Over the last several weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to take my new truck on quite a run. Normally, my main route consists of a round trip from Charlotte, NC to Laredo, TX. I was excited to hopefully break into the double digit averages in regards to fuel mileage and unfortunately the cards have been stacked against me once again. During my last blog, I mentioned on this subject that I ran from the Carolinas to Michigan through the West Virginia Mountains with a 42k-43k lb. load and achieved an 8.9 and a 9.1 for fuel mileage. On this trip, I had appointments to conduct demonstration rides for seven dealerships throughout Iowa and Wisconsin. During each visit, I would show customers and their drivers how my new 2016 Cascadia Evolution I performed. My time included showing how the transmission and drive line would respond if it was driven properly as well as improperly. At each destination, the demo rides averaged 48 miles.
For those of you who are new to the blog, I’m driving a 2016 Cascadia Evolution I powered by the Detroit DD15 400 HP/1750 lb-ft,DT12 direct drive automated manual transmission followed by the Detroit 6x2 rear axle configuration with a 2.28 final drive ratio.
Going back to my trip above, I began in Bloomington, IL to Dubuque, IA and began the demonstration rides in Dubuque, IA followed by Davenport, IA, Cedar Rapids, IA, Madison, WI, Milwaukee, WI, Wausau, WI, with a final stop in Kaukauna, WI. Each stop required several short drives in order to conduct the demos. This type of local running is not optimal for turning double digit fuel mileage numbers. In between each location, the mileage would spring into double digits however it would be
dashed by the next day’s demo rides. My trailer was loaded at 25k and the final result when I refueled
in Janesville, WI was 9.117. I was pleased with this result due to the operating conditions.
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| I can't wait to get the new Downsped DD15 engine out on the open road ! |
I know all of you are anxious to see what this truck is capable of doing in regards to fuel mileage. With this month’s busy schedule and off of my regular route, it’s been difficult to let this truck run for a far distance and stretch its legs so to speak. I know what its performance has been in less than desirable conditions and therefore, I ‘m anxious to see where the numbers come in during favorable conditions.
Here is the Detroit DD15 torque and horsepower curves for your review .
