Cruise control - How does it work?

Not sure how it works, but AFAIK it makes the car less fuel efficient.
Clarkson drove an Audi A8 from London to Scotland on Top Gear recently and noticed that when he had cruise control on, the car was less fuel efficient.
Having said that, I find it very useful when driving on motorways.
 
teddyk said:
Not sure how it works, but AFAIK it makes the car less fuel efficient.
Clarkson drove an Audi A8 from London to Scotland on Top Gear recently and noticed that when he had cruise control on, the car was less fuel efficient.
Having said that, I find it very useful when driving on motorways.
Click to expand...


That's interesting about Clarkson's findings. I drive a friend's car on motorways regularly and can't beat the cruise control's results. The car's owner says the same and reckons that using the +1/-1 speed adjustment works more economically than adjusting the speed manually. OTOH I'd bow to Jeremy's driving ability!
 
Cruise control

Whether it delivers fuel efficiency depends on the road gradient it seems

Use Cruise Control — Selectively
Using cruise control can improve your gas mileage by helping you maintain a steady speed, but only if you are driving on mostly flat roads. If you are driving in hilly terrain, using cruise control typically causes your vehicle to speed up faster (to maintain the preset speed) than it would if you were operating the accelerator yourself. Before you push that cruise control button, think about the terrain ahead
(From )

This study here suggest up to 14% savings on fuel can be achieved, average 7%.


More of the same here.
http://www.eartheasy.com/live_fuel_efficient_driving.htm
 
Cruise control in Ireland is not really worth the extra cost unless you spend a lot of time on motorways or National routes..

Having said that, I have used it in USA and I think it is fantastic though the roads there are wide and straight.

How it works? You flick a lever on your steering column and it keeps the car at your current speed; you can usually flick it a little to increase/decrease speed. If you touch the brake at all, it automatically disengages. It is a great way to control your speed too
 
I use it in Ireland. It's great on the longer drives. Without it my leg would get stiff from holding it in one position for a long time.

It's also great to check your speed. On the motorways or bigger roads I usually flick it on and no longer need to keep an eye on the speedometer.

I'll definately be looking for it on my next car.
 
car said:
can you get cruise fitted to a car?
Click to expand...
on a new car, yes, if its available as an option.

on a used car, I would say, it would be costly. If the car has the wiring loom that provides it, it would be possible, but not worth the cost.

I'm going for it too on my next car. I'll be doing a lot of weekend driving up the M1 and the odd trip to Cork, so it'll come in handy
 
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