came someone with a cover that didn't look like a big kludge. In time it became an indication of high performance to have something other than stock.

I actually don't think extra cooling of the diff is a good thing. When the diff is designed they calculate the environmental temps and the amount of energy the diff will have to dissipate over the available surface area. The calculation, along with testing, results in a particular diff temp. That leads to a particular oil specification. If you cool the diff more than needed the oil will be thicker than desired. Thicker oil will take more energy to sling around the way the ring gear does. More energy passing through the oil would mean less going to the ground. Overcooling the diff would be anti-performance and economy.

I have never seen a differential that has failed due to excess heat. What I see is broken parts or worn/overheated bearings due to inadequate lubrication. Keep the diff full of the right oil and don't put more force through it than it was intended to have and it will last longer than most of the rest of the vehicle.

Stacy David of Gearz did a demo for one of his sponsors, Royal Purple, where he replaced all of the fluids in a truck with synthetics from his sponsor. Using a temp gun he showed that the diff ran cooler with the sponsor's fluid in the diff. I was skeptical that there would be a measurable difference because a diff is pretty efficient to begin with. There shouldn't be much energy to save there. To my surprise he showed a significant temperature drop. I thought about it for a while and have decided it must have been that the synthetic gear oil was less viscose than the dino oil so that the internal turbulence was reduced and therefore the energy loss was less. Maybe not. Maybe there was actually a reduction in friction but I don't see that it could be possible.

As far as Gale Banks products go, he makes really good stuff but likes to charge a really big price for it. I believe he is one of the most knowledgeable people around when it comes to many things automotive and that he has surrounded himself with like minded people. That expertise leads to products that are worth more than the typical aftermarket product. Whether it is worthwhile to you is your own call. He is in the business of selling things so you have to keep that in mind when viewing his demos.

Everybody has a bias. Nobody can separate themselves from that. That is why double blind testing is so important when it comes to real science. In the automotive field we rarely see double blind testing. The best we can hope for is relatively neutral testing where someone tries to set aside their own biases and look at just the evidence. The oil filter thread we have here is an example of this kind of testing.

I'm sure the current series of youtube videos by Gale Banks where he is trying to push a Duramax to the breaking point while trying to make that breaking point as high as possible is another example of this. I'm also sure that Banks will use this series to produce products to sell because that is what he does. That doesn't mean that the series isn't worth watching. I think it is some of the best automotive journalism I have seen in a long time.
 
#28 ·
Lubricant typically does a lot more than lubricate. For example it cools things that have no direct water or air contact, it prevents corrosion and it carries away contaminants. There are probably several other things as well.

However, the lubrication aspect on a ring and pinion is strictly a molecular bonding thing. Oil molecules bond to the metal surfaces and it takes a lot of pressure to dislodge them. That is the real lubrication. The idea that lots of oil is going to make for lots of lubrication is false. The local pressures between moving parts is just too high to allow more than a thin film to remain between parts if it isn't sealed in.

If you watch all of the Banks videos on the diff you will see that his research indicates that excessive stirring of the oil can lead to more heat lost through drag than energy saved by lubrication. Whether you like his diff cover (surely he will try to sell us something eventually. This is America after all.) or not you can hardly argue with his research methods. When the graphs show more energy lost of saved it is probably for real and his explanation is probably correct.

I agree with those who think this a lot of concern over something of no concern but if you are going to put a diff cover on your truck wouldn't it be nice to know that at least it is doing no harm? It's sort of like the fuel additives thread we have running right now. Some additives improve lubricity of the fuel but a bunch either do nothing or do harm. Wouldn't you like to know the same things about a diff cover, if you want to do one?
 
#31 ·
I tend to agree. It will be interesting to see what numbers come out of the testing. It could likely show the difference is minimal. One thing I will give Gale is he backs up what is finds with raw numbers and goes out of his way to duplicate the driving situations while doing the testing. The man is 77 years old. He does it because he loves what he does and knows what he is doing. He has the military contracts to back it up. His stuff is not cheap and I personally have never purchased any of his products but then again I am not looking to soup up my LMM. I just do simple mods that make sense and will give me the best life out of my truck. Needless to say a diff cover is not on my list of things to do. Proper maintenance is the biggest key to a long life from my Duramax. Dean
 
#29 ·
IMO,
if the oil & diff do not get hot enough then how do you expect to remove moisture? The oil, bearings, seals and gears all have an optimum operating range. If the stock design was that bad then we would see diff temp gauges and sensors as factory installed equipment....or all over the aftermarket like EGTs....

Dan J.
 
#30 ·
I'll be a bit more inclined to get a finned cover when I start seeing them come on my brothers Peterbilt trucks. LOL. ( before you jump me, I know there are no covers, it's a banjo style housing). But they do not worry about cooling fins.
 
#33 ·
we don't see three wheelers anymore in the US is because we would flip them over...and the tpms was driven by insurance and NTSHA to prevent blow outs and accidents. Look at rear view cameras and collison detection being standard equipment because we dont know how to use our mirrors, dont know our vehicles well enough, plastic bumpers and dont have spotters...to your point there where problems and either the government or industry have stepped into correct it.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top