[V8] Pickup truck technology....and all that jazz

[Scott Justusson]

 Roger
BMW and Audi (Ford too) already committed to 6 cylinder configurations for the 3.0 liter size, as there are alot of advantages in all aspects of motor design in doing so:  More torque and more horsepower for the same displacement, less shake, more horsepower, ideal turbo efficiency theory (3 pulses), better engine efficiency and better fuel efficiency.  I drove the BMW twin turbo diesel 6 and you almost have to be told it's a diesel.  That wasn't my experience driving a Fuso Cantor cross country.  Great torque, but top speed was 70 on a good day, and that motor had the typical diesel death rattle.

I don't see the advantage to a four cylinder diesel in a suv/pickup -truck, it will work too hard for the size of the engine.  Golf, A3, 3bmw, sure.  And those are already produced, and have been for some time.  In europe, diesel rules, and the engine config is to the mass of the pass vehicle, not the GVWR of a work truck.  And that is also the market in the US suv/pickup truck market, the majority of that market demand is not for 3/4 and 1ton version.   The market for small engine workhorses in the pickup market has already gone to the quad-runners, more efficient for overkill duties of the pickup, tractor, lawn mower, and horse.

In the diesel market, efficiency and development will be in small displacement twin turbo v6 and twin turbo I6 configurations.  BMW already has it on the market, and VAG is on the way.  Ford already went that way with gas (ecotech), and will follow with diesel as well.

Scott J
92 v8 ABT Chipped
94 Landcruiser TRD Supercharged DOHC 4.5L I6

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Roger M. Woodbury <rmwoodbury at fairpoint.net>
To: 'Scott Justusson' <qshipq at aol.com>; v8 at audifans.com
Sent: Tue, Aug 16, 2011 7:23 am
Subject: RE: [V8] Pickup truck technology....and all that jazz


I'm not so sure.  
 
About eight years ago I bought a medium duty box truck for my fledgling recycling business. The truck was a Mitsubishi Fuso with four cylinder turbocharged diesel and automatic transmission.  The truck itself wasn't hauling a lot of weight....the box was an 18 foot box with "school bus" door and it never even vaguely approached max gross, carrying empty beverage bottles and cans in large plastic totes.  Fuel mileage was fair, and never varied so long as I didn't exceed any speed limits.  Driving cycle was normally rural/suburban.  
 
When the business closed I toyed with the the idea of keeping the truck, removing the box and fabricating a ten foot pickup truck bed in its place.  I really wanted to try it but for the simple fact that the truck was rear wheel drive only.  Mitsu/Fuso never has developed a four wheel drive variant that would be competitive in the marketplace.  All these trucks are dual rear wheel configurations, and the 4X4 version is a short wheelbase truck that just doesn't compare to a GMC 2500/3500 model.  But if Mitsubishi or someone else wanted to take a shot, I for one would probably beat the drum hard to sell them.  
 
The Mitsubishi truck that I had was a ONE TON rated truck, and even loaded I don't think it would be outmatched by either traffic or load considerations.  It was a nice rig, and if that front axle had been powered I might still have it.  With four wheel drive, it sure would have been a LOT easier to plow with than the GMC that replaced it.
 
Roger