Cruise control yes or no ?

[mustang1]

I love me some cruise control! Funnily enough, I prefer normal cruise better than radar cruise. I drove a car that has no cruise but razor sharp throttle response. I'm forever going between 70 and 90mph when i hit bumps on the motorway. Not much fun. The cops were not impressed either when I told them that. "But sir, you was going at 150"

Me Too!

Ideal for eating up 100'sof miles a day on Autoroutes, but total sh1te on UK motorways

That's because the muppets on UK motorways leave no more than half a car length between the next car. Otherwise someone gets in your lane (they say). Grrr.

 

[fossyant]

Only bother in long road works, handy for that, but not if people are constantly changing speed, and also handy for quiet stretches of motorway.

 

[mustang1]

I'm a cruise fan.

I reckon a message on the rear screen for tailgaters is better though, something like
"No point tailgating me, I'm observing the speed limit"
OR
"No point tailgating me, I'm observing the speed limit, you plonker"

 

[johnblack]

Use it on motorways and average speed areas. It was completely essential when driving back from Grenoble to the Tunnel the other year, wouldn't like to do a journey like that without it now.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

Yes, I use it.

 

[Profpointy]

I've mixed feelings about it. When I first came across it on a car I was constantly fiddling with it and ending up getting too close to the car in front if I wasn't careful so ended up more work than simply driving. I'm talking about the 50mph on motorway scenario rather than driving along normally. My current car has it and I do still use it on the 50mph motorway but still, it's only really useable when there isn't
much traffic. I wouldn't be that bothered whether a car had it or not, but nor do I find it objectionable like, say electronic handbrake, or even worse, automatic gearbox

 

[Joffey]

Only really true on a flat road. On roads with dips and climbs, manual is more economical, depending on the driver, obviously.

I have used it on short and long trips. It's the modern adaptive cruise control - more economical that manual driving every time.

 

[Archie_tect]

No cruise control or automatic system is as economical as carefully driven manual control as it uses the throttle uphill to maintain constant speed and brakes downhill to maintain constant speed... that uses fuel inefficiently and reduces mpg. On my last two cars I used ordinary and adaptive cruise control from time to time so I know it has a significant effect.

Adaptive cruise control encourages drivers to be less attentive, especially on long, motorway journeys- there have been instances of people falling asleep... though that can happen with manual cars they don't drive as far at a contstant speed before crashing!

 

[Milkfloat]

No cruise control or automatic system is as economical as carefully driven manual control as it uses the throttle uphill to maintain constant speed and brakes downhill to maintain constant speed... that uses fuel inefficiently and reduces mpg. On my last two cars I used ordinary and adaptive cruise control from time to time so I know it has a significant effect.

Quite a few systems do take into account gradient, both in the initial route planning and in the cruise control operation itself in Eco mode.

 

[Archie_tect]

Possibly milky, but if they maintain speed uphill then they are using fuel whereas I would feather the accelerator up a gradient allowing the car to scrub off a few mph to get to the top using less fuel and coast rather than brake downhill to use that momentum up the next hill... better use of energy as long as you don't break the speed limit at the bottom!

Mrs A_T thinks it's funny* that I drive to the mpg these days rather than the mph...
{* I think that's the word she uses...]

 

[tyred]

I don't have a TV cruise control.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Used it a few times when my ex had a car with it. Handy when quiet but annoying when busy. I did find it useful in roadworks that were, say, 50mph. I'd set it to 48mph and then you can't get done for speeding. It's also useful to make slow alterations by knocking it down or up a few Mph instead of using the brakes or throttle, otherwsie you'd have to re-arm the cruise control. I don't know if all cars are the same but my ex's would not brake if you were going downhill and sped up

 

[Drago]

I use it a fair bit.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

I'd want one bright enough to pick up the average speed thing, so if I've been delayed in the first bit, it can get a giddy up on through the last bits.


Ooh, is that my tin hat over there?

 

[PK99]