POWER &GLORY
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The 360hp version of Scania's 1 1-litre P1 1 3MK eight-legger seems to have disproved the theory that a high-powered truck can't be fast and frugal at the same time. With a good payload too it promises exceptional productivity, but in some areas there is still room for improvement.
4 360hp eight-legger? You must be jok
ing!" Most artic operators are more than happy with 360hp, so you might not expect tippermen to demand that much power in an eight-legger. But you'd be wrong. Two years ago fewer than 50% of new fouraxle rigids topped 300hp; only one in a hundred passed the 350hp mark, Today 77% sales in this sector are in the 301-349hp class while sales over 350hp have tripled. judging by the demand for more power across all truck categories that figure is sure to grow, In 1992 Scania took a gamble by launching a 360hp version of its P113MK 8x4 chassis. Until then the only manufacturer offering such a high power eight-wheeler was Foden, which would happily put a 14-litre Cummins or Cat in a 4000 Series chassis for owner-drivers daft enough to want one. Nowadays if you want a 350hp-plus eight-legger you're spoilt for choice other contenders come from MAN, Iveco Ford, Leyland Daf and Hino. All that power might help squeeze in an extra trip to the tip, but is there a penalty to pay at the pump? Having pestered Scania for a P113-360 since it was launched we've finally been able to find out.
• PRODUCT PROFILE
At the heart of Scania's P113MK8x4R2 360 tipper lies the light, but tough, MK chassis which was first seen at the 1991 TipCon show complete with a new two-spring rear bogie. The 362hp (270kW) DSC1I-23 engine is the same straight-six that sits in the R113-360 tractor. The charge-cooled 11-litre lump delivers 13% more power than the lower rated DSC 11-21 used in the P113-320 chassis, along with a healthy 1,2021bft of torque at 1,100rpm. Both engines meet Euro-1 certified without recourse to electronics.
Behind the Swedish diesel there's the latest nine-speed GR900 direct-top, range-change box driving through to Scan ia's own twospring 20-bone back bogie with cross and O. • inter-axle diff-locks, With the standard 3.4:1 rear axle ratio our tipper has a theoretical top speed of 67mph but is limited to 56mph.
P113MK eight-leggers normally come with 6.5-tonne front axles but ours has the optional 7.0-tonne AM61 axles which offer greater loading latitude while retaining the standard model's 12R22.5 tyres and parabolic springs but on a heavier duty beam.
When our truck was built Scania had dropped load sensing in favour of ABS. Since then it has returned to fitting load-sensing as standard on its tippers, with ABS back on the option list.
Operators get the choice of three wheelbases— 5.1, 6.0 and 6.5m—with the first two being true tipper chassis, leaving the longest for general haulage. Only the 6.5m version is available with a rear anti-roll bar; Scania believes its large box-section rear cross-members and stiff rear bogie provide more than adequate roll stability on tipper chassis. The 5.1m chassis has an outer-axle spread of 6.455m allowing it to run at 32 tonnes GVW Scania's low-height P day-cab sits in front of a Wilcolite body and Edbro DX16 front-end ram with the standard vertical exhaust. True to form our test truck was packed with extras including headlight grilles, electric windows, roof hatch, air-sprung driver's seat, sun visor, rubber floor mats, front spray deflectors and mirror streamlining covers.
• PRODUCTIVITY
If anyone had told us that a high-powered tipper could combine fast journey times with good fuel economy we'd have laughed in their face. We've been proved wrong.
Around our test route the Scania returned an impressive 8.68mpg (32.51it/100km) at an average speed of 68.7km/h, which makes it the fastest tipper in its class. Of the trucks we have tested only the Cummins L10-powered ERF EC10.35 and Hino FY1P-UKA can beat it on fuel economy.
Despite its speed limiter our test truck set a cracking pace on the motorway and a new speed record on our A-road section. Few 32tonners can keep up with the Scania: from a standing start up to 80km/h it stopped the clock in under 50 seconds.
Time was when Scania eightleggers were heavy beasts. The latest MK chassis has lost a lot of weight; it now tares out lighter than the F.RF ECIO, to offer a body/payload allowance of 23.19 tonnes. With Wilcolite body and front ram, steel wheels and a 300-litre tank our test tipper carried a full 21.5-tonne payload. Alloy wheels would add 220kg to that figure.
• ON THE ROAD
With all that power and torque on tap the Scania P113-360 is a lazy man's truck. On the M1 it hardly broke into a sweat; at 56mph the 11-litre engine ticks over nicely at 1,60Orpm well inside the green economy band between 1,100 and 1,700rpm. The standard 3.4:1 back axle is well suited to motorway and A-road running, and with a deep 16.86:1 crawler ratio in the GR900 box there's no need to compromise on gradeability.
The DSC11-23 lugs down happily to 1,100rpm but pulls strongest at 1,3001,40Orpm, which is at the bottom of its specific fuel curve.
The steering is perfect. The weight is good, the feedback's right and it goes where you point it with no need for that irritating constant adjustment demanded by some of its rivals. Considering there's no anti-roll bar the handling is impressive too, with minimal roll. This helps maintain a brisk pace through twisting roads and roundabouts. Push it too hard into a corner and a dull clunk as the rear springs move in their saddles remind you to ease off.
We were less impressed with the ride quality. It's hard—no bad thing in itself—but too many bumps get through to the driver's rear end.
Our truck also suffered from a peculiar affliction: hit the wrong kind of bump and both steering axles started an unpleasant rapid up-and-down tramping which took a while to dampen down. As CM closed for press, Scania had narrowed it down to problems with the dampers on the second axle. ■
ABS may not be high on the average tipperman's shopping lost but take a look at the Scania's stopping distance from 40mph and you'll see why we rate it so highly.
• CAB COMFORT Access to the P day cab is a simple one two and in. There are three steps but you only need two; the low first step is hinged to avoid damage off road.
The curved dash may be great in a tractor but it's no good in a tipper where it's simply too big and too much. Everything's within reach but cross cab access is out and much of the dash is superfluous. We counted more than 20 blanked-out switch positions which will be a chore to keep clean.
Storage could also be better. For some reason Scania only offers door pockets as an option and the rear cab wall is crying out for a bin for odds and ends. There is some space in the headlining and a useful box at the end of the dash but not much else.
At least the trim is sensible. The black and dark-grey colour scheme won't show the dirt and the optional floor mats will catch the mud off the driver's boots.
At 1.45m the P cab's ceiling height is lower than its more modern rivals. The top of the windscreen is also low and that, coupled with the external sun visor, tends to restrict upward visibility. However, we've no problems with Scania's mirrors which are wide and well mounted.
• SUMMARY The Scania P113-360 is commendably productive. The latest MK chassis also answers the old gibes about overweight Swedes, while the man behind the wheel gets good handling and excellent driveability.
Compared with more modern rivals the P cab is beginning to show its age and its internal layout is far from ideal in a tipper. Let's hope the long-awaited new cab will answer those criticisms.
Scania's reputation for product build and durability is well known. So is the cost of its spares, which are the most expensive in our comparison tables.
However, its contract maintenance prices and servicing downtime are nothing to be ashamed of and the extension of its 2+2 warranty to include two years free servicing is worth checking out.
And so to the bottom line. List price may oniy be the starting point but at around £73,000 the Scania's starting point is higher than anything else in our comparison group.
To be fair only the £70,960 ERF EC10.35 joins the Scania in the 350hp-plus class. Put a 360hp engine in the 85 Series and it edges ahead at £73,990. MAN's 32.372 also runs out at 05,090, while Iveco Ford's EuroTrakker MI)340E37H costs £74,486.
However, before Scania gets too smug an 8x4 Foden 3000 Series with a Cummins 10litre 350 Celect engine and Fuller nine-speed gearbox retails at £66,015, so be prepared to haggle.
This is a good truck and a good buy, just make sure you get it at a good price.
0 by Brian Weatherley