Cummins Makes V8 Engines, But What Do They Power?
Today, a major part of Cummins' reputation as a diesel engine manufacturer lies in the torquey inline-six turbodiesels that have faithfully powered the Ram heavy-duty pickup trucks since 1989. Some of these Cummins inline-sixes have been consistent contenders in lists of the most reliable diesel engines ever built, and continue to be popular the world over with buyers because they're reasonably fuel efficient, responsive, and smooth to use while still providing prodigious pulling power. Despite the inline-six's fame and success, Cummins has still found the time to develop other configurations.
In 2015, Cummins' partnership with Nissan allowed it to bring the might of a turbodiesel to the light-duty Nissan Titan XD. The engine, a 5.0-liter V8 with 310 hp and 555 lb-ft of torque, was rated to tow up to 12,710 pounds in the Titan XD single cab 4x2. Cummins intended for this engine to plug a hole in the diesel pickup truck market between larger and smaller oil-burner options, but sadly, it didn't turn out quite as successful as the higher ups in Indiana and Kanagawa Prefecture would've hoped.
Its output and capability left people unimpressed, and there were lots of commonly reported problems on the Nissan Titan. Due to these setbacks, the Cummins-powered Titan XD struggled to sell, so Nissan decided to drop it after the 2019 model year. However, it's just one of several Cummins V8 engines.
Cummins previously offered a commercial version of the Nissan Titan XD V8 engine
Although the truck engine got a bit more talked about, Cummins' 5.0-liter V8 engine was actually a family of two. There was also a commercial unit that was offered in four states of tune, from 200 to 275 hp, and it could yield between 520 and 560 lb-ft of torque. Similar to the truck engine, the Cummins ISV5.0L V8 was the result of a collaboration between Cummins and Tiffin Motorhomes, meaning it powered the Allegro Breeze Class A motorhome between 2016 and 2019.
The commercial engine shares more than 70% of its parts with the Nissan Titan XD V8. Even so, there haven't been reports of reliability issues, unlike the comparable Nissan Titan unit. Some common hardware shared between the commercial ISV 5.0-liter V8 engine and the Nissan unit include the compacted graphite iron cylinder block, high-strength aluminum alloy heads, forged steel crankshaft, and dual overhead camshafts.
Cummins V8 engines have also featured on large trucks and combat vehicles
In addition to light-duty trucks and Class A motorhomes, Cummins V8 engines have also spent time in large pleasure boats, heavy machinery, and tracked, medium-armored combat vehicles. The Cummins V903, for example, has been the diesel engine powering the army's Bradley Fighting Vehicles for over 40 years. It also powers the Bradley-based Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV), which began production in 2019 as a replacement for the M-113 family of vehicles. The engine is a four-stroke 14.8-liter, 90-degree aftercooled turbo V8 that produces up to 760 horsepower and 1,570 lb-ft of torque.
Like the V903, the Cummins 555 was a versatile 90-degree V8 engine in its day, even if it didn't have the best reliability record. Named for its 555 cubic-inch, or 9.1-liter displacement, this Cummins V8 was available in both turbocharged and naturally aspirated flavors. It produced between 235 and 270 horsepower, depending on application, which ranged from buses to boats, heavy machinery, and heavy-duty trucks.