RE: PH Origins: Cruise control
Discussion
Shakermaker said:
5lab said:
Does anyone know why you have to turn cruise control 'on' in most cars?
I get why you have to set/cancel/speed up/down but not why you have to turn the damn system on every time you get in the car - why doesn't 'set speed' automatically do this? I know vauxhalls don't have an on/off thing, but most others do?
It isn't really that much of a chore though, is it, having to accelerate to your chosen speed and then hitting the "set" button?I get why you have to set/cancel/speed up/down but not why you have to turn the damn system on every time you get in the car - why doesn't 'set speed' automatically do this? I know vauxhalls don't have an on/off thing, but most others do?
I had a 1981 Chevrolet Caprice with cruise control that was vacuum operated and connected to the throttle linkage. If I kept my foot on the pedals, when it went up a hill I could feel the accelerator pedal dip as if being pressed.
The best feature though was the fuel economy gauge - I don't think I ever saw above 18mpg.
The best feature though was the fuel economy gauge - I don't think I ever saw above 18mpg.
I rarely use mine at all. I do occasionally, when travelling on a motorway, which isn't very often though. I do like using it in when in an average speed zone with cameras but, apart from that, i prefer modulating the throttle with my right foot.
For me, it gets a bit annoying when others aren't doing constant speeds and causing me to have to brake, which resets it or knock it off manually when matching someone else's speed in front. So, i reckon radar-guided cruise control would be better.
For me, it gets a bit annoying when others aren't doing constant speeds and causing me to have to brake, which resets it or knock it off manually when matching someone else's speed in front. So, i reckon radar-guided cruise control would be better.
Is it the adaptive cruise that constantly dabs the brakes? You think the traffic is about to come to a stop and ready the brake pedal, but no, it's someone maintaining a 50 yard gap and tapping the brakes for no apparent reason. Adaptive is the only reason I can think of for that one.
Adaptive is fine on busy trunk roads, but the older manual style needs constant stalk adjustments due to mass dithering, so I may as well just use my old school foot to regulate the speed instead.
Adaptive is fine on busy trunk roads, but the older manual style needs constant stalk adjustments due to mass dithering, so I may as well just use my old school foot to regulate the speed instead.
My old SIIA Landrover had the additional "hand throttle" which was meant to be used to control the engine speed when powering stationary farm equipment off the transfer case PTO but could be used whilst driving on the road......
well except that it was soooo slow that you could just floor the throttle everywhere and have no danger of speeding at any time ;-)
well except that it was soooo slow that you could just floor the throttle everywhere and have no danger of speeding at any time ;-)
If you had the opportunity to visit the US in the late 1960s and through the 1970s, cruise control was a common option in the mid-priced segment and often a standard feature on premium cars.
This and the automatic garage door opener were the subject of childhood fascination.
At that time, people didn't hop back and forth across the Atlantic as they do today, but there were the occasional visitors from UK / Europe. These adults marveled at the cruise control and the automatic garage door opener as much as my childhood mates and I did. That, and the sheer size of some of the US market cars.
Years later I was working in Eastern Europe and one of my local-market colleagues, after having driven several days by car to Southern Europe, spoke wistfully about wanting cruise control. Different times / people / places... yet the same fascination.
Had 2 cars with cruise control. The first was French and so something about the system went wrong in an intermittent way... so I just drove it by foot. The other one is a Mazda and it's bloody lovely for mile munching on a motorway or DC.
Wrt "overtaking", I find that either someone is catching me slowly, as I approach a lorry or something else, in which case I put my toe down and make the pass in front of the slow-catcher (instead of slowing to the pace of the lorry and having to hoof it to get up to speed in the next lane), or if they're really steaming along I let them through.
Radar in the wing mirrors helps no end with this decision. It warns you if someone is within 5 seconds of being alongside you on that side - so if you're doing 70 and they're doing 120 it warns you about them when they're really far away... and if they're doing 71 instead it warns you when they're really quite close.
Wrt "overtaking", I find that either someone is catching me slowly, as I approach a lorry or something else, in which case I put my toe down and make the pass in front of the slow-catcher (instead of slowing to the pace of the lorry and having to hoof it to get up to speed in the next lane), or if they're really steaming along I let them through.
Radar in the wing mirrors helps no end with this decision. It warns you if someone is within 5 seconds of being alongside you on that side - so if you're doing 70 and they're doing 120 it warns you about them when they're really far away... and if they're doing 71 instead it warns you when they're really quite close.
The old man's Renault 25 (circa '84-'86) had the moving pedal thing others have described. The car also talked as well. Proper Knight Rider, it was.
(I agree with the whole on/off AND set/cancel pointlessness, but assumed it was a safety net for the manufacturer so they don't get sued by an imbecile)
(I agree with the whole on/off AND set/cancel pointlessness, but assumed it was a safety net for the manufacturer so they don't get sued by an imbecile)
Edited by gl20 on Monday 5th February 22:42
Lewis Kingston said:
Krikkit said:
We had a late-90s Subaru Legacy with cruise, which made modern systems look a doddle.
