October 15, 2024 (Las Cruces, NM) – MVT Solutions (MVTS), a provider of breakthrough fuel economy testing and design and development services for the trucking industry, today announced that the Ex-Guard XG-125G3 and the Ex-Guard XG-150G3 grille guards had only a minimal impact on fuel economy, of only -0.31 gal/1000 miles (-0.32%) and -0.40% gal/1000 miles (-0.41%).

“Ex-Guard has proven again that our guards are undeniably a net positive for fleets when considering how to reduce front end damage with a smaller fuel economy footprint,” said Jeremy Drever, Director of Engineering at Ex-Guard. “The improvements in fuel efficiency compared to previous models of our largest and best protecting Ex-Guard model, the XG-150, really underline how serious we are in making Ex-Guard a staple for every fleet and every truck,” he noted. “Combining the 80% decrease in towable accidents many of our customers have seen, along with this lower impact on fuel economy, the financial benefits are easily recognized and the overall environmental impact can be better than not running guards at all.”

The MVTS tests were conducted on a 2024 Freightliner Cascadia powered by a DD 15 engine and a DT12-1750-DHE Efficiency On-Highway 12-speed transmission, with a 53-foot refrigerated trailer. The gross vehicle weight was 46,000 lbs. Testing was conducted at 65 MPH steady-state speed on a private track in Texas. 

“These two grille guards had very little impact on fuel economy,” says Daryl Bear, lead engineer and chief operating officer of MVT Solutions. Using the XG-125G3 test results of -0.31 gal/1000 miles will result in an additional fuel expense of only about $164 a year, while the XG-150G3 with test results of -0.40 gal/1000 miles will result in an additional fuel expense of only about $211 a year. Fleets need to evaluate this cost against the cost of repairing a vehicle with front end damage.” Financial values are based on 125,000 miles traveled annually and a fuel price of $4.214, which was the average retail price of diesel fuel in the USA in 2023.

The full report will be available soon at. m-v-t-s.com.

Las Cruces, New Mexico – May 15, 2019 – MVT Solutions, a provider of breakthrough fuel economy testing and design and development services for the trucking industry, today announced that its evaluation of the Ex-Guard LT series grille guards, manufactured by Ex-Guard Industries, provides front end damage protection to trucks which have little to no negative impact on the trucks overall fuel efficiency.

“Our testing found the Ex-Guard LT-325 grille guard had no discernable effect on fuel economy while the LT-350 had only a small negative impact of -0.51%, which is a smaller impact than the tractor’s side mirrors,” stated Daryl Bear, lead engineer & COO at MVT Solutions.

“The results are what we expected based on feedback from fleets that already use our product, but we asked MVT Solutions to quantify the fuel consumption impact of our grille guards in an attempt to completely alleviate any concerns about MPG loss with our guards,”

Dennis Geipel, a representative from Ex-Guard added. “We chose MVT Solutions for these trials because of their reputation in fuel economy testing and wanted to eliminate any questionable variables that might have remained. These verified results will now allow fleets to make a well-informed decision about adding Ex-Guard grille guards based on their ability to prevent costly front-end damage.”

The certified testing by MVT Solutions was developed from race car engineering and advanced vehicle test methods using sensors and recording systems that collect data on fuel consumption, aerodynamics, rolling resistance, driver behavior and other variables that affect fuel consumption. The data is analyzed using MVTS proprietary methods.

For the Ex-Guard evaluations, two test vehicles ran simultaneously at 65 MPH on a 9-mile circle track. The 2019 International LT models were specified with Cummins X15 engines and Eaton 10-speed automated manual transmissions. The tractors pulled 53-ft Hyundai dry vans equipped with Michelin Energy Guard aerodynamic systems, and both tractors and trailers were fitted with single wide-base tires.

“Typically, interfering with the airflow on a vehicle can impact fuel economy significantly,” said Daryl Bear. “However, Ex-Guard products minimize their affect on aerodynamic drag because they are mounted several inches away from the front of the vehicle and are designed with round tubing, allowing air to continue flowing. Ex-Guard grille guards are not a fuel saving product, but our testing should provide fleets with the confidence to consider their use based on maintenance and operational costs as opposed to fuel economy losses.”

MVT Solutions Certified testing found the Ex-Guard XG-150G2 had only a minor impact on fuel economy of -0.58 gal/1000 miles (-0.56%), which is less than the tractor’s side mirrors. This test was conducted to quantify fuel costs of the Ex-Guard system and therefore enable fleets to make informed investment decisions with respect to fuel consumption versus vehicle front end damage (total ROI). Front end damage can result in thousands of dollars in repair costs and downtime as a results of animal strikes, contact with other vehicles or stationary objects. Today’s tractors are expensive to repair due to costly items such as hoods, radiators and heat exchangers and collision avoidance radar sensors.

Additional Features We Liked About the Ex-Guard XG-150G2

Our fleet was impressed with how well built and engineered the Ex-Guard XG-150G2 grille guards are. They open/close easily, giving easy access to open the hood. The Ex-Guard’s steel isn’t simply painted or corrosion-treated, it is layered with 1/8-inch PVC, which protects against chipping and instills a lot of confidence for a long-life product. The grille guards are universal and therefore transferable between tractors, which makes the long-life durability even more appealing. Transfer may require new tractor-specific mounts.

Independent Third Party Testing

MVT Solutions fuel economy testing is independent, 3rd party testing. We do not receive any payment from the sale of products tested.

View the full report at m-v-t-s.com.