New Diesel Unveiled By Volvo
Will the new 16-liter european engine become an option here?
Tom Berg
Equipment Editor
Volvo Truck Corp. of Sweden has unveiled a new high-horsepower 16-liter diesel that might eventually be optional in American-made Volvo and Mack trucks. The D16C powers a new FH16 cab-over-engine vehicle - which will not be sold here - that is now Volvo's top model in Europe and other world markets.
The D16C develops 550 and 610 hp for European-spec trucks, and would make similar power if sent to the U.S., Volvo product planners indicated. Its high power and torque - 1,845 pounds-feet for the 550 and 2,065 for the 610 - will boost productivity for high-gross-weight rigs common in Europe. It could serve as Volvo Truck North America's flagship engine, and would be the biggest diesel in a new family of Volvo-Mack engines due out by 2007.
The D16C will probably use higher fuel pressures and exhaust-gas recirculation if sent to the United States before '07, said Lennart Langervik, D16 program manager at Volvo's Gothenburg headquarters. These would let it meet current Oct. '02/Jan. '04 exhaust emissions limits. He wouldn't say if the EGR would be the V-Pulse system fitted to Volvo's D12 that is now sold in the U.S. and Canada, or if it would use a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system in '07 or later.
Volvo people were tight-lipped about the engine's possible North American role, citing confidentiality of plans for future products. They also declined to discuss its effects on the Cummins ISX, which is now the largest diesel offered in Volvo and Mack trucks. Langervik did say the D16C would fit in Volvo VN conventionals and, presumably, the VHD vocational truck. A source outside the company told us that the 16-liter engine might be installed in a new conventional model, based on the VN, but with a higher hood to appeal to "premium" fleets and owner-operators.
In Europe, the inline-six-cylinder D16C replaces Volvo's current D16, which topped out at 460 hp. And the DC16C shares only the older engine's bore and stroke dimensions and a few minor parts, Langervik said. The new 16-liter engine has a high-pressure fuel system with twin-solenoid unit injectors controlled by advanced electronics.
Valves are run by an overhead cam and timed by rear-mounted gears - a design that cuts weight, lowers noise and allows installation of a rear-mounted power take-off. The rear gear train also results in a narrow front profile, which enhances underhood air flow to aid cooling. An optional engine brake makes up to 510 hp to retard the truck on downgrades.
The D16C's ability to move heavy trucks was evident to reporters from Europe, the Mideast and North America, who were given seat time in new Volvo FH16s during a model introduction near Kramfors, in Sweden's northwestern
High Coast region. We drove long, seven-axle 125,000-pound truck-trailer rigs and five-axle 84,000-pound tractor-trailers, and were impressed with the 16-liter diesel's unassuming muscle. Mated to smooth-acting clutches and easy-shifting 14-speed synchromesh transmissions, the engines started the trucks easily and propelled them ably over sometimes hilly terrain.
Each engine's high power and torque were masked by the smoothness of the highly refined FH cab and chassis. There was absolutely no vibration, even at near-full throttle close to the engine's 1,000- to 1,400-rpm torque peak, where 1,800 lbs-ft. of torque or more were sent into the driveline. Every truck was almost eerily quiet and engines only whispered, even at higher revs with the strong retarders engaged.
Aiding the quietness was the engine's slightly rearward position in the frame. Many possible sources of engine noise are therefore behind and, while moving, downwind of the driver. Whether the D16C would be as quiet in a Volvo VN, with the engine's rear and its timing gears near the driver's feet, won't be known until one is installed in those chassis.
In a VN, the D16C would make the same sales argument as current and recent Big Power diesels from domestic builders - that high horsepower and hefty torque are not only pleasing to drive, but also enhance productivity by keeping the rig moving on steep upgrades at brisk speeds. This, the engine builders have long said, means job satisfaction and productivity, whoever makes the engine.
Rand McNally added new twists to the oldest routing and navigation guide of them all - the printed map.
