Cruise control is like a built in metronome for your car

amyFB · #1 03-21-2017, 01:15 PM

PSA: the only alternative to cruise control for maintaining a steady speed while driving is to keep your foot on the gas pedal at a constant pressure that is adjusted slightly as needed to keep that steady speed steady as she goes.

The car I don't want to follow is driven by the person who presses the gas pedal until the car is 5 mph over the limit, then lets off the pedal and coasts until the car is 5mph under the limit, then repeats this press/release pattern for the entire drive.

I don't even want to be a passenger in a car driven like that.

Please try to recognize if this is a trait that applies to you.

I'm not able to safely pass you because of this pattern of accelerate/decelerate; I do not want to be forced to drive at inconsistent speeds, and I don't appreciate the negative impact on gas mileage.

thank you for listening.
amyfb

fazool · #2 03-21-2017, 01:31 PM

I was once on a business trip and got picked up by our regional sales manager - who I liked very much.

He drove and pulsated his foot on the gas pedal at an never-ending pace of about 20-30 bpm, car speed going up/down by a few MPH every 2-3 seconds.

I got so carsick driving with him it was so awful. You would have thought it was a Youtube gag or prank but it wasn't

Dirk Hofman · #3 03-21-2017, 01:32 PM

I'm always amazed at how hard it is to pass someone at 75mph who was previously going about 65mph. I just want to go 70 in cruise. Not racing anyone. It's not an attack if I pass you.

If you live in Seattle, get out of the left lane. You're not passing anyone. Again, not a personal attack if I want by. It's OK. Just move.

unimogbert · #4 03-21-2017, 01:55 PM

..........

amyFB · #5 03-21-2017, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unimogbert

It's worse if the person is not only pulsing the throttle but is using the brake to bring it back down. (I've ridden with such - once)

oh yes i've been behind that driver also; easier to identify by the 10mph variance up or down.

Quote:

Originally Posted by unimogbert

Some cruise controls hold speed very tightly (my euro-sedan). Others operate in a zone with a bit of range between the high and low (my jeeps). Don't confuse the range wandering behavior with driver inattention. (strangely the jeeps want to go UP the hill faster in the speed range and go slower downhill)

Good point; I think in my volvo c30 I have a similar 1-2mph variance in my cruise control and while I am sensitive to this possibility, my gripe is with the clear and obvious instances of driver non-control.

Riverwolf · #6 03-21-2017, 02:06 PM

Sounds like you all have met my ex-wife.

reeve21 · #7 03-21-2017, 02:13 PM

The street between my office and my house has a posted speed limit of 40 mph.

There is a senior citizens center at one end of the street and a bar at the other.

So I have the pleasure of doing 45 and being tailgated by the young folks in a hurry to get the suds (I pull over and let them by, usually) going one way, and doing 20 mph and trying not to tailgate the seniors going the other way. I can always predict which car is going to turn into a particular parking lot!

JosephW · #8 03-21-2017, 04:16 PM

As it's been said, different vehicles operate differently. My old car had a great cruise control, only on the steepest of hills did it falter and then floor it to catch up. The truck, on the other hand, seems completely incapable of maintaining a steady speed on the slightest hill. I don't use cruise control on it except on interstate highways when the variations in elevation are usually minor.

As far as passing, the rule around here seems to be "go 80 when in a passing zone, go 50 when you're not".

catdaddy · #9 03-21-2017, 04:50 PM

Anyone else having concerns that the AI which will be an integral part of the inevitable tide of change in our society regarding driverless vehicles will be modeled on Riverwolf's ex-wife's driving habits?

Silly Moustache · #10 03-21-2017, 05:00 PM

You guys have never driven in England have you?

Apart from a few of our motorways (speed limit 70mph but if you drive at 70 you are regarded as a mobile chicane) it is pretty much impossible to do a constant speed for more than a few hundred yards .... but we speed as fast as we can to the next jam.

I am now old and grey and am rarely in a hurry. I am the sort of person that I used to hate when I was a working man!

Brucebubs · #11 03-21-2017, 06:32 PM

I was in a car club and was once a passenger with a driver who drove On/Off the accelerator just as you described.
Made me very car sick.
We went on a club drive one day, all fueled up our cars together and several hours later, all stopped to top up our tanks again.
Guess who used the most amount of fuel?
Yep, Mr On/Off.
Here's a pic of my car.

6L6 · #12 03-21-2017, 07:26 PM

I loves me my Cruise Control.

It gives me much more time to text my friends while cruising down the highway!

gjd100 · #13 03-21-2017, 07:54 PM

I love my V8 for situations like that (Erratic drivers..... By By)

CodeBlueEMT · #14 03-21-2017, 08:10 PM

Cruise control is a feature like automatic headlights - Most people are clueless on how they work.

I love cruise control. Keeps me at a constant speed and gives my right foot a break, especially on long trips.

The Growler · #15 03-21-2017, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

I was in a car club and was once a passenger with a driver who drove On/Off the accelerator just as you described.
Made me very car sick.
We went on a club drive one day, all fueled up our cars together and several hours later, all stopped to top up our tanks again.
Guess who used the most amount of fuel?
Yep, Mr On/Off.
Here's a pic of my car.

Sweet Fairlady 2000!

Do you still have it?