Following a disappointing second place for the FM in 1999, Volvo rebounded with an unprecedented fifth International Truck of the Year (IToY) win with the new FH12 in 2000.
That year’s IToY competition was an unusual affair – 1999’s third-placed entry, the Iveco Cursor 10, increased its score by 23 to achieve a strong second place with 56 points, with the little Spanish Nissan Atleon in third with 31. The FH12 totalled 62 points, but the casual observer may have been forgiven for not even realising that the big Volvo was a new truck.
The late 1990s were heady days for Volvo. In 1998 the company had sold its truck axle plant in Lindesberg to Meritor and announced an alliance with Deutz for 6- / 7-litre engines, and in 1999 the car division was sold. An alliance with Mitsubishi to develop medium-duty trucks was announced, and a takeover of Scania with majority voting rights agreed in principle.
Against this backdrop of corporate restructuring, and the high-profile launch of the long-awaited FM, the FH12 was quietly being modified and re-engineered for the 21st century. Under Volvo’s Global Modular Concept, there was a 78% parts-commonality between the FM and new FH including a shared chassis platform, which resulted in nearly 10,000 fewer parts in the Volvo inventory.
The FH12 chassis incorporated new CAN-bus electronic architecture branded TEA – Truck Electronic Architecture – by Volvo, and optional electronically controlled disc brakes which featured a solid non-ventilated disc which was said to offer greater resistance to distortion and cracking. The new braking system was eased into production in order that any operational difficulties could be rectified quickly.
A new four-bag rear air-suspension design also benefited from electronic control with auto ride height and memory functions built in. Beneath the new suspension was a new axle – the RS 1344 – a single-reduction design with a significant weight reduction over its predecessor.
Volvo’s highly regarded D12 engine was revised into the D12C model with an increase in injection pressure and compression ratio through updated electronics, a revised combustion chamber, new pistons, rings and valves. The original camshaft was replaced, the new timing mechanism used fewer gears, and the block was stiffened to reduce noise and increase fuel efficiency.
The D12C was available with a new 460hp rating in the new FH12, which was capable of 2,200Nm of torque, and the 340hp option was dropped from the FH line-up, to become exclusively an FM engine.
Behind the new engines were new 14-speed range change gearboxes – the VT 2014 and 2514 with “light action” manual shifting mechanisms that Volvo claimed had a 50% lower shift load. Clutch pedal effort was also reduced by 30% with new servo-assistance.
Despite the extensive re-working of all the major components, the FH12 cab remained resolutely unchanged from the exterior, with the improvements not even acknowledged in the badging – operators had to wait until 2001 for a face-lifted cab.
Words & Pics supplied by Richard Stanier. Credit IToY