Volvo FH16 Classic VS Volvo FH - top speed

[Justy]

I was driving the FH16 Classic for the longest time, but recently switched to the FH. People keep saying there's basically no difference between the two, but I can't seem to be able to reach anywhere near the top speed of the Classic with the new model. I was getting around 160 km/h at straight-ish roads with the Classic and the second to last transmission (it could do more sometimes, but at that point the truck became nearly uncontrollable), but the most I can get with the FH is around 148 km/h with the last transmission and the same 4x2 config, and even on downhill roads I can barely squeeze out a little bit over 150 km/h out of it. It's a pity because I could swear the FH handles better otherwise and accelerates faster.

Anyone having a similar experience? Should I switch to a diferent transmission?

[Mr. Nice]

The transmission you're using probably has a shorter final gear (don't forget to take the final differential into account), plus maybe check the engine. The Classic has a minimum of 540hp, but IIRC the FH has lower power engines available. Both top out at 750hp though. The gear boxes are generally better as you go down, ignoring the Allison oddity, but that's better from a certain point of view, which this being a truck simulator, that point of view doesn't really care about top speed. It's more about adding a retarder, crawler gears, more than 2 reverse gears and stuff like that.
When people compare trucks in this forum and elsewhere it similarly is rarely about outright speed.

[Lothic]

OP, did you realize what you play?

[chris.boney]

theyre probably the same speed given the same engine and transmission.

a 4x2, 750bhp volvo will easliy do 108mph (173kph?) with 13 gears i think.
faster down hill and maybe faster with a different gearbox.

[Justy]

İlk olarak Lothic tarafından gönderildi:

OP, did you realize what you play?

I've driven my fair share of regulation jobs, trudging along perfectly straight Austrian roads at 60 km/h. The real fun in ETS starts when you disable the speed limiter, put on your favorite rock radio and start skirting the edge of controllability. After all, collecting 10k in speeding tickets doesn't hurt all that much when you can finish a 160k job in a third of the normal time.

İlk olarak Mr. Nice tarafından gönderildi:

The transmission you're using probably has a shorter final gear (don't forget to take the final differential into account).

Yeah, that's probably it. I'll try out the different ones.

[Mr. Nice]

I'll point out then that while more rubber on the road with more axles drops maximum speed, (presumably because of the modelling of rolling resistance), if power limited not gear limited anyway, it does make the truck more stable and controllable at higher speeds due to more overall grip. It's the underlying reason why sportier/race cars have wider tyres for example (although of course the extra grip is for traction under power, not just lateral loads while cornering in that case).

[Justy]

İlk olarak Mr. Nice tarafından gönderildi:

it does make the truck more stable and controllable at higher speeds due to more overall grip

I rarely find grip to be the limiting factor, actually. It's usually the trailer becoming dangerously unstable that forces me to slow down. Top heavy cargo especially.

[Justy]

Okay so the Classic gearbox was ATO3512D R, the FH gearbox is ATO3512F R + ASO-ULC. After going back to the former for a while it turns out that while the top speed is definitely higher, it seems to take forever to reach it compared to the latter, so the average speed is probably higher. I'm gonna stick with the new one.

[Mr. Nice]

Yes, just had a look and they are, as the names suggest, very similar. The individual gear ratios are identical for the four reverses and 12 normal forward, but the +ASO has 2 extra crawler gears, and crucially, a slightly shorter final differential (3.4 vs 3.08). So yeah, a shorter top gear overall gear limited top speed, but the closer ratios will allow better acceleration lower down, plus the crawler gears to help if you have trouble with heavy loads on steep hills.
The +ASO (with and without retarder) are limited to the FH, and not available to the Classic.