C15 fuel economy and longevity

The Pete in my avatar has that 600 ISX in it with a 13 over and 3.55 rears it will run.

I hear you on the 3408 I have only seen one in person in my life.

 

Yeah but #### the B.S. to get one "tuned" up alittle. When they could not work on my peak 3406 c I made it mechanicle. 18* B model pump and it was all over but the cryen SOB pulled better and got me better fuel mileage. I miss having the pump connected to my foot. I am getting into a freightliner with a 500 ISX it pulls #### good tho for an electric. LOL

 

Now that's a diffetrent story. 3408's have been outlawed from highway use but when they were allow you couldn't have a stronger engine anywhere. But there are only in large construction equipment like a D9 now.

 

Years back I had a Western Star with a 425 mechanical Cat. Once I was hauling plate steel out of the Sault bound for Nova Scotia and caught up to a new Volvo (Volvo equipped too and around the same hp) pulling a tandem van. I was pushing him through the hills even tho I was grossing 30K more than him. Since we were running pretty much alone we were gabbing about our trucks and all. Of course he's Volvo this and Volvo that and he finally got around to asking what I was running so well with. When I told him it was an old Star with a "little kitty" and grossing 115,000 on a tridem he went quiet for a few minutes. It was a "little kitty" cause most of the guys in North Ontario/quebec were goosing theirs up over 500hp.

Anyways, he soon started in about the "fantastic fuel milage" on the new Volvo engine and claimed 8 to 10 mpg average.Uh huh, sure. When he asked what my poor old kitty motor got I said "Oh, around 12 or so". Dead silence. Finally he says "How in hell you getting 12 mpg from a Cat???"

Answer..... "same #### way you get 10 from a Volvo.... LIE!!!!"

 

I don't think they were ever "outlawed". Technology just moved on, kinda like the KT model Cummins.

In my somewhat limited experience a KT would out-pull a 3408 and my Dad's 1693TA would give one a good run for it.

 

> You're right all the way thru, Emissions regs are what killed them all and there was other iron that could and would kick that kitty and some aluminum that could too.

 

If you have a MBN about the day you take it off the yard it will blow up lol jk. But mine has 800k miles on it with one rebuild. Old guy left it stock with the MBN tune. I tuned it to the 6NZ with about 300k miles on overhaul. Plan on sending it out for an oil analysis soon. I haven’t found anything in my oil that worry’s me just from sight. Had two injectors go out in that time frame both were on the MBN tune. As of now truck runs a lot better holds about 850 degrees egt on a hard pull. Running it at 65 mph under 1300 will get you 900 degrees EGT. Everyone says run it in that range but the probe is after the turbo and my guess is 900 degrees is really like 1000 or so and I’m not a fan of keeping heat in my motor. It does fine In the horsepower curve been averaging about 5.0 mpg running hills at 80k and not minding my fuel consumption. Not to mention running at 1250 is gonna create a lot of unnecessary soot. So if you like rebuilds and down time due to higher heat and soot versus good fuel economy go for it. All depends what you’re mindset is. Me personally I would rather get 5mpg and keep it cool and have less soot then get the extra .5 mpg lugging it and running a hot sooty motor. I’ve ran 1250 all the time for a few weeks and started it up and you could see soot fall from the sky? not a fan