Cruise control

I've always heard you should only use it on the highway. Why shouldn't I use it in town when traffic isn't congested?

Reply to
Reasoned Insanity
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I use mine all the time, in town or on the highway, speed limit in town

30,35,40,45, 55 that's where I set it, keeps me from getting those pesky speeding tickets. I'd set it at 20 in the school zones but the one on my Toyota won't set at that slow of speed, the one on my pickup will and I can use it in school zones. Occasionally I get tailgated or passed but so far that's never caused the cruise control to speed up and I doubt it ever will. And I wish Toyota cruise had a resume like Honda, it will be deciding factor next time I buy a car.
Reply to
Fat Moe

"Reasoned Insanity" wrote in news:x7Hll.2691$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe09.iad:

Because in town you have the strong possibility of unexpected events which may demand instant reaction and varying speeds. You have driveways, intersections, curves, pedestrians, cyclists, all sorts of things.

Besides, in town you're unlikely to be able to keep a steady speed for more than a few minutes, and cruise doesn't operate below 45mph, so you'd have to keep fiddling with it every time you had to slow down or brake.

Cruise is meant as a "set it and forget it" thing, something you activate, then leave alone for a long time. The longest I ever had the cruise engaged without any sort of input from me was three hours, in Alberta several summers ago. That was three hours of arrow-straight, deserted rural highway. Boring as hell, let me tell you. I would have got a cramp in my right foot, I'm sure, had we not had the cruise.

Reply to
Tegger

Because you'd have to reset it constantly? More effort/nuisance than it'd be worth.

Cathy

Reply to
Cathy F.

The Toy's we've had since 96 - Avalons and later the Highlanders, have all had a resume setting.

One for Scott (in same vein as this) "What causes the biggest traffic jam in Florida?"

Blue haired old lady in a Cadillac doing 45 in the fast lane with her left turn signal on.

Ron

Reply to
ron

I usually use mine on the way to work when there is not much traffic. Most of the speed limits are 35 and 45 mph. My 2007 Tacoma with the 4 cylinder will hold atleast down to 35 mph. It may shift a few times when going up and down some of the hills where it would not shift if the cruise was not used. Don't try that with ice or snow on the road as one of the shifts may send you into a spin.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

To try to save even more gas mostly. Even in town I can usually drive a good

5 minutes before I have to change my speed.
Reply to
Reasoned Insanity

If it is like my truck you will probably use more gas as the transmission drops to a lower gear to keep the same speed if you go up and down hills.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

Toyota cruise controls do have a resume feature, as long as the speed hasn't dropped below 25 MPH, in which case the resume feature will not work.

Reply to
Ray O

The minimum speed for Toyota cruise controls is 25 MPH.

Reply to
Ray O

I didn't know it was that low, I have used it at 30MPH before.

Reply to
Reasoned Insanity

Reply to
Ray O

I agree, using cruise control on the local roads around here is not worth the effort because of all the traffic and traffic signals. I will occasionally use cruise control on Highland or Hassell because of the long stretches of 30 MPH zone. Next time you have the Previa on those streets, try and see if it will set.

Reply to
Ray O

I LIVE in Alberta--tell me WHAT highway you will able to set it and forget it for THREE hours??!! Not any that I am aware of and I have lived here for almost 63 years.

Reply to
Sharx35

Boy, it must SURELY be fun to be behind you.

Reply to
Sharx35

Of the few cars that pass me, I always catch up to them at the next light. I speed by maybe 2 miles an hour in town, but it honestly isn't worth it.

Reply to
Reasoned Insanity

I just blimp it at the speed limit and that's it until the next light stop sign whatever, might be a few blocks sometimes it's miles. It's the fastest, easiest, safest and the only legal way to get from point A to point B. I've known a couple of people that were riding with me and thought it was stupid until they watched for a bit and saw how easy it is, one guy no longer uses his radar detector. Now what I'd really like to see is something electronic sent out from the roadside to automatically set the cruise control, yes it would be the driver's option don't get excited, hit a button and go the speed limit whatever it is, and automatically reduce speeds also, so as to not have to worry about school zones or approaching reduced speed limit outside of towns. Anyone that thinks they can drive right at the speed limit for an hour or even 10 minutes is only kidding themselves.

I'll have to send that idea to Obama.

Reply to
Fat Moe

The auto speed set would work for me.

Many times I find myself going over the speed limits in the 35 and 45 mph zones. Sometimes they change several times in a short distance and it is hard to remember which the last one was. I have about a 5 mile streach going to work without a stoplight. In that distance I startoff at 55 mph, slow to

  1. Got to 35 then stop light. about 1/2 mile down is the next 45 zone. If I don't really watch it , I will be going 45 in that 35 zone and the police like to watch that part of the road. At 5:30 in the morning I may not even see a car on that part of the road. I think it is because the Krispy Kreem opens at 6:00 and it gives them just enough time to watch that road and make it to the opening time. If I wait to about 5:45 I usually get passed by the police car. I usually use the cruise control to make sure I am not much over 35 in that area.
Reply to
Ralph Mowery

Mine does.. "05 Corolla". It uses the "stalk" type control. Which I actually much prefer vs the usual U.S. style of placing buttons on the steering wheel. With mine, if it's been set, and then disabled, you can resume by flicking the lever up. IE: it's down to set, pull in to disable, pull up to resume. And if it's on, bumping up or down will reset the speed by about 2 mph a bump.. Also, mine seems to pretty much set to work at 25 mph or so, as Ray says. I can cruise at 30 mph, but I can't cruise through a 20 mph speed zone. I wish it would, cuz some I go through are very long..

Reply to
nm5k

I love it on the Thruway or any other highway where one can keep to a set speed for long periods of time. Saves me from a potential speeding ticket. Plus I know I won't unwittingly drive cars behind me nuts by unintentionally varying my speed. But trying to use it on town/village/city streets - it would drive me bonkers.

Cathy

Reply to
Cathy F.

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