Mack Trucks rolled out its 2017 MP series engines, bringing significant improvements in fuel efficiency, power and productivity, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The truck builder also introduced Mack Predictive Cruise, another fuel-saving offering in Mack’s full suite of integrated products delivering an improved total cost of ownership to customers.
Thanks to several upgrades and enhancements, the new 2017 engines boost fuel efficiency from 2.1% to 8.8% compared with prior model year engines. Mack made the announcement April 22 on Earth Day during an event in Austin TX.
“For more than 100 years, Mack has met the ever-changing needs of our customers’ applications with powerful, reliable engines,” said Dennis Slagle, president of Mack Trucks. “The 2017 evolution of Mack power carries on our tradition of durability, while offering more power and incredible fuel efficiency gains.”
A number of additional improvements were made to both engines, including a new two-piece valve cover, shimless rockers, and a low-pressure fuel system with an enhanced, integrated aftertreatment dosing module to reduce maintenance needs. An updated, double-walled EGR flow sensor helps reduce condensation and soot buildup in cold weather, while a new intake throttle enables a faster warmup when the engine is started.
“In addition to efficiency and maintenance improvements, we’re also delivering more power,” said Stu Russoli, Mack highway and powertrain products marketing manager. “With a new 425 horsepower rating, the 2017 MP7 offers 13-liter power in a lightweight, efficient 11-liter package ideal for weight sensitive applications.”
For customers with long-haul applications, Mack will offer the 2017 MP8 engine with a turbo compounding system engineered to give customers a no-compromise increase in power and efficiency. Turbo compounding converts waste energy from the exhaust into mechanical energy that is fed back to the engine. The system adds up to 50 additional horsepower, enabling a substantial increase of fuel efficiency of up to 8.8%.
The Mack MP8 with turbo compounding is available exclusively with Mack’s Super Econodyne downspeeding package. The additional power generated by the turbo compounding system allows the engine to maintain full torque as low as 900 rpm. This not only enables a broader operating range in top gear, but also allows a truck to hold top gear longer when overtaking a hill, even with falling engine rpm.
The 16-liter Mack MP10 engine, the most powerful Mack engine offered, carries over unchanged. With up to 605 horsepower and 2,060 lb-ft of torque, the MP10 comes standard in the Titan by Mack model, the ideal choice for heavy-haul, severe-duty applications.
The updated 2017 Mack MP series engines complement Mack’s recently launched Mack mDRIVE HD 13- and 14-speed automated manual transmissions. With up to two low-ratio creeper gears, the new mDRIVE HD variants provide improved startability for heavy loads, while maintaining proper gearing for fuel efficiency at speed.
Several of the revised components and technologies found on Mack’s 2017 MP series engines--including the patented wave piston, turbo compounding and the common rail fuel injection system--were derived from research and development work associated with the US Department of Energy’s SuperTruck program. The SuperTruck program, a cost-shared, public-private partnership, aims to help accelerate the research and development of advanced efficiency technologies to improve the freight-hauling efficiency of heavy-duty Class 8 long-haul tractor-trailer trucks.
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 Predictive Cruise is an intelligent system that memorizes a route when cruise control is on, storing up to 4,500 hills in its memory. The next time the driver travels the route, Mack Predictive Cruise engages the industry-leading Mack mDRIVE automated manual transmission to choose the most fuel-efficient gear.
Mack Predictive Cruise constantly monitors speed, engine load, weight and the road gradient in order to select the best gear for the road ahead. When approaching an incline, Predictive Cruise allows slightly more speed. mDRIVE then maintains the highest gear possible instead of downshifting, remaining in that gear and preventing downshifts if they are not needed to crest the hill. Maintaining the highest gear possible is more fuel efficient.
Mack Predictive Cruise can increase fuel efficiency by up to 1% percent and does not require a constant GPS connection. After a short connection to GPS, Mack Predictive Cruise recognizes the hill, sends the communication to mDRIVE, which automatically knows the optimal speed and gear strategy for the upcoming terrain.
When traveling downhill, Mack Predictive Cruise maintains vehicle speed, utilizing kinetic energy and softly applying the engine brake. Because the hill is stored in the vehicle’s memory, Predictive Cruise recognizes it and knows when the gradient will even out, allowing the truck to maintain its speed for the next hill.