Cruise Control

[grigor]

Quote:

the theory is that with the cruise activated you not doing as much when driving such as looking at the speedo all the time to check your speed cos with the cruise you know its what you set it at hence no looking up and down every few seconds.....

As a truck driver I know that it makes it a hell of a lot easier to do the long trips!!!

Reading stuff like this makes my blood boil!!!! As a truck driver I know you MUST check everything all the time.

There are thousands of "experts" who continually remind us that we must concentrate when driving, no eating, no mobiles, no radio, no smoking... the list goes on and on. Yet the concentration of our driving public is getting worse. The more aids we supply, it seems the less concentration of the driver.

OK when I started driving, we had trailer brakes and truck brakes(no foot/hand combination), 24-speed quad box(2-gearsticks no synchro), 250max Hp, even had a mechanical hand on the door. Yet with all this action in the cab, we could dodge potholes while seeking out the smoothest part of the road ahead, watch the load, check mirrors.....

Now at 57 I can go outside, walk my excavator and take a swipe with the bucket while slewing. Not superman, just practice.

Education is what's needed, not gimmicks.

Some info: Cruise control can't see that big hill coming up. So if you wait until it drops into its operating range, you're down a gear before you know it. You MUST help it by booting it into the hills.

Sure it's great on the flat, but all this bulltwang about better economy is only from drivers who can't maintain a constant speed.

We've all seen them, 80 on the highway, 120 on the passing lane, I guess they need all the help they can get.

[mad082]

Some info: Cruise control can't see that big hill coming up. So if you wait until it drops into its operating range, you're down a gear before you know it. You MUST help it by booting it into the hills.

or you need a more powerful car.

[siksII]

I don't need to help the cruise control in my r33 by booting it into hills, it maintains speed just fine, maybe gains a bit down hills, but not much.

I believe it improves safety as when i have the cruise it takes a lot longer for me to get fatigued, which in the end leads to lapses in concentration.

It should not be used on country back roads when things can pop out at you, but on a dual carriageway freeway i dont see negatives to using it.

[mad082]

i want lazer guided cruise like in the mercedes. it does the braking for you too. then all i need is something to do the steering and i'm set.

[Modena]

or you need a more powerful car.

My cruise control adjusts automatically to hills... it increases the throttle.

Then again mine was close to 1000 bucks.

[grigor]

Quote:

or you need a more powerful car.

Too true. But seriously, get in an ordinary como or a falc and let them run at a hill with cruise on. At the top of the hill, check where the accelerator is. She'll be flat to the floor. That's not economical driving.

I get so sick of following shit boxes on cruise. You'll see them drop back to 90, then slowly pick back up to 100, then roll down the other side with the brakes on. You can really notice the stink from falc's and camry's running megarich.

All this in an energy conscious age.

Like I said, great on the flat but use your brains at the hills.

[Modena]

Quote:

or you need a more powerful car.

Too true. But seriously, get in an ordinary como or a falc and let them run at a hill with cruise on. At the top of the hill, check where the accelerator is. She'll be flat to the floor. That's not economical driving.

I get so sick of following shit boxes on cruise. You'll see them drop back to 90, then slowly pick back up to 100, then roll down the other side with the brakes on. You can really notice the stink from falc's and camry's running megarich.

All this in an energy conscious age.

Like I said, great on the flat but use your brains at the hills.

Dude dont use your cruise control in 60 KM area and or around sharp bends and hills and you will never have that problem. Keep it to the even level freeway where smooth, high speed, long distance driving is needed..

[evesdropping]

how do they control the speed? i.e. what are they connected to?

[Turbo Dave]

If you have the cruise set at 110kmph on the freeway its illegal to speed up fo the hill so you are still doing your 110 in your underpowered falcon or commodore at the top!!!

Dunno what truck your driving but mine tells me when something goes wrong......We are out of the Stoneage now.

If you were to drive a car without cuise and hit the same hill that the cruise control supplied full throttle for you too would have to plant your foot all the way up... but thats after you realized you were doing 90k's.

After a few yrs in a Aeromax with no cruise and 18speed RRanger then driving my new Sterling with 18speed auto and Cruise I feel much better after a days/nights driving.

Anything that can make my job easier is a bonus.... means Im more alert because I am not a fatigued.....IN MY OPINION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited April 16, 2007 by Turbo Dave

[dilmah]

I think cruise control is great when a lot of highway driving (i.e. interstate), but if you're just driving to work on the local freeway, it's probably not so safe. People pop out from seemingly nowhere, change 4 lanes at a time, talk on their mobile and break suddenly.

Also, it's not efficient on the windy or undulating roads. The first one's obvious (lots of speed changes required), the second one is that I find the cruise control system is reactive rather than proactive. A human will see a hill ahead and instinctively step on the gas a bit before the hill and likewise, ease off when nearing the top. The cruise control can't predict this, so it tends to struggle up the hill and overshoot at the top. This is assuming that generally you're in top gear (5th or 6th) on the highway, and has the least power/torque in this gear.

