VT880 Specs As Tested
Engine: Volvo D16, 600 hp, 2,050 lb.-ft. torque
Engine Brake: Volvo
Transmission: 12-speed automated Volvo I-Shift
Rear Axle Ratio: 3:31
Cab: 77-inch raised roof sleeper
Trailer: 53-foot dry van
Load Weight: 10,000 lbs.
I-shift Specs
Counter-rotating Shafts: One
Overall Ratio: 14.94:1
Maximum Torque: 2,050 lb.-ft.
Maximum Weight: 80,000 lbs.
Clutch: Volvo 17-inch single-plate organic with dual-mass flywheel
Fluid Capacity: 16 quarts
Drain Intervals: 250,000 miles
It was early on a rainy morning when I met Volvo North America’s truck marketing boss, Frank Bio, at Indianapolis’ Volvo/Mack dealership. We had a long run ahead of us to test a 2007 VT880 – Indy to Greensboro, N.C., with the promise of rain all the way past Cincinnati.
The VT880 had a Volvo drivetrain: a 16.1-liter, 600-hp D16 I-torque engine with 1,650 lb.-ft. of lower-gear torque, 1,850 in middle gears and 2,050 in higher gears. The transmission was a 12-speed automated I-Shift. We had 3:31 Meritor rears.
Our 53-foot dry van held about 10,000 pounds of marketing displays, for a gross vehicle weight of 45,000 pounds. That’s a light load for 600 horses, but plenty enough to see how this rig would perform through hills, curves and traffic. As Bio explained, the truck’s advanced integration of engine, transmission, engine brake, exhaust aftertreatment and communication tools enabled it to handle those challenges with a new level of technical sophistication.
Exiting the lot, I spun the steering wheel clockwise to the stops. The truck cut sharply, but without sway, rocking, beverage spills or over-steer.
The rain stopped near Lexington, Ky., and we took I-64 east toward West Virginia. I set the cruise control at 65 mph and engaged the engine brake; the VT880 maintained speed on I-64’s steeper, longer hills. In driver-activated Eco-Roll, the VT880 sensed longer downslopes and coasted at 65 mph while the D16 idled at a fuel-and-wear-saving 650 rpm. Near the bottom, the truck revved the D16, re-engaged the I-Shift, and took us up the other side. Engine and transmission never disengaged.
