***PEDAL COMMANDER UPDATE***

[Kxlexus]

So my question ~ is the monster worth the $ and does anyone have the iDash with it and thoughts?

If you want that type of device then the Banks Pedal Monster would be the one I would suggest going with. If it faults the truck would go back to the stock equipment and feel like it did before the install. When the Pedal Commander acts up you are left with a truck that has intermittent, unexpected acceleration followed by a dead accelerator pedal. I lived through that once and as a result removed the PC from my truck and nobody could pay me enough to put that piece of junk back on

 

[kevinvw]

If you want that type of device then the Banks Pedal Monster would be the one I would suggest going with. If it faults the truck would go back to the stock equipment and feel like it did before the install. When the Pedal Commander acts up you are left with a truck that has intermittent, unexpected acceleration followed by a dead accelerator pedal. I lived through that once and as a result removed the PC from my truck and nobody could pay me enough to put that piece of junk back on

To each, their own. I love mine.

 

[Snofire]

@securityguy Any update on your findings with the Pedal Monster compared to the PC?

 

[CMil527]

I feel as though Lawrence should test and review the Pulsar next!

 

[securityguy]

@securityguy Any update on your findings with the Pedal Monster compared to the PC?

I know that a few will call my opinion "biased", but I like the unit and interface of the PC much better than the Banks. The Banks is a "tougher" install based on the two piece design and all of the cable they give you that needs to be neatly tied up and out of the way. I don't like that it occupies my ODB port either but understand why and to do what they advertise, they have no other choice but to provide access to 12VDC off the fuse panel and tap into the data lines to obtain speed info if you desire to take advantage of the "Trim" feature. As far as performance, they do the exact same thing and feel no different. Banks says they have a "failsafe", but our trucks do not support the reverse safety feature which is very disappointing since they tout that as a big feature. So, in closing, they both do the same exact thing from a pedal feel perspective and I like the design and install of the PC better. I am not being biased as I have no skin in this one way or another and just sharing my thoughts after having experienced them both. I hope this helps.

 

[securityguy]

I feel as though Lawrence should test and review the Pulsar next!

He should...would anyone like to buy him one so he can post his thoughts?

 

[CMil527]

I know that a few will call my opinion "biased", but I like the unit and interface of the PC much better than the Banks. The Banks is a "tougher" install based on the two piece design and all of the cable they give you that needs to be neatly tied up and out of the way. I don't like that it occupies my ODB port either but understand why and to do what they advertise, they have no other choice but to provide access to 12VDC off the fuse panel and tap into the data lines to obtain speed info if you desire to take advantage of the "Trim" feature. As far as performance, they do the exact same thing and feel no different. Banks says they have a "failsafe", but our trucks do not support the reverse safety feature which is very disappointing since they tout that as a big feature. So, in closing, they both do the same exact thing from a pedal feel perspective and I like the design and install of the PC better. I am not being biased as I have no skin in this one way or another and just sharing my thoughts after having experienced them both. I hope this helps.

I for one appreciate your feedback and effort in purchasing and testing one for comparison sake... thank you sir!

 

[Snofire]

I for one appreciate your feedback and effort in purchasing and testing one for comparison sake... thank you sir!

Agreed. You didn't have to purchase one to quiet the masses but you did anyway and we appreciate it. I thought it plugged into a different power source and not the OBD but guess I was wrong in the thought. The safety backup feature is 1 of their major selling points and yet it doesn't work but people that work for them say 2 different stories.

 

[KCViper]

I know that a few will call my opinion "biased", but I like the unit and interface of the PC much better than the Banks. The Banks is a "tougher" install based on the two piece design and all of the cable they give you that needs to be neatly tied up and out of the way. I don't like that it occupies my ODB port either but understand why and to do what they advertise, they have no other choice but to provide access to 12VDC off the fuse panel and tap into the data lines to obtain speed info if you desire to take advantage of the "Trim" feature. As far as performance, they do the exact same thing and feel no different. Banks says they have a "failsafe", but our trucks do not support the reverse safety feature which is very disappointing since they tout that as a big feature. So, in closing, they both do the same exact thing from a pedal feel perspective and I like the design and install of the PC better. I am not being biased as I have no skin in this one way or another and just sharing my thoughts after having experienced them both. I hope this helps.

