Why do so many Americans hate European trucks?

Yes, of course. That is where it should be, not between the left and the right lane.

 

Thanks Mr. Wizard!

 

point of order, but some of us can only read your posts...... .

Great thread that way, however.

 

Ive got a question for my European trucker friends.
How do y'all like those disk brakes?

 

I was referring to the Broader "Peak Torque Bulge"..at the Top of the Torque Curve....

 

This is the biggest myth there is about trucking in North America. 80k is the federal limit, and you can exceed that with a simple and cheap permit. Several states have much higher weight limits.

As has been stated many times before, federal limits are minimums, not maximums.

 

May be 5 trucks hooked to it but that's still about 190,000kg per truck. Still faster than a Swift truck

 

I said most not all run at 80 000lbs max.
Big difference.

And you both make it sound like i was putting the USA down when all i did was pointing it out because the effect it has on choosing the gearing.

 

Love them.

And if you combine them wit EBS instead off ABS....... (what we have now) brilliant.

 

No I did not forget this.
The fact is that the higher the speeds get, the lower the influence of weight, and the bigger the influence of aerodynamics (frontal area and shape of vehicle)

The force to overcome aerodynamic increases exponentially to the speed. If you double the speed, the aerodynamic force gets 4 times as high. Power equals force x speed, so if the force is 4 times as high at double the speed, the power required is 8 times as high!

As an example:
A loaded truck running at 50 mph may need 170 hp to run that speed, 85 to overcome rolling resistance, 85 to overcome aerodynamic drag. So 50% for rolling resistance, 50% for aerodynamic drag.
These numbers may not be 100% accurate, but not too far of for a 40 ton truck with reasonable aerodynamics.

If you run the same speed at 75 mph, the power required to overcome the rolling resistance is increased by 50% (same as the increase in speed, 75 = 1.5 x 50). Power required equals 128 hp.

At 75 mph, the power needed to overcome the aerodynamic drag increases by almost 240%!
So the power to overcome aerodynamic drag will be 85*1.5*1.5*1.5 = 287 hp

Total 128 + 287 = 415 hp.

If you reduce the weight by 10%, the power required at 50 mph is only reduced by 5%. 10% less power required for rolling resistance (which was 50% of the power needed, aerodynamic drag stays the same.
Total required power drops from 170 hp to 162 hp.

At 75 mph the same reduction in weight (10%) only results in a reduction of only 3% in required power.
The 128 to overcome rolling resistance becomes 115 hp, but the 287 to overcome aerodynamic drag stays the same. The total will still be 402 hp!