Monday, April 1, 2024

How to Use Cruise Control on a Car: 10 Steps with Pictures

cruise meaning in car

Then, when the road is clear, the system will re-accelerate the vehicle back to the set speed. A cruise main control system uses an electronic throttle to maintain a set speed, also called a cruising speed. When activated, the cruise main will automatically adjust the idle speed and throttle position to maintain the desired speed.

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In other cars with a manual transmission, pressing the clutch pedal simply pauses the cruise control system a moment, allowing drivers to complete their gearshift. When they’ve released the clutch, the cruise control picks up where it left off — no additional button press required. In a proportional control system, the cruise control adjusts the throttle proportional to the error, the error being the difference between the desired speed and the actual speed. So, if the cruise control is set at 60 mph and the car is going 50 mph, the throttle position will be open quite far.

How To Use Cruise Control

If you notice this happening regularly, have your vehicle diagnosed by a professional. While driving through the city, you’ll face a number of stop lights and stop signs that will require manual braking. Heavy, or stop-and-go traffic is not ideal for safely using cruise control. When engaging cruise control on the highway, ensure your lane is clear and there are no vehicles stopping ahead.

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With cruise control, drivers need to brake to slow down as they close in on a slower vehicle in traffic. With adaptive cruise control, the system makes these braking inputs automatically, and the vehicle speeds back up to its pre-set cruising speed once traffic clears. Cruise control is an electronic device within your vehicle that controls the speed of your vehicle. It allows the driver to maintain a constant speed of 25 mph without holding their foot on the accelerator. Although the feature has been around for 70 years, automotive manufacturers continue to improve upon the technology to provide drivers with increased comfort, luxury, and convenience whenever they’re behind the wheel. Cruise control is less flexible on vehicles with a manual transmission because depressing the clutch pedal and shifting gears usually disengages the cruise control.

First, it will alert you with visual and acoustic signals, and then with a short braking jolt. Some units employ a laser, while others use an optical system based on stereoscopic cameras. Regardless of the technology, ACC works day or night, but its abilities can be hampered by extreme conditions, such as heavy rain, fog, or snow. Using the input from the radar sensors, the computer unit measures the distance of the car ahead and calculates the speed relative to it.

It uses GPS and map data to see into the future and predict what's coming up on the road, like hills or curves, and adjusts your speed accordingly. This means you get a smoother ride and better fuel efficiency, but it all depends on the quality of the GPS and map data. If that's a bit out of date, your fortune-telling cruise control might not be so accurate. It's usually found in more high-end vehicles where top-notch fuel efficiency is a focus for the engineers. Now, if conventional cruise control is your old reliable friend, then Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is like that friend's tech-savvy younger cousin.

Conventional Cruise Control

Cruise control can be tricky in heavy rain or snow since your car’s speed can fluctuate with different road conditions. If the weather is bad, it’s best to turn off cruise control and drive manually. Cruise Control also known as speed control or auto cruise is a system that allows you to keep the car at a constant speed without holding your foot on the accelerator pedal. Technically, it is an electronic feature that reprograms the car’s setting to keep the car at a constant speed regardless of pressing and holding the foot on the accelerator pedal. Sometimes, cruise control disengages automatically when the vehicle’s automatic wipers detect heavy rainfall, or when a wheel spins or (briefly) leaves the surface of the road after a big bump or dip.

Why Use the Cruise Control System?

cruise meaning in car

Cruise control is a system in cars that automatically controls the speed of the car. The driver sets a desired speed, and the cruise control system will maintain that speed without the driver having to do anything. Adaptive cruise control is an improved version of cruise control that automatically slows down and speeds up the car in order to keep pace with the car in front of it.

This sensor then controls the speed of your car so that it always stays 2-3 seconds behind the car in front. In many cases with modern cars, it’s generally easier and more cost effective to just opt for a unit equipped with cruise control from the factory. Cruise control is widely available as standard equipment on most modern vehicles.

Google launched its self-driving car a few years back, which completely relies on the technology of autonomous cruise control. Imagine getting all sorts of excited to go on a long road trip that you’ve always dreamed of taking with your best buddies. The road is literally straight for hundreds of kilometers, and the thought of driving for 4-5 hours straight tires you out before you even get behind the wheel. Your modern cruise control system relies on various sensors and switches to do its job properly. As a failsafe, any problem with these sensors can cause the cruise control system to go offline.

Even vehicles with affordable price tags are equipped with intelligent features. The first possibility is that your car’s cruise control system is stuck in the “on” position. It can happen for several reasons, but the main cruise control switch that turns the system on and off is the most common problem. If this switch is damaged or malfunctioning, it could cause the cruise control to stay on permanently. Although these systems vary by vehicle make and model, they usually consist of the same or similar components. Super Cruise is a next-level driver assistance feature available on certain GM vehicles.

It is a system that accurately maintains the speed set by the driver without any external intervention. It automatically controls the speed of a car and only allows the vehicle to hit a speed set by the driver. You can even find this feature in the top-spec variants of some of the affordable hatchbacks and sedans.

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