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peterbilts newest style... the 579 yes i said 579


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New cab shell that is shared with Kenworth. New hoods, grilles, chassis skirts, interiors. The cab is wider and taller. The only thing shared with the traditional cab siblings is the sleeper.

Keep in mind that this is an aero truck and not the replacement for the 389.

Tim

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My opinion is ugly

I respect that opinion, but I think we will have to get used to these... They are not going to back off the "aero" designs. The Kenworth seems to be calling theirs "T680" which would probably be the replacement for the T660. So the Pete 579 would be like replacing the 386... Does this sound right to you Tim? Of the 2 I think the Peterbilt looks better and more angular than the 386 as well. For the Peterbilt, that new grill is a departure from the bright surround. Also notice the shield type lower part of the grill.

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Everything is a departure from the traditional lines of the 351.

The drop-down "Chevron style" grille is definately different.

There are daycab photos on the Peterbilt website.

Tim

I respect that opinion, but I think we will have to get used to these... They are not going to back off the "aero" designs. The Kenworth seems to be calling theirs "T680" which would probably be the replacement for the T660. So the Pete 579 would be like replacing the 386... Does this sound right to you Tim? Of the 2 I think the Peterbilt looks better and more angular than the 386 as well. For the Peterbilt, that new grill is a departure from the bright surround. Also notice the shield type lower part of the grill.

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We must remember, this is aimed at the aero-market - to go head to head against the Cascadia and the like, not as a LargeCar.

579 has huge advantages over Cascadia and Prostar - first being the ease of repurposing after the initial life as a highway truck, the Unibilt sleeper

can be removed and converted into a daycab for a second life.

Tim

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These photos are by Eric P. and are copyrighted to him. (From www.hankstruckpictures.com)

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Eric's photography captures the shapes better than the stock studio-altered photos on the Pete website. The side view of the sleeper 579 looks much better than the stock photos. The lines and shapes look better.

My predicition is that the 597 will sell better than 387/587. The daycab version is more pleasing to the eye. The NGP doesn't have the bloated sucking on a lemon look that 387/587 suffers from.

Complaints: The air cleaner intake screen - I've disliked this on 587 as you can see the fastener 'dummy' holes giving an unfinished look. A chrome plated screen trim needs to be offered to dress it up. The bulkhead door on the sleeper looks out of place with the cab, almost cluttering it up. A 70" sleeper without the doors might look better, but then the baggage door will look out of place - maybe they should start painting the aluminum jamb instead of leaving it raw so it blends in. The CARB sticker has to find a better location.

Once more are built and the various configurations wash out, the look will change - I want to see one with cab mount exhaust.

Tim

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I do not know if it's at home in France and Europe, but the price of fuel is rising permanently given an idea for you the price of 1 gallon of diesel in our cost after convertion $ 7.30. ..... :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry:

then we must understand that all manufacturers of American and European truck working on the aerodynamics of future trucks, leaving a disappointed by their forms of bodywork. :( :( :( :( :(

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If the emissions technology hadn't have messed up the designs - back in the late 80's Peterbilt tested super-aero 372 COE and 377's and got 10.75 MPG on 700+ mile runs. The older engines could do it with aero (80's style) but all the emissions changes caused the engines to be less fuel efficient.

The aero-372 is looking pretty good considering todays designs.

Tim

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Hopefully I can help a little. This new model is, as far as Kenworth is concerned, a brand new model to be between the T6 and T700. This is an all new line. It is not replacing any model at this time. This is also, as I see it, the most colaberative effort between Kenworth & Peterbilt. There are several parts and ideas from both manufactures. This model will be available in 2 styles, with sleeper and without. There have been some out on the road for testing and all have had very good reports. Some of the highlights are how quiet they are inside along with the ride. This does appear to be the direction for the future with PACCAR. The big change is the method of fabrication. Both the Peterbilts and Kenworth have similar cab fabrication lines that, while they share some of the older parts, are fabbed in a completely new way on totally new lines. As far as I am aware, they will continue to make all the current models. I know they are trying to intigrate the two companies more and more. And yes, the big push behind these trucks is the gas milage. You have to take into consideration a company owning a fleet of these trucks. If they are travling from one end of the country to another, or not even that far since these trucks don't make any money sitting still, the cost of fuel cuts into your company's bottom line. Every little bit helps you get a return on your investment.

As far as the 2 companies are concerned, Peterbilts are are a little more economically packaged. By this I only mean there are option packages while Kenworth you can order whatever you want. This is where my job comes in. I have to get all the options laid out on the chassis to get everything to work. Essentually, every truck gets custom designed before fabrication. Here are a couple of pics I took at work prior to the release (hence the blackout tape and missing parts). The yellow one is actually one of the ones at the show.

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Oh, and yes, I think the real truck looks better than the ad pictures. I am not sure what they do to them, but they do tlook different.

Mike

Edited by mackinac359
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Interesting bits here. Thanks for the insight Mike! After looking at all the pictures, the Peterbilt stands out as the better looking truck, sleeper cab or daycab. It still has proportions similar to the 386, but less rounded. I like the new type mirror brackets, notice how they are mounted to the cab on the Kenworth and to the door on the Peterbilt. This cab's shape is more rounded off and has a little more molded in style to it. I bet drivers who are actually going to drive these are going to like them.

I have a problem with the Kenworth's profile, it's too "integrated", too rounded off for my taste, especially the roof of the sleeper cab. (It looks like a dust-buster!) There is no "step" to it like the Pete. Kenworth is going away from it's original multi bar grill and doesn't look right. And those weird shaped headlight don't do a thing for me. The styling is not as good as a Prostar as far as I'm concerned. It's not as good as their own T660 for that matter but it's most likely more airflow efficient.

Edited by Z06Bob
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Very good observations Robert. While they are similar, they are different as far as the Pete is more "segmented" while the Ken is all one piece. Funny you mentioned the mirrors. That is one thing that has received a lot of good feed back. The hieght of the seats and the position of the mirrors makes it so the driver looks down into mirror making it easier to see further forward along the truck. I am not sure on some of the styling cues either. especially the "cats eye" headlights.

Mike

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The Aussie version has the traditional cab, not the new cab.

Aussie version, not Aussie copy,

Interesting is the K200 COE has a fold out step, and almost a flat floor like the Argosy

But I still like the look of the T909, which the hood is still the same as the 904

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