Cruise Control - What's the Point?

[pgrahmm]

7 minutes ago, MINIMIGLIA said:

cruise control is great and I use it every day here, also helps with fuel consumption no end, my Pajero Sport often shows 5.6 litres to 100 kms on the dash read out .

Reset it back too zero....Most of those are constant cumulative and after awhile might not reflect the actual....

[LawrenceN]

4 hours ago, kkerry said:

I love cruise control but never use it in Thailand as keeping a constant speed with so many random events going on around you as you drive doesn't feel safe.

 

In the USA and Australia I use it on the highways outside big cities all the time. In any new car it is so easy to drift 20kph over the posted limit. With so many speed cameras you end up getting snapped sooner or later, and fines in Australia are expensive. When travelling long distances even with an automatic, I find myself feeling less tired when I have cruise control on. Longest I've driven in a day was 1400km and I I couldn't have driven as far without it.

Precisely. You took the words right out of my mouth. Promotes fuel efficiency as well. I drove from eastern Iowa to Denver in March, about 1260 km. Can't imagine cruising Nebraska without cruise control.

[CharlieH]

I find it great. It came fitted to a car I purchased recently. I find on longer journeys its much more comfortable and definitely improves fuel consumption. New cars these days are like game consoles, everything on the steering wheel, you rarely use your feet and both hands stay on the wheel. Paddle shift up & down, cruise  +, - and resume. I like it anyway, each to there own personal choice I suppose.

[bazza73]

There are very few roads in Thailand where cruise control could be used safely. Due to  road conditions and the unpredictability of Thai traffic.

On the other hand, cruise control is almost essential in Australia if one wants to avoid expensive speeding fines and demerit points. Such concepts obviously do not exist in Thailand.

[glasswort]

6 hours ago, Kinnock said:

I had to check if my car even has it ....... and it does.  Never used it.  In Thailand, there's nowhere you can hold a steady speed for more than 10 seconds.

Rubbish. Get around a bit more.

[fredob43]

5 hours ago, transam said:

Then you should have kept your head in gear perhaps...

I would reply but I haven't a clue what your talking about.

[thehelmsman]

6 hours ago, ben2talk said:

You're saying that in the USA you must drive over the speed limit?

'a tad over the speed limit' isn't fast enough to qualify for an overtaking manoeuvre? 

 

I'm looking forward to the day when vehicles will have built in speed controls to stop idiots thinking that they're so clever and skilled as drivers that people driving at speed limits become mere annoyances.

 

Cruising speed limits are about limiting excessive fuel consumption and improving safety. Safety on highways comes from people all travelling in the same direction AT SIMILAR SPEEDS. 

 

Americans complaining like this aren't going to win any friends - they're famous for being fat gas guzzling fools at the best of times. They still think that getting over 10km/L is good efficiency.

 

Maybe language is a problem for you. If a road has 3 lanes, the extra lanes are actually supposed to be called 'overtaking lanes' and to call them 'fast lane' is a problem that leads stupid people to believe they're supposed to go fast.

In the states problem arises when the "overtaking" becomes just another lane due to traffic volume to include tractor - trailers. The 99 in Ca has never been worse.  For me 80 MPH is fast enough but still requires vigilance, such as onramps.

 

Your catty anti American remarks made me chuckle. Everyone drive the same speed, no individualism is some folks answer. Can't take away our gas guzzlers or our guns. yee-hah

[ben2talk]

57 minutes ago, thehelmsman said:

In the states problem arises when the "overtaking" becomes just another lane due to traffic volume to include tractor - trailers. The 99 in Ca has never been worse.  For me 80 MPH is fast enough but still requires vigilance, such as onramps.

 

Your catty anti American remarks made me chuckle. Everyone drive the same speed, no individualism is some folks answer. Can't take away our gas guzzlers or our guns. yee-hah

Sure - we get the same problem here. As you start approaching gridlock, then you're at the mercy of disciplined driving behaviour (cough cough) and well enforced rules to encourage the former (sides are gonna split in a minute).

 

We had some Americans visit us in England once, and they were scared to death - our roads aren't wide enough to drive Abrams tanks two abreast - so I'm sure that mutual understanding is perhaps out of the question.

 

The way I understand Thai logic goes like this - a dirt road gets paved (no kerbs at the sides) and lines painted up the middle. Cars follow the centre lines to follow the road. Our soi recently got a blacktop (upgrade from concrete) and there's no real 'edge' to the road... so the cars stick to the centre.

 

On most other roads, this is the general policy also, bikes are generally expected to keep out of the way (bikes being regarded by the law and police like 50cc mopeds back home). So cars travel safely to the right, bikes to the left. On a wider soi (Sukumvit 103 - 2 lanes each side and huge 1 inch high yellow block reflectors to make sure if you go near the centre of the road your teeth will get shaken out) it's the same. You overtake cars on the edges of the road when there are no bikes or parked vehicles.

