Detroit unveils DD15 updates

Penske Power System Inc has announced that its flagship heavy-duty truck engine, the Detroit Diesel DD15, now benefits from two key improvements that will help lower a truck's operating costs: a new regeneration calibration strategy and extended oil drain conditions.

Penske says the new calibration sees the DD15's engine regeneration interval increase to 20 hours, almost twice its existing limit, while oil drain conditions have been extended to 60,000 kilometres, without sampling, for certain line-haul operators that adhere to certain criteria.

The engine regeneration calibration was achieved after continued development of the engine's aftertreatment technology, says Penske.

According to Kevin Dennis, Penske Power System's Director, On-Highway Business, the update will reduce costs for DD15 customers.

"We embarked on testing a new regeneration strategy in February with the aim of delivering further improvements, pushing out regeneration periods by up to 50 per cent based on real market conditions," he said.

"Historically this strategy was based on a fuel burn limit, kilometre limit and an hour limit. However, we've found that we can take the fuel burn and kilometre limits away and move the engine to respond purely to an hour limit, while extending that limit as well."

Mr Dennis says the new calibration has been rolled out to over 200 customer trucks so far, and that it also extends the longevity of the engine's diesel particulate filter.

Meanwhile, line-haul customers employing the DD15 in single-trailer and B-double applications can now enjoy an extended oil drain program of 60,000km, provided they use Detroit Platinum Plus 1300 (API CJ-4 15W-40), Castrol Vecton (API CJ4 15W-40) or Mobil Delvac MX ESP (API CJ4 15W-40) oil.

The program applies to customers with a fuel burn of 33,000 litres or less or 750 hours of operation.

Penske says operators of other applications or those who used non-approved oils, "will need to run individual oil sampling programs to evaluate the possibilities of extending oil drain periods."

Mr Dennis said the extension would increase uptime while lowering costs.

"For the Detroit customer these improvements all equate to a lower cost of ownership and increasing road time," he said.

"What’s more, the change allows for seamless alignment with truck servicing periods."

Visit
www.DD15.com.au
for more information.