I bought one of the Rostra cruise control kits for my 07 Corolla (5 speed). It has a clutch switch with it, but I wonder if I even really need to install it. After all, I can't ever recall disengaging the cruise by pushing the clutch in first---at the very least I would be depressing the break at the same time wouldn't I?
Anybody aware of any real downside to just forgetting about the clutch switch?
Sean Elkins opin'd thus:
OK, you're driving down the road with the cruise control engaged. You decide you want to upshift or downshift. You push in the clutch pedal. Your engine revs to past the redline. The engine is destroyed. Don't you wish you had put the clutch switch in now??
Well, in addition to this...
You probably would be voiding the warranty of the item you bought. You're also likely voiding any and all warranties that may be on the car now too.
I would strongly suggest installing it whether you feel you need to or not. Probably all kinds of safety implications by not installing it that you, I, and/or anyone else in this newsgroup don't even know of.
Good luck, no matter which route you take. :)
I know I'll be sorry for asking this, but if you bought the Corolla new, why on earth didn't you order it with a factory installed cruise control?
As several people have mentioned, the clutch switch is needed to keep the engine from over-revving or burning out the clutch when you re-engage the clutch.
Factory cruise control systems have a switch on the clutch pedal, and it comes in handy if you want to disengage the cruise without activating the brake lights - just tap the clutch pedal enough to disengage the cruise.
All the other people that answered this are just overly cautious.
Look at it this way: if you have the cruise control on, chances are the only time you're going to depress the clutch is when a Bull Moose runs into your path, and three things are going to happen:
You might have all kinds of insurance implications as well. I would also venture to bet if you sold a vehicle with cruise control but didn't note you failed to completely install it, you might have some liability if someone were to wreck in the vehicle.
I think to save myself legal, liability, moral, and ethical issues down the road, I would install it.
You don't want to be charged with criminally negligent homicide.
See, that's what I thought at first...but I'll be darned if I can ever remember wanting to shift while the cruise was engaged that I didn't tap the breaks first.
I'm not going to sell it, but I take your point.
Dunno why you would be sorry for asking.
Because of the way Toyota packages their options for the Corolla (CE vs. LE) I would have had to pay $1000 more and get a bunch of options I didn't want in order to get one with cruise. You can't just say "I want the base model with a 5-speed and cruise control as the only option."
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