 

Any road with more than one lane you generally count the left lane as a parking spot... so your general lane is the next one out, middle lane on motorways and on other roads it's the overtaking lane. On expressways it should be better, but it just ends up being random. Unless you're very cool headed and capable of adapting between driving like a lazy American, driving like a disciplined British licence holder, and driving like a Thai, then you're never going to be comfortable here.

 

Surely you must be so proud to be American, we love your honesty and the skill with which you elect your leaders - it's the reason that we granted you independence. Democracy is a wonderful thing.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Like that American that hit the cruise in his Winnebago and then left the drivers seat to go make a sandwich ?

Maybe he was the inspiration for this :

[The Deerhunter]

9 hours ago, giddyup said:

Never used mine once in the 3 years I've had the pickup.

My last car back home had CC  but it topped out at 105kmh.  I could not use it to speed even if I wanted to.  Here my truck is new but lower spec and no CC.

Recently did a trip from BKK up to Nakhon Sawan & P.lock.  Long straight roads for hours, 2 and 3 lanes wide.  Ideal CC roads but a lot of Thailand roads and traffic is not suitable  for CC.

[DUNROAMIN]

There is a place for Cruise Control in Thailand, I drive up country long distances and find being able to give my foot a rest in cruise control makes my journey a little easier. Cruise Control is there to aid the driver on long haul driving, it is not there to use from point A to point B. Some OPS seem to be still lurking in the dark ages with technology, maybe we should take out all the radios and CD players as they may distract us and cause an accident, or better still take out the A/C as we might get too comfortable behind the wheel and fall asleep. 

Please God when I get older don't let me become senile, just shoot me!

 

[smotherb]

9 hours ago, ben2talk said:

You're saying that in the USA you must drive over the speed limit?

'a tad over the speed limit' isn't fast enough to qualify for an overtaking manoeuvre? 

 

I'm looking forward to the day when vehicles will have built in speed controls to stop idiots thinking that they're so clever and skilled as drivers that people driving at speed limits become mere annoyances.

 

Cruising speed limits are about limiting excessive fuel consumption and improving safety. Safety on highways comes from people all travelling in the same direction AT SIMILAR SPEEDS. 

 

Americans complaining like this aren't going to win any friends - they're famous for being fat gas guzzling fools at the best of times. They still think that getting over 10km/L is good efficiency.

 

Maybe language is a problem for you. If a road has 3 lanes, the extra lanes are actually supposed to be called 'overtaking lanes' and to call them 'fast lane' is a problem that leads stupid people to believe they're supposed to go fast.

My, my, having problems with Americans are you?

[Ulic]

I love cruise control. I set it at 15 kilometers above the maximum speed limit

and enjoy the drive. The demerit points in Canada start at 16 kph over the limit

and police do not stop you until 16-20 kph over the limit. I would love to drive

30- 60 kph over the limit but in Canada tickets and insurance charges would quickly

cost you thousands of dollars and a licence suspension in no time. Of course

I drive in the slow lane and only use the passing lane as necessary.

I have not had a ticket in decades. When late I take note that I should have left

earlier, not drive faster or like a Thai loony weaving in and out of traffic. 

[ben2talk]

9 hours ago, shady86 said:

Cruise control is already obsolete. Adaptive cruise control who detects vehicle in front, slow down and speed up according to traffic flow is what you should look for.

I'd assumed this was what we were discussing.

It's also interesting that given a more controlled environment, a line of cars using adaptive cruise control could safely form a road-train and save a great deal more fuel as well as travel at higher velocities with the lead driver taking the main hit on the exponential fuel economy over 60mph. Now that'd make a 1400km drive a much more interesting prospect.

 

I wouldn't use it much unless the road was pretty flat and constant speed... I'm a bit of a hyper-miler and use my foot to try to save more fuel. Coupled with that I don't do enough miles to justify the spend on such a vehicle.

[Foozool]

Not really useful for Thailand

[thehelmsman]

3 hours ago, ben2talk said:

Sure - we get the same problem here. As you start approaching gridlock, then you're at the mercy of disciplined driving behaviour (cough cough) and well enforced rules to encourage the former (sides are gonna split in a minute).

 

We had some Americans visit us in England once, and they were scared to death - our roads aren't wide enough to drive Abrams tanks two abreast - so I'm sure that mutual understanding is perhaps out of the question.

 

The way I understand Thai logic goes like this - a dirt road gets paved (no kerbs at the sides) and lines painted up the middle. Cars follow the centre lines to follow the road. Our soi recently got a blacktop (upgrade from concrete) and there's no real 'edge' to the road... so the cars stick to the centre.

