Does engine programming work? PIT aims to find out.

[kscarbel2]

Truck News / August 18, 2014

Third-party engine tuning is a contentious issue. OEMs generally recommend against it, and it can void an engine’s warranty.

However, some fleets and owner/operators swear by it, citing double-digit fuel economy gains. FPInnovations’ Project Innovation Transport (PIT) group says it has received funding from the province of Quebec to test engine programmers to see if they can actually improve fuel economy and reduce emissions.

The funding was announced by Pierre Arcand, Quebec’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. Results will be made public, since the government is funding the project. Partners in the project include Cummins Eastern Canada, Cascades Transport and the Societe des Alcools du Quebec.

PIT says it conducted a survey among members and partners that found there is a lack of knowledge around engine optimization. The organization points out more than 80% of truck engines are sold with default parameters, and may not be optimized for their specific duty cycles.

Appropriate engine programming could provide fuel savings of 10-15%, PIT claims.

“The entire road transport sector will benefit from the PIT Group’s research on engine programming. In our opinion, a direct source of fuel savings is waiting in the wings behind engine programming, and a better understanding of engine programming will help all industries improve their energy performance,” said Pierre Lapointe, president and CEO of FPInnovations

[j_martell]

It will be interesting to see the results.....