What are the reasons for NOT using Cruise Control?

[aczlan]

And I am not the only one on this side of the aisle that you ain't convincing. Again, there seems to be a clear line. With about an equal number (at least here on TBN) on each side.

No need to put words on my mouth either. No where did I ever say that my speed varies by 6mph (52 to 58) anywhere other than the hills. I have already said that I can hold my speed to within 1/2 mph of my target. I just choose not to on hills as it is totally inefficient trying to fight gravity.

There is a 10 mile stretch of state route, comprised of gently rolling hills and curves, between my house and town. I offer this challenge to anyone willing to show up:

We leave my house. You set your cruise at 55, and I'll do my 52-58 thing on the hills and maintain 55 on the flats. We go to town and back. Then we swap vehicles and do it again. You, again using CC at 55 and me doing my thing.

3 things I am certain of.....we will arrive at the same time, I will get better fuel economy on both counts, and you won't have had to slow down on my account.

Now if you wanna fiddle with your CC setting Everytime I get to 58 in anticipation of a hill....deal with the consequences of me going 52 at the top. From my seat, on this side of the aisle....it seems you would be the problem and not me, cause had you just left your CCsetting alone at 55, all would be well.

Again.....you seem to be of the mindset that you need to maintain a constant distance rather than a constant speed. So that's on you, not me. If you are of the mindset you want to maintain a constant speed, and stop fiddling with your accel/decel buttons Everytime the gap changes all will be well

It depends on the road. On such a road (assuming only 2 lanes) around here, me following you would have someone passing me or at least tailgating me.
If it was a 4 lane road (2 lanes in each direction) and we did the same thing, you arrive quite a bit before me as people would pass me when you sped up and I would have to brake when you slowed back down and they punched the brakes. You would also slow the cars behind you down and possibly cause a traffic jam (if there is enough volume):

Aaron Z

 

[Sysop]

That video is for the general idiots of the world. They totally miss the point that all of their drivers in their test pool were totally overreacting, braking too hard, gassing too hard, generally being bad drivers.

I'll stick with my Rolls-Can'ardly driving method instead of letting other drivers or cruise control waste my fuel and cause my ride to be much more nerve-racking.

 

[turnkey4099]

And I am not the only one on this side of the aisle that you ain't convincing. Again, there seems to be a clear line. With about an equal number (at least here on TBN) on each side.

No need to put words on my mouth either. No where did I ever say that my speed varies by 6mph (52 to 58) anywhere other than the hills. I have already said that I can hold my speed to within 1/2 mph of my target. I just choose not to on hills as it is totally inefficient trying to fight gravity.

There is a 10 mile stretch of state route, comprised of gently rolling hills and curves, between my house and town. I offer this challenge to anyone willing to show up:

We leave my house. You set your cruise at 55, and I'll do my 52-58 thing on the hills and maintain 55 on the flats. We go to town and back. Then we swap vehicles and do it again. You, again using CC at 55 and me doing my thing.

3 things I am certain of.....we will arrive at the same time, I will get better fuel economy on both counts, and you won't have had to slow down on my account.

Now if you wanna fiddle with your CC setting Everytime I get to 58 in anticipation of a hill....deal with the consequences of me going 52 at the top. From my seat, on this side of the aisle....it seems you would be the problem and not me, cause had you just left your CCsetting alone at 55, all would be well.

Again.....you seem to be of the mindset that you need to maintain a constant distance rather than a constant speed. So that's on you, not me. If you are of the mindset you want to maintain a constant speed, and stop fiddling with your accel/decel buttons Everytime the gap changes all will be well

Anyone who claims he can maindtain speed widthin 1/2 mile variation by foodt on gas has lost all credibility. If you really believe that you are foolign yourself.

 

[turnkey4099]

+1

Anyone who thinks when you have a line of vehicles all traveling together, that each vehicle in the line must go a little slower than the first to maintain the line and positions, cannot be reasoned with. They cannot understand normal thinking or logic.

Care to point out where anyone claimed that? I for sure didn't see it.

 

[Sysop]

Care to point out where anyone claimed that? I for sure didn't see it.

You missed it? Here ya go...

Its like this...

You're following someone along and they are going exactly the speed limit. That's great. But the car following can't go exactly the speed limit. They have to go just a tad slower. And anyone behind them has to go a tad, tad slower. And the third is a tad, tad, tad slower.

If you put a bunch of cars in a line, every two second one takes off, they each accelerate at the same rate to 55mph and all cars maintain 55. No cars will ever interfere with others, there will always be a 2 second following distance, and it will take the same amount of time for every car to make the same journey. This is the way things work in a perfect world, not our world. Our world folk believe things like the quote...

 

[LD1]

Anyone who claims he can maindtain speed widthin 1/2 mile variation by foodt on gas has lost all credibility. If you really believe that you are foolign yourself.

And thats all you got?

ITs a whopping 100HP saturn with a 5-speed manual. Not exactly like it reacts quick to a pedal change, thus it is pretty easy to maintain a constant speed on flat ground. I have driven a car of this same model for the last 15 years as well. I am not fooling anyone. But your missing the whole point anyway.

Point being....IF I average 55MPH, and you have CC set at 55MPH.......there may be some gap change.....BUT we will get there in the same a mount of time.

Again.......you have never answered. Why do you feel the need to maintain a constant distance, rather than a constant speed like CC was designed to do?

 

[LD1]

It depends on the road. On such a road (assuming only 2 lanes) around here, me following you would have someone passing me or at least tailgating me.

Again, the issue is with THAT driver behind you, and not the lead driver.

If I am in the lead doing a 52-58 thing....and you are going 55 with CC set........if the person behind you starts tailgating or passes you......do you think things would change if BOTH you and I had CC set at 55? Clearly the driver in the back tailgating and/or passing you wnats to go faster than 55. And it dont matter if you have CC set, or do a fluctuation thing, he will get around eventually.

 

[roadhunter]

This thread is pure entertainment. Makes me appreciate living in a rural area away from most of the people with poor driving skills who line up in thier cars every morning and evening 5 days a week to road rage on each other. Now I'm going to think about this thread every time I put the cruise control on.

 

[MossRoad]

Did you read the links I posted to?

 

[MossRoad]

It depends on the road. On such a road (assuming only 2 lanes) around here, me following you would have someone passing me or at least tailgating me.
If it was a 4 lane road (2 lanes in each direction) and we did the same thing, you arrive quite a bit before me as people would pass me when you sped up and I would have to brake when you slowed back down and they punched the brakes. You would also slow the cars behind you down and possibly cause a traffic jam (if there is enough volume):

Aaron Z

OH THE HUMANITY!!! ... They recommend maintaining a constant speed and using your cruise control! :laughing: