Do you have/ use cruise control

[krousdb]

If you find something that works, let me know. Better yet, maybe you could get me one and send it to me.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Matt Timion

On my car the cruise control actuator attaches to the gas pedal.

mine's the same. aftermarket from eBay. about $100 cdn after exchange & shipping. works well. took an afternoon to figure out how best to mount it, and then do the actual job.

i liked the fact that i could "tune" it by playing with the dip switches. (throttle response & "depth" of response to changing speeds)

it could have been hooked to the VSS, or to a magnet kit on one of the driveshafts, or to the coil +VE wire (that's what i did).

of course, i only use it on flat ground. i use it less than i used to because i'm more of a FE nerd than i used to be, and the cruise isn't as smart as i am.

a throttle control is an interesting idea - force the car to drive to load.

though i once tried it with a snow brush between the seat and the pedal, and it was immediately apparent that a fixed throttle results in a huuuuge speed variability unless you're on perfectly flat ground. at a "target" of 95 km/h, the fixed throttle had me anywhere from 80 - 110 km/h on a gently rolling highway.

[krousdb]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

though i once tried it with a snow brush between the seat and the pedal, and it was immediately apparent that a fixed throttle results in a huuuuge speed variability unless you're on perfectly flat ground. at a "target" of 95 km/h, the fixed throttle had me anywhere from 80 - 110 km/h on a gently rolling highway.

That range is acceptable to me. Have you patented the snow brush? Are they for sale on your website? I'll take two.

[MetroMPG]

i'm ok with the "slow down" part of the range, but i'd prefer it if it didn't speed up on the high side of my target. disproportionate aerodynamic penalty, and all that.

it would be neat to spec out a fuel efficient cruise control.

[MetroMPG]

my special throttle control method isn't patented. but instead of you spending all that time designing your own solution, how 'bout you send me $14.99 and i'll e-mail you plans for making one!

[diamondlarry]

This talk of throttle controls reminded me that my grandpa's '52 Ford pickup truck came with a throttle control in the dash. You got going as fast as you wanted then pulled the knob out until it stopped. I think you could step on the gas to speed up but it wouldn't go any lower than you had it set. Of course, since there wasn't much in the way of computer controls back then, you had to remember to push the knob back in before you stuck the clutch in. :-)

[rh77]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

it would be neat to spec out a fuel efficient cruise control.

I use cruise control on the highway frequently. The thing that I don't like is, for example, you're traversing a U-Shaped grade. The throttle pulls back at the top of the hill, you coast, but since the car doesn't know a hill is ahead, it waits until the pre-set speed is reached, and a large amount of momentum is lost. That's when I just give it throttle just leaving the decent of the U.

Another complaint is wild cruise controls on automatics (which really are most of them). So, we're going back up the U and the car reaches kickdown because of the power required. Then it's almost useless as a fuel efficient device because it'll keep inputing throttle, increasing RPMs and shifting. The contant pressure on the pedal is lost.

What Chrysler has done lately is the "Out-of-Control" downshift on their cruise modes. If you're going down a hill and the car is drifting faster and faster, it will automatically downshift to hold the car back. Probably not good for mileage, but it keeps the cruise close to the target.

RH77