'Star' Names, MaxxForce Diesels To Appear In International Models
The "TranStar" name is back for International heavy highway trucks, along with several other Star-suffixed names for vehicles that will use technologically advanced MaxxForce diesel engines, starting in January.
Five engines will enter production in 2007 as building of current models cease. Two more engines will be introduced in less than a year.
TranStar was last used for Class 8 conventional and high cab-over-engine trucks and tractors in the 1980s, after which it and most other names were dropped in favor of numerical designations. International Truck and Engine decided to resurrect it and another mothballed moniker, PayStar, as part of an effort "to return to our heritage," said Debbie Shust, heavy truck marketing manager.
PayStar is now applied to 5000-series vocational trucks, and International's 8500 and 8600 tractors will soon get the TranStar label. Other names, not used before, are: WorkStar, to appear on International 7000 series heavy vocational trucks; DuraStar, for the 4000 series medium- and medium-heavy models; and CityStar, for midrange LC low-cab-forward trucks. The 9000 series will not be "starred" because the 9200 and 9400 aero tractors will be replaced by versions of the new ProStar highway tractor, and the 9900i and 9900ix names "have their own currency," Shust said. Most models will get International's new MaxxForce diesels.
Five MaxxForce models are based on current V-6, V-8 and inline-6 designs, which have been upgraded for better performance and to meet the EPA's '07 emissions limits, said Jack Allen, the Engine Group's president. Two others are big-bore I-6s that International is developing based on designs from MAN of Germany.
MaxxForce engines have undergone 6 million highway miles and 80,000 laboratory hours of testing, Allen said. During a call-in press conference, Allen listed the new models:
• MaxxForce 5, a 4.5-liter V-6, is the double-turbocharged VT-275 with an upgraded intake throttle, a larger EGR cooler and enhanced electronics. It is rated at 200 horsepower and 440 pounds-feet of torque, and will power Class 4 and 5 CityStar LCF trucks.
• MaxxForce 7, a 6.4-liter V-8, was extensively redesigned from the 6-liter VT-365 with enhanced electronics, a high-pressure fuel system and a variable-geometry turbocharger. It is quieter and more responsive and will deliver better fuel economy than the 6-liter engine. MaxxForce 7 has ratings of 200 to 230 horsepower and 560 to 620 pounds-feet for use in Class 5, 6 and 7 DuraStar trucks, two of International's XT midrange pickups, and in buses. A 300-plus horsepower rating will be offered in the fall of 2007, and it is the platform for the 6.4 Power Stroke diesel to be used in Ford's new SuperDuty pickups.
• MaxxForce DT is based on the 7.6-liter DT 466 I-6, and has a bigger EGR system, foam-molded wiring harnesses and closed-crankcase ventilation system. These provide lower emissions and increased reliability and durability. It's rated at 210 to 300 horsepower and 520 to 860 pounds-feet. It will power Class 6, 7 and 8 DuraStar and WorkStar trucks.
• MaxxForce 9 is a redesigned 9.3-liter DT 570. It will have ratings of 300 to 330 horsepower and 800 to 950 pounds-feet, and will power Class 7 and 8 DuraStar and WorkStar trucks.
• MaxxForce 10 is a redesigned HT (high-torque) 570 with 310 to 350 horsepower and 1,050 to 1,150 pounds-feet, and will be used in Class 8 WorkStar and TranStar trucks and tractors.
• MaxxForce 11 and 13 are International's upcoming big-bore I-6 diesels based on MAN designs. MaxxForce 11 will be offered in TranStar tractors, the MaxxForce 13 in ProStar tractors. Both will be lower-cost alternatives to Caterpillar and Cummins diesels now used in various models.
