Cruise control/ safe or not at..?

[AIR-Quarius]

Just wondering if on a long stretch of road, you are going say...55 mph. Can cruise control be used?

[Melody Ranch]

Yes

[Jim Clark]

Originally Posted by AIR-Quarius

Just wondering if on a long stretch of road, you are going say...55 mph. Can cruise control be used?

I use mine all the time, never had a thought about not using it. I use the + and - to make minor speed adjustments, much smoother than my foot. I hope I am not doing something considered dangerous.

[AIR-Quarius]

Thankyou

[wahoonc]

I use mine on long empty stretches of road, however if traffic starts getting heavy or erratic I am quick to turn it off.

Aaron

[AWCHIEF]

I use mine when ever it is practicle. Got a bit of a craped out back and right leg so the cruise control allows me to stretch my leg out and move it around. Keeps the cramps down. Definetly turn it off in traffic or dicy conditions.

[mefly2]

All the time ... weather and traffic permitting... but then I rarely exceed 60mph and prefer under 55.

[jrudd1968]

Use mine all the time on interstates. Not so much on other roads.

[overlander63]

My owner's manual says not to use it when towing. Their reasoning is the cruise control (it's a drive by wire truck) can cause the engine to over-rev, and grenade.
That's not to say I don't use it on fairly level stretches, though.

[azflycaster]

I use mine all the time. I turn if off going up long hills and on wet or slippery roads.

[Stefrobrts]

I don't use it on hills where I'm downshifting to get to the top, or keeping it in a low gear to help slow our descent. I've heard you shouldn't use it in the rain. But straight, flat, dry, boring stretches - sure, why not?

[MrUKToad]

Funnily enough I find that my right foot is better at limiting the number of gear changes than the cruise control; it's because (I think), if I drop slightly below my set speed, I'm more patient than the cruise control in building the speed up again. That said, I have used it in the past, traffic and weather permitting.

[MrUKToad]

Originally Posted by Stefrobrts

I don't use it on hills where I'm downshifting to get to the top, or keeping it in a low gear to help slow our descent. I've heard you shouldn't use it in the rain. But straight, flat, dry, boring stretches - sure, why not?

It was explained to me that if you get into a situation in the rain where the road wheels lose traction, like when you aqua-plane, the cruise control detects that the wheels are moving more slowly and heaps on the power to try to get the wheels going at the right speed again, which is probably not what you want if you are aqua-planing.

[Wazbro]

I use it a lot on flat roads. Any hills or even overpasses I turn it off. The way my cruise control works on even small hills and overpasses it drops 1-2 MPH going up then as the hill starts to level out and I gain speed without the cruise adding throttle, the cruise suddenly increases throttle significantly and accelerates to 3-4 MPH faster then the cruise was set, seems like really poor programming.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by MrUKToad

It was explained to me that if you get into a situation in the rain where the road wheels lose traction, like when you aqua-plane, the cruise control detects that the wheels are moving more slowly and heaps on the power to try to get the wheels going at the right speed again, which is probably not what you want if you are aqua-planing.

All this may have been true at one time, but the first thing that happens with ANY activation of Stability control, traction control, etc, is automatic and instantaneous disengagement of cruise control. At least on GM vehicles, and I suspect on most others as well.
Use it whenever you are comfortable with it. I also disengage in heavy traffic or in hilly terrain where I don't like the power apply logic. Cruise control can't anticipate like a driver can....just yet. In a couple of years cars will "see" what's ahead and will be able to anticipate a lot of things. Cadillac first, then filtered down to a lot of vehicles.

[MrUKToad]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

All this may have been true at one time, but the first thing that happens with ANY activation of Stability control, traction control, etc, is automatic and instantaneous disengagement of cruise control. At least on GM vehicles, and I suspect on most others as well.

You're absolutely right, Rich, I tend to forget that it's there. My Toyota stability thing is excellent and I have a hard time getting the Sienna to do anything naughty at all on the snow, much to the relief of my step-kids who do not like my displays of handbrake turns and drifting in the other car!

I should point out that I'm not hitched to the Airstream whilst attempting said snow acrobatics....

[TG Twinkie]

I believe you can get better mileage by not using CC. Because when you approach a hill and the speed starts to drop off. The CC effectively puts the throttle to the floor. Wasting fuel in an effort to bring the speed back to the set point.
That said, I do use it on occasion. To give the leg a rest.

[switz]

I watch the EGT gage and manually shift the automatic to keep the turbo charger temperatures in a safe range. I use the CC on the level or mild hills.

[dkottum]

Not safe on slippery roads, and not good for the transmission if it is shifting down repeatedly. If it is shifting down too much, you are probably in too high a gear and below the needed torque range, move it down a gear. If it still shifts down repeatedly, you probably have too small an engine or too big a load. For most gas engines on steep grades you should take it out of cruise control and manually select the gear/rpm/speed to comfortably go up (and down) the grade.

doug k

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by dkottum

Not safe on slippery roads, and not good for the transmission if it is shifting down repeatedly. If it is shifting down too much, you are probably in too high a gear and below the needed torque range, move it down a gear. If it still shifts down repeatedly, you probably have too small an engine or too big a load. For most gas engines on steep grades you should take it out of cruise control and manually select the gear/rpm/speed to comfortably go up (and down) the grade.

doug k

This is really not a function of CC, IMO. If there is shift business, manually shift down and use cruise in the lower manually selected gear, just as you would with the human foot cruise control. As to slippery roads....again, on reasonably new vehicles, traction control will de-activate cruise if any slippage is present. A non-issue IMPO. (Snow/ice excluded...cruise isn't a great idea...towing or not.)