Which 2017 truck would you go with?

[sbtrucking]

Hey fellas,
Trying to decide on new truck, kw t680, pete 587,
Freightliner cascadia evolution or volvo 780
It has to be auto shift.
By the way will my inline 5 and insite still work with 2017 cumins?

[kryten]

My only experience with autoshift has been in 2 different Volvos. The first one had the ZF/Meritor 12 sp. It did it's job but was extremely clunky when in close quarters such as docking or parking a trailer. It also took several miles to "learn" the new operating conditions after changing/dropping trailer which was very annoying.

This got traded off on a Volvo Ishift of 2011 vintage. This is as close as possible to being a true automatic as it is to be. The only time I feel it necessary to use manual mode is idling around the yard looking for a trailer, in winter climbing a hill (gotta keep the rpms up), or driving off road, or when I get bored.

Keep in mind there are 2 or 3 different levels of shifter for the Ishift. The basic one only allows you to select manual to hold a gear but not shift manually. Not very useful if you want to drop a couple of gears to get the engine brake working at it's best.

Volvo in Europe now has a dual clutch Ishift which has seamless power during shifts. Probably a dream to drive but I'd sure hate to have to pay to get the bugger fixed when it breaks.

Todaystrucking1 on Youtube has some road tests of the Ishift plus a pile of other tests of all the other trucks. Here is part 1 of the Volvo test https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxTOvnJ0...oqj1P4qYvJ

Todaystrucking1 Ultimate test drive series playlist. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...oqj1P4qYvJ

[Rawze]

(04-29-2016 )sbtrucking Wrote:  Hey fellas,
Trying to decide on new truck, kw t680, pete 587,
Freightliner cascadia evolution or volvo 780
It has to be auto shift.
By the way will my inline 5 and insite still work with 2017 cumins?

This is based on my own test driving of lots of trucks... This is assuming the engine is a cummins, and the truck is set up for best fuel mileage, spec'd right for the type of freight, etc. ...

Neck and Neck for the MOST Aero fuel efficient trucks out there, A Cascadia and Prostar are the top holders of this honor. They might not be made as touch as other trucks but they will certainly make up for it in fuel profits hands down!. They just have to be driven right and cared for and they are not an issue to own. Even after 1.3 million miles, My prostar is still breaking 9+MPG with 80k loads. Just think about how many hundreds of thousands of $$$$ I have saved now in fuel alone over that span.. I could but 2 new trucks with just the fuel moneys that I saved compared to one of those square-nose museum pieces of yester-year!.

Of what you mentioned ... The Cascadia Evolution is most fuel efficient body style. T680 is very close to it, but T700 is even better. Prostar falls into this category too.

Pete 587 is about 0.3 mpg LESS fuel efficient in most applications than what is mentioned above.


Volvo is the LEAST FUEL EFFICIENT compared the above at about 0.6 mpg less than the Evolution, T700, and a Prostar,... the engine compartment can not breathe good, the turbo runs 100 degrees hotter making it have a shorter lifespan, the Charge air piping is restrictive,.. and so is the exhaust system. They have great interiors but fall very short when it comes to engine compartment design and engine efficiency allowance.

ANY Auto shift transmission is also going to be about 0.6 mpg LESS in fuel mileage compared to a good driver and a manual. Just thought you should know.

so a Volvo with an i-shift will loose 1.2 - 1.3 mpg vs. a prostar in the same exact scenario.


Having the proper rear ends makes a huge difference in long term operating costs too. Gear it too tall (like all the mega-fleets are doing) and it will eat the engine up prematurely due to running it all the time below 1500 RPM. The engine will literally last 2x longer if the truck is driven ABOVE 1500 most of its life and low rpm avoided when pulling steep hills. This does not make fuel economy suffer, as I drive my own truck like this and still average 9+ or 8+ even fully loaded.

Older discussions:
http://rawze.com/forums/showthread.php?t...3#pid13433
and...
http://rawze.com/forums/showthread.php?t...6#pid17356

=============

When it comes to the engine,... Red motors win above all, but only after some really good custom tuning and caring for them, keeping after all tune-up work, etc. like a hawk.

[sbtrucking]

"ANY Auto shift transmission is going to be about 0.6 mpg LESS in fuel mileage compared to a good driver and a manual. Just thought you should know."

thanks Rawze, yea I hear you on auto, I bought my second isx truck couple weeks ago 2012 frightliner with cm2250 10 speed auto, I hate the auto shifting on it, I keep it on manual, got a two trucks now signed up with fedex, team drivers 4 to 6k+ miles a week each so I need strong and easy to drive trucks. I am leaning to cummins thanks to this great forum and your help sharing knowledge, plus insite and quick serve is a plus.

I just hope I can use my inline 5 and insite on the new 2017 isx?

[RPM1]

a lil off topic , an not that i care about a aro truck for what i use them for , but a kw w900 86 sleeper with a mack mp10 in it full lockers 18 speed 290 wb oh an disc brakes and the smart wheel and definitely a Rawze custom tune

[jorden486]

I would avoid the Pete 587. I have all petes and it sucks that's the only aero model but it's junk. The interior is all plastic on plastic. Very rattley. I've rented 2 brand new 587's. Ive only been in a t660 and w900 kenworth and they were nice. Just like the Petes-all aluminum cabs. I like the look of the T700. $$ though.

[Brock]

Pete and KW are the reason the isx got a bad name. 871 in my prostar is at a million miles running strong hauling 140k. same motor same year in kw or Petes and guys were needing crate motors put in under warranty.

[sbtrucking]

Another question, wich of the trusks on the first post should have a better retail or tradin value?
Lets say 4 years old with 500k miles

[Running rough]

(04-29-2016 )sbtrucking Wrote:  Hey fellas,
Trying to decide on new truck, kw t680, pete 587,
Freightliner cascadia evolution or volvo 780
It has to be auto shift.
By the way will my inline 5 and insite still work with 2017 cumins?

For fuel economy, t700 kenworth or Ih prostar, that would be with the epa 2017 emissions cummins efficiency series x15 possibly with smart advantage powertrain, the efficiency series can be had with up to 1850 torque at 1000 rpm and 500 hp, and also has a new technology for big bore on highway engines called variable compression ratio, apparently making it very fuel efficient, if your a heavy hauler and fuel economy is not a primary concern, look no farther, x15 performance series, up to 605 hp and 2050 torque, truck to spec it in, 389 flat top Pete with low low air ride suspension and front air bags or w900L kenworth, just my opinion