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| At the open performance testing, fuel economy and drivability of Class 8 competitors’ trucks will be compared |
Recently, International Truck invited each of its Class 8 competitors to participate in an open performance testing to compare fuel economy and drivability of their new trucks. During the week of August 31, at the Navistar Proving Grounds in New Carlisle, Ind., International Truck’s Class 8 competitors will have the opportunity to bring their two best performing vehicles with regards to fuel economy and drivability.
“The heavy-duty products we are building today are the highest quality, most fuel efficient trucks we have built in decades,” said Jeff Sass, Senior Vice President, North America Trucks Sales & Marketing. “We have worked hard to ensure our heavy-duty products lead the way in fuel economy, driver appeal and uptime performance, and we want to prove it.”
The vehicle specifications for the test include: Class 8, on-highway sleeper; model year 2016, calendar year 2015 builds; include only factory installed options (hardware, software, and fluids), and currently meet compliance and are capable of delivery to all customer applications; and must fall within total mileage range of 2,500 – 15,000 miles to maintain consistent break-in levels.
Fuel economy testing
Fuel economy testing will occur on a closed-track at the Navistar Proving Grounds in New Carlisle, Ind., and will follow the protocols called out by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Recommended Practice “Joint TMC/SAE Fuel Consumption In-Service Test Procedure Type III (SAE J1526).” The test will be executed with a gross combination weight (GCW) of approximately 65,000 lbs. and the vehicle will be driven at typical highway operating speeds. Drivers and trailers will be switched from “Control” to “Test” vehicle between test segments. Tires will be standardised across all vehicles and will be provided by Navistar, sets will be randomly assigned for each vehicle. Trailers will also be standardised and provided by Navistar for all units.
Aerodynamic coastdown testing
Aero Coastdown testing will be performed at the Navistar Proving Grounds and will follow the recommended practices SAE 1263, “Road Load Measurement and Dynamometer Simulation Using Coastdown Techniques” and SAE 2263, “Road Load Measurement Using Onboard Anemometry and Coastdown Techniques.” A tire set specifically for coastdown testing will be standardised across all vehicles and will be provided by Navistar. A coastdown dedicated trailer will also be used for all vehicles and will be provided by Navistar along with necessary instrumentation.
Additional areas being tested will include ride vibration and harshness, curb-to-curb cornering ability, forward visibility and interior noise.
“We’re all proud of our trucks, and I believe that running our vehicles in an open and transparent forum, side-by-side, will not only raise the water mark but will also benefit each of our customers in this industry,” Sass added.