Rand McNally's latest truck-oriented map product, the 2004 Motor Carrier's Road Atlas Large Scale Edition, features maps in which all elements are at least 33% larger than in previous editions.
Pages are the same size as before, but the maps themselves are larger. As a result, the Large Scale edition contains more pages - 324 in all.
The pages themselves are different too. The Large Scale edition is printed in color on pages of thin plastic, the same relative thickness as paper pages. Like paper pages, the new plastic pages do not reflect glare, yet they are tear resistant and liquid-resistant like the laminated pages of the DeLuxe edition. And like the DeLuxe edition, the Large Scale atlas is wire-bound, so its pages are easy to turn and the entire book lays flat.
Citgard Transit Low Ash Engine Oil is specifically formulated to help high-output, low-emission engines combat deposits, disperse soot and resist oxidation.
Available in SAE 15W-40, SAE 40 and SAE 30 viscosity grades, Citgard Transit Engine Oil contains specialized detergents to control piston ring deposits in highly stressed engines.
Additionally, extensive field tests have proven the oil's performance in fleets that contain both gas and diesel engines, according to the company.
The oil is appropriate for use with a variety of engines: Allison C-4; Caterpillar; Cummins Heavy Duty B & C models; Cummins CES 20071 & 20076; Detroit Diesel; Ford M2C153-E and M2C171-B; Mack EO-M and EO-M Plus; Navistar International; and Volvo.
Goodyear and AmeriQuest have teamed up to bolster the product and service offering to the thousands of users of FleetXchange.
FleetXchange, which is operated by AmeriQuest, provides a web-based system that amalgamates purchases, automates the ordering process and offers logistical support.
Goodyear will now offer rebates on Goodyear brand medium commercial truck tires and Nextred retreads.
Products such as the new G395 LHS line haul-steer tire will be eligible for rebates when purchased by FleetXchange members through authorized Goodyear commercial outlets.
The joint program will target FleetXchange members with less than 100 power units.
East Manufacturing recently added a new line of smooth Bright-Finish Full Fenders.
The heavy-duty aluminum fenders are built with special milled 3/16-inch aluminum and double-lip edges for extra strength and durability. Non-lip versions are also available.
The fenders were built to compliment the look and style of a smooth surface that never needs painting. It's corrosion resistant, doesn't peel or chip and looks like new for years after simple polishing.
The East smooth full-fender has a radius of 18 inches to better match the contour of the tires, and the fender rolls half way down the tire on both the front and back for enhanced protection from road hazards. The smooth finish is also available on half-fenders and on full-width fender caps.
Delphi Delco Electronics Systems recently introduced its new Forewarn Back-Up Aid retrofit kit, available through selected Pana-Pacific distributors across the U.S and Canada.
The Delphi subsidiary is marketing two models: one fits into a two-inch trailer hitch; the other permanently mounts to the vehicle.
Delphi's Forewarn system is claimed to deliver one of the longest-range detection zones on the market, helping drivers detect objects — and people — as they back up.
The system uses radar technology whenever the ignition is switched on and the vehicle is in reverse gear. The system sounds a loud warning when a person or object is detected and the warning becomes more frequent as the vehicle gets closer to the obstacle or person.
The Hunter Engineering Co. B400T Heavy-Duty Brake Tester can perform a complete brake performance test on multi-axle vehicles in 60 seconds or less, according to the company.
The B400T utilizes a PC-based system with Hunter's WinSI Software to measure brake forces and vehicle weight at each wheel on multi-axle vehicles. These include tractors and semi-trailers, tandem-axle tractors, buses and two-axle vehicles, including passenger cars and light trucks.
Single-, tandem- and triple-axle vehicles can be tested with full loads.
To perform the test, a technician simply drives the vehicle onto the tester plates and applies the brakes. The precision load cells within the plates automatically measure a variety of brake performance conditions, which are then digitally transferred to the computer, analyzed and displayed on the monitor in color-coded charts.
