Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/596928
52 | Overdrive | November 2015 • Go online to www.iowa80.com and request your FREE CATALOG of the finest selection in Chrome and Professional Trucking Accessories! • Or Call Toll Free – 866-4-IOWA80 (866-446-9280) • Shop online today! www.iowa80.com Truck Accessories For The Professional Driver GET YOUR FREE CATALOG! OD 2015 Browse great gifts for your favorite driver! IA80com OD 101415_Layout 1 10/14/15 1:34 PM Page 1 Untitled-2 1 10/19/15 9:10 AM The engine displacement is 10.8 liters. That works out to 355- to 430-horse- power options, with torque ratings rang- ing from 1,250 to 1,500 lb.-ft. Paccar says the new MX-11 is 400 pounds lighter than comparable MX-13 or Cummins ISX12 engines. The engine has an impressive B10 life of 1 million miles. That means testing shows that MX-11 engines can run for 1 million miles before 10 percent of them need an overhaul. On I-405, the main north-south freeway through the Seattle area, the MX-11 proved to be superbly quiet with plenty of low-end torque. My test truck, a sharp Kenworth T680 with an Eaton Fuller Advantage automated manual transmission, was loaded with about 34,000 pounds in the trailer. The MX-11 easily handled the load on the steep grades. It was no coincidence that my second test truck, an MX-13-powered T680, also featured Eaton's Fuller Advantage AMT, which is the key controlling com- ponent of Kenworth's new Predictive Cruise Control system. The new system is pretty slick, thanks to GPS data. It uses that information to anticipate changing road conditions and to deal with them as efficiently as possi- ble through gearing and speed. One of the drawbacks of a conven- tional cruise control system is its inability to judge terrain conditions. Every driver is familiar with experiencing the sud- den burst of throttle as cruise control encounters a steep grade, or with scram- bling to disengage the system as speed picks up once a grade has been crested. Kenworth's new system identifies these terrain conditions before the truck is dealing with them and adjusts throttle settings or gear selections in advance. This holds true going up or down, when the system automatically shifts into neutral, or what Kenworth calls "Coast Mode," to deliver exceptional fuel econ- omy. Should the downward grade steep- en considerably, the system seamlessly engages the engine brake. The system worked exactly as adver- tised during my run across the Cascades. Even in steep terrain, you can flip the system on and forget it, with full confi- dence it will handle any topography. Paccar will begin selling MX-11 engines in January. Kenworth's Predictive Cruise Control system is available now as a factory-in- stalled option. Jack Roberts is equip- ment editor for Overdrive and Commercial Carrier Journal. See videos of this drive test and others at Overdrive- Online.com/ drivetests.