Talk:Cruise control

Any info
Any information on the possible addition of penalty switches to cruise controls? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.26.37.35 (talk) 05:34, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

Proposal to merge Adaptive cruise control into Cruise control
Both adaptive cruise control (ACC) and "standard" cruise control (CC) aim to accomplish the same task; the primary difference between them is the level of automation, the former being an advance over the latter. It is not unreasonable to anticipate that some form of ACC or the general principle behind ACC might become synonymous with CC in the future &mdash; but for the time being, ACC is a relatively new variant of CC.

A significant part of the ACC article does not appear to be ACC-specific but rather describes a standard CC setup in an American automobile (it might be standard outside of the United States as well, but that is the only country whose vehicles I am familiar with, and it reads as the standard for that segment of the market). This description is generally lacking from the CC article but does need a look from some perspective to see that it is not country-specific.

An alternative to the merger would be to pare back the ACC content in this article and use the main template to refer to the ACC article.

Which do you think would be best and why ...
 * keep the articles completely separate
 * merge the articles
 * keep the articles separate but refer to the ACC article as a sub-topic article from the CC article using main

Thanks for giving this a think. User:Ceyockey ( talk to me ) 22:59, 31 December 2005 (UTC)

Put ACC into CC, I'd say. The pi pirate 06:17, 14 January 2006 (UTC)

Fiction?
[Cruise control] was invented by James Watt and Matthew Boulton in 1788 for use in locomotives. This is surprisingly early, comparing it to the modern history of rail transport which started in the 1820s. --Abdull 19:51, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

My reversion to restore removed content
I reverted to restore the history section, which had been deleted entirely, and most of a bullet in the advantages/disadvantages section which had been deleted. These might have been edits meant to improve the article, but there were no edit summaries accomapanying them and, in my opinion, they did not improve the article. In particular, the removal of the entire history section could be discussed here (please) before being done. Regards, User:Ceyockey ( talk to me ) 23:59, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

Locomotives
The editor above has a point: since locomotive gives Trevithick (1804) as the inventor of the locomotive, it seems impossible that the technology was invented for this purpose in the 1780s. At the very least, a reference is needed. 86.136.251.18 15:13, 5 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Perhaps someone doesn't understand the difference between a steam engine and a locomotive. The invention was for the former, not the latter.  --Michael Daly (talk) 06:11, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

Fuel Efficiency
Though the Wikipedia article, in the section Advantages And Disadvantages, claims that cruise control "usually results in better fuel efficiency", here is a newspaper article claiming the opposite. Can any source be cited for the claim in the Wikipedia article? This newspaper article could then be put in the Adaptive Cruise Control section. This Goodyear article about halfway down backs up both of those articles. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.25.153.206 (talk) 08:58, 21 January 2012 (UTC)

I want to delete the advantages/disadvantages section
I deleted the advantages/disadvantages section because much of the content is long-term uncited and in my opinion, dubious. It has since been restored, so I'm going to carefully explain my reasoning in line with the content:

Some advantages of cruise control include:
 * Its usefulness for long drives (reducing driver fatigue, improving comfort by allowing positioning changes more safely) across highways and sparsely populated roads. This usually results in better fuel efficiency. This is claiming that increased seating comfort will improve fuel economy. It does not make sense.
 * A speed conscious driver has to spend much less time looking at the dashboard (to check speed), which makes for safer driving. What is a "Speed Conscious driver?" I think this is some fictional entity created to allow an opinion to masquerade as fact. Wikipedia should care 1) whether real drivers look at the dashboard less when cruise control is active, 2) Whether looking at the dashboard less reduces accidents. I think neither is self-evident.
 * Some drivers use it to avoid subconsciously violating speed limits. A driver who otherwise tends to subconsciously increase speed over the course of a highway journey may avoid speeding. Such drivers should note, however, that a primitive cruise control may go over its setting on a downhill which is steep enough to accelerate with an idling engine. This is a how-to guide, which is inappropriate for wikipedia.
 * The driver can keep the foot on the brake pedal, thus reducing the reaction distance and the total stopping distance. This also refers to a fictional 'driver'. We should ask ourselves "do real drivers have reduced reaction times when using cruise control", but that would also be a very bold claim to leave without citation

However, when used incorrectly cruise control can lead to accidents due to several factors, such as:
 * The lack of need to maintain constant pedal pressure, which can help lead to accidents caused by highway hypnosis or incapacitated drivers; This is a very bold statement which should not exist without being cited future systems may include a dead man's switch to avoid this. This is trying to predict the future, which wikipedia should not do. It's a violation of WP:CRYSTAL
 * When used during inclement weather or while driving on wet or snow- and/or ice-covered roads, the vehicle could go into a skid (although this may be somewhat mitigated by cars equipped with Electronic Stability Control). Stepping on the brake—such as to disengage the cruise control—could result in the driver losing control of the vehicle. I personally find this to be dubious. Another editor has also placed an HTML comment with the same sentiment.

Driving over "rolling" terrain, with gentle up and down portions, can usually be done more economically (using less fuel) by a skilled driver viewing the approaching terrain, by maintaining a relatively constant throttle position and allowing the vehicle to accelerate on the downgrades and decelerate on upgrades, while reducing power when cresting a rise and adding a bit before an upgrade is reached. Cruise control will tend to overthrottle on the upgrades and retard on the downgrades, wasting the energy storage capabilities available from the inertia of the vehicle. The inefficiencies from cruise control can be even greater relative to skilled driving in hybrid vehicles. This contradicts the first advantage, which claims that cruise control increases fuel economy.

tommylommykins (talk) 13:02, 28 August 2015 (UTC)

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Does it work downhill? No mention in article
Read article no info on its limitations going down a hill. Does it brake to maintain speed or just roll down the hill with natural inerti a — Preceding unsigned comment added by 169.0.4.190 (talk) 12:20, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

'First' cruise control isn't quite the first
I am not an expert on this subject, but I was recently pointed to an earlier patent for a cruise control system in an automobile filed in 1939, 19 years prior to the 'first modern' cited in the article. Would an expert on this subject look over the patent? Patent Number 2,208,473 Thanks much! Reddot99 (talk) 19:34, 2 January 2019 (UTC)