It's a great "nice to have" for those long trips to NSW or whatever -- who says that sports / hi performance cars can't drive long distances? It allows you to relax a bit and not have to worry about the speed as much. But still no substitute for being alert and concentrating.

[mad082]

Too true. But seriously, get in an ordinary como or a falc and let them run at a hill with cruise on. At the top of the hill, check where the accelerator is. She'll be flat to the floor. That's not economical driving.

I get so sick of following shit boxes on cruise. You'll see them drop back to 90, then slowly pick back up to 100, then roll down the other side with the brakes on. You can really notice the stink from falc's and camry's running megarich.

All this in an energy conscious age.

Like I said, great on the flat but use your brains at the hills.

i had it on my old vx commodore. hills don't suddenly go from flat to hill. there is usually a transition period. if you pay attention to the accelerator (rest your foot on it) you will see that as the hill gets steeper the accelerator goes down further. it doesn't just stay where it was then go "oh shit" and floor it straight away. it does the same thing you would if you were staying the same speed without breaking the speed limit.

how do they control the speed? i.e. what are they connected to?

most work off the ecu's speed sensor, the tps and they have a second throttle cable hooked up to the throttle body that goes into a little motor to pull on the cable to apply or let off the throttle.

[grigor]

Quote:

A human will see a hill ahead and instinctively step on the gas a bit before the hill and likewise, ease off when nearing the top. The cruise control can't predict this, so it tends to struggle up the hill and overshoot at the top.

I thought that's exactly what I just said.

Nobody drives at 60 with cruise on CCCP. Well maybe my dad but he loves his cruise.

Mad 082 I know how cruise control works and how you can alter your ramp rates etc.etc But if you don't have sufficient power to start with, as in your VX, you'll find at the top of the hill the acelerator will be right down. Check your torque curve on the VX. At cruising speed, it will be doing around 1800-2000rpm. Probably making about 50rwkw. Only takes the aircon to cut in and you've lost 5KW. Whereas if you'd dropped back a gear at the start, you'd be in peak torque range and the car would eat the hill.

As for the modern trucky Turbo Dave, keep at it. You've got a lot of miles to catch up.

[dilmah]

Quote:

I thought that's exactly what I just said.

Haha... i think i took too long to post and you beat me to it

[MBS206]

I think cruise control should be banned on cars i think it causes crashes

You should write articles for the police force.

As for using less fuel, I found it the opposite in both my commodore, and my dads commodore, was adding around 1 - 2L of fuel required per 100km.

As for not getting done. Ever looked down whilst coming down a hill? I found my car, and also my fathers, loved to just hold the throttle open coming down a hill till your doing around 10-15km/h over the limit, then it'd close the throttle SOME, but not all the way.

My uncle also got done for speeding on Cruise. Car set at 100km/h, copper pulled him at 112km/h going UP a hill (Car decided it had slowed a bit, needed more power, so it changed down a gear *auto* and accelerated, to above the limit)

I've had it in my old car, and I did use it, but I had to be ever so vigilant, now that the skyline doesn't have it, I get in a car with CC and don't even use it.

Also, you shouldn't use cruise in the wet either.

Edited April 18, 2007 by MBS206

[ctjet]

you mean cause i look good in a uniform yeah?

[Bass Junky]

I'm a big fan of Cruise. I use cruise everywhere, including on 50kph streets. I hate getting fines (not that I've had one in the last 5 years) and so use the CC as a speed control device. Accelerate to speed limit, activate cruise.

It's easy, it's what it's there for and it works. My wife's VW GTI had an instantaneous litres/100k readout and on a flat surface the thing is rock solid. Undulating, I've never seen the cruise be more than a few kph behind set speed going up a hill, and I've NEVER seen it over the limit anywhere other than a a very steep hill, and at a very steep hill, even if you don't have cruise, you are going to accelerate.

I think the argument about things jumping out at you on suburban roads is a little misguided. In these days of constant speed watching, it could be said that cruise is a safety device. The less time I spent looking down at my speedo, the more time I'm looking at the road ready for those things that "Jump out at me"

I hate not having CC in my R34, especially on the trip to Deca when you want to relax and constantly be speed checking. I have done a LOT of kilometers for work in cars both with and without cruise. I'm much more alert and less tired after a few hours on cruise than not. This makes me a safer driver on cruise.

[MBS206]

you mean cause i look good in a uniform yeah?

Sorry, some how I managed to grab the wrong quote... :S

[Appealing]

I had cruise control fitted to my stagea. I am cruise control freak. (most people think just control freak!). I luv it. Not only for trips but also around town. I even use it sometimes in the school zones (40kph). You just never know when Mr Plod is going to be pointing a radar gun at you. Oh I turn it off for drag racing though!

Oh yeah $640 at Cruisewest. Nice unit, on the wheel, Looks like Nissan fitted it.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Appealing