ady1:
drove one today,waste of money,save it and get a 480,or better still a v8 scania,fh16 badges all over the place dont justify 100k+,dont even get full leather
What was that doing test driving a motor for when you go self employed for Stobby ?
Thetaff:
Was that the one that bell end off the tv show used to drive??
yea,he made out it was something a bit special,it just felt like anyother fh to me,
bald bloke:
ady1:
drove one today,waste of money,save it and get a 480,or better still a v8 scania,fh16 badges all over the place dont justify 100k+,dont even get full leatherWhat was that doing test driving a motor for when you go self employed for Stobby ?
no,i was moaning about sitting in the canteen yet again,so they said take that for its service,give you something to do
Gogan:
Carryfast:
They probably already know it but it’s all about price.But they just haven’t worked out yet that rationalising the product,to using just one (big powerful) engine,that’s just rev limited to the power needed for the application,and getting rid of all the rest (should) make it possible to supply a torque monster V8 for the price of a six cylinder by economies of scale.You seem to be ignoring (or are ignorant of) the notion that most of the big manufacturers produce these engines for markets other than trucks, and it could be argued that for some manufacturers more of these engines end up in these markets than in hevy trucks. These markets include marine, plant and large generator applications, and all of them will generally use the same basic engine block which is tuned to suit the particular application, meaning the economy of scale for truck applications is not necessarily as important as you think.
Also, lets not forget that such a ‘generic’ V8 engine as you describe is, by any stretch of the imagination (yes, even yours), going to be a large item of equipment and of considerable mass. This will not suit the many applications (inclusing those I listed above) where midrange 6-cylinder engines currently rule the roost, such as tipper operations which are sensitive to the physical size and mass of an engine block.
I would love to see Scania squeeze such a V8 under the cab of a P-series 8 wheeler, and I doubt the operators would be too fond of the payload hit either!
I was actually referring to the market related to the type of trucks that would be most suited to using that size of engine which would be most artic and drawbar applications and possibly even some rigids like tippers too.But the idea has always seemed to be more accepted amongst Irish operators for some reason.
I’ve heard that old payload issue loads of times and if that was the main criterea over more fuel efficient larger engines then the market for tractor units would be dominated by engines of the size of the old F 7 and DAF 2500 and at that time it was often common to hear exactly the same arguments put up by people against using anything bigger than those running at 32-38 t .
I’ve found something interesting over the last few days. I’m currently in a R500 but it’s basic otherwise. The biggest thing I miss is the lack of retarder. The Scania retarder is brilliant and even on the most arduous runs the brakes are never hot. So anyhow I came up the A5 through Snowdonia last night, a regular run. I was interested to see how much quicker I could do it in a V8 as opposed to my little R440. Turns out the R500 took 10 minutes longer. On a 90km run. I just couldn’t push it as the brakes couldn’t take it. I wasn’t even fully loaded. So power isn’t everything. I’d take my R440 with its retarder over a V8 without any day.
switchlogic:
I’ve found something interesting over the last few days. I’m currently in a R500 but it’s basic otherwise. The biggest thing I miss is the lack of retarder. The Scania retarder is brilliant and even on the most arduous runs the brakes are never hot. So anyhow I came up the A5 through Snowdonia last night, a regular run. I was interested to see how much quicker I could do it in a V8 as opposed to my little R440. Turns out the R500 took 10 minutes longer. On a 90km run. I just couldn’t push it as the brakes couldn’t take it. I wasn’t even fully loaded. So power isn’t everything. I’d take my R440 with its retarder over a V8 without any day.
A very valid point Luke. Back when the FH was launched my then boss bought 4 of them, we normally ran v8 Scannys, and on a run fully freighted to the south of Spain they were about even stevens time wise. Despite the v8s leaving the 420 FHs for dust on the hills, with no retarder on the Scannys they just caught and passed us on the downhills as we babyed the brakes 
The next Scannys came with retarders 
so how can you compare the two ? if the v8 had a retarder it would have been a different stoty 
mexicostids:
so how can you compare the two ? if the v8 had a retarder it would have been a different stoty
Errrmm you missed my point entirely, which was that power isn’t the be all and end all. Think about it, a company may have a budget to stick to. That may mean a V8 without a retarder or a 6 pot with for the same money. Retarders are an expensive option. Many would take the V8. I’d take the retarder thanks.
