Champion Bus, Inc. submitted a model LF
Transport, gasoline-powered 16 seat (including the driver), two wheelchair
position, 27 foot, nine inch bus, for a 7 yr/200,000 mile STURAA test. The odometer reading at the time of delivery
was 3,798 miles. Testing started on October
24, 2016 and was completed on November 17, 2017. The Check-In section of the report provides a
description of the bus and specifies its major components.
The primary part of the test program is
the Structural Durability Test, which also provides the information for the
Maintainability and Reliability results.
The Structural Durability Test was started on November 7,2016 and was
completed on November 15, 2017.
The measured curb weight is 4,320 lb.
for the front axle and 7,890 lb. for the rear axle. These combined weights provide a total
measured curb weight of 12,210 lb. There
are 16 seats including the driver, 2 ADA accessible positions and room for 17
standing passengers bringing the total passenger capacity to 35. At this full capacity, the gross load is
equal to (33 x 150) + (2 x 600) = 6,150
lb., and the gross vehicle weight is 18,360 lb. However, the manufacturer
recommends that there are no standees. Therefore, the measured gross vehicle
weight would be 15,810 lb., for 16 passengers and two wheelchair positions.
Even at this configuration, the gross vehicle weight exceeds the manufacturer
recommended GVWR of 14,500 lb. In order to stay within the limits of the
manufacturer specified GVWR, the equivilant weight of nine seated passengers
was removed for testing, brining the measured gross vehicle weight to 14,460
lb. It is noted that even at full seated
capacity as specified by the manufacturer, there is a potential for overloading
this bus. The available floor space for
standees further exacerbates this problem.
The first segment of the Structural
Durability Test was performed with the bus loaded to a GVW of 14,460 lb. The middle segment was performed at a seated
load weight of 14,460 lb. and the final segment was performed at a curb weight
of 12,210 lb. Durability driving
resulted in unscheduled maintenance and failures that involved a variety of
subsystems. A description of failures,
and a complete and detailed listing of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance is
provided in the Maintainability section of this report.
Accessibility, in general, was adequate,
components covered in Section 1.3 (Repair and/or Replacement of Selected Subsystems)
along with all other components encountered during testing, were found to be
readily accessible and no restrictions were noted.
The Reliability section compiles
failures that occurred during Structural Durability Testing. Breakdowns are classified according to
subsystems. The data in this section are
arranged so that those subsystems with more frequent problems are
apparent. The problems are also listed
by class as defined in Section 2. The
test bus encountered no Class 1, but 10 Class 2 failures. Of the 22 reported failures, 11 were Class 3
and one was Class 4. The hydraulic kneeling SQUAT system suffered multilple
breakdowns during the durability tests and was replaced with a Ford OEM
suspension at 4,801 test miles at the beginning of the curb weight segment.
The Safety Test, (a double-lane change,
obstacle avoidance test) was safely performed in both right-hand and left-hand
directions up to a maximum test speed of 45 mph. The performance of the bus is illustrated by
a speed vs. time plot. Acceleration and
gradeability test data are provided in Section 4, Performance. The average time to obtain 50 mph was 16.18
seconds. The Stopping Distance phase of
the Brake Test was completed with the following results; for the Uniform High
Friction Test average stopping distances were 24.79’ at 20 mph, 50.41’ at 30
mph, 83.56’ at 40 mph and 102.73’ at 45 mph.
The average stopping distance for the Uniform Low Friction Test was 31.85’. There was no deviation from the test lane
during the performance of the Stopping Distance phase. During the Stability phase of Brake Testing
the test bus experienced no deviation from the test lane. The Parking Brake
phase was completed with the test bus maintaining the parked position for the
full five minute period with no slip or roll observed in both the uphill and
downhill positions.
The Shakedown Test produced a maximum
final loaded deflection of 0.212 inches with a permanent set ranging between -0.004
to 0.004 inches under a distributed static load of 7,200 lb. The Distortion Test was completed with all
subsystems, doors and escape mechanisms operating properly. No water leakage was observed throughout the
test. All subsystems operated
properly.
The test bus submitted for testing was
not equipped with any type of tow eyes or tow hooks. Therefore, the static
towing test was not performed. The Dynamic Towing Test was performed by means
of a front-lift tow. The towing interface was accomplished using a hydraulic
under-lift wrecker. The bus was towed
without incident and no damage resulted from the test. The Jacking and Hoisting Tests were also
performed without incident. The bus was found to be stable on the jack stands,
and the minimum jacking clearance observed with a tire deflated was 7.0 inches.
A Fuel Economy Test was run on simulated
central business district, arterial, and commuter courses. The results were 5.85 mpg, 5.92 mpg, and
10.53 mpg respectively; with an overall average of 6.73 mpg.
A series of Interior and Exterior Noise
Tests was performed. These data are
listed in Section 7.1 and 7.2 respectively.
The Emissions Test was performed. These results are available in Section 8 of
this report.
Number: |
1617 |
Model: |
LF Transport |
Manufacturer: |
CHAMPION BUS INC. |
Vin Number: |
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