 

On most other roads, this is the general policy also, bikes are generally expected to keep out of the way (bikes being regarded by the law and police like 50cc mopeds back home). So cars travel safely to the right, bikes to the left. On a wider soi (Sukumvit 103 - 2 lanes each side and huge 1 inch high yellow block reflectors to make sure if you go near the centre of the road your teeth will get shaken out) it's the same. You overtake cars on the edges of the road when there are no bikes or parked vehicles.

 

Any road with more than one lane you generally count the left lane as a parking spot... so your general lane is the next one out, middle lane on motorways and on other roads it's the overtaking lane. On expressways it should be better, but it just ends up being random. Unless you're very cool headed and capable of adapting between driving like a lazy American, driving like a disciplined British licence holder, and driving like a Thai, then you're never going to be comfortable here.

 

Surely you must be so proud to be American, we love your honesty and the skill with which you elect your leaders - it's the reason that we granted you independence. Democracy is a wonderful thing.

How does Trump get worked into talk about driving?

 

I guess some folks are still jealous of the Americans. I would have thought those days were over.

[chickenslegs]

11 hours ago, shady86 said:

Cruise control is already obsolete. Adaptive cruise control who detects vehicle in front, slow down and speed up according to traffic flow is what you should look for.

When driving on a motorway you can also set the "Lane Assist", "Forward Collision Warning", "Brake Assist", and "Cross Traffic Alert" then climb into the back seat to take a rest.

[whaleboneman]

2 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

Thailand doesn't really have any long distances....Try driving through 3 or 4 U.S. states per session....Then come back sucking on your pacifier....

So a 10 hour drive isn't a long distance?  It is for me and cc is the way to go. I prefer to adjust my speed with my thumb whenever possible. Then I can put my feet up on the dash. 

[thehelmsman]

It's funny how we become dependent upon gadgets. Like GPS, never used it in the US. I'd prepare before a trip with paper map. Driving from N. Issan to Rayong, my ladies gps on smart phone was a welcome convenience. Without I'd have driven thru downtowns instead of ring roads.

 

Now, we rely on the car slowing down by itself. Unbelievable, we're becoming a land of helpless sissies. Our frontier spirit is gone to be replaced by feelings of entitlement.

[JG27]

C/C is great on motorways, everywhere else I always use the speed limiter. Never had a ticket (or accident) in 55 yrs of driving.

Edited July 21, 2017 by JG27

[Techno Viking]

1 hour ago, JG27 said:

C/C is great on motorways, everywhere else I always use the speed limiter. Never had a ticket (or accident) in 55 yrs of driving.

Many Thai's I  limter bash as well, rather unnerving to have them go past me like iam standing still when iam on CC set @ 180 !!

[stevenl]

Love it, you just have to learn how to use it.

[Ace of Pop]

At least you have a choise to use it or not, unlike ABS ,that you only need sometimes when it rains.Sometimes one needs to lock for a second to retain the balance..[emoji964]⚖️


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[Techno Viking]

1 minute ago, Ace of Pop said:

At least you have a choise to use it or not, unlike ABS ,that you only need sometimes when it rains.Sometimes one needs to lock for a second to retain the balance..⚖️

 

If you dont like ABS pull the fuse, that will deactivate it

[Ace of Pop]

Isnt modern education a wonderful thing.Id connect it to the Screen Wipers or a Switch..As gizmoes go , i did like the tire pressure censors in a rented US Suburban .?[emoji562]


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[fredob43]

3 hours ago, Ace of Pop said:

Isnt modern education a wonderful thing.Id connect it to the Screen Wipers or a Switch..As gizmoes go , i did like the tire pressure censors in a rented US Suburban .?


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Tyre pressure/temp: censors have been available here for the last 10+ years. No need to go to the USA.

[MINIMIGLIA]

20 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

Reset it back too zero....Most of those are constant cumulative and after awhile might not reflect the actual....

It does, every time it sits over night, very accurate.

[DUNROAMIN]

20 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

Thailand doesn't really have any long distances....Try driving through 3 or 4 U.S. states per session....Then come back sucking on your pacifier....

Gee, only in America!

[Techno Viking]

20 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

Thailand doesn't really have any long distances....Try driving through 3 or 4 U.S. states per session....Then come back sucking on your pacifier....

Yeah cause America is the only country to have long drives. How long to drive from one end of the country to the other ?

[giddyup]

35 minutes ago, Techno Viking said:

Yeah cause America is the only country to have long drives. How long to drive from one end of the country to the other ?

I have driven from Pattaya to Yasothon several times as well as to Chiang Mai, never used the cruise control once, the roads and traffic don't lend themselves to using it.