Cruise control...gas saver, or gas waster?

[BeeferMan]

Better mileage or not is going to depend on the vehicle and the quality of the cruise control system, IMO. I've had some vehicles where the engine/transmission and cruise control worked very well together, those vehicles tended to get better mileage when using the cruise. I've had others where the lag in the cruise control is 3-4 mph and the resulting reaction of the drive train seems to cause to be less efficient than my foot. I think well-powered vehicles seem to work better with cruise, but in some the cruise control just seems to have too much slop in it to be efficient.

 

[mjncad]

Do you mean "steady speed" which is what you get with cruise control, or do you mean "steady foot", as you said, which means your vehicle slows on every upgrade and speeds up on every downgrade, no matter how slight?

Steady speed with minimal and gradual fluctuations in RPM's to maintain that speed, except where the grade demands significantly more throttle to climb the hill, or a requisite downshift to maintain control on descent.

By 'Steady foot' I meant to convey that I avoid rapid and frequent changes in RPM.

 

[MikeD74T]

The people not maintaining a constant speed don't bother me nearly as much as those that pull out to pass then take several miles to complete the pass. I suspect they have their CC set a fraction of a MPH faster than those they are passing. Either that or they're just inconsiderate drivers.

That bugs me too, then I rationalize I'm already a little over the speed limit so can't justify being angry that they are also. However when I'm 5 mph over the limit on cruise I don't speed up to pass just 'cause somebody behind or beside wants to go even faster. When someone hovers alondside for a long time I usually put my blinker on & drift toward them a little, usually changes their mind about hanging around. That probably meets most peoples definition of inconsiderate, but I do get out of the way as soon as I can without changing my speed. I'm comfortable in bumper to bumper/side to side high speed traffic (it's just survival in northeast Mass) but prefer to be all by myself on the road. MikeD74T