What are the reasons for NOT using Cruise Control?

[Sysop]

I would like to know just which modern car cannot maintain highway speed without WOT.

Take your pick of almost any of the base model vehicles with the weakest available engine from any of the major auto-builders. Load them down with the average 400-700lbs American family of four. I'll show you gobs of hills that you can push the pedal to the floor forcing a downshift starting up the hill and it will not hold 70MPH (our local freeway speed limit). Lots will bog down to 60, downshift gears, and gain back a few MPH, upshift, lose a few MPH, downshift again, and repeat the cycle till the top of the hill.

 

[LD1]

Again....

The guy behind you wants to go faster than you. That's how he caught up to you in the first place. He sees you speed up, thinks "YAY!" and he speeds up... then you slow down. You're the one causing the grief by varying your speed.

Seems in that case, I would be causing grief no matter what I did. Cause I am travelling slower than someone behind me wants to go. So weather I average 55 by varying between 52 and 58, or weather I have CC locked in on 55......if the guy wants to go 58.....I am holding him up. In either case, he is only gonna average 55 while behind me. He can either choose
1. Set his cruise at 55 and not have to touch it,
2. Speed up and slow down as I do, and average 55
3. Go around me.

In any case, he is the cause of the problem, because he wants to go faster than me. How he chooses to drive until it's clear to pass....that's entirely up to him.

Actually, in the name of efficiency, that's not the most efficient way to handle a hill, nor is it easier on your car. Its more efficient and easier on your car to let off the gas going up the hill, losing speed, then accelerate down it, gaining speed with the help of gravity.

I agree. And since you stated that, you must also agree that the way I drive IS "more" efficient than using CC to maintain a constant speed.

The reason for not taking it to the extreme as you suggest.....laws. I try to keep it close (within reason) to the speed limit. Dropping to 35 while completely off the pedal on the uphill, would need something around 75-80mph on the downhills or in anticipation of the hills. That's a bit too extreme for a 55mph road.

With the hills we have around me, once at 55 on the flat....if I don't move my foot at all....that gets me the 52-58....or pretty close.

 

[TomSeller]

Then you don't undersstand it at all.

I don't, I've never been a zombie.

 

[MossRoad]

Seems in that case, I would be causing grief no matter what I did. Cause I am travelling slower than someone behind me wants to go. So weather I average 55 by varying between 52 and 58, or weather I have CC locked in on 55......if the guy wants to go 58.....I am holding him up. In either case, he is only gonna average 55 while behind me. He can either choose
1. Set his cruise at 55 and not have to touch it,
2. Speed up and slow down as I do, and average 55
3. Go around me.

In any case, he is the cause of the problem, because he wants to go faster than me. How he chooses to drive until it's clear to pass....that's entirely up to him.



I agree. And since you stated that, you must also agree that the way I drive IS "more" efficient than using CC to maintain a constant speed.

The reason for not taking it to the extreme as you suggest.....laws. I try to keep it close (within reason) to the speed limit. Dropping to 35 while completely off the pedal on the uphill, would need something around 75-80mph on the downhills or in anticipation of the hills. That's a bit too extreme for a 55mph road.

With the hills we have around me, once at 55 on the flat....if I don't move my foot at all....that gets me the 52-58....or pretty close.

Ahh, but grief is manageable if the person in front of you is going at least the speed limit.

Look, not many of us want to go exactly 55 (or whatever the posted limit is). Its the American way.... be a rebel. Break the law by 3-5 mph. But most of us, although we want to go faster than the speed limit, will accept someone in front of us going the speed limit. Its the law, and while we will call you an old busha or jaja, we accept that you are a law abiding citizen, out for a Sunday drive with your flat cap on, peering through your steering wheel, enjoying the day. At least you maintain your speed. Or slow up going up the hills and speed up going down. WHEEEEE! But when you speed up going up a hill, most of us think you looked in your mirror, saw you had someone behind you, remembered when you were young and still had hair to blow in the breeze, and step on it a bit to gain back that feeling of the open road and make the day a bit more enjoyable for the person behind you. At least that's the way most of us think.

 

[turnkey4099]

I've never owned a car that couldn't maintain or increase speed up hill, let alone have to floor it. Even my junky $500 Nova's in the 80's could do it. If the car is that bad, its probably not safe to drive on the road.

Yep! They naysayers exaggerate beyond all belief.

 

[Rustyiron]

That's appropriate in my book as long as you aren't in the left lane can can move right instead of regulating traffic.

Wouldn't think about doing it on anything except a 2 lane road for sure.

 

[check]

Careful, brake checking someone can get you a ticket:

Aaron Z

Dumb driver, dumb cop! And in the rain, yet, when the RH lane was open to both drivers! What kind of stupid cop tailgates like that in such conditions, for no apparent reason? And why didn't the guy in the van simply pull over? I would have, even if I did not know it was a cop. And I would never brake repeatedly like that - just asking for an accident.

