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'wins for the UK by Graham Montgomerie TWO new trucks from Fiat for the British market are unveiled today. They compromise a 16-ton rigid and a maximum capacity artic and both have already seen several months' service on the Continent, but their specifications have been adjusted to suit British requirements.
The 16-tonner is known as the 159 and will be available in 5.55, 5.0, 4.4 and 3.8m (18ft 2in,. 16ft 5in, 14ft 5in and 12ft 5in) wheelbase form. It is one of the first new vehicles to come from the new IVECO combine — the consortium of Fiat, OM, Lancia, Unic, and Magirus Deutz — with the preliminary design work in this case being done by Unic.
The 159's engine is an 8.1-litre (494cuin) six-cylinder direct-injection diesel rated at 125kW (168bhp) at 2,600rpm. The maximum torque of 500Nm (3691bft) occurs at 1,400 rpm. The gearbox is a five-speed ZF design with ratios of 6.6, 3.62, 2.08, 1.4 and 1.0 to 1 with synchromesh on the top four.
The standard axle ratio is 5.125 to 1 which Fiat claims will give the 159 a top speed of over 97km/h (60 mph). Optional is a 5.75 ratio and a two-speed rear axle with ratios of 4.88 and 6.65 to 1.
The suspension uses taperleaf springs with the shackle pins clamped by pinch bolts at. both sides of the spring ends The hanger brackets, however, are designed so that each pin is held by a two-bolt bearing cap either side so that the whole spring assembly or axle can be dropped without having to drive out or extract shackle pins.
Helper springs are included in the rear suspension while telescopic dampers and anti roll bars are fitted front and rear. Traditional Fiat spoked wheels with 190mm (7.5in) wide rims for 11 x 22.5 tubeless tyres are fitted to the axles which are rated at 6.1 tonnes (six tons) for the front and 10.5 tonnes (10.33 tons) for the rear.
The dual-air braking system meets the new EEC regula tions and includes spring type parking brakes. With an eye to tipper application, the rear brake chambers are tucked up out of the way in a vertical position. An exhaust brake is standard equipment.
On the maintenance side, routine daily checks are carried out through the lifting front grille from the rear of the cab or through special inspection covers inside the cab itself. The cab is a departure from previous Fiat practice in that it is a tilt unit.
Tilting is by means of a manual hydraulic pump which allows tilting to be stopped at any intermediate angle up to a maximum of 60°. The cab is locked by a double automatic catch with a warning light on the instrument panel. With the cab tilted, the engine can be lifted out in a straight pull without dismantling. The steel cab is double-skinned for sound and heat insulation.
A 26A generator and 110 Ah battery are included in the 24V electrical system while the fuel tank capacity is 210 litres (46gal).
The 170 tractive unit is available in short cab and sleeper cab form with a wide choice in mechanical specification. The wheelbase is 3.48m (lift 5in).
Options
Two engine optiOns are available to suit individual operator requirements. The six-cylinder unit is already well known to British operators as it is flitted to the 619 model. Developing 180kW (240bhp) at 2,200rpm from a capacity of 13.8 litres (842cuin) the engine has a maximum torque figure of 892Nm (658Ibft) at 1,200rpm.
The other option is the V8 which was introduced in Italy last year (CM September 5, 1975).
As with all Fiats it is a naturally aspirated which produces an impressive 246kW (330bhp) at 2,400rpm from a capacity of 17.2 litres (1049cuin). The maximum torque figure of 1,128Nrn (8321bft) is produced at 1,200rpm. An interesting design feature of this engine is that _it is oversquare, the stroke/bore ratio being 0.9 to 1 which has kept the piston speed down to 10.2m/sec (2,000 ft/min).
The big bore has allowed a four-valve cylinder head design to be incorporated. Wet liners are used with two sealing rings at the bottom. Each cylinder has its own individual head held down by eight evenly spaced bolts. The gaskets are steel with rubber inserts for oil and water joints.
Fiat claims that having four valves means that each valve can be smaller than normal, meaning less weight per component which reduces the inertia loads. The valves are in bridged pairs served by a single rocker per pair. The tappets are immersed in an oil bath while the push rods are within individual tubes.
The pistons are oil cooled and an oil-to-water heat exchanger is included in the standard specification. Each piston has a cast-iron insert and has two chromium-plated compression rings and one scraper.
The V8 170 with sleeper cab has a kerb weight of 6.93 tonnes (6.82 tons) — Fiat quote the "wet' weight complete with a full tank of fuel.
The six-cylinder model has a kerb weight of 6.78 tonnes (6.67 tons). Both models have a double-reduction rear axle and a 419m (161/2in) single-dryplate clutch.
As with the power unit, two options are available in the gearbox specification. The eight-speed Fiat synchromesh box is used with the six cylinder engine (as with the 619 model) while the V8 model has a further choice of two gearboxes — the eight-speed 2F range-change or the 13-speed constant mesh Fuller unit.
Ratios
The Fiat box had close ratios of 8.46, 6.18, 4.66, 3.4, 2,55, 1.86, 1.37 and 1.0 to 1. There are power take-off points on both sides of the box affording up to 63kW (85bhp) intermittently or 45kW (60bhp) continuously.
The ZF box has a direct top with the other ratios being 9.16, 6.58, 4.71, 3.43, 2.67 and 1.37 to 1. The range-change section behind the main fourspeed synchromesh unit is an epicyclic gear train. A wider spread with closer ratios is provided by the 13-speed Fuller. The ratios for this box are 12.5, 8.35, 6.12, 4.56, 3.38, 2.47, 2.14, 1.81, 1.57, 1.35, 1.00 and 0.87 to 1 overdrive.
On the chassis side, anti-roll bars and hydraulic dampers are standard front and rear.