A friend sent me this,if it’s true I’ve learnt something

...I have never had a car with cruise control and never found the need to either want or fancy one!

 

Slightly untrue... MY cruise control is my right ankle, on the gas pedal. It is so much more reliable than any added tech.

I am a firm believer in using skill to maintain speed, increase, decrease etc and get back to the speed I need at the given time.Its far too easy to find you have to react to differing traffic, to allow a vehicle to travel unaided, at a pre-set rate of knots! 

I very much doubt that story as most CC systems should disengage when tyre slip is detected.

 

Even if you did floor it while hydroplaning, there would be no traction to accelerate let alone 'take off like an airplane'...

18 minutes ago, mrgf said:

...I have never had a car with cruise control and never found the need to either want or fancy one!

 

Slightly untrue... MY cruise control is my right ankle, on the gas pedal. It is so much more reliable than any added tech.

I am a firm believer in using skill to maintain speed, increase, decrease etc and get back to the speed I need at the given time.Its far too easy to find you have to react to differing traffic, to allow a vehicle to travel unaided, at a pre-set rate of knots! 

Each to their own but I will continue to use cruise control and find it easier

16 minutes ago, mrgf said:

...I have never had a car with cruise control and never found the need to either want or fancy one!

 

Slightly untrue... MY cruise control is my right ankle, on the gas pedal. It is so much more reliable than any added tech.

I am a firm believer in using skill to maintain speed, increase, decrease etc and get back to the speed I need at the given time.Its far too easy to find you have to react to differing traffic, to allow a vehicle to travel unaided, at a pre-set rate of knots! 

 

I find it interesting to watch other cars on the motorway when I'm using cruise control: there tends to be a lot of position swapping as the drivers depending on their right foot accelerate and decelerate at random.

 

In a world with increasing police focus on speed limit enforcement, cruise control is a very useful ally. Too easy to drift over the limit, especially in the long 50 or 60 km/h zones that are common either side of a village/town where there's plenty of room to catch people.

Next time I want my car to take off like an airplane, I'll know what to do.

Thanks; should make my commute much more fun, and quicker, on rainy days.

This was the photo that came with the original post

 

Edited 7 January, 20197 yr by Sad555

It's just an image to make the story seem more real as appears to be from an unrelated Australian crash where a man died: https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/man-killed-when-car-hits-tree-on-kianawah-rd-at-wynnum-west/news-story/5b2ed691236bb9eb9e6ed610dae798e9

 

As for the original story, it's been circulating since 2002: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/wild-when-wet/

There have been similar threads on here, with some posting that it states in the handbook not to use CC in the rain. All it states, in my handbook at least, is not to use it on loose, slippery or icy surfaces.

 

I would like to think if driving in the rain with CC engaged was such a dangerous issue, there would be a prominent warning in the handbook. 

 

I use CC when it's raining and, so far, I've not experienced any issues that would cause me to stop doing so. 

 

 

I only use cruise when im on the motorway, as a safety against speed traps.

 

As for aqua planing - yes, its a possibility, but its as likely when cc is not being used. Wheels will spin up, yes, likely to a higher speed, but its not going to cause any vehicle speed increase until you hit dry ground and the tyres grip again. Cc will detect the wheel speed change, and compensate anyway, even in a bad system, to slow the wheels down just like it does to prevent downhill runaway.

As for "launching your vehicle like an aeroplane" - no. Again, that will only happen when your tyres grip and you might get launched out through or over the ditch into the field next door if your unlucky enough to be sideways when they find traction... 

 

This has a smell of the "Lady who set the cruise in the rented motorhome and went in the back to make dinner" story which was also debunked several times... 

Edited 7 January, 20197 yr by mac11irl

I’m pretty sure cc drops out instantly when wheel slip is detected as it’s ultimately controlled by the ESP/DSC.

A large pothole did it to mine.

I'm regularly in and out of CC at 30, 40, 50 , 60 70 speed zones. Only out as traffic flow slows to below the road speed. Also CC improves fuel consumption.

If all cars Cruise Control was to 'disable' /switch off as the car detected wheel slip then CC on Part Time AWD's like those with Haldex or X-drive would mean that as soon as there was wheel slip detected to activate front or rear wheels the CC would be off and as many knows that is not what happens.

 

As to using CC in adverse weather or not it is frightening to think that people can not think about the difference between rain and wet roads or roads liable to lots of water where there could be aquaplaning.

Or winter roads and winter roads at or below freezing.

7 hours ago, Kenrw8 said:

I'm regularly in and out of CC at 30, 40, 50 , 60 70 speed zones. Only out as traffic flow slows to below the road speed. Also CC improves fuel consumption.

 

My does not, it will not go in to coast in cc.

Edited 8 January, 20197 yr by lol-lol

There was a link to a TESLA story posted by @Ryeman today, about a car doing the steering making a save when it went out of control on ice.

I liked a comment made on there about the TESLA having chosen to be on a iced up lane where a driver might have been in a lane clearer of ice.

1 hour ago, Skoffski said:

If all cars Cruise Control was to 'disable' /switch off as the car detected wheel slip then CC on Part Time AWD's like those with Haldex or X-drive would mean that as soon as there was wheel slip detected to activate front or rear wheels the CC would be off and as many knows that is not what happens.

 

What?

