On Saturday, I left Peoria, IL and made my way towards Trenton, MO to make a delivery. Enroute, I experienced a small snow storm which made me disappointed as I spent many hours cleaning the truck and trailer in preparation for the Mid-West Truck Show. It’s difficult to see all that hard work vanish in just a short time. As I watched the truck/trailer get dirty, it was time to focus on something positive.
It occurred to me that I have Meritor WABCO – electronically controlled air suspension (ECAS) on my Cascadia Evolution. As many of you know, my truck has a 6x2 axle configuration. This means that only one of the axle’s on the tractor tandem is powered. This reduces the tractive effort available during low traction situations such as snow. The (ECAS) system mitigates the traction problem by shifting weight from the unpowered tag axle to the drive axle. The (ECAS) knows when to shift the weight to the drive axle by detecting wheel spin through the ABS system. The features of (ECAS) are as follows:
Intelligent Load Monitoring that enables efficient transition to 6x2 drive configurations improves ATC event traction and reduces drivetrain damage due to over spin conditions.
Intelligent Level Control to provide optimum ride height to reduce driveline vibration and wear, lower vehicle profile for improved aerodynamics, and reduce air consumption for increased fuel economy.
Improved lifting capabilities to help in instances where the trailer is challenged on certain road grades.
While sitting at a traffic light in the snow, I decided to put the (ECAS) to the test. My load weight was low for this experiment. When the light turned green, I shoved the throttle to the floor to induce wheel spin. As the tire broke traction, I could see the suspension air gauge increasing pressure to the drive axle. When this occurred, the tire stopped slipping on the snow. I was impressed with how quickly the traction issue was eliminated.
After travelling several miles, I came upon a large parking lot and decided to do more testing. The large area afforded me room to make many different maneuvers, without fear of boxing myself into a bad situation. I completed several uphill starts, forward and reverse moves and 45 degree angle backing maneuvers. The results were favorable and I was very pleased with the (ECAS) system.
The best method for using the system was to lift up slightly on the throttle when wheel spin began in order to give the system a chance to shift the weight properly. Upon the shift in weight, a driver can use the throttle more liberally.
Having said all of this, I don’t want to lead anyone to believe that having (ECAS) on a 6x2 would ever give you the traction available on a 6x4 where both axles are powered. However, having (ECAS) closes the gap and makes the 6x2 axle concept much more user friendly in low traction scenario’s.