Allison 4500RDS, Any thoughts?

If you are looking for fuel savings, the auto is not the answer but the 4500 is a bullet proof Trany,as far as the engine brake coming on and downshifting when you let off the acc pedal, all this can be changed in the Allison doc program at any dealership

 

First off, the transmission can be programmed to drop 1 gear or two gears when the jakes activate. I prefer the 2 gear drop. I drove motor coaches with Series 60 and B500's Allisons and they would drop two gears, its not as rough as you say it is, although it is noticeable but very effective. I hardly used the service brakes. What are you talking about, that they run "High RPM's" and highway speeds? It is all how your truck is geared, that's just an unsubstantiated statement. Finally, as fuel mileage goes, if you're not lead footing it all over town you can get good fuel mileage. Just to show, running WOT starts and driving hard with idling in a motor coach with a Series 60 and B500 yielded 3-4 MPG. NOW, not driving WOT from starts and running 65 MPH I would get 8 MPG. How you drive is important. I can't comment since I've never hauled 80k in an over the road semi with an Allison transmission, but they do have an 8 speed automatic in the works too.

 

Ok, if you want real world numbers for driving a Freightliner Century with an ISX 07 and an Allision cross country loaded at 77,000 pounds then that number would be 5.3 mpg. The truck that I drove was set up as Allision specs say they should be and it was running right around 1600 rpm at 65. For the 2010 11.9 with the 6 speed auto at 75,000 pounds is about the same as the 07 ISX 15. The setting in the transmissions that my company runs are the base cals for the transmissions from Allision.

Now if you can wait 2 years then Allision will be coming out with the TC10 transmission which is like nothing else on the road right now. They are testing it now.

 

Where are you buying it? We get it by it in a 5 gallon bucket and pay $119.99 for it... That is $6.33 a liter... That is crazy 100 per liter... You need to check into that...

 

We've got an oddball Western Star dump truck with an Allison 6spd behind a MBE-4000. Seems to do OK but only does local running. My main experience with Allisons is in yard horses, Ottawa and Capacity. I'd like it in a single screw city tractor...but OTR I don't think it would be the ideal.

 

Sorry I will apologize I stuffed that price up its not $100 but $10, whoops.

For $20L and a filter it is $385. The 4000 series takes between 30 to 45L depending on which sump it has the 3000 is 20 to 37 depending on sump

 

what about retarder nobody mention it. does allison come with retarder usually there or ?

 

I do know you can get them, but I have never seen one

 

Okay, I think I get what you're saying, sort of, but it would help for you to clarify by explaining what you think you mean by "Allison's" (either the possessive form of "Allison" or the contraction of "Allison is/has"). "Allison is..." what? Or which possession? Or... what did you mean instead?