Mack Trucks has introduced its new powertrain line for model year 2017. The powertrain includes the company’s MP7 and MP8 engines, mDrive transmission, axles, and ClearTechOne exhaust aftertreatment system.
The 2017 versions of Mack’s 11-liter MP7 and 13-liter MP8 engines bring with them several new features. Both engines feature an updated wave piston design that raises the compression ratio and enables more complete combustion of fuel, while a common-rail fuel system more precisely injects fuel. Combined with a two-speed coolant pump, these features help increase MP7 fuel efficiency by between 2.5% and 5.1%, and MP8 fuel efficiency by between 2.5% and 5%, depending on the use of downspeeding.
“It’s not a new engine, it’s an evolution,” said Stu Russoli, Mack’s highway and powertrain products marketing manager. “We’re making improvements to get us to that next level.”
In mid-2017, the 445-HP MP8 engine will be available with turbo compounding. The extra power this system generates can result in an estimated 8-8.8% fuel economy improvement with as low as 900 RPM (with full torque). This is only available with Mack’s Super Econodyne downspeeding package.
The 2017 Mack MP8 will be available for order in April 2016, while the 2017 MP7 and MP10 engines will be available for order in July 2016. The Mack MP8 with turbo compounding will be available for order in October 2016.
Mack previously introduced its 13- and 14-speed mDrive transmissions, which will be available in August for Mack’s Pinnacle, Titan and Granite models.
These now include Mack Predictive Cruise, a unique system that learns the topography of the road. It uses GPS to match topography with the location, and can store information on up to 4,500 hills. It automatically uses this knowledge to save fuel—it anticipates the topography upcoming and adjusts the vehicles speed, torque and gear based on this information, resulting in up to 1% fuel economy savings.
Mack also recently introduced ClearTechOne, its new exhaust aftertreatment system. This system combines the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF), Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) dosing system all into one unit. According to the company, they had four objectives during the development of ClearTechOne: Improve the efficiency of the unit, reduce and improve the weight of the unit, improve the chassis packaging, and reduce the overall service time that it takes to replace the filters.
“For more than 100 years, Mack has met the ever-changing needs of our customers’ applications with powerful, reliable engines,” said Mack President Dennis Slagle. “The 2017 evolution of Mack power carries on our tradition of durability, while offering more power and incredible fuel efficiency gains.”
