Just found out how much torque a modern semi truck engine can actually make

I was reading an old service bulletin from Detroit Diesel and saw that the DD16 can hit over 2,000 lb-ft. That's more than my entire service truck weighs. Who else has seen a spec that just made you stop and stare?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_christopher12d ago

My buddy works at a Peterbilt dealer and they had a new Cummins X15 come in for a pre-delivery check. He put the scan tool on it and the torque readout on the dyno screen said 2,050 lb-ft. He just stood there for a minute and then said it felt like reading a science fiction book.

smith.parker12d ago

Actually, that's torque, not weight. Still a crazy number though.

craig.alex12d ago

Look, I get what @smith.parker is saying about torque, but that's kind of missing the point. The number is so huge that the unit almost doesn't matter for showing how wild the machine is. I mean, they're just trying to give a sense of the raw power in a way people can picture. Maybe it's just me, but getting hung up on the exact term feels like arguing over the color of a monster truck. The crazy number does the job of making your jaw drop.