What are the reasons for NOT using Cruise Control?

[Sysop]

Geeze... quit picking which nits please ya. Can you not remember the message you previously questioned?

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.

You're the one that seemed to want to know makes or models, I didn't feel it was necessary to rehash the bit about forcing a downshift before starting up the hill... Of course, you are the one that thinks everyone in a line of traffic must go slower than the vehicle in front of them, so perhaps I'm expecting a bit much. Perhaps I should know better and spoon-feed it all, I just ain't got that kinda time...

 

[MossRoad]

I don't ever recall asking makes and models in this thread. I did question the reliability and safety of a vehicle that can't go the speed limit.

 

[Sysop]

Well, for my area, that would be pretty much all of the vehicles built with base engines. Reliability comes from not dogging it up the hills expecting to maintain the speed limit. Safety comes from keeping these sorts of underpowered vehicles in the right lane and on the occasions they need to move left, not having idiots trying to pass on the right.

 

[MossRoad]

all of the vehicles built with base engines.

I highly doubt that. Highly.

 

[Sysop]

Doubt it all you like, I personally can't recall ever seeing one that will. Especially when, as stated before, you load up the average 400-700lbs family of four.

 

[MossRoad]

There's plenty of cars with base engines that can hold the speed limit up hills on WV highways. Just go out to I64 and watch.

 

[Sysop]

I'm not that far south often. If you want me to be specific about it, climbing Cheat mountain on I68 heading towards Maryland causes many to do the constant speed changes I was describing.

Downshift when ya step on it to start the hill, continue losing speed. Downshift again and start gaining some speed back. Upshift at/near redline but not back up at the speed limit. Unable to hold the speed again, it starts slowing down till it downshifts again. This is what is experienced in cars like the new Fusions, Camry, or Malibu in their least expensive configurations with 400lbs of more of passenger/cargo weight added. Running them this hard, isn't normal or common. Most folk go ahead and slow down so the gear that will hold or gain some speed isn't redlined. Of course then they get 'ran over' by folk with more powerful vehicles using CC.

To be fair, they have added a truck lane to many of our steepest grades for the especially slow traffic. That's not always the case, though it is getting better.

Many of our secondary roads have even steeper grades than found on the main interstates.

 

[MossRoad]

That section of I68 is one of my favorite drives. I had business in Hagerstown, MD, quite frequently, until about 2 years ago. I first went through that area in daylight around 2005. Never knew it was so pretty. Always drove it at night for 20 years before that. Now I purposely take that route. I take US33 SE to Columbus, OH, then east on 70 to Wheeling, WV. Then, depending how I feel, I'll take several different routes towards Morgantown. WV. The I hop on 68 east to Hagarstown, MD. I particularly like the Cumberland, MD area as we've been going through there since before we got married, so, about 35 years. I take a similar route home, but frequently head over towards Indy from Columbus to visit family.

My favorite part of that drive is when I head back home, West, across Maryland towards WV at or near sunset. Up and down over all those ridges is a blast to drive in the evening light. I put the old 2000 Impala in 3 and it just sailed right on up the hills. I have not made that drive in our 2013 Impala yet, but it base engine (it's ONLY available engine) is 300hp and capable or 150+, so I doubt it will be a problem.

I've driven that stretch of road in several 70's Chevy's, 80's Chevy's, 93 Chevy van conversion with 4.3L V6 (that one struggled to maintain, but did maintain), our 2000 Impala as mentioned, and many rental cars that I have no idea of the make, model, or engine size, and a company Taurus with a crummy little engine. I was never not able to maintain the speed limit.

For that matter, I liked that drive so much, that back in 2005, when we took an 8 day family vacation, and we drove back through that area, I was so impressed with our 2000 Impala's performance, its ability to maintain its speed with cruise control at 70mph in 3rd gear without varying 1/2 mile per hour, that I posted about it here on TBN!
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/related-topics/20445-chevy-impala-owners-1.html#post673306

Well, I know this is dredging up an old post, but we bought a 2000 Impala LS a little over a year ago and last week we took it on its first major road trip. We put in about 2500 miles in 8 days. Northern Indiana south to the Smokies, across North Carolina to the ocean, up to Virginia, across Skyline Drive, then west through mountains back to Ohio and home again.

I've got to say that this car is a fine automobile. The car did very well on gas. We used just shy of 100 gallons and that includes traffic jams, torrential rains, construction zones, very hard mountain driving and a marathon drive across N.C. in 100 degree heat with the air on every day. What impressed me most was the ease of driving up the mountains between Maryland and Ohio. It held 70 MPH in 3rd with the cruise control and sailed past everyone without varying 1/2 MPH ever with power to spare. Just plain amazing.

Plenty of room for me, my wife and our two kids in the back seat and all their toys, books and snacks. The trunk is absolutely huge. We had three suitcases, two shoulder bags, several blankets, two pillows, four 6' beach umbrellas, two boogie boards, and all sorts of other assorted souveniers in there and could have fit in another suitcase.

I'd recommend this car to anyone looking for a large 4-door sedan. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

And in that post, I said I sailed past everyone, so, yes, it appears that there were cars that were struggling to maintain speed in 2005. So there, you are vindicated.

 

[turnkey4099]

I'm not that far south often. If you want me to be specific about it, climbing Cheat mountain on I68 heading towards Maryland causes many to do the constant speed changes I was describing.

Downshift when ya step on it to start the hill, continue losing speed. Downshift again and start gaining some speed back. Upshift at/near redline but not back up at the speed limit. Unable to hold the speed again, it starts slowing down till it downshifts again. This is what is experienced in cars like the new Fusions, Camry, or Malibu in their least expensive configurations with 400lbs of more of passenger/cargo weight added. Running them this hard, isn't normal or common. Most folk go ahead and slow down so the gear that will hold or gain some speed isn't redlined. Of course then they get 'ran over' by folk with more powerful vehicles using CC.

To be fair, they have added a truck lane to many of our steepest grades for the especially slow traffic. That's not always the case, though it is getting better.

Many of our secondary roads have even steeper grades than found on the main interstates.

Have you ever actuayyl DRIVEN one of them? I suspect you haven't. A 6% grade is common on most mountain roads with occasional 7%. Lewiston hill (6 miles) is 3 miles of each. I have not seen one car that can't pull it. I have a 2005 Ford 500 with the base small engine. It will shift down and maintain 65 all the way up.

 

[Sysop]

I already stated I won't buy a vehicle with the base model engine, because; I have rode in, watched, and listened to plenty enough of them climbing the hills to know that they all shift back and forth all the way up the hill if loaded with much more than a driver. If you choose to drive like that, more power to ya. From everything I've seen, cars don't last nearly as long if you want to thrash them up the hills at the speed limits (which is 70). Backing off to 65 or even 55 is the smart thing to do for both fuel economy and longevity of your vehicle...