10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

November 2007 - Performance Zone
BACK TO BUSINESS
By Performance Specialist Bruce C. Mallinson

Now that our move is finally over, it’s time to get back to business! It has been a hectic month, but a lot is happening at Pittsburgh Power. Let’s go over several different topics and get back up to speed with everything that is going on.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – steel top pistons don’t burn! Did you read the article I recently wrote about steel top pistons not burning (August 2007)? Well, it appears that some people don’t know if they have aluminum or steel pistons. I have received several e-mails from people who have told me about their friends burning pistons, but every one of them has turned out to have had aluminum pistons. Yes, you can burn an aluminum piston, but it’s almost impossible to burn a steel piston. So before you try to prove me wrong, make sure the pistons you are talking about are steel top pistons.

Most of today’s electronic engines with 430 horsepower or more have steel top pistons. The steel piston is a cast and we have only seen one casting that was defective – which was in a DD3 Detroit engine. The faulty piston failed in one week. But this was not a burn through – it failed because the casting had an air pocket and the steel was very thin in that spot which caused it to break through. As soon as I get a steel top piston, I’m going to take it to our local steel mill and have them melt it down and record the temperature so we will both know how much heat it actually takes to burn a steel top piston. Cat claims that you can run all day long at 1,200 degrees on the cold side (which is 1,500 degrees on the hot side), but we will see. Stay tuned!

We have a client in Quebec producing over 2,000 horsepower in a 550 Cat, and they break their aluminum piston skirts regularly - but they do not burn them. This amazing Peterbilt drag races pulling two trailers loaded with 60,000 pounds of lumber on each one. Pulling 120,000 lbs. from a dead stop, this powerful truck can run the 1/8-mile in 7.7 seconds. On the 3rd shift, the left front tire jumps 36 inches in the air. The truck twists the double frame so hard that it never goes completely back to being straight. If you don’t believe me, check out a recent photo taken of the truck (shown here)!

If you want to save fuel, drive your truck on the rolling hills with your right foot instead of using the cruise control. When you’re in a rolling hill situation, accelerate on the downhill side, hold the speed through the dip, and then use a reasonable amount of power to go over the next hill. You should be able to use at least 5 psi of turbo boost less to pull the uphill side than the cruise control would. I’m not talking about big mountains – I’m talking about overpasses and rolling hills such as I-80 in western Iowa, parts of I-44 from St. Louis to Springfield, I-77 north of Charlotte, and I-71 between Cincinnati and Louisville. I’m sure you know the type of terrain I’m referring to. Think of a roller coaster: after the first big hill it is all that momentum that keeps the coaster going. When your truck is on cruise control, it’s not using momentum. When driving with your right foot, you should pre-accelerate for the hills. Don’t wait until you’re into the hill to add throttle, it should be there before you get to the hill. Several owner-operators at the truck show in Louisville this year told me that they gained a half mpg driving in this manner.

Remember, to get great fuel mileage, your truck must run like a thoroughbred and the only way I know of doing that is to give her plenty of horsepower and torque and you, the owner operator, need to know how and when to use the power. Sometimes I will get phone calls and the caller will say, “I need more fuel mileage, not power.” I’m sorry, but if your engine is stock and you have installed straight through mufflers, a larger turbo and the FASS Fuel System, then you have all of the items I know of that will improve fuel mileage. It takes power to get over the mountains or hills and that is where you burn most of your fuel. The more power you have (and use judiciously) the better the fuel mileage. That is why the Pittsburgh Power computer, with its 7 or 9 power settings, depending on the model, will give you more fuel mileage. The power box will eliminate the lag you now have when you let out the clutch. And with instant response, the strain is much less on the drivetrain and the drive tires because you will not have to push so hard on the throttle to get the truck up and moving.

Pittsburgh Power performance computers are currently being tested for the Cummins ISX and ISX EGR engines, as well as the DD5 EGR Detroits. If you would like to be one of the first owner operators to have one of these power boxes, just give us a call and get on the list. This could also make a wonderful Christmas gift for that special owner operator in your life who is craving more power and efficiency. Just a thought!

We have been busy “un-bridging” several of the MBN Bridge Caterpillar engines. Out of the 22 engines we have now completed, the lowest fuel mileage gain was .7 mpg and the best was 1.1 mpg. Just about every owner operator is gaining 1 mpg. So in one year of driving, at 150,000 miles, they will save 5,000 gallons of fuel or $15,000 (based on $3.00 fuel). Wouldn’t you rather drive a responsive 630 horsepower engine instead of a sick, non-responsive 525? If you’re going to rebuild your Bridge Cat, we can supply you with all of the correct parts needed to eliminate all of the Bridge components – then you will have a great Cat engine.

Many of you don’t know that I used to do seminars at various RV shows across the USA pertaining to high performance diesel engines and how to operate them. I have spoken to as many as 426 people for 90 minutes at a time. Last month I flew to Detroit and spoke to the Michigan Trucking Association as a guest of Liberator Mufflers. If you belong to a trucking organization and would be interested in one of my seminars, I am available, so give me a call (try to give me a months notice, please).

Our move is now complete. We are finally settling into our new facility in Saxonburg, PA. If you would like to come and see our new shop, please give us a call and we will give you turn by turn directions to get here. And, as usual, if you have any performance-related comments or questions, call me at (724) 360-4080 or e-mail me at bruce@pittsburghpower.com.