Test driving Paccar’s new 11-liter engine

[kscarbel2]

Commercial Carrier Journal / October 5, 2015

I-405 is the main north-south freeway through the greater Seattle area and often a source of frustration, given the high volumes of traffic that is seemingly always present. But once you clear the congestion, the Pacific Northwest offers stunning vistas and great roads. And while it is true that this area is Kenworth’s home turf, it is also true that you’d be hard-pressed to pick better terrain to test a new 11-liter Diesel engine and terrain-following cruise control system.

The new MX-11 was, like its big-brother MX-13, designed by Paccar’s DAF subsidiary in The Netherlands where it underwent extensive testing on the European continent since its debut there in 2013, eventually logging 250 million miles there, with another 2 million logged here in North America.

Interestingly, Paccar builds the new engine at its manufacturing facility in Columbus, Miss., with many of those engines finding their way back across The Pond to Europe.

The MX-11 features several new design points that were not available when the MX-13 engine was on the drawing board. There are new, modularly-designed components, for example, including an interesting new water pump that features cartridge-style sections that can be replaced without removing the entire system. If the impeller or the belt assembly goes bad, a technician can simply remove and replace those modules and go on his way.

A glimpse of the future can be seen in the MX-11 as well: The engine has been designed from the ground up to be quickly updated with new software and can be programmed to meet specific customer requirements.

Actual engine displacement is 10.8 liters, which works out to 355 to 430 horsepower options with torque ratings ranging from 1,250 to 1,550 pound feet. Paccar says the new MX-11 is 400 pounds lighter than comparable Cummins ISX12 or MX-13 engines and has a 1 million mile B10 life.

On the highway, the MX-11 proved to be superbly quiet with plenty of low-end torque on hand. Lugging up steep mountain grades was no problem at all. My test truck, a sharp Kenworth T680 with an Eaton Fuller 13-speed manual transmission was loaded with about 34,000 pounds in the trailer — a load the MX-11 was easily able handle in that rugged terrain.

New Predictive Cruise Control system now in production

It was no coincidence that my MX-13-powered T680 test tractor featured the Eaton Fuller Advantage AMT. That transmission is also the key controlling component of Kenworth’s new DAF-developed Predictive Cruise Control system, which I was also given the opportunity to evaluate during my drive. The new system is pretty slick: It uses real-time GPS data to not only control vehicle speeds to optimize fuel economy, but closely monitors GPS terrain modeling to anticipate changing road conditions and set the truck up to deal with them in as efficiently as possible.

One of the drawbacks of a conventional cruise control system is its inability to judge terrain conditions. Every driver is familiar with the sudden burst of throttle as cruise control discovers too late that its truck is on a long, steep mountain grade, or scrambled to disengage the system as speed picks up sharply once a grade has been crested.

The DAF system can identify these terrain conditions before the truck is actually dealing with them, and adjust throttle settings or gear selections in advance to handle them. This holds true both up a grade, or going down, when the system automatically shifts the powertrain into neutral, or what Kenworth calls “Coast Mode,” to deliver exceptional fuel economy. Should the grade steepen and vehicle speed start to pick up, the system automatically and seamlessly engages the MX-11’s engine brake to hold the truck at its desired speed.

It’s a fine system that worked exactly as advertised during my run around the Cascades. Even in steep terrain, drivers can pretty much flip the system on and forget it, with full confidence it will handle any terrain coming its way.

Paccar says MX-11 engines will enter production early next year, and the DAF Predictive Cruise Control System is available now as a factory-installed option.

[kscarbel2]

Paccar Launches the DAF MX-11 Engine in North America

Paccar Press Release / October 7, 2015

Paccar is expanding its range of self-branded engines in North America with the introduction of the DAF-designed MX-11 engine, with an output of up to 430 HP and 1,550 lb.-ft. of torque.

The MX-11, which complements the MX-13 engine, is scheduled to be available with Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks in January 2016.

DAF launched the MX-11 engine in Europe in 2013, installing over 10,000 MX-11 engines in DAF trucks in the last two years.

“The MX-11 engine is designed to deliver optimum performance and fuel economy, industry-leading durability and reliability, and a quiet operating environment for the driver,” said Landon Sproull, Paccar assistant vice president. “Paccar’s over 50 years of engine development and manufacturing expertise have established the company as one of the leading diesel engine manufacturers in the world.”

The 10.8-liter MX-11 engine is characterized by its combination of state-of-the-art innovations and proven technologies that reduce weight and deliver features needed for a wide variety of over the road and vocational applications.

The MX-11 engine’s double overhead camshaft design, coupled with a compact graphite iron (CGI) engine block and cylinder head, create long-lasting durability, achieving an industry-leading B10 life of one million miles.

The MX-11 utilizes a common rail fuel system with injection pressures of 2,500 bar to optimize combustion and ensure the lowest possible fuel consumption and noise levels.

.

[kscarbel2]

Kenworth to Roll Out DAF MX-11 Engine For Vocational, Regional Haul Customers in 2016

Trailer/Body Builders / October 19, 2015

Kenworth will begin selling the DAF MX-11 engine to its vocational and regional haul customers in the United States and Canada in January 2016.

Just introduced by PACCAR, the 11-liter engine is designed to produce up to 430 hp and 1,550 lb-ft of torque. It is positioned between the Cummins PX-9 and DAF MX-13 engines to give Kenworth an expanded range of proprietary engines for its Class 8 product line.

The DAF MX-11 engine will be available for the Kenworth T880, T680, T800 with FEPTO, and W900S and will be built at PACCAR’s engine plant in Columbus, Miss.

“The MX-11 fits a sweet spot for many of our customers, who need a lighter engine that provides ample horsepower and torque,” said Jason Skoog, Kenworth assistant general manager. “It is 400 pounds lighter than 13-liter engines, and due to the weight savings, provides our customers a boost in payload capacity and fuel economy.”

Skoog said the engine has logged significant testing hours throughout North America and has delivered excellent results. “Drivers are telling us the engine has plenty of low-end power and it’s a great match for applications requiring less than 450 hp. Like all PACCAR engines, the MX-11 was designed for long-life and maximum productivity.”

The DAF MX-11 is a six-cylinder, 24-valve design and has double overhead camshafts along with high-pressure common rail fuel injection. Like the DAF MX-13, the engine block is constructed from compact graphite iron with vertical ribs to maximize strength while reducing noise levels.

To help serve customers, Kenworth is conducting extensive DAF MX-11 training for Kenworth dealer service technicians and salespeople in the United States and Canada as part of its preparations for the DAF MX-11 engine launch.

The DAF MX-11 is featured in the current Kenworth Road Tour focused on fuel efficiency and weight savings with stops at 28 Kenworth dealer-hosted events in the United States and Canada.