Heavy Duty Trucking, April 2018

TEST DRIVE road even some nice twisty ones which provided a better impression of the trucks steering and handling Here the stiffer cab suspension became obvious and the mildly stiff steering was a joy to drive Theres not much I would change on the LT The noise attenuation was great the performance and handling was top notch and the overall driving experience was as I said very satisfying The ProStar was never one of my favorite trucks but the LT has boosted my opinion several notches Id take the helm of one of these anytime mission control that also controls the engine brake Its easy to use and much easier to handle than the old one which was mounted on the dashboard Moving the shifter opened up some room for three large cup holders on the lower portion of the dash panel still leaving enough clearance to swing your legs past when pivoting from the drivers seat to the sleeper Out on the road Driving the LT was a very satisfying experience The cab is super quiet even when the engine is in a good pull I was able to talk to my tour guide Internationals director of product marketing for on highway trucks Bill Distel without raising my voice The driving position was spectacularly comfortable and seemed designed to fit my frame I spent a few minutes fiddling with it before pulling out and suspect that with the range of movement in the seat almost any driver will be able to dial in a comfortable position The A26 engine and the Eaton Advantage 10 speed AMT were very nicely paired and the shift calibrations favored low rpm shift points and skip shifting as they should Engine braking was quite adequate even in the second position and downright aggressive in the third position That variable geometry turbocharger ups the engine brakes game on what many would consider a medium displacement engine The power curves on my engine gave me the full 1700 lb ft of torque from 975 to 1200 rpm and with the gearing I had I cruised at 50 mph at 975 rpm That was fine on flat road but on hilly road Id have been inclined to drop it into 9th gear for better driveability I was running 1075 rpm at 62 mph and 1100 rpm at 65 mph a very economical cruising speed Much of my route was on two lane the associated resonant noise The new mirrors are perhaps the most striking change They are now pedestalmounted and set significantly farther forward than the ProStars which reduces the degree to which a driver has to twist his or her head to see them And they are mounted low for better visibility alongside the truck When looking out the right side window I could actually look over the top of the mirror at traffic approaching from that side This eliminates a dangerous blind spot that exists on most other Class 8 cabs Cab and sleeper The sleeper on the truck I drove was the 56 inch HiRise model with the Diamond interior Id call it a regional plus sleeper more than adequate for a few days on the road Its not what youd call plush but its airy and comfortable with lots of storage The cab is where Internationals design team really went to town Highlights of the redesign include a completely new HVAC system and tons of room around the drivers seat and between the seat back and the wheel The dash now features a 55 inch display set between the speedometer and the tach Its bright and easy to read and drivers can scroll through at least a dozen screens of useful information My ride did not have the B panel display where a navigation screen an ELD or another digital gauge display might go Mine had the cubby hole The trim package on the truck seemed to be a combination of the Classic and Diamond package I had the wood grain trim and colored accents from the Diamond package but it was missing certain features like the optional gauges on the outer side of the B panel New with the LT is a stalk mounted trans Find more Test Drive articles photos and our Ultimate Test Drive videos at www truckinginfo com hdt testdrive BONUS Internationals new 124L engine the A26 replaces the N13 and comes with ratings of 370 to 475 hp and 1350 to 1750 lb ft of torque It shares a block crank and a few other components with the European MAN D26 engine but the fuel cooling intake and exhaust systems are new for the North American market It weighs 2229 lb The A26 is quite different from the N13 For example it has a single stage variable geometry turbocharger with a high strength titanium compressor wheel and a 36300 psi high pressure common rail fuel system The exhaust gas recirculation system has been redesigned and now features a stainless steel laser welded single stage EGR cooler Several lightweight components such as an aluminum flywheel housing and composite valve covers and oil pan help make the A26 about 50 lbs lighter than the N13 Oil change intervals have been extended out to 70000 miles in certain cases subject to the manufacturers approval but typical applications will see intervals of 30000 to 50000 miles DPF cleaning intervals range from 350000 to 600000 miles depending on lifetime fuel economy International says the engine has a B10 design life of 12 million miles and it comes with a two year warranty with unlimited miles On highway ratings range from 370 475 hp with 1350 1700 lb ft of torque INTERNATIONALS A26 ENGINE Aerodynamics figured prominently in the design process right down to the flexible side skirt extenders HDT APRIL 2018 52 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM