Longer legs for marathon drivers
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Iveco is wooing the long-distance haulier with roomier cabs, improved suspension and low-revving powerful engines. Tim Blakemore assesses iveco's new Turbostar
OWNERS of crystal balls and senior Iveco managers are not the only ones who have known for some time that Fiat's commercial manufacturing division was about to announce some significant changes to its top-ofthe-range models. Iveco UK's management team was in optimistic mood at it's dealers' annual conference in June (CM June 30) about the impact on the market of the new models expected in October and these were discussed openly, though not in detail. Then some incorrect details were published elsewhere. It was true that lveco had uprated its 17-litre V8 engine to give a power output of 309kW (420hp) net to the EEC 80/1269 standard but, interestingly, the new high power version was not chargecooled, as had been rumoured. However, there is now an air-toair charge-cooled version of Fiat's 13.8 litre in-line six engine, the 8210.22, rated at 243kW (330hp) net installed.
Both new engine variants are being fitted only to 4x2 chassis equipped with a roomier, air conditioned and generally more comprehensively equipped version of the familiar Iveco steel cab.
The new range, aimed squarely at long-distance and international hauliers, is called Turbostar. One Turbostar model, a 420hp, 4x2 tractive unit, is due to become available in right-hand drive, UK specification form later this month, but as yet there are no plans for the 330hp engine to be sold in this country. An odd decision? Certainly it is one which pressure from UK operators and Iveco salesmen may eventually cause the Turin management to
change its mind about. And the same may apply to the decision not to build three axle Turbostars. lveco's conviction that most UK operators will choose the 2+3 configuration may prove to be wrong.
Low speed engines Iveco has broken new ground among European engine manufacturers with its two latest engines by lowering rated speed to 1,8 0Orpm. Lower engine speeds are not new in themselves. Most manufacturers of large automotive diesels have followed this path for some time in pursuit of better fuel economy and lower noise levels, and 1,900rpm has become quite a common rating. But Iveco is the first European manufacturer to follow the example of some North American companies and set its latest engines to deliver maximum power as low as 1,80Orpm.
Gardner will follow suit in October with the launch of its allnew LYT, another 1,800rpm engine.
The 300hp and 380hp rated variants of Fiat's 13.8 and 17 litre engines, which will remain in production, continue to be governed at respectively 2,000 and 1,900 rpm. Iveco has not yet released power, torque and specific fuel consumption curves for its 420hp and 330hp engines, designated respectively 8280.22S and 8210.22S, but from the specifications that have been published, and from some driving impressions I gained recently of 38 tonners powered by these engines, it is evident that they will present a real challenge to the established favourites in Europe in this market sector — namely the high powered models from Daf, MAN, Mercedes, Scania and Volvo.
The key to lveco's adoption of the de-speeded engines is the start of production of high geared, single-reduction hypoid-drive axles at the CVC plant at Cameri, Italy, owned jointly by Iveco and Rockwell.
As reported earlier this year (CM, January 14) Rockwell has become a majority shareholder in this plant in preparation for the general sale of its products. Iveco has become its first customer and will no doubt continue to be its major one.
In its Turbostar models, Iveco uses CVC axles with a 3.08:1 ratio which, combined with the new models' direct top gearboxes(2F as standard with Fuller as an option), allows for a high geared speed (72mph) despite the engine's low governed speed. More importantly, the Turbostar's overall driveline gearing gives the new tractive units the ability to cruise at European motorway speeds at fuel efficient, low engine speeds.
The tractive units I drove recently at 38 tonnes gcw, would cruise comfortably at the Italian limit of 80km/h (50mph) with less than 1,350rpm indicated on the rev counter. At 60mph the rev counter needle is still comfortably in the instrument's green shaded "economy" sector at only 1,500rpm. When running at speeds of this order most modern 300-plus hp engines are very close to the point of peak torque which at about 1,300rpm, generally coincides with the point of minimum specific fuel consumption.
The two latest Iveco engines are different in this respect, the aim of the retuning of their in jection equipment and turbochargers having been to move the areas of minimum specific fuel consumption on their fuel maps up the speed range away from maximum torque speed.
Perhaps it is more accurate to describe maximum torque as having been moved down the speed range. The 8280.22S develops its peak torque of 1,900Nm (1,401Ibft) at 1,100rpm while the 330hp 8210.22S engine's peak torque of 1,700Nm (1,254Ibft) is developed at only 1,00Orpm.
Air-to-air charge-ccoling is mainly responsible for the boost in performance of the in-line six cylinder Fiat engine (the 300hp version reaches its maximum torque of 1,324Nm (977Ibft) at 1,200ipm), but lveco's engineers saw no need to add a chargecooler to their 17 litre V8 to obtain 420hp from it. They have made a significant change, though, to this engine's turbocharger equipment, replacing one large unit with two smaller ones. Each serves one bank of four cylinders. The main advantage of this layout over that used formerly is that turbine blade inertia is reduced and the turbocharger's response during acceleration and deceleration is improved.
The net result of these changes is two engines which,' in view of their exceptionally low speed ratings, give surprisingly flexible performances at 38 tonnes gcw. A 190.33 which I drove recently on a mainly motorway route in northern Italy particularly impressed me with its ability to pull strongly from little above engine idle speed.
It was easy to keep the engine operating in its optimum fuel economy speed range and still accelerate briskly, upshifting at 1,500 or 1,600rpm. I soon discovered that downshifting on gradients could safely be delayed until engine speed fell to 1,100 or 1,000rpm.
This particular test vehicle's performance was temporarily marred, indeed it came to a complete stop, by some dirty fuel which blocked the vehicle's British JPS fiowmeter filter. But this reflects only on the poor standard of Italian diesel, not on the vehicle nor the flowmeter.
Once the filter was cleaned, the 190.33's engine was soon back on song, hauling its 38tonne burden lazily past most other heavyweights on the moderate gradients of the autostrada. One of the few vehicles it was not able to easily overtake was the 190.42. This tractive unit really does make impressively light work of 38-tonnes and I spent a lot more of my driving time in it concentrating on avoiding a speeding fine than on thinking about changing gear.
Over a 198km (123 miles) autostrada route, which included two quite severe climbs there was little to choose in average fuel consumption between the 190.42 and 190.33, both averaging close to 37.7Iit/100km (7.5mpg) after five drivers, all new to the vehicle, had taken it in turns behind the wheel. Not surprisingly, the more powerful vehicle had the edge on average speed.
An impressive feature of all the Turbostars I drove was their low interior noise level. Iveco claims that this will not exceed 70dB(A) at 80km (50mph), even with the inherently noisier V engine. Though I was not able to confirm this claim with a noise meter, my impression is that it is no wild exaggeration. The low engine speeds certainly help a good deal to keep noise down, but they are not solely responsible. Iveco's engineers have done a lot of work on insulating the cab interior from engine and transmission noise, fitting new material to the roof, floor pan, doors and other cab panels.
Underneath its extensively revised interior and exterior trim, the Turbostar cab has the same basic structure as the familiar Iveco cab with the exception of the roof panel, which is deeper on the new models to give more headroom. Clearly Iveco is hoping to win some business from operators who currently buy Volvo Globetrotters and Mercedes Grossraum cabs, for instance.
The Turbostar cab's internal height from floor pan to roof panel is 1.7m (5.6ft). Air conditioning is fitted as standard, the unit's heat exchanger and fans being tucked neatly beneath the nearside front corner of the cab on left-hand drive models.
The dashboard has been redesigned and part of it now curves around the driver in a fashion reminiscent of some American vehicles. But the general standard of driver comfort in the Turbostar leaves most American tractive units in the shade.
An air suspension seat for the driver is standard and combines with the new cab suspension and parabolic chassis leaf springs to give excellent ride characteristics. Both door windows are electrically operated and both rear view mirrors may be adjusted from the driver's seat by means of a flexibly mounted remote control. Generous stowage space in the Turbostar cab includes a cupboard for hanging clothes and a lockable container intended for cash and documents. A refrigerator and cooker are offered as options.