A question about Mack anthem 2019 with MP8 engine?

I drove a mack with mp8 set at 505 hp.
wasn’t an anthem but a chu613, it pulled good, didn’t have any problems with def, ran it for 3 years as a company driver

 

I hated the Mdrive until I drove an ultrashift. They shift with the engine brake and everything. Blows Eaton out of the water for sure

 

I agree. The Volvo engine/trans combo is the best auto in the business. Their integration is on another level from everyone else.

 

As someone with one of those aformentioned petes i agree with this statement save the freightliner part XD ive had even worse experinces with them then my pete. Those were company trucks though so dont countish?. That said ill never own another new pete unless things go seriously sideways on me or they put kittys back in them.

That said petes arent the gold standard they used to be. And even then they only got the gold standard because it seems they were the most average trucks on the road. Least number of serious issues, most power plant options, comfortable, and wide service network even back in the day. Then when cats started to go in a lot of the engine issues went away leading to an average truck appearing above average. As such they got an undeserved reputation as the best rigs on the road. They arent. The only thing they got going is they are some of the most comfy even today and the 300 series are some of the most iconic rigs on the road in terms of looks second only to classic kennys due to smokey and the bandit.

As towards the mack i have never owned one, but i do have an order for one that delivers 2024. Red however covered all the major negitives i have managed to find via research. As far as i can determine they use a volvo d13 with superior oversized over spec parts and as such hold up much better. Actully got to see a d13 and MP8 side by side recently out of their respective rigs. And while you can tell they have the same base block and a lot of family liniage you can also see they are entirely diffrent just based on size and location of many of the parts. They are a bit tight for a 6'2" fat man to get between the seats though so expect to either remove the passenger seat or the passenger arm rest.

 

MP8-445SE HE / 1860, std M12 OD, 2.47 rear on lo-pro 22.5, 235" WB, full aero kit, 250 gal fuel. Avg MPG is mid 7's. Reefers, usually heavy, usually north/south lanes over the Appalachians, running the speed limit.

If I did more flat land and slowed down some, that average would easily be 8+. Late summer I happen to get 3 weeks in a row of light-medium loads and was running 7.9 avg.

Chart shows gear/speed chart with sweet spot highlighted for this spec.



ETA: The chart is a little misleading. Loaded RPM is down to about 850. On gentle hills where it loses speed on the uphill, it won't do the 12 to 11 downshift until around 58 mph. If you start climbing something steep, it will downshift closer to 60 mph. I also have the predictive cruise that I believe is tied into the GPS that may also play a factor on how soon it shifts on hilly terrain.

 

You might want to consider switching to a bigger seat too. I'm 6-0 215. I fit and it's comfortable, but if I was any bigger probably not so much. Rear adjustment is limited by the cabinet behind the seat. I have the seat pan tilted back some and still have maybe two notches further back before hitting the cabinet. My son is 6-3 260. He has the seat pan level to gain another inch or two in the back and says it's ok, but the dash is close to his shins. This is the seat off my order sheet.

 

Certainly better than the MP7. The one I drove was a 395 and it was definitely more of a HP engine rather than torque. It liked the 14-1700 rpm range, whereas my MP8 paired with a 10 spd manual likes the 1150-1500 range. Both engines got the same fuel economy, unless empty, then the 7 would avg low 9's

 

I’ve run quite a few MP8’s and D13’s and have never had a problem. I was told by Volvo & Mack mechanics that they’re essentially the same engine minus the paint and a few electronics.

 

Yes that shifting is all read ahead of time. I have found with the Jake in auto it works even better. I don’t like it because I like to cruise down the hills instead of slowing down with Jake.
My next truck will have the 14 speed crawler gears with a 2.16 and the D13TC. Gonna make it more for mpgs. The trucks love that lower rpm and stays happy with the emissions.

 

Been my experience the auto jakes on cruise doesn't control speed as well as I like, or as smoothly. Yeah I know I can dial the engagement speed up and down, I use that once in a while. Pretty much need to be out in the booneys with no traffic and unlikely cops to use the coast feature on cruise.

I'm not sure if Mack offers the super low rear ratios. Maybe they do now. That guy I follow now and then on the 9+mpg FB group was talking about it. His reports were a main reason I looked at a Mack. Then they moved back to Volvos LOL. His fleet specs all their bleeding edge options, and there were more choices offered on the Volvo checklist, that 2.16 among them.

There's a saying I used in my old tech career: when you go with the bleeding edge solution, it's usually your blood soaking the carpet. I think some of these things have merit, but incrementally. Just not enough in my operation to justify the cost and potentially more things to break. I'd considered the crawler gear option, but could only think of 1-2 times where it might have mattered, never where it would have been needed. So I went with the std 12 speed.

On the rear ratio, your salesman can get a recommended configuration from engineering but you have to ask for it. You supply the basics, top cruising speed, trailer profile, typical terrain, etc and they return a 4 page spec/profile report. I gave him mine and asked to run it 2X, at 65 and 70 mph. It came back with the same specs as the '20 I was considering. It was a rejected order available immediately, and I was weighing that versus a special order that would take 4-5 months at the time. Meeting my needs, I took the one off the lot. When it came to the order on my '22, it was a copy pasta. That config report is obviously not to be taken as gospel, but is an excellent starting point when considering drivetrain related choices, or validation on what you were thinking to order.