Why US Manufacturers Stopped Making V8 Semi-Truck Engines?

hey there truck enthusiasts welcome back to our channel in today's video we will tell you why the production of the popular V8 semi truck engine was quietly phased out at the end of the 80s as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the V8 and why all manufacturers now only use inline six engines so let's dive right into it back in the 1960s it was possible to choose a V8 engine for your semi truck here were popular models like the Mac E9 Peterbilt 359 Kenworth W900 Freightliner WFT and international Transtar 430 where some of the models available one of the most popular V8 engines was the cat 3408 it was first introduced in the 1970s and discontinued around 1985 but is still used in Marine vessels power generation and construction [Music] today all truck manufacturers use inline 6 engines and there are several reasons for that one of them being that inline 6 engines typically have longer Strokes which result in higher torque output the longer stroke allows for increased displacement enabling the engine to generate significant power today the engine is so thoroughly developed that it's possible to extract so much horsepower and torque from the inline six engines that there is simply no reason to go up a size in the V8 as an example the strong Detroit dd16 can deliver up to 2050 pounds per foot and 600 horsepower and the Cummins X15 up to 2050 pounds per foot and 605 horsepower which is more than enough especially taking America's limit of weight into account where the federal limits are 80 000 pounds gross vehicle weight the European truck brand Scania still produces V8 engines with up to 770 horsepower and 2730 pounds per foot but several countries in Europe also have a permitted total weight of up to over 200 000 pounds which is why the extra horsepower and torque may be necessary here the reason why interest in V8 engines decreased was also for economic reasons the inline 6 engines longer stroke and higher torque output allow it to operate at lower RPMs while maintaining performance this lower RPM operation contributes to improved fuel efficiency making it advantageous for long-haul applications where fuel consumption is a major concern the inline 6 engines fuel efficiency can result in reduced operating costs for trucking companies it's not only the fuel consumption Which is higher on the V8 engine so is service and maintenance cost inline 6 engines are generally easier to service and maintain compared to engines with a V configuration the inline layout simplifies access to engine components including injectors valves and camshafts this ease of serviceability reduces downtime and maintenance costs ensuring more efficient operation of the truck but V8 engines are also more complex and have more parts for example they have two camshafts one for each Bank of cylinders and multiple valves per cylinder resulting in a more complex valve train system and of course two cylinders more which result in more and higher maintenance expenses in addition V8 engines typically also had a significantly higher initial price than inline six as it is expensive to manufacture and develop this type of engine and therefore costs more for the consumer also the inline 6 engine has a longer and narrower profile compared to V8 engines this design allows for better packaging within the truck chassis maximizing available space the longer shape of the inline 6 engine facilitates easier installation serviceability and maintenance access which are crucial factors in the trucking industry another big part of why manufacturers stopped making V8 semi-truck engines was due to emissions regulations as environmental concerns grew in emission regulations became more stringent manufacturers had to focus on developing engines that complied with these regulations V8 engines generally have a higher displacement and produce higher emissions compared to inline 6 engines to meet the emission standards truck manufacturers shifted their focus to inline 6 engines which offered better emission control Technologies and fuel efficiency the emission standards are tightened year after year and the trucks are allowed to emit virtually no emissions this has great costs for the manufacturers who must constantly develop and improve their engine this became too much for one of the best-selling engine manufacturers caterpillar who stopped production of on Highway semi-truck engines back in 2010 and instead focused on Industrial diesel engines for agriculture Mining and construction where the requirements are not so tight and the earnings are better the strict emission regulations is also why we see so many alternative Solutions in the last few years such as electric trucks hybrids hydrogen and gas trucks these have a smaller or no CO2 emission when they are running but can have exponentially higher emissions during the production but politicians and states do not seem to have understood that [Music] so the reason why manufacturers stopped making V8 semi-truck engines is primarily due to increasingly stringent emission regulations the pursuit of improved fuel efficiency economic reasons and the fact that weight limit means that there is no need for more power than the well-developed inline six engines can deliver today this has made the inline 6 engine the preferred choice for semi trucks in the trucking industry [Music] its widespread usage Parts availability and proven performance have established it as a reliable and efficient option for long-haul Transportation while the production of V8 engines for semi trucks has stopped it's important to mention that there are still V8 semi trucks driving around in America do you have a V8 truck then share which in the comments section thanks for watching if you enjoyed this video make sure to hit that like button and subscribe to our channel for much more

Channel: Truck Tropia

Views: 95,253

Keywords: engine, truck engines, best semi truck engines, diesel engine, top truck engines, best truck engines, truck engine, best truck engine, engines, the 10 best truck engines ever, diesel engines, best truck engines ever, best truck engines of all time, 10 best truck engines of all time, 10 best sounding truck diesel engines, semi truck engine, 10 best sounding truck & semi truck v8 diesel engines, cat truck engines, truck engine sound, engine repair, man truck engine

Id: EnNUiBYZ12g

Length: 7min 2sec (422 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 12 2023