Diesel Extravaganza 2007

Scheid Diesel Service Co., Inc announces the 10th annual diesel pickup truck rally, Diesel Extravaganza August 24-26 in Terre Haute, IN.  This event started as a TDR Rally for Dodge Cummins pickup trucks in Effingham, IL in 1997.  Due to the tremendous turnout, the TDR Rally evolved into the Diesel Extravaganza and relocated to Terre Haute, IN.  The additional space of the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds allowed Scheid Diesel to open the event to all makes of diesel pickup trucks. 

Diesel Extravaganza 2007 will include diesel pickup and tractor pulls, diesel pickup drag races, two chassis dynos on site, show and shine contest, manufacturer representative booths, and Scheid Diesel relocates its parts department to the fairgrounds.  Manufacturers' representatives set up booths in the main exhibition hall Friday and Saturday.  Some of the manufacturer representatives that have attended in past years include Stanadyne, Fass, Valco, ATS, Edge Products, K&N, Bosch, BorgWarner, Cummins, Fleetguard, Valvoline and Superchips.  This is an excellent opportunity for the end user to get any questions answered.  The parts department is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Technicians are on site Friday and Saturday to install most products purchased at Diesel Extravaganza.  If necessary the trucks can be taken to the Terre Haute shop while the truck owner enjoys the show.  Diesel Extravaganza has two days of pulling action Friday and Saturday.  Over 200 pickup trucks hook in four classes from street stock to super stock.  The Pro Pulling league brings in some of the best diesel tractors and pickups in the Midwest Friday evening and is taped by ESPN to be aired later in the year.  Sunday morning the trucks hit the pavement at the dragway conveniently located next to the fairgrounds.

International MXT Pickup

Here's a look at the International MXT Limited, a truly mammoth heavy-duty pickup truck with capabilities to match. The truck is 8-feet wide, 7-feet, 7 inches tall and 21-feet long.  The base crew cab model has a 7-foot pickup bed and air suspension system for the entire cab. It's powered by a 300-horse VT365 International V-8 diesel that produces 530 ft-lbs of torque in stock condition.

The running gear is stout: An Allison 2200 RDS 5-speed automatic transmission sends power to axles that can handle 6,500 pounds (front) and 11,000 pounds (rear) for a GVWR of 14,500 pounds and payload of two tons.  Wheels are 20-inch alloys, shod with Pro Comp 40/13.5R20 tires.

The truck has all the comfort features that well heeled owners would expect, including remote keyless entry, power door locks and windows, block heater, chrome hood side vent, chrome fuel cap, cab entry steps, rear step bumper, frame-mounted receiver hitch, and wood grain accents in the cab.

The Limited Edition sports heated adjustable seats and a host of electronic entertainment features, including Eclipse CD/DVD Player with Dash-Mounted Touch Screen, DVD Navigation, Back-Up Camera, overhead LCD with built-in DVD, two front 6 1/2-inch Sony speakers, two rear speakers, 6-channel Amplifier, two 1-inch subwoofers, two Audiovox 10-inch LCD seatback mounted LCD Screens, and two Sony Playstation 3 setups.

Liberty Prototype Still Has Legs

We thought you might want a look at this Jeep Liberty, built several years ago with the assistance of Gale Banks Engineering. It's powered by the VM Motori 2.8-liter diesel, which supplies the torque of a V-8 and the mileage of a 4-cylinder economy car. It's interesting to note that shortly after this engineering exercise was revealed, Jeep actually went to production with the same diesel motor in the Liberty as an optional powerplant. And now, the "rolltop" sunroof feature on the prototype has made its way to the new, 2008 Liberty. Although US emissions complexities and other factors meant that that the 2.8 powerplant was not available in North America for long, a number of the engines have made it to the States, and occasionally turn up in other vehicles. VM Motori is an Italian company with majority ownership by the Penske Group.

New Grand Cherokee offers 3.0 CRD Option

The 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee was revealed at the New York International Auto Show last April. There, the news for diesel enthusiasts was the availability of the award-winning 3.0-liter common rail diesel V-6 engine.  This engine appears in several Mercedes cars, and will be available this fall on Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited and Overland editions.
The 3.0-liter turbo Common Rail Diesel (CRD) is built by Mercedes in Berlin, Germany. The 72-degree V-6 produces 218 hp at 3800 rpm and 510 Nm (376 lb-ft) of torque at 2000 rpm.

The 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee also offers a refreshed interior and exterior design and a host of innovative premium amenities, including SIRIUS Backseat TV. The vehicle will arrive at Jeep dealerships starting this fall. 

Test units are still not available, but we had the opportunity to drive a prototype with the Mercedes 3.0 CRD last April.  Jeep had prepared a "skunkworks" engineering Grand Cherokee, possibly to confirm that the 3.0 CRD would fit under the hood.

We've always enjoyed the Grand Cherokee as a well-balanced, capable, on-road/off-road prowler...and with a diesel, we like it even more. As you might expect, there is ample torque available.  The CRD is remarkably quiet, even when transplanted into the Grand, and produces very little smoke or rattle. No word on pricing yet, but we'll keep you posted.