I think I have the very same set-up in my '03 Forester. Question - when you engage cruise in the Legacy, is there a noticeable delay between setting the speed and it actually maintaining it? Noticed that mine bleeds off a few mph before the cruise picks up the throttle again; a minor thing, but it is a tad annoying.Edited by 2ndclasscitizen on Tuesday 6th February 03:05
sticks090460 said:
I use cruise control the whole time. I've never had a speeding ticket in 40 years of driving. I think these facts may well be related.
I don’t think all your cars over the last 40 years have had cruise control 
Ergo your two statements of fact have arguably no correlation whatsoever.
You simply over 40 years have opted to not speed, speed excessively or been caught.
The Don of Croy said:
On a 1960's model Fiat 500 there was a rudimentary speed control - a cable clamp operated down near the handbrake lever that simply held the throttle cable in one position. Simples.
As told to me by my bro's GF in 1981 when she was driving that absurd little motor. (Or cheeky if you prefer)
That's the hand throttle. Common on Italian cars of that era. My Alfa (1968) has one, and yes you can use it as a very rudimentary - and slightly terrifying - form of cruise control.As told to me by my bro's GF in 1981 when she was driving that absurd little motor. (Or cheeky if you prefer)
SuperchargedVR6 said:
Is it the adaptive cruise that constantly dabs the brakes? You think the traffic is about to come to a stop and ready the brake pedal, but no, it's someone maintaining a 50 yard gap and tapping the brakes for no apparent reason. Adaptive is the only reason I can think of for that one.
Adaptive is fine on busy trunk roads, but the older manual style needs constant stalk adjustments due to mass dithering, so I may as well just use my old school foot to regulate the speed instead.
Could be. My mates A Class has it and it senses the car in front and then reduces speed accordingly. That seems much more like it and less messing about. I'm not sure if it stamps on the brakes as such though.Adaptive is fine on busy trunk roads, but the older manual style needs constant stalk adjustments due to mass dithering, so I may as well just use my old school foot to regulate the speed instead.
Yeah, see, that's what i was getting at. Apart from when it's almost completely clear, which is rare for me, i'd rather just not bother and just modulate my right foot. It's not like i find it a chore or hard work either.
Cacatous said:
I regularly break the limit and I've never had a ticket in over 20 years.
Keep the anecdotal evidence coming though...
25 years and counting for me. :-)Keep the anecdotal evidence coming though...
I've never bothered with cruise control until my current car, which has it as standard. And I use it a lot, but that's mostly because it's adaptive cruise control so you aren't constantly turning it off and on.
I think the prevalence of average speed zones everywhere has made it more relevant too.
Jimmy Recard said:
Also annoying is when you overtake using cruise control and the car you overtake just accelerates to keep its bumper level with your rear wheels
I love CC but this is the biggest problem with using it. Either the scenario you describe where you draw along side only to have your speed matched and either have to accelerate or drop back again. Even worse with a car behind as you assume they think you're just dawdling. Or the all to common elastic band overtakers. You pass them on cruise with a solid 10 mph difference. A minute later, they're passing you like you're standing still. Then a a few minutes later, you're crawling past them again. Rinse and repeat.
In both scenarios, I want a big sign telling everyone that it's me that's keeping a constant speed and I'm the victim not the culprit!
Anyway, other than those annoyances, cruise is brillinantly useful. I use it constantly, particularly on urban 30/40/50 roads.
TurboHatchback said:
Shakermaker said:
5lab said:
Does anyone know why you have to turn cruise control 'on' in most cars?
I get why you have to set/cancel/speed up/down but not why you have to turn the damn system on every time you get in the car - why doesn't 'set speed' automatically do this? I know vauxhalls don't have an on/off thing, but most others do?
It isn't really that much of a chore though, is it, having to accelerate to your chosen speed and then hitting the "set" button?I get why you have to set/cancel/speed up/down but not why you have to turn the damn system on every time you get in the car - why doesn't 'set speed' automatically do this? I know vauxhalls don't have an on/off thing, but most others do?
Shakermaker said:
TurboHatchback said:
Shakermaker said:
5lab said:
Does anyone know why you have to turn cruise control 'on' in most cars?
I get why you have to set/cancel/speed up/down but not why you have to turn the damn system on every time you get in the car - why doesn't 'set speed' automatically do this? I know vauxhalls don't have an on/off thing, but most others do?
It isn't really that much of a chore though, is it, having to accelerate to your chosen speed and then hitting the "set" button?I get why you have to set/cancel/speed up/down but not why you have to turn the damn system on every time you get in the car - why doesn't 'set speed' automatically do this? I know vauxhalls don't have an on/off thing, but most others do?
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