Navistar has always made optimizing fuel economy a primary goal in the development of the International ProStar tractor. And now, with Eaton Corporation’s announcement that its latest version of the Ultrashift Plus transmission will be installed exclusively in Navistar vehicles, ProStar owners can soon enjoy even greater fuel savings.
The new automated manual transmission, called the UltraShift Plus LSE (Linehaul Small-Step Efficiency), uses a 17% step in between gears to maximize the use of the engine’s most efficient RPM zone, increasing fuel economy in linehaul applications. Steve Gilligan, Navistar’s vice president of marketing, emphasized this feature, stating: “Fuel economy has been the cornerstone of the International ProStar, and with the collaboration with Eaton on the 16-speed direct-drive automated transmission, we’re able to deliver even more tangible fuel economy benefits to our customers.”
The new Eaton transmissions will have 16 forward gears and two reverse gears with an overall gear ratio of 14.40. In addition to including all the benefits of the UltraShift Plus, the UltraShift Plus LSE will “boost the efficiency of the transmission gear train,” according to Eaton product planning manager Shane Groner.
Business Wire News reported that vehicles involved in the testing phase of the new Eaton transmission experienced a fuel savings of two to four percent.
Production of the UltraShift Plus LSE is scheduled to begin in April, and the initial rollout will include International vehicles equipped with the MaxxForce 13L SCR engine. The transmission will be incorporated into vehicles with Cummins ISX15 engines shortly after.
The new automated manual transmission, called the UltraShift Plus LSE (Linehaul Small-Step Efficiency), uses a 17% step in between gears to maximize the use of the engine’s most efficient RPM zone, increasing fuel economy in linehaul applications. Steve Gilligan, Navistar’s vice president of marketing, emphasized this feature, stating: “Fuel economy has been the cornerstone of the International ProStar, and with the collaboration with Eaton on the 16-speed direct-drive automated transmission, we’re able to deliver even more tangible fuel economy benefits to our customers.”
The new Eaton transmissions will have 16 forward gears and two reverse gears with an overall gear ratio of 14.40. In addition to including all the benefits of the UltraShift Plus, the UltraShift Plus LSE will “boost the efficiency of the transmission gear train,” according to Eaton product planning manager Shane Groner.
Business Wire News reported that vehicles involved in the testing phase of the new Eaton transmission experienced a fuel savings of two to four percent.
Production of the UltraShift Plus LSE is scheduled to begin in April, and the initial rollout will include International vehicles equipped with the MaxxForce 13L SCR engine. The transmission will be incorporated into vehicles with Cummins ISX15 engines shortly after.
