Why is Kenworth using Paccar if their reputation is so bad?

So I figured i'd give an update on my experience with the Paccar MX13 engine. I recently switched companies, and I'm now running petes with the paccar mx13 in front of a manual 10 speed. I gotta say, this engine behaves COMPLETELY different than it did when it was in front of an Auto transmission at my last company. So i think they has a lot to do with it as well.

This thing pulls pretty decent, only have to drop one gear when loaded going over the same bridge where the autos were dropping 3 or 4 gears to get over the same bridge while loaded.

 

Were/are the two trucks spec'ed EXACTLY the same? Same year, Same rear gear, same gear split ratio, same hp/tq rating same weight, same tq management, or lack thereof? Same parameters? Change just one of those items and these newer motor act completely differently.

Not doubting what you are saying, just trying to draw a true comparison.



Thx, Stan

 

You know Stan, I didn't think about that.

The rear gears are the same, but on our trucks at my new company, they're not castrated. They're set at 500/1650 for HP/tq. At eagle they were set at 430hp, not sure of the tq setting though. I was also told by the mechanics that the autos will accelerate like cruise ship if they're setup for fuel economy which I'm sure is what eagle had them set to.


I definitely like them here though.

 

Gotcha, good on you, even something as small as tq management will make a huge difference, have driven the SAME truck, first with tq parameters in place that only gave top rating in top gears, thing was a pig pulling out from a stop and up to speed, changed that parameter and drove it again, it was nite and day, almost hard to believe it was the same truck.

That's why I had asked, just seems as though these new motors can be very "sensitive", I guess that would be the word.

 

I agree. The autos would barely move until you got past 1400 rpm and they seemed like they were struggling so bad. Now with the same type of engine with a manual i can get up and go and keep the engine in the 1000-1500 rpm range.

 

I'm not sure how the Paccar to auto is set up in the USA.
On our older DAF trucks with the ZF Astronic automated transmission the accelerator pedal has two stop points.
Unless pointed out to me I would have thought I had it massed to the floor when it felt like the pedal stooped under acceleration.
If you then put a bit more pressure it has about another inch of travel.
The result is a kick in the butt and alters the shift points.
An economy and power mode it was explained to me.

 

Ours had the Eaton autoshift and the economy and power settings could only be changed in the computer

 

I just googled the history of paccar. They bought kenworth back in 1954 and purchased peterbilt in 1945. And to this date is the parent company of both.

 

In 1945 Pacific Car purchased the Kenworth Motor Truck Corporation which was named after the stockholders Harry Kent and Edgar Worthington