cruise control = fuel saving ?

[rugbyken]

i’ve always thought as per title that the fuel economy would improve using the. cruise control but today i have pulled a shift driving 372 miles on the french motorway in 7 hours due to the lack of traffic and my willingness to pay tolls it was fairly painless approx £90 , what i did notice was on the long. climbs and subsequent free wheeling that the cruise is still impacting the freewheel ie normally on any downwards trajectory the dash normally registers 99.9 mpg with cruise control on at the most berserk rate it still only reads 34mpg? is the cruise still controlling the engine rate

 

[wildebus]

i’ve always thought as per title that the fuel economy would improve using the. cruise control but today i have pulled a shift driving 372 miles on the french motorway in 7 hours due to the lack of traffic and my willingness to pay tolls it was fairly painless approx £90 , what i did notice was on the long. climbs and subsequent free wheeling that the cruise is still impacting the freewheel ie normally on any downwards trajectory the dash normally registers 99.9 mpg with cruise control on at the most berserk rate it still only reads 34mpg? is the cruise still controlling the engine rate

Maybe (if an auto?) the gear dropped to provide engine breaking rather than essentially coasting? I think I have noticed similar as well.
I tend to use Cruise Control to rest the right foot mainly

 

[Trotter]

Interesting, your comment on using toll roads..
I’ve used French tolls, due to the COVID nonsense we experienced a few years ago. I’d never considered it as a financial benefit. Compared to French N roads, they can be bl**dy tedious. But would you think that in regards to the costs of mpg vs toll fees be worthwhile?

 

[rugbyken]

my ferry tolls and fuel at £400 were cheap compared to using the long ferry & from dieppe i got here same day someone who would have left at the same time on the bilboa ferry would have done , of course there is no comparison on using the route nationals but i hate bloody roundabouts and the french seem to have an obsession with them , so save £100 in tolls take couple of days longer and fight 200 roundabouts no contest

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Roundabouts and bleedin raised crossings did my head in, but I loved the small towns and villages.

 

[Trotter]

my ferry tolls and fuel at £400 were cheap compared to using the long ferry & from dieppe i got here same day someone who would have left at the same time on the bilboa ferry would have done , of course there is no comparison on using the route nationals but i hate bloody roundabouts and the french seem to have an obsession with them , so save £100 in tolls take couple of days longer and fight 200 roundabouts no contest

Cos I had nuffin else to do, I checked the Portsmouth Bilbao route. For me , the van and a cabin, over a grand.
In the words of our late Queen. “Sod that “.

Thankfully, my hurry up and wait days are far behind me now. I’m content to bumble along now.

If I can get away again this year, I’ll try the Dunkirk trip, just like my late Dad did, a few years ago. Although, hopefully I won’t get my feet wet, like he did.
I fancy seeing the autumn colours in the southeast of France. And putting off the winter just a bit.

Stay safe Ken

 

[Pudsey Bear]

We go the Dunkirk route, and get the VIP lounge and just enjoy the ride, no screaming kids, and waiter service all in the price, a mini cruise and as near as I ever want to be to one.

 

[marchie]

Cruise control seems to use a heavier throttle setting to maintain the constant speed, whereas, using manual, lighter throttle, I can let speed drop slightly on the incline, maintain the light throttle on the level and descent [backing off entirely on the latter], and the backing off lets the 99.9mpg reading appear. I don't use cruise control on the M/Home now.

Steve

 

[Pudsey Bear]

I like CC, very useful in 50mph road works, sadly only had it on one van.

The car has ACC, you have to be very careful where you use it though, as the fecker brakes hard at ghosts.

 

[HurricaneSmith]

............. I don't use cruise control on the M/Home now.

Steve

Its good to know that I'm not alone Steve.

Initially I rather liked the novelty of cruise control, but with the ever increasing volume of UK traffic & road works, I found it became a pain.

I'm far more relaxed simply touching the throttle myself.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

OOOER Mrs.

 

[Frogman]

Overall mpg suffers when using cruise control! I suspected it might when I noticed that the gear indicator never showed above 8, though turning off cruise it went more than happily into 9th. This was in the default setting, not eco or boy-racer mode.

 

[CriftinsCampers]

I use CC all the time especially in 20 & 30 mph zones as I love forcing tailgaters to obey speed limits!
It’s also really handy on clear unrestricted roads.

I just retrofitted it to my Iveco Daily and did the same with my Sprinter and Crafter.

My sprinter had the incredibly sluggish five speed full auto it took ages to change gear with CC enabled often dropping way below the speed limit in doing so this probably did impact mpg at lower speeds, the later seven speed boxes are far better!

My daily and crafter are semiautomatics still sluggish to anticipate and change down but not as bad as the sprinter was.
I often tend to preemptively change down when usung CC

On balance I think extensive use of CC in my crafter has improved its MPG slightly it’s certainly better for me as the driver far nicer way to drive.

 

[The laird]

Always use it but tbh I don't sit watching the fuel as I think being a Professional driverI manage load /revs speed ratios ie sometimes dis engagement used for upcoming hills so as speed levels .if in cruise and speed drops too low to load ie hills etc it can disengage on its own but I get a good return on this veh

 

[Pudsey Bear]

CC is blind, it can't see what is coming up, I used it often, but I'm the driver, so I react in good time to what is in front of me; this saves fuel.

 

[El radge]

Don't often use cruise control but have auto stop/start on new van . I've no problem with it but not sure if it improves mpg ?

 

[marchie]

Don't often use cruise control but have auto stop/start on new van . I've no problem with it but not sure if it improves mpg ?

Think Stop/Start is designed to cut emissions, rather than improve economy. My VW Tig Mk1.5 has Stop/Start but, if on short journeys where a regen is looming, the system disables the Stop/Start until the engine is warmed and the boot hits the throttle to eject some of the crud - which possibly defeats the main aim off Stop/Start ...

Steve

 

[The laird]

Also protects battery voltage when appliances are being used

 

[El radge]

Think Stop/Start is designed to cut emissions, rather than improve economy. My VW Tig Mk1.5 has Stop/Start but, if on short journeys where a regen is looming, the system disables the Stop/Start until the engine is warmed and the boot hits the throttle to eject some of the crud - which possibly defeats the main aim off Stop/Start ...

Steve

Yes allegedly cuts emissions and improves economy .

Also protects battery voltage when appliances are being used

Did wonder when engine cuts off and air con is operating

 

[Greengrass]

Always use it but tbh I don't sit watching the fuel as I think being a Professional driverI manage load /revs speed ratios ie sometimes dis engagement used for upcoming hills so as speed levels .if in cruise and speed drops too low to load ie hills etc it can disengage on its own but I get a good return on this veh

Thats the difference between a Professional and what do they call them other drivers you know what I mean Gorden