Glider Kit CAT OR Detroit

that 12.7 detroit is really a great engine,and at 500 hp will have enough power, plus the fuel mpg should be a little better. i always was a cat man that was the only motor i would buy,but the detroit is really a great motor, i ran them for years after i got out of the o/o business. lots of luck on your choice PS the detroit shops are rebuilding those motors with a bigger turbo and speced at 600 HP. seen one at the detroit shop in des moines iowa not too long ago

 

Detroit is cheaper to work on than a CAT and Detroit has better fuel mileage. CAT is a tough engine so it is kind of a preference thing.

 

DETROIT DETROIT DETROIT!!!!!!!!

S60 is one heck of a motor. They run forever, get great MPG, and if you downshift they pull great. S60 does like higher RPM then cat though, so if you want to pull the hills just like a Cat, drop one gear and you'll keep pace with um. I have an S60 and I can out pull most guys on hill fully loaded. Mines not even tuned up or modded. The rummer that cats pull better then detroit is BS....drives just lug detroits to much and they don't like that. Keep rpm 200 higher then cat and it will pull fine. My detroit has 720,000 miles on it..never had inframe or any major work and it eats a gallon of oil every 20,000 miles. Oil samples look great to. Not bad for an old engine.

If you really want power, the s60 can be tuned to over 550 by just changing the computer code and over 600 with a few mods.

 

Heavy loads - I'd take the CAT. It'll get good fuel mileage maintaining and driving it right. Doubt you'll even need the warranty with a 6NZ. Parts are only expensive when they break. In 4 years the only part that broke in mine was a $6 spring in the pac brake. I did do some other necessary upgrades when I bought it due to the fact it was a bridge motor and it was inframed at 1.1 million but the only thing that's ever broke (aside from a million plus miles cracked liner) in the 400,000 miles I've had it was that pac brake spring.

 

Since both are factory rebuilds then you should not have to many issues if they where done right.

rollin coal has a good point. Do not drive it like you stole it and if you drive it right mileage will be there. The older CAT engines where a great engine as where the Detroits.

Rollin Coal a six dollar part is not bad at all for the miles on it. Bet you can't do that with a new engine.

 

I love my cat even though its an acert. I do generally get outpulled by a Detroit even when I try to keep it from happening. but I generally baby my motor and I don't push it. I run 80k constantly and most times im slowest guy going down the road and creeping up the hills. I never get in a hurry and don't care if im the last one getting somewhere. because I drive like that I haven't had a lot of the problems with my acert that other people have had. a buddy of mine drives his like he stole it and constantly breaking studs in his exhaust manifold and he cant understand why I never do. maybe im lucky, or maybe its because I dont run my truck as hard as he does.

 

I have an exhaust manifold leek on mine...Maybe Im driving it to hard lol. (i think that was preexisting to me owning it) I only get out pulled by the tripped out chrome petes that got like 800 horses under the hood. You can tell the guys is a SUUUUUPPPPPPERRRR trucker prob getting 3 or 4 mpg. I norm run 65 for cruise and the motor seems to be ok with it.

 

iv been very happy with my 60s detroit as a owner id take one over a cat any day. now if i was a driver and not paying the bills id prefer the cat. but once you get used to driving the 60s there really not bad to drive and get great mpg

 

For that light weight, the DD S60 is all you need. You wont need the extra power and CI's till you haul over 110,000lbs every day.