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

[Roger M. Woodbury]

Yesterday I read an article about Ford marketing its six cylinder eco engine
in the F150 pickup.  More torque and horsepower than its smallest V8
offering, with a slight gas mileage advantage. The engine is a higher
turning overhead cam engine that has been widely tested both from a
durability and a marketing standpoint with good results. 
 
Sales results have been a big surprise to Ford, with the six cylinder "V"
eco engine rapidly gaining market share over it's more traditional V8
brothers.
 
The Mitsu Fusu that I had also had not a lot of top speed.  And the point
is?  The speed limit is never more than 70 in this country, so top speed or
even usable speed in excess of that is illegal.  Now, I fully realize that
traffic on the Interstate is normally traveling well in excess of the posted
limit, but that has no place in a discussion regarding the potentials of new
designs for greater efficiency in transportation.  Certainly for fleet or
corporate use, if a vehicle CAN exceed the speed limit, most businesses will
fire the driver who is tagged for speeding violations....which is surely
happening here in this state.
 
My Fuso did indeed sound like a diesel.  Not objectionably loud, not
anywhere as objectionable as, say an early Dodge with Cummins engine, but a
diesel, none th eless. But when traveling at any speed above forty miles per
hour, the loudest sound in the cab was the sound of the wind rushing over
that great big windshield.  And once up to speed on Route One, which is the
only "big road" that I ever drove the thing on, it could climb hills with
the flow of traffic and without downshifting with no issue, or strain.  I
really liked the truck and had I been able to buy one in pickup
configuration, even with that longer wheelbase that it had, I would have
done so.
 
The Ford F150 V6 decision was made well before the current spike in gasoline
prices, so I suspect that the market for light duty pickups will be
changing, and more manufacturers will begin to produce six cylinder engine
options for their light duty trucks.  And if that happens, then other
varieties may well appear, and hopefully entirely new engines will be
developed in the face of the reality of the international politics of oil,
and the unstoppable competition of what we used to sneer at as "the third
world".
 
Roger

-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Justusson [mailto:qshipq at aol.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 8:37 AM
To: rmwoodbury at fairpoint.net; v8 at audifans.com
Subject: Re: [V8] Pickup truck technology....and all that jazz



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