Cruise Control

[Jensen]

I've just started using this on my merc and am impressed by the smooth drive it gives. It seems smoother than using a very light foot on the accelerator.
Also although early days I seem to be getting slightly better mpg, would this be right?
I also use this on longish 30 & 40 zones and knocking it off and on when necessary due to traffic, I take it this is ok

 

[Myros]

as long as you remember it's on

if not, you'll have some interesting "looming" moments.
I don't like to use mine in town, as it induces just a bit too much relaxation.
Fine on dual carriageways and motorways and any other clear roads. I avoid it in heavy traffic though.
You might find that if you live in a hilly area, it isn't as frugal as you might be, as it will pour the coal on to maintain speed up hill, whereas you might ease off and down change to make easier going of it.

 

[M6AJJ]

I agree that it gives a smooth ride, and is great for keeping to speed limits (which I must admit is what I use it for most of the time), but I don't think that it gives you better mpg.

When you think about it, you are maintaining a constant speed no matter what, so on a slight decline and incline, you would cruise down taking you foot off the accelerator and then use the momentum to climb up the other side optimising fuel. Not so with cruise control!

Overall though, a great gadget.

 

[television]

Cruise conrol is nice to have, not always the best for economy like on a long incline where the car will change gear to maintain the set speed, going up without it you could bck off a little to stop it from changing down. It is cancelled just by touching the brake pedal, you can then go to "resume"
You can do no harm by turning it off and on as much as you wish.

With the distronic as fitted extra to some cars the car brakes or slows automaticaly in trafic and keeps a set distance from the car in front, when the road is clear, it resumes to the set speed, I hope to have it on my next car.


Malcolm

Interesting, that's three of us saying the same thing, possibility then that we have got it right

 

[jberks]

I'll add a fourth - no it's not more economical. It also tends to accelerate more agressively than you might, sometimes even kicking down on an auto.

The other thing about cruise is that the brake cancels it, but not the accelerator. Had this on my Dads 123 280E many years ago. Set it to 60, eased on to pass some traffic and then settled down at 80, completely forgetting the cruise. 1/2 hour later, Eased off as I approached the back of another car, we dropped under 60 and up came the nose and off we went again! Jabbed the brake and didn't hit him but very scary for a moment!

 

[Sprint'n'Go]

I have cruise control in the van and wouldn't be without it now.

I think it does contribute to more efficient driving as when controling your speed manualy it tends to keep creeping up (usually to around 85mph in my case) but on cruise I tend to stick at 65 or 70 and the electronics don't get carried away, hence better mpg on cruise.

I know exactly what you mean about not forgeting it is set as, if you coast into a sharp bend and then cruise picks up then you get a definite brown trouser moment (this is the third way to switch it off. 1 is with the control, 2 is by braking and 3 is when the inside rear tyre leaves the road and starts to spin!!!! I have experienced this on bends and on windy days!!!!)

 

[hawk20]

As the nightmare of cameras spreads more and more, I also use it a lot for speed limits. For me it saves fuel as it sticks to a chosen cruising speed on motorways -instead of creeping up ever faster as humans so easily do. And in normal speed limits, I find those not on cruise slow up too much, then accelerate when no cameras in sight then slow up again. Not economic. Choose a sensible gap and set the cruise and I find it both relaxing and economic. Most of all I'm trying to train myself to get good at speed limits as I think the new technology will go to average speed between two points and by then we shall all need to be good or lose our licences. Couldn't bear that.

 

[davidsl500]

When you think about it, you are maintaining a constant speed no matter what, so on a slight decline and incline, you would cruise down taking you foot off the accelerator and then use the momentum to climb up the other side optimising fuel. Not so with cruise control!

Overall though, a great gadget.

just squeeze the accelerator a bit on the down side with gravity on your side and the momentum still carries you up the other side without the cruise kicking back in until later..

Really useful for keeping to speed limits in the Town though.

 

[hawk20]

I agree that it gives a smooth ride, and is great for keeping to speed limits (which I must admit is what I use it for most of the time), but I don't think that it gives you better mpg.

When you think about it, you are maintaining a constant speed no matter what, so on a slight decline and incline, you would cruise down taking you foot off the accelerator and then use the momentum to climb up the other side optimising fuel. Not so with cruise control!

Overall though, a great gadget.

But if you do that you are not maintaining a constant speed and it is not a situation for cruise. Cruise is for when you want a constant speed e.g when there is a speed limit, which by the way there always is in this country. If it's not 20,30,40 or 50 then as we all know it is 60 for roads that aren't either M'way or dual carriageway and 70 if they are either one or the other. So you cannot legally speed up downhill to carry your way up the other side. So really cruise is super-useful for those trying to obey the law and who don't want to watch the speedo all the time. So distracting. Even those who break the law -a bit- e.g. doing 80 on motorways, which seems to be 80% of cars nowadays. It has become a sort of consensus speed. Once the road is fairly clear cruise is ideal to maintain whatever surplus above the limit one feels safe to choose, whether it is plus 10 or 15 or whatever. Only those who reckon they can watch all bridges, guess where plain clothes cars are and so on, will be able to risk doing other than choosing a safe margin above the limit and then trying to stick to it.

