Aero Wars: ProStar vs Cascadia, Round 2

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ORLANDO, Fla. — International presented aerodynamic test results this morning which the company says disproves Freightliners recent claim that its Cascadia is more aerodynamic than the International ProStar.

Freightliner raised some eyebrows at International headquarters when it issued a release stating independent wind tunnel testing showed the Cascadia tractor demonstrated 7.8% less drag than the ProStar when tested by Auto Research Center at Freightliners Portland wind tunnel. International immediately called into question those results, pointing out the testing did not involve a full-sized trailer.

This morning at the American Trucking Associations annual management conference, International revealed the results of a recent road test to SAE Type III standards. The test, conducted Oct. 2-3 at a third-party proving grounds in San Angelo, Texas, pitted two ProStars against two comparably specd Cascadias, the company reported. The trucks were subjected to six runs, 41 miles in length. GPS technology was used to confirm vehicle speeds of 65 mph and fuel tanks were weighed before and after each run. The Freightliner truck was equipped with an engine with 55 more hp than the ProStar (400 hp Cummins vs a 455 hp Detroit Diesel).

The drivers and trailers were swapped between vehicles and the results were averaged out. International officials said the result showed a 5.7% average fuel economy improvement for the ProStar over the Cascadia. The company pointed out a 5.7% fuel economy improvement translates to a savings of about US$3,900 per truck each year.

Mike Hood, development engineer, mileage team at the Goodyear Proving Grounds said People come here for testing because we can give them unbiased data. We have no interest either way.

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