Hummer may be gone as a brand of off-road vehicles for civilians, but the off-roader that inspired the H1, H2 and H3, the Humvee, continues to do its job as a default vehicle for the U.S. Army.
However, as the AM General M1116 HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) will be 30-years-old next year, the army is looking to replace it with a more modern vehicle that is better suited to modern warfare. The big problem is alternative vehicles like the MRAP or the Oshkosh L-ATV are very expensive.
This is where Banks Engineering comes into play. The manufacturer of diesel performance and gas performance products argues that the U.S. Military can spend considerably less by extending the life of the Humvee with upgrades that make it faster and more capable off-road.
The company has developed a more sophisticated turbocharging system for the 6.5-liter V8 Diesel that boosts power and torque from 190 hp and 355 lb-ft (481 Nm) to 255 hp and 465 lb-ft (630 Nm). Banks Engineering also adds a six-speed automatic gearbox and a revised, active suspension that supposedly handles better the armored Humvee’s massive curb weight of 14,300 lbs (6,486 kg).
In order to find out if Banks Engineering’s upgrades really make the Humvee a better vehicle, Motor Trend’s Head2Head team tested both a standard model and the tuned one. You can see the results for yourself in the video posted below.
By Dan Mihalascu
VIDEO