Cruise control best option for highway driving?
 

I don't do a lot of highway driving. But for the short periods that I have been on the highway, I have noticed that using Cruise control gives me the best MPG. If I am trying to manage it ... I can rarely get it to work optimally and I invariably piss someone off behind me as my speed fluctuates.

Anyone else feel the same way?

Re: Cruise control best option for highway driving?
 

It's going to depend on what your drive is like (terrain especially), as well as traffic (CC does not lend itself well to rush hour). Kenny does amazingly well setting it and then driving, but I easily get 8-9mpg better handling things myself. Either method takes practice (his for finding the CVT sweet spot and knowing when to override it, mine for foot feathering), but the end results are the same... whichever method works better for your particular drive can yield really awesome numbers.

Re: Cruise control best option for highway driving?
 

V, I find the same problem with my HCH 2 ,especially on up and down roads. I had the same problem with my Miata and was able to adjust it by shortening the cable.[ less slack] I'm going to try it on the Honda, but I have not looked at it yet. I will let you know how I make out. H

Re: Cruise control best option for highway driving?
 

Hi V,

I don't use cruise control at all on my 401 drive into Mississauga each day. Some days, I do much better than I would with cruise. Some days, I do worse. But the more I practice, the better I get! I got 3.6 L/100 km this Wednesday on the way into work. But then on the way home I got 4.7 L/100 km! I guess it depends on the traffic, the weather, and my mood!

Don't give up! You are better than cruise control!

Kathie

Re: Cruise control best option for highway driving?
 

V, I checked out the cruise control, its not a cable. Its all done electronically. H

Re: Cruise control best option for highway driving?
 

I must say I find that cruise control gives me very poor results on my HCH 2007. Perhaps it is the hilly terrain. My ability to "read" the road ahead and coast is a significant factor; cruise control doesn't know that we're reaching the crest of the hill and about to coast down the other side. Therefore it adds gas at the last moment and then soon the brakes are needed. The most important step I made in breaking out from 38 mpg to 50 mpg was not using cruise control anymore. I also watch the fuel bar graph carefully and try never to go below 20 mpg (which cruise control has no problem going below on a hill) or more than 50% assist. (I will admit that I also don't maintain a steady speed). I'll reach 9 mph over the limit downhill and I try to keep at the limit going up hill. I also make good use of my ability to monitor the stop lights ahead, slow down as I approach, and then speed up when the light turns green without ever having to stop.

Re: Cruise control best option for highway driving?
 

Confession: I suck at holding a speed manually (w/o cruise). Maybe some of y'all can find a way to keep it at, or within +/- 1 mph, of a speed you choose, but I just find myself completely confounded by the CVT. With engine revs essentially disconnected from vehicle speed, and acceleration relatively slow anyway unless you're way into it, I just can't feel the connection between throttle and speed. I press the gas harder, it slows down, because I didn't press the gas harder enough, so next time I press the gas quite a bit harder, and zing, it rubber-bands up several mph instead of just maintaining the speed I wanted.

So I say all that to say, if it's important to hold a speed, I *have to* use the cruise. Of course, maintaining a speed instead of DWL lowers gas mileage, usually, which is why so many people find cruise control less efficient, particularly in hills. (The programming for hill-climbing with the cruise is insane: it won't use Assist because, apparently, it's conserving battery in case it's needed later -- it can't see, as we can, that the hill will be over in 400 yards. So instead, it revs an extra thousand rpm. Oof.)

But in straight highway driving, I pretty much can't stand the speed fluctuation that raises FE. I set the cruise, and then drive up hills on my own. I think we just all have to match our strategies to our priorities on this one.

cheers --
doug

Re: Cruise control best option for highway driving?
 

As mentioned, the cruise doesn't know what the terrain is. I drive a lot of hills/small mountains, so I usually go cruiseless. Also the cruise can't P&G, which works for me because I drive quite slow. If you are going too quick then P&G can actually hurt your FE. I've found that by letting off the accelerator then feathering it until the charge bars cancel out so I can glide without using fuel makes the difference between 50 and 60 mpg for me (roughly). I have a lot more unscientific testing to do!

Re: Cruise control best option for highway driving?
 

I genreally do use CC on highways, but I will tend to adjust the target CC speed to avoid both 1) rpms going much over 2k and 2) more than 1 regen bar appearing.

As I am partway up a hill and the assist and rpms climb, I may take the CC down 1-2mph - which limits assist/rpms.

After the crest, as soon as FE climbs past say 75mpg and/or regen appears, I will add back the 1-2mph to CC.

The hills I have are not too steep, so dont need to bleed off or build 5mph+ from the steady speed.

Works for me - getting 56-62mpg trip averages on the 65 and 55mph highways to/from work.

I admit that just using the CC and right thumb is a little lazy - the CC will make some FE "mistakes" if left all to itself.

----

latetly I have been trying to extend the decelleration time/distance as I leave the freeway to lower speeds. To me, this is where much of my wasted energy has been - 2,3,4+ bars of regen (waste) as I go from 65 to say 35.

Re: Cruise control best option for highway driving?
 

It is a little tough with drive-by-wire gas peddle, but I have managed to average 72mph at 52.5 mpg. If I'm tired then I use the cruise control. My daughter on the other hand puts her cruise control on at 72 mph over the same stretch and averages 49.5 mph. So the question is ... is the aggravation worth 3mpg?