PEORIA, Ill. — Caterpillar has published an assortment of tips which will help users of ACERT engines maximize their fuel efficiency and get the top performance out of the engine.

The company has said while the basic Cat spec’ing philosophy has not changed, a series of guidelines allow customers to take advantage of the additional displacement and torque provided by ACERT technology.

Factors affecting fuel economy include: vehicle configuration; total vehicle weight; cruising speed; trailer type; trailer gap; tire tread depth and operator driving habits. John Campbell, director of Caterpillar on-highway engine products says "While no single gearing solution exists to balance all of these factors and meet the differing needs of truck owners, our guidelines help them develop a good spec’ing solution that will provide the best performance and fuel economy."

Campbell suggests customers spec’ing an ACERT engine opt for a faster rear axle ratio in order to maximize fuel efficiency. For instance, a Cat 550-hp engine with 1,850-lb-ft of torque traditionally geared at a 3.70 rear end ratio would perform better with ACERT technology if it was spec’d two gear ratios higher (a 3.36 or 3.25 ratio).

"With ACERT Technology, we can run the engine even lower in the rpm curve to achieve the absolute best fuel economy. This ‘Gear Fast, Run Super-Slow’ gearing philosophy will not affect startability or gradeability to any great degree because of the increased displacement and higher turbocharger boost pressure of the engines with ACERT Technology," Campbell says.

Here are some other guidelines from Caterpillar:

Check tire pressure
Reduce trailer gap to improve aerodynamics
Limit warm up time to reduce idling
Avoid rapid starts
Keep vehicle speed down
Cruise in top gear, keep engine below 1,500 RPM
Use progressive shifting
Use cruise control when possible
Avoid downshifting too early when climbing grades
Do not use fan while driving unless required
Anticipate stops and starts and coast when possible
Reduce idle time ACERT engines do not require long cool down periods.