Thanks for doing this comparison!! It's very nice to have a real world comparison and not have to rely on vendor testimonials! Now, what else do we need tested.....

 

[GadgetMason]

I know that a few will call my opinion "biased", but I like the unit and interface of the PC much better than the Banks. The Banks is a "tougher" install based on the two piece design and all of the cable they give you that needs to be neatly tied up and out of the way. I don't like that it occupies my ODB port either but understand why and to do what they advertise, they have no other choice but to provide access to 12VDC off the fuse panel and tap into the data lines to obtain speed info if you desire to take advantage of the "Trim" feature. As far as performance, they do the exact same thing and feel no different. Banks says they have a "failsafe", but our trucks do not support the reverse safety feature which is very disappointing since they tout that as a big feature. So, in closing, they both do the same exact thing from a pedal feel perspective and I like the design and install of the PC better. I am not being biased as I have no skin in this one way or another and just sharing my thoughts after having experienced them both. I hope this helps.

I don't like that PC does not have a reverse cutout. Just my 0.02

 

[securityguy]

I don't like that PC does not have a reverse cutout. Just my 0.02

And neither does anything else for our trucks at the present time my friend.

 

[GadgetMason]

And neither does anything else for our trucks at the present time my friend.

So why did you choose Banks (my top contender also)

 

[securityguy]

So why did you choose Banks (my top contender also)

Great question Mason...my answer is simply because I could and to provide, what I believe to be, a fair assessment of the two for folks to learn from. I really don't like the Banks design and install, but I am going to play with it some more and see if, over the summer, they release an update to activate the REVERSE SAFETY feature. I might even void the warranty on the thing and either cut off the OBD connector and look at hardwiring it into the fuse panel and then tap into the bottom side of the vehicles OBD port and soldering in the two data lines. Or, I'll make a custom harness and do it that way as to not void the warranty on the unit and keep it easy to sell. We'll see...now that I turned the Ridgeline back in (after my looooong test drive) for my RAM

 

[SmittysTrk]

After reading some of the comments about the PC and others I was leaning hard towards the Banks unit mainly for the reverse safety built in. I'll put that on the end of the list for a bit now. Thanks Securityguy. I see you pop up in alotta threads. Much respect.

 

[Snofire]

After reading some of the comments about the PC and others I was leaning hard towards the Banks unit mainly for the reverse safety built in. I'll put that on the end of the list for a bit now. Thanks Securityguy. I see you pop up in alotta threads. Much respect.

Note the backup feature doesn't currently work with our trucks and it seems some Banks people know this and some don't depening on who you talk with. Hopefully an update comes out that will make this feature active.

 

[IndianaRam]

I'm having a hard time deciding between the banks and PC also. I like the banks design and app but do not like that you have to connect it to the OBD port. I think I'm going to order the PC unit and try it out. If I don't like it then I'll buy the banks. This thread was very informative, thanks for all the information.

 

[KCViper]

The PC doesn’t connect to the same port?

No, the PC connects inline to the gas pedal and not the OBD port.

 

[SmittysTrk]

The PC doesn’t connect to the same port?

So far the Banks unit is the only one that needs to use the port.

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

This was a good write up. It gave some nice details and allows you to draw your own conclusions.

OP, I do have to say that it cracks me up when people do a nice write up but include the caveat "he is an engineer". Why throw that in the mix? OK, the guy took a test and passed. Does that make him more qualified than the guy tinkering in his basement? Nope. Trust me, I manage a group of engineers. I correct equasions, formulas, grammar and everything else. I don't have any degrees. Just a regular high school grad. Again, great write up but really, the caveat is not impressive...

 

[securityguy]

This was a good write up. It gave some nice details and allows you to draw your own conclusions.

OP, I do have to say that it cracks me up when people do a nice write up but include the caveat "he is an engineer". Why throw that in the mix? OK, the guy took a test and passed. Does that make him more qualified than the guy tinkering in his basement? Nope. Trust me, I manage a group of engineers. I correct equasions, formulas, grammar and everything else. I don't have any degrees. Just a regular high school grad. Again, great write up but really, the caveat is not impressive...

Not trying to impress anyone...just setting context which, some may feel, is valuable