The more one thinks about driving in the UK, with speed limits everywhere, cameras becoming nearly everywhere, and traffic at levels we couldn't have dreamed of 10 or 20 years ago, one can't help but wonder why we are all so obsessed by performance. Leave the computer alone for a good few miles, then check 'after reset' and the average speed over 1000 miles or two is truly depressing. Often you could match it on a moped or in a mini (the old one at that).

 

[jberks]

Drifting off subject but -
As a youf, I would regularly do Leeds to Leicester and back in my escort. I would get back and be almost out of fuel when I arrived home. Then one day I was stopped doing around 90 (speedo was well over 100 so I was relieved). Anyway, bit shocked being my first time so was a very good boy for the rest of the day. 70mph max. Arrived home, no later than normal, with over 1/2 a tank left!
Lesson learned.
Sure you can blat along at 100 for 1-2 mins at a time, but a) you are very unlikely to be able to maintain it for even 1 min and b) fuel consumption will increase exponentially. Someone will know the figures but it's along the lines of 15% more power for 10 more mph - hence you can do 100mph with 100bhp but need over 500 to crack 200.

How many times have you blasted down a motorway, flown past a distinctive truck doing 1/2 your speed and then 20 mins later found yourself in a jam, only to be passed a few mins later by said truck creeping up the inside lane!
We all do it, but it's not really any use.

 

[Rory]

I know exactly what you mean about not forgeting it is set...

I do think it's ridiculous that there's no CRUISE indicator on the dash - every car I've driven in the US has this, and so did a Honds FRV I drove last week in the UK.

I also think it might be handy to have some kind of indicator in the rear window to show it's set - so you don't get those people constantly passing you then slowing down again as their speed varies and yours doesn't.

 

[jon_harley]

I do think it's ridiculous that there's no CRUISE indicator on the dash

I spotted something in the CLK manual suggesting it does have such an indicator, a set of segments round the edge of the speedo showing what speeds are available (eg cruise speed to max when on cruise control, 0 to limit when speed limiter set). Haven't driven a CLK for long enough to notice it yet.

I also think it might be handy to have some kind of indicator in the rear window to show it's set - so you don't get those people constantly passing you then slowing down again as their speed varies and yours doesn't.

I've often thought a sign like that would be useful. It could have various useful messages, as well as "I'm on cruise control so if you overtake me and then slow down, I'll overtake you" it could also have "Do you know one of your headlamp bulbs has gone" and "Stop flashing me, I'm only going this slow because the car in front of me is". Terser forms of these messages are left to the reader's imagination.

 

[jberks]

I do think it's ridiculous that there's no CRUISE indicator on the dash - every car I've driven in the US has this, and so did a Honds FRV I drove last week in the UK.
.

They do now. The newer ones with the circular display in the centre of the speedo have the segments light up to show it's on. I can't say it would have made much difference to me if I'd had an indicator though. It's just another warning light, plus the one on the Jeep merely tells me it's switched on, not whether it's active.

I also think it might be handy to have some kind of indicator in the rear window to show it's set - so you don't get those people constantly passing you then slowing down again as their speed varies and yours doesn't

I doubt many would understand the implications and few even realise that they do slow down and pick up again. Remember, these are the same people who are reading the paper and making phone calls.

 

[hawk20]

My favourite notice from some thread or other on this forum is Horn Broken; Watch for Finger.:grin:

 

[B1ondini]

Hi all,

I have just fitted cruise (Waeco DIY unit) to my Merc last weekend.

This preceedes a drive down to the Spanish border (from Calais) next month.

I have only driven with cruise in one car in my 19 years of driving, and that was last year. That journey inspired me so much that I just had to get cruise fitted.

I couldn't believe the difference it made to the comfort of driving, and the amount of time there was, when I wasn't having to check the speedo and adjust speed every few seconds.

As for fuel econoy, I'll have to wait and see, but am more interested in the ease of driving down those empty French motorways. Click it in at 80 and sit back and enjoy!

Here's to the next 2500 miles!

B1ondini.

 

[hawk20]

Yes, the space in France and quality of the roads is wonderful. And cruise does help you resist temptation. By the way the police are getting pretty active especially near Calais.

Years back when it was generally agreed that the French turned a blind eye on uncrowded motorways we drove a Ford XR4i (Sierra sized but with 2.8 litre Granada engine, happy all day at 110). left the boat at Calais at 7.0am and were on the beach at Perpignan by late afternoon. Great days.

 

[blassberg]

I prefer speed limiter - as per another thread.

 

[jon_harley]

am more interested in the ease of driving down those empty French motorways. Click it in at 80 and sit back and enjoy!

Yes, French motorways are more fun than most UK ones these days.

Curiously, when I was looking at Audi A4 cabriolets, I couldn't find a used one with cruise control. The sales guy I talked to said it's not a very popular option. Surprising eh?

 

[hawk20]

Yes, French motorways are more fun than most UK ones these days.

Curiously, when I was looking at Audi A4 cabriolets, I couldn't find a used one with cruise control. The sales guy I talked to said it's not a very popular option. Surprising eh?

Yes. I have a theory on this. Cruise is not at all common in Britain so most don't know what it is and/or have never used it and found the advantages. But on Mercs if you order Automatic you get cruise whether you want it or not. Comes in the package. You find out how good it is. Other firms you can buy auto and if you want cruise, it is another extra. So yes, I've only ever seen it much on Mercedes and I think that's why. I got it when I bought my first auto Merc and had to ask what it was and how to use it.