Speed differentials

[TheInsanity1234]

... I'd rather use my foot in dense traffic because it means I can do smoother adjustments, and indeed, change gear if necessary, whereas with cruise on, I'd be tempted to ignore the gearbox and just try to do all my accelerating in 5th lol.

If you're in a situation where you need to change gear then I suspect that Cruise might not be appropriate anyway. Similarly, if traffic conditions are really suitable for cruise then changing gear is almost certainly not going to be necessary.

That's very true.

Not sure about your car, but mine will disengage cruise with any movement of the clutch pedal - just a touch is enough, no need to push it out. It's actually a nice way to disengage cruise without having to show brake lights.

I've always just flicked the reset switch on the indicator stalk, it doesn't abruptly cut off the throttle, more a gentle reduction in throttle until it reaches zero throttle.

I was thinking to the last time I drove on the M4, (yesterday afternoon, between J13 and J14) and realised I somehow managed to achieve speeds of about 85 (90 indicated) without caring too much...

Bad omen?

Any points for a new driver could be expensive. Six points, meaning back to square 1, would be disastrous. It's not worth risking.

The trouble is, I don't deliberately do it. It's not a deliberate "I'm going to do 90" thought, it's more a case of, I overtake someone with a smallish speed differential, so I accelerate slightly to widen the speed differential, then I don't slow down, and so on until I'm well over the limit, by which point I notice what I'm doing, and slow back down to 75ish, and the whole saga starts over again. This kind of thing only really happens on the M4, funnily enough, I've driven the M40, M5, M6, A34, M25, and a few around Liverpool and various dual carriageways and I never have an issue with going over an indicated 80 (which is about 75, 76ish GPS), it's only the M4 I've noticed myself reaching speeds of indicated 90, 95ish.

I do wonder if it's because the M4 is usually the "home" motorway for me, and often the last stage of a long journey, so there's kind of a subconscious instinct to just go that little bit faster and get home that little bit earlier (despite the fact I've never managed to get home any more than 5 minutes earlier than if I just stick to 75).

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

Alasdair, if your cruise doesn't disengage when you depress the clutch, it's broken.

[akirk]

Alasdair, if your cruise doesn't disengage when you depress the clutch, it's broken.

don't think so brand new car!

also the manual (page 140) says:

The Cruise Control System also remains activated after shifting the gear!

bad English - but confirms what I have found - you can change gear and the cruise control continues

always could on the Z3 - but that is an auto, so expected, was surprised to find you can on the Skoda - so I guess when you pres the button to return to the stored value (e.g. having been through roadworks on a motorway and returning to 70mph) you press and the car gradually returns to that speed - but you are likely to be changing up the gears as you go... (not sure whether that is how it should be used of course!)

Alasdair

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

How bizarre! So it'll try and maintain, say, 70 in 2nd, if you let it?

[akirk]

I might have to see what its limits are - but I suspect it might try!

Alasdair

[Pyrolol]

How bizarre! So it'll try and maintain, 70 in 2nd, if you let it?

I've found myself putting cruise on at 70 in 3rd in a Fiesta before (I didn't notice the engine note over the radio...).

[Adamxck]

The bmw lets you change gear also. I haven't really experimented too much but it certainly let me do 70 in 4th through to 6th.

The switch has two notches. A half click is a 1mph change and a full click is a 5mph change. Though it will select the nearest speed to 5mph before the jump. Eg. 62 becomes 65 then 70 then 75... rather than 67, 72 and so on.

The worrying thing is the rate at which it decelerates. 4 clicks from 70 takes you to 50 more rapidly than Id like. Im certain it engages the brakes as engine braking alone certainly doesnt result in the retardation the cruise gives you.

In an emergency id be on the brake pedal. If i want to slow to 50, id like to get there progressively and smoothly which certainty isnt the case.

Its also very easy to get to silly speeds in the same manner, though it wont accelerate half as aggressively as it slows down, even in a lower gear.

Just to pretend to stay on track, my speed differential varies depending on the application, though I do consider the 3rd party perception of my actions and wether or not the 3rd party is expecting me to pass (multi lane) or might not see me till im alongside on a single carriageway.