Oh and for the record my previous truck was an R500 with a retarder and at most it’d beat my R440 on that stretch by 4 or 5 minutes. Hardly that much.
I do like them but there’s more to life than a V8.
I have an Erf ec11 440bhp unit, when that was working it was returning 8.5-11mpg which running at 44ton and abit more at times was pretty good and it would pull and pull and pull trouble free. Why do European motors need such bhp is beyond me! Can they not build an engine like ■■■■■■■ that have got guts in them■■?
Rob nobby Gassor:
I have an Erf ec11 440bhp unit, when that was working it was returning 8.5-11mpg which running at 44ton and abit more at times was pretty good and it would pull and pull and pull trouble free. Why do European motors need such bhp is beyond me! Can they not build an engine like ■■■■■■■ that have got guts in them■■?
have you seen how big some of the mountains are in europe? they make the M62 look like a small hill.
you have an ERF and you drive a skip wagon for £12 an hour how much work can one man do
Ah yes the good old ■■■■■■■ ERF. I’d rather shoot myself in the head than drive one of those relics again 
ERF you see loads of them everyday…
A big pile of ■■■.
switchlogic:
mexicostids:
so how can you compare the two ? if the v8 had a retarder it would have been a different stotyErrrmm you missed my point entirely, which was that power isn’t the be all and end all.
It’s the ability to produce power,at the lowest engine speed possible (torque),which is the be all and end all of modern truck engine fuel efficiency technology.If you’ve got an engine which can produce the required amount of power as required for the job at a lower engine speed it will be more fuel efficient than one which needs to run at a higher engine speed to produce the same amount.
Carryfast:
switchlogic:
mexicostids:
so how can you compare the two ? if the v8 had a retarder it would have been a different stotyErrrmm you missed my point entirely, which was that power isn’t the be all and end all.
It’s the ability to produce power,at the lowest engine speed possible (torque),which is the be all and end all of modern truck engine fuel efficiency technology.If you’ve got an engine which can produce the required amount of power as required for the job at a lower engine speed it will be more fuel efficient than one which needs to run at a higher engine speed to produce the same amount.
No surprise there but you also missed my point…read the post people. God almighty
The Erf is a toy now, I used to be the driver of it at it’s previous owners company, have you not seen the 14ltr left hookers running around Europe they wasn’t just sold in the uk!! Even though they are old their every bit as good and reliable as the new stuff, and cheaper to repair, the little 4 wheeler skip wagon is my job
Rob nobby Gassor:
I have an Erf ec11 440bhp unit, when that was working it was returning 8.5-11mpg which running at 44ton and abit more at times was pretty good and it would pull and pull and pull trouble free. Why do European motors need such bhp is beyond me! Can they not build an engine like ■■■■■■■ that have got guts in them■■?
The reason why they’ve got so much bhp is because,just like the original efficiency design aims of the old ■■■■■■■■■■■■ are chucking out massive amounts of torque,except that unlike the old ■■■■■■■ they are chucking out even more of it,which then means even more bhp than the ■■■■■■■ could provide at even lower rpm,therefore more power together with better fuel efficiency.
Rob nobby Gassor:
have you not seen the 14ltr left hookers running around Europe they wasn’t just sold in the uk!!
Ah yes the Spanish ERFs. Seen many of them, well they were mostly a blur as I blasted past them in the mountains.
phew rob nob injected trolling and switch injected humour. it was all becoming very ■■■■ in here. oh yeah credit where credits due, thankyou mr c.fast.
Mechanically later day fodens and ERFs were as good as anything else but the garden shed of a cab was a let down. I have a soft spot for fodens as I drove quite a few over the years but they are a thing of the past and my boring soulless automatic eurobox does the job now.
I’ve got 2 Erf units now a restored b series with a 14ltr in it 34yrs old and the engine has never had s spanner to it, the ec11 a good truck, I found it comfortable warm and bloody good storage unlike the scans and volvos I’ve driven, the ec11 is by far the best out of the 5 I’ve had, the E10 was tierd, the ec127 Detroit never had the power like a ■■■■■■■■ the ec12 was ■■■ and then their was the ec8 just horrid, on a plus side the cabs can be reused in the garden as green houses or chicken sheds they won’t rot. Still say and always will that ERF, FODEN and SEDDON ATKYS are proper drivers lorries. I expect most drivers of today would blow the gearboxes or clutches to bits