Cruise Control

[floggit]

This is my first car with cruise control. Used c/control for first time at weekend and found it made the trip even more relaxing. The question is at a steady 75 mph is it better to use it or not from a mpg point of view ???

May be a stupid question but like i said ive never had it before .

thanks.

[graham8370]

Hi Floggit,

I'm sure it's better to use the cruise control. Haven't any hard proof of this however. As you say, from a relaxing driving point of view, it does make driving less stressful. I came back from London last night along the much photographed A3 using the c/c set at the speed limit of 50mph. No need for me to worry about the cameras as I knew I wouldn't be breaking the limit. So many cars overtaking, seeing the cameras, braking like mad and then speeding up to 70/80 mph only to break like mad again a few hundred yards further along. I'm convinced it makes sense economically.

[TigerFish]

From an MPG perspective it has always given better consumption on any of the cars I have used with cruise control fitted. Without it you always end up dropping a few miles an hour on speed and then need more gas to get back up to speed again.

[floggit]

yep 2 good points guys, i like it so will be using it when possible, so much better to keep constant steady speed than as you say constant accelerating and braking. Coming from a golf gti the ls has much improved my driving style, much smoother and more enjoyable now (and safer)

thanks.

[IanB]

I'm sure it does help for all the reasons stated. Another benefit very few of you will ever need, is that it saves wear and tear on my right hand :winky: That's because I have hand controls.

I use it frequently in all speed limits, 30 upwards. As long as the traffic is moving steadily, I can drive using it much of the time. Also avoids Gatso problems :)

A great invention.

IanB :D

[Chris Skelton]

Takes a bit of getting used to though! You feel you're accelerating towards things! Withoout you touching the pedal!

Britain's roads are not best for it, I guess, but motorways O.K. Cruised at 95 (sorry....70) all the way from Preston to Carlisle once early Easter Sunday, with hardly a car in sight.

But 'Floggit'? You'll have to change your monicker to 'Cruisit' now?

[Giblet]

cruise control is much more relaxing, used it loads when I lived in USA and done 800 miles non stop (except for petrol) and got out fresh as a daisy. It is surprising how much brain activity is used to just keep the accelerator right.

As for MPG, I think what has been said is true, except when you take hills into account. Cruise will try and accelerate up using more petrol to keep you at same speed when most economical would be to let speed drop a bit and recover going downhill, and in practice manually we do something in between.

Problem is in this country you don't get much option to use it, but when you are on a road like US interstates where everybody is on cruise it comes into its own.