Weird cruise control tip maybe?

[lsherlockl]

Idk if this is a valid topic to post here or maybe the cruise control thread but its ultimately to get better MPG so i stuck it here.

 

Basically I notice that cruise is pretty good, however its not location smart. so basically I have noticed the car want to fill up the battery say like 92% before discharging any when in cruise and not going down a steep hill where there is no point to have ice on.

 

so let me paint you a situation.

 

battery 75% driving on a flat, hill in the distance. On cruise the car will keep ICE on to fill the battery but just personally knowing this leg of my journey i know that the magically flipping point when the battery would be at 92% and switch over to EV would be right at the base of the hill. Now to me this is a problem because i know i will need ICE to get up the hill and there is going to be no battery space to charge up.

 

So what i get in the habit of doing (the "TRICK") is i just flip the cancel/resume rocker down then up real fast, its the same thing as letting off the gas fro a sec to get it to drop back into EV.

 

Now you can simply not worry and let cruise go, or go without cruise and be like a boss, but i find over long time the pedal is really finite could be I'm still newish to the vehicle and have a more difficulty regulating EV and ICE over long stretches manually (maybe its just attention span or music ;) )

 

 

Anyone else do this? Is this dumb or bad to do?

 

 

 

 

[corncobs]

I have been using your trick for a long time. Either cancel ECC or lower the setting by 1-2 MPH just raise it back to the previous settings once the EV has kicked in.

 

I have a couple spots on my daily commute where I do this every time.

 

Not dumb not bad > it's smart :) but most people wouldn't care.

 

I believe that's also part of the reason why you see 43-45 MPG in winter vs. 39 MPG with the previous owners. You seem to care more to get good gas mileage.

[Hybrider]

I have never used cruise control, other than experimenting with it once in a while. This is because I can maintain my speed more consistent than any cruise control I have ever had, and I think I can also do a better job of getting the maximum fuel economy in the FFH, both due to me being able to anticipate the hills coming up, while there is no way for the cruise controls I've had to anticipate hills.

 

I did not see in value in ordering the Adaptive Cruise Control, but I'm relatively sure it cannot anticipate the hills very well either.

 

And another reason I do not use any cruise control is because I do not want to become any more lackadaisical behind the wheel than I already am, AND I want the car to start slowing down immediately as soon as I lift my foot from the accelerator pedal, for maximum safety.

Edited February 7, 2015 by Hybrider

[corncobs]

I have never used cruise control, other than experimenting with it once in a while. This is because I can maintain my speed more consistent than any cruise control I have ever had, and I think I can also do a better job of getting the maximum fuel economy in the FFH, both due to me being able to anticipate the hills coming up, while there is no way for the cruise controls I've had to anticipate hills.

 

You should really try the CC / ECC in you FFH for a longer period it does an awesome job. For me personally I do drive almost everything with ECC and the left thumb is pretty efficient hitting that cancel button so that the car slows down. Edited February 7, 2015 by corncobs

[hybridbear]

I also often drive without cruise control to maximize fuel economy. Or, more often, I set the cruise control at my minimum speed which I don't want to fall below and then I use my foot to balance the load.

 

There is research being done into advanced cruise control which would do just what some of us do relating to hills: http://cta.ornl.gov/cta/One_Pagers/Smart_Cruise_Control.pdf

[Sleddog]

I use the cruise all the time. The ECO option is set to on. I let the car do its thing and only over ride it when I need to pass. It's worked well. My lifetime is 53 and I got 60.3 mpg on my 28 mile drive home today. I hit that number about twice a week, or so, if I make most of the lights. And hit 55 to 58 on other days now that the weather is warming into the high 70s.

 

Looks like I revived a thread that's a month so old. Oops!

Edited March 10, 2015 by Sleddog

[harv056]

Excellent tip that I only recently figured out. The approach makes quite a difference in mileage. Thanks for sharing it.