X15 down on fuel economy recently?

[Rawze]

If everything is well cared for, the DPF, DOC is usually good for about 500-600k miles, then they are typically done for. SCR lifespan is right behind that, maybe another 100k more, and its done for as well.

It gets somewhat expensive to replace all those units as they reach end of life and that engine/truck gets past the half-million mile mark.

The big question of the day is what to do about it. Having the cans baked, de-ashed, etc. is the place to start.. but this may only a bande-aide/temporary fix once they become that old and the precious metals start to fade away.

Evaluating the engine to ensure it is not making excess soot and that it is not consuming any coolant or oil, etc. is the first step. No sense in investing in new $$$$ pricey DPF/DOC/SCR cans if you cannot keep them clean, or if they are going to be gutted out in the next 100k miles or less... unless someone has no choice in the matter, and cannot de-mandate for one reason or another.

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(some general speculation related to trucks getting older, unrelated to the thread) ...
This also leads to the next part... If an engine is set to 1850 trq or more .. and especially if the truck is geared tall, and/or a lot of PTO operations occur .. then someone can also expect to have to inframe the engine at about the 650k ~ish mark too. Add in the fact that the turbo likely reaching its end of life @ 600k miles, the CAC and other components likely needing replacing soon if not already, etc...

Combine those costs together, and a person is looking at a LOT of moneys. This is on a well cared for truck, so the average used truck buyer these days is just living in some kind of pipe dreams world if they think they can buy into a truck that is not ready for some major expenses right away... especially if it is geared tall and has big HP/torque set into it.

The only sure-fire way to combat all these expenses long term are to have the engine set to about 1720 trq, gear it so that its 3,79's or better, learning to drive it slower while still making deliveries. Keeping the RPM above 1500+ in any sort of hill climb + maintaining everything really well with lots of preventative maintenance. Only then, does the the long term profit margin start to become decent.

Anything short of this, and all that moneys that someone made running their arsse off the last 4-5 years inevitably always ends up getting sunk right back into that equipment, and at the end of the day, they are actually getting no further ahead.

(the beer is talkin now)...
I yell the obvious formula that actually works for making some d$ammned decent long term profits in trucking on here time and again, but most people would rather have that big torque, --'Get-R-Done" factor.. and they pay for it dearly, complaining about how their s$it is always broke down or the engine blew that head gasket .. when all they wanted to do is make it another years or 2 so they can afford that inframe.. never getting ahead at the end of it all.

They have become a slave to the system .. only its by choice, though they would get mad at you and argue it away real fast if you even tried to point it out to them.

So.. the next time someone goes blasting down the freeways blowing past someone like me who drives like a grandPa below 63 mph or so, and has their truck turned down so that it only creeps up the steep hills, etc. ... just know that I am the one making real moneys and long term profits that I can keep. Moneys that can actually be put towards an actual retirement instead of having to pour it all back into the truck every few years.

Just remember that I will always smile at those people who blast past me at 70+ mph like that, and especially at the ones who have all the chrome and the big square noses ... not because I am such a nice guy.. but because I think to myself.. "You go super-trucker.. you go be that nice little slave that the system has brainwashed you into being".

Just my random beer rant for the day about fuel economy and worn out trucks, etc. in general.