 

[LD48750]

I try to be considerate. But aint gonna run my car hard just to make someone behind me happy.

I dont do whatever I please. Its pretty routine actually. Gain a few extra MPH before a hill, where its easy to do so. Which allows me to not have to tromp on the pedal on the uphill. Lots more efficient, and easier on my car. Anyone who has ever followed truckers towing loads knows just what I am talking about.

Whomever is behind me is welcome to do in kind, and enjoy some fuel savings themselves. OR they can just leave their CC set. Either way, I am not a hindrance to traffic, and in no way am I blocking or otherwise obstructing traffic.

The ONLY time my driving style becomes problematic, is when the trailing car WRONGFULLY interprets my acceleration. And think I am speeding up permanently. When they make this ERROR in assuming they know what I am doing.....those behind THAT person pays the price. Perhaps on the next hill they will learn their lesson?

So again, it all goes back to what I keep saying......for those of you that run CC exclusively, why do you feel that maintaining a constant distance is more important than maintaining a constant speed? Because if you are following me and maintaining a constant speed......Sure, you will notice me speed up, slow down, maintain, etc. But I am not gonna interfere with your constant CC setting at all. The only time you will be interfered with is if you feel the need to constantly play with your left thumb to maintain a constant gap. And if you do that following me....your left thumb is gonna get a workout. But thats your fault and not mine.

I agree with you LD1, No way you should alter your driving in any way just because others don't understand that your way is the ONLY correct way to drive.
Everyone else on the road is wrong unless they agree with you 100% like I do.

Oh... and brake checks are much better then getting out of the way of those impatient people behind you trying to get their injured child to the hospital.

 

[Dftodd]

Here, those inconsiderate folks pass in the breakdown lanes. Traffic can be flowing at 80 mph and you still get a tater head who feels the need to take the break down lane.

Now, I've seen people get some hefty fines and ticketed pretty good for brake checking someone. For instance, this old lady kept calling in to the police department when she was out on the highway. Kept reporting that folks were harassing her on the interstate. After a ridiculous amount of complaints to the police department, the police sent out an unmarked car to follow her. See the old lady was running between 50 and 65 in the left lane, where traffic flow was running 70 to 75mph during rush hour. As soon as a vehicle got within three car lengths of her, she would slam on the brakes. That 30 or so complaints that she made to the police got turned into 30 or so charges of harassment against her

I've had the luck to get behind some of these folks that think it's OK to brake check on the highway. What these folks do is cause accidents behind them, and slow traffic down. You don't stop to consider that it's not only the person directly behind you that is effected. But also the 100 or so cars behind them, plus the big rigs that need extra distance to slow dow.

So we get someone that just pulls right tight in front of us, and cuts our cushion down for stopping.
Then you have a tater head that decides at that some moment to brake check someone. Well guess what??? That tater head just stacked all the vehicles up behind them like an accordion, and possibly caused a wreck 20 or 30 cars back At the minimum, you just caused traffic to go from flowing smoothly, to a crawl. Thanks alot!!!!!

 

[check]

Here, those inconsiderate folks pass in the breakdown lanes. Traffic can be flowing at 80 mph and you still get a tater head who feels the need to take the break down lane. Now, I've seen people get some hefty fines and ticketed pretty good for brake checking someone. For instance, this old lady kept calling in to the police department when she was out on the highway. Kept reporting that folks were harassing her on the interstate. After a ridiculous amount of complaints to the police department, the police sent out an unmarked car to follow her. See the old lady was running between 50 and 65 in the left lane, where traffic flow was running 70 to 75mph during rush hour. As soon as a vehicle got within three car lengths of her, she would slam on the brakes. That 30 or so complaints that she made to the police got turned into 30 or so charges of harassment against her I've had the luck to get behind some of these folks that think it's OK to brake check on the highway. What these folks do is cause accidents behind them, and slow traffic down. You don't stop to consider that it's not only the person directly behind you that is effected. But also the 100 or so cars behind them, plus the big rigs that need extra distance to slow dow. So we get someone that just pulls right tight in front of us, and cuts our cushion down for stopping. Then you have a tater head that decides at that some moment to brake check someone. Well guess what??? That tater head just stacked all the vehicles up behind them like an accordion, and possibly caused a wreck 20 or 30 cars back At the minimum, you just caused traffic to go from flowing smoothly, to a crawl. Thanks alot!!!!!

Anyone who slams on their brakes purposely because someone is too close behind them should be charged with dangerous driving. And I would not even touch my brakes if the person tailgating me had anyone behind them at all. Just too dangerous if for example that person slams on their brakes and causes the person behind them to rear end them.