Makeup Of A Semi-Truck Engine

Makeup Of A Semi-Truck Engine

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Semi-trucks are designed to haul large quantities, heavy products, and hazardous materials. They are primarily used to transport these goods and are big enough to sometimes tow other vehicles from one place to another. Semi-trucks are able to handle such big loads because of their engine. Today we are going to discuss the makeup of a semi-truck engine.

First and foremost, the vast majority of semi-trucks are diesel engines. Diesel is not petrol. Unlike conventional internal combustion engines, diesel semi-truck engines rely more on a very high compression ratio to ignite the fuel. This improves the fuel efficiency compared to its petrol counterpart.

The size and weight of a diesel semi-truck engine is also drastically different than a regular car or jet engine. An average class 8 diesel semi-truck engine is a 14.8 liter with 6 cylinders. Most weigh close to 3,000lbs, have up to 560 hp, and have close to 2,000lbs of torque. Diesel semi-truck engines produce twice the torque of petrol engines and rev considerably lower. Diesel semi-truck engines regularly pass one million miles and are designed to run non-stop.

How these engines are made is truly unique and cannot be compared to car or jet engines. With all that being said if you are a truck driver and looking to get a truck for yourself, one thing to remember is that these diesel semi-truck engines come in different sizes. Bigger sized diesel semi-truck engines are not always better. It has more to do with quality and what the truck will be used for. For example, having a bigger engine for local routes is not always the best way to go. While having a smaller engine when driving through mountains hauling logs or coal is also not a good idea. The engine should match the job or route it will be doing.

Learning about all of the aspects of a semi-truck is important if you are a potential or current driver. Stay updated on everything you need to know about trucks here on our monthly blog.