 

Im going to take a leap and assume you mean that car "A" is driving along at a cc speed, in a nice fwd only setting. Then, for whatever reason, the car or driver kicks in the rwd? And that change doesnt alter the cc being switched on? I would imagine thats because the system that control the drive system communicates with the cc so it knows whats going on. Also, unless kicking in the rwd causes the rear wheels to spin a lot faster than the front, (which it shouldnt really as the rear wheels will already be doing the same speed as the front, just not "driven") it wouldnt detect a slip issue?

Exactly that.   Or car B a RWD one that has FWD that kicks in. X-drive, Merc CLA's etc.

All cars are not the same, so assuming anything about what happens with CC if a car aquaplanes is nonsense IMO.

 

Maybe when someone is in CC and the cars aquaplanes then they will know what that car does. 

 

There are cars that know what the roads look like, gradients etc and can tell what is needed, they can still jot see big puddles or potholes.

 

PS.

CC stays on as cars go around corners / bends and inside and outside wheels / axles are covering different distances.  But then that has always been the case and designers, engineers and software engineers know that.

As well as CC there is ESP / TC or ASR.

 

@9 minutes,  All lovely stuff.

 

 

Edited 7 January, 20197 yr by Skoffski

It could be aquaplaning,......... it could be hydroplaning.......it could be GREASED LIGHTNING!!!!

 

11 hours ago, Skoffski said:

 

As well as CC there is ESP / TC or ASR

 

 

CC is available without ESP/ASR or TC, like mine and stays on on cornering.

Edited 8 January, 20197 yr by Kenrw8

@Kenrw8, Exactly!  Cruise Control is available on cars like yours where Skoda never fitted ESP as standard until the last possible time they could get away without fitting it.

In this decade Skoda still had it as an 'Optional Extra'  on some cars, cars where some might have Cruise Control ticked as an Optional Extra, but not ESP.

 

This is a reason why no driver should assume that 'safety' is built in or the manufacturers ensure that in the event of loss of control CC will disable / switch off.

Hmmm I'd have suggested that in bad weather you shouldn't have cc on because you're not fully in control of the car.

I don't use cc in heavy rain or snow/ice.

Er, won't the aquaplaning cause the front tyres to spin up, the CC read that as an increase in speed, and the CC therefore back off the power?

Edited 9 January, 20197 yr by KenONeill

On 07/01/2019 at 14:51, chimaera said:

 

I find it interesting to watch other cars on the motorway when I'm using cruise control: there tends to be a lot of position swapping as the drivers depending on their right foot accelerate and decelerate at random.

 

In a world with increasing police focus on speed limit enforcement, cruise control is a very useful ally. Too easy to drift over the limit, especially in the long 50 or 60 km/h zones that are common either side of a village/town where there's plenty of room to catch people.

Yeah but slowing/speeding up intentionally and correctly, is potentially good, safe driving. Driving on auto pilot only takes an instant to go from safe comfortable driving, to effin ell! I nearly drove straight into the back of that traffic jam/through those red lights, too fast around that bend, etc. 

1 minute ago, mrgf said:

Yeah but slowing/speeding up intentionally and correctly, is potentially good, safe driving. Driving on auto pilot only takes an instant to go from safe comfortable driving, to effin ell! I nearly drove straight into the back of that traffic jam/through those red lights, too fast around that bend, etc. 

I don't see driving on cruise control as being on autopilot: I see it as the vehicle systems taking over a low-level function leaving me free to pay more attention to the road. It's one less thing to concentrate on in an environment where there are many, many things to have to concentrate on.

True-to a degree. But think, cc on, driving 70. You se an issue and have to brake. After braking, the cc disconnects. AFTER braking!

 

Now, on the gas, same situation, as soon as I come off gas to brake, car is starting to decelerate. Not by a huge margin but still, it is slowing, not constant.

 

I know someone will say "Yeah, but I will brake before you get off the gas" But I think this most unlikely unless you drive with your foot right above the brake pedal anyway. this in itself will cause fatigue and also, occasionally, a mis-brake due to human nature. (Similar to keeping hand on signal lever when anticipating a manoeuvre makes someone more likely to signal when they don't actually mean to).

So, you have your foot on the floor. It will most likely take as long er possibly longer, to start the braking process, depending on exactly where you place your foot. Wont be quicker though!

 

Being on the gas also means you can instantly INCREASE your speed, which can often help PREVENT an accident!

Ok, a modest engined vehicle, in fifth gear travelling at 70 will not speed up quick but in third at 40, could help. A lot. 

 

I am not saying cc is unhelpful but as with all modern tech, it can also be mis-used and often, it is giving a driver a false sense of safety, where the driver then takes larger risks. 

Many people recon automatics are more relaxing and so are safer. If they were safer, insurance companies would give bigger deals for auto's, they don't though! Many think manuals are safer as they engage you more and focus the driver. If this was true, THEY would have lower premiums so its not all cut and dried, so to speak. 

 

I do wonder if insurance companies collate information about accidents and whether cc was being used or not, at the time. The problem here is, not all cars have it fitted anyway so its such a nightmare scenario to determine if its a safety feature or purely a comfort one. 

 

So, basically, its "Each to their own", As the saying goes. 

 

Oh-and if you see using the gas pedal as a low level function, no disrespect but I am glad you live well away from me!