New High-acceleration MAN TipMatic For Fire And Disaster Control Vehicles

BY Editor

New high-acceleration MAN TipMatic for fire and disaster control vehicles – Jul 05, 2013– Munich, Germany  (Techreleased) – MAN is offering a new gearshift program for emergency services vehicles in the TGL and TGM series. This is characterised by better acceleration and a special downshifting strategy for the emergency run.

MAN TipMatic

The driving profile of a fire service vehicle on an emergency run differs from the driving strategy in typical traffic flow. The engine driver endeavours to get to the deployment site quickly, but safely. In this situation, as he is concentrating on what is happening on the road, the automated MAN TipMatic® gearshift program available from MAN proves a real help. The engine driver does not need to hold the gear lever to engage the appropriate gear while simultaneously synchronising the movement of the clutch pedal and the accelerator. Thanks to new performance-optimised programming, MAN TipMatic® for emergency services vehicles now shifts gear in such a way that the drive coordination ensures powerful bursts of acceleration. To access this program, the rotary switch located within easy reach next to the driver’s seat is switched to position Ds for the emergency run.

A typical driving situation illustrates the advantage of the new gearbox software: An emergency services vehicle is approaching a traffic light junction. The traffic light is red for the fire service vehicle and the cross-traffic is flowing. However he has special right of way and is allowed to cross the junction. To do this, the engine driver must first brake to walking pace to ensure that all road users have been made aware of the emergency services vehicle’s right of way. Then the driver steps fully on the accelerator to continue rapidly on his way.

A shorter shifting time and a special downshifting logic make for better acceleration after the deceleration phase. Because of the greater stress on the driveline, which is, however, of no consequence given the limited operating hours of emergency services vehicles on emergency runs, this version of MAN TipMatic® is exclusively reserved for use on fire and disaster control vehicles.

On the journey back from the deployment location the vehicle drives normally through flowing traffic. At this point the standard drive program D is used. If the vehicle needs to go off-road, MAN TipMatic® provides the off-road drive program Dx for all-wheel drive vehicles. It is also possible to change between gearshift programs D, Ds and Dx while driving.

MAN Truck & Bus are offering the performance-optimised gearshift program for the MAN TGM series with on-road and all-wheel drive in a fire-service version. At the moment it is available ex works for engines with 290 and 340 hp in the Euro 5 version, EEV exhaust gas standard and China 4 version. The additional cost is around €400. This means that MAN covers the majority of the product range for fire service vehicles. For vehicles with Euro 6 engines, the preparations for the market launch are under way.

This version of MAN TipMatic® can be retrofitted on emergency services vehicles in Euro 5, EEV and China 4 versions. The offer is intended for the MAN TGL series in the power ratings 220 and 250 hp and MAN TGM series with 250, 290 and 340 hp.