The battle of engines

NOT an O/O but my opinoin
Cat Great pulling power, good reliabiliyt, 4-5.5 MPG from what i have heard
Cummins good power, good reliabilyt decent MPG 6 MPG from what i have heard
Detroit depends on what motor, S60 is what i would get, good milage 6+, good reliabiliyt, and can make great power

 

Most of my trucks had BC Cummins. Great motors, very reliable, easy to work on, not the most power, so-so mileage. Cat motors are the best, LOTS OF POWER, ok mileage, little harder to work on, very expensive to repair, very dependable. I drove a Freightliner w/ S60 Detroit 500hp. I think a 500 Cat would have more power, but this thing had like 830K on it, and was never opened up( but was starting to use oil) I've heard of million mile S60's. Good mileage , got 7-7.2mpg

 

Your not the first person to ask this question on this board nor will you be the last. Engines are like fruit, not every one will like one over the other, it really boils down to your taste.

That being said, what you should mention is your driving preference. The torque of the engine is in different locations. Cats are fairly low rpms at about 1200 - 1450? Dont quote me on this as I missed this in the class I was taking (too many instructors at same time). Detroits (at least the ones I learned on) 1300-1700. Cummins (it was getting erased when I got back to class) ................ Some one will have to weigh in on this that runs a Cummins.

What does the torque area mean? That is the window of most efficient use. If you hit the high side you upshift, get to the low end of the torque area downshift and so forth. Again it depends on how you drive.

Some drivers really like the torque down low and love the groan of the Cat. Myself I like the mid range and will stick with Detroit. The other thing is, since there are more Detroits out there, there are also more shops set up to service Detroits. While Cats and Cummins are a popular engine, there are weird things that some mechanics may not care for / avoid. Cummins requires shims to put the valve cover back in place. Cats have to have injectors that are made in the USA, the ones made from Mexico are cheap and fail quickly. As posted above the Cat isnt an easy engine to service. A more difficult service means more shop cost and more money out of your pocket when something breaks. Something to be wary of.

 

Its hard to say, a lot goes in too this question. Year of engine is important, I have an 06' Cat 475hp C15. I run a 3.25 rear and 18spd trans. With my set up I have great pulling power while maintaining good fuel mileage. I run 65mph usually, my lifetime average is 7.3mpg. Average load 35k +. The only major problem I have had was the head cracked after the water pump failed. Ive done an injector and 3 intake actuators so far at 691,000mi.

Im happy with this engine. My mpg comes from my gear and tranny set up though.

 

You can open that window out to 2007. As that was the last year of the non DEF equipment.

 

Detroit 12.7 parts supplies availability and great reputation at decent power/consumption

 

2004+ has EGR