# Do you use cruise control?



## Nick (Jan 3, 2012)

Surprises me how many people do not. I use it almost every single day on the highway. Helps keep me from speeding (too much)


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## ctenidae (Jan 3, 2012)

Sometimes, but usually only for late night highway cruising. Other drivers make it too difficult to stay in it for too long.


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## hammer (Jan 3, 2012)

Nick said:


> Surprises me how many people do not. I use it almost every single day on the highway. Helps keep me from speeding (too much)


Same here...

Almost thought I was going to be pulled over on the GS Parkway on Sunday...was heading downhill at around 72-73 and I spotted a state trooper.  I did a quick tap of the brakes and passed directly by him at 67 but I then saw him start to move.  Stayed at 65 and he approached quickly...but then he put on his lights and pulled over the guy a little ways behind me.


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## o3jeff (Jan 3, 2012)

I try as much as I can, but it is pretty to tough around here.


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## gmcunni (Jan 3, 2012)

i use it all the time. wife never uses it.


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## Puck it (Jan 3, 2012)

Always, set it at 73 and head to Cannon.


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## speden (Jan 3, 2012)

I use it a lot on long trips.  Not so much during my normal commute.

I'd like to get adaptive cruise control on my next car, so that I won't have to keep flipping the lever up and down to adjust the speed manually for traffic.


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## drjeff (Jan 3, 2012)

I use it all the time!  Set it at 75 on the highways, and have ticket free passed by literally hundreds of cops over the years in my travels not just to/from ski country but also in general. I also use it set at much lower speeds in certain small towns in ski country, where going say 32 in a 30 CAN be an issue


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## BackLoafRiver (Jan 3, 2012)

Always on the highway.  Set it to 70 and just go.  If I am having "awake" issues, I'll turn it off and make my foot do the work. It usually helps.


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## snowmonster (Jan 3, 2012)

Never. My car also has manual transmission. I like being in control and enjoy driving.


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## bvibert (Jan 3, 2012)

If I remember to use it at all it's on longer trips.  I never use it on my daily commute, but I'm only on the highway for about 10 miles.


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## bvibert (Jan 3, 2012)

snowmonster said:


> Never. My car also has manual transmission. I like being in control and enjoy driving.



I'm the same way.  When I do use it is to try to control myself to avoid getting a ticket.  I usually just end up driving faster than I have it set for anyway though.. :lol:


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## wa-loaf (Jan 3, 2012)

snowmonster said:


> Never. My car also has manual transmission. I like being in control and enjoy driving.



This. I've got a good feel for my car after 100k+ miles and settle in just under 80 here in MA and (knock on wood) haven't had any trouble despite passing many a trooper at that speed.


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## SkiDork (Jan 3, 2012)

If the roadway is relatively flat yes.  Hilly, no.


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## steamboat1 (Jan 3, 2012)

It's kinda hard to use it around the city in traffic but for long distance open road driving I use it all the time. If I don't use it I find myself going faster & faster, not good.


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## Nick (Jan 3, 2012)

snowmonster said:


> Never. My car also has manual transmission. I like being in control and enjoy driving.



So do I, (will never, ever buy an automatic unless it's an SUV or truck). 

that said the CC is nice for the long drives. I normally peg it around 78. Sometimes 80 but i think 80 is the magic # where you get pulled over.


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## Nick (Jan 3, 2012)

wa-loaf said:


> This. I've got a good feel for my car after 100k+ miles and settle in just under 80 here in MA and (knock on wood) haven't had any trouble despite passing many a trooper at that speed.



I've looked down and been at 90, 95 before. Sometimes I'm just listening to music or whatever and you are just going with the flow and you don't really realize it. 

That said, my ski rack on my car makes a distinct whistling noise at around 85 so that's my first warning that I'm pushing it :lol:


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## Black Phantom (Jan 3, 2012)

Why is everyone in such a rush?


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## hammer (Jan 3, 2012)

drjeff said:


> I use it all the time!  Set it at 75 on the highways, and have ticket free passed by literally hundreds of cops over the years in my travels not just to/from ski country but also in general. I also use it set at much lower speeds in certain small towns in ski country, where going say 32 in a 30 CAN be an issue


Last time I went by a CT state trooper going over 70 I got a ticket...


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## drjeff (Jan 3, 2012)

Nick said:


> I've looked down and been at 90, 95 before. Sometimes I'm just listening to music or whatever and you are just going with the flow and you don't really realize it.
> 
> That said, my ski rack on my car makes a distinct whistling noise at around 85 so that's my first warning that I'm pushing it :lol:



I'm quite sure that the 1 feature on my wife's Audi Q7 that has saved us THOUSANDS of dollars over the last few years is the beeping noise that it makes at her when she gets above 75 - she can set a "max speed" warning beeper that goes off when she gets above 75 - annoying sometimes?? Yup.  But no doubt about it it has saved her a few tickets!


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## gmcunni (Jan 3, 2012)

hammer said:


> Last time I went by a CT state trooper going over 70 I got a ticket...



in a 55 zone?


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## Abubob (Jan 3, 2012)

Depends on traffic but almost always. Also my wife uses the cruise with her manual 5 speed RAV. NH staties I think are tolerant to 10 mph over so 70 to 75 on I93 is cool.


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## hammer (Jan 3, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> in a 55 zone?


It was 55 at the time...I-84 east of Hartford.  Fortunately that road has a 65 limit now.


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## bvibert (Jan 3, 2012)

hammer said:


> It was 55 at the time...I-84 east of Hartford.  Fortunately that road has a 65 limit now.



Not too surprising to get nabbed for going 70+ in a 55, IMHO...


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## SKIQUATTRO (Jan 3, 2012)

all the time...73-75 highway and use it on VT backroads to nail down the speed limit..


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## o3jeff (Jan 3, 2012)

For the most part I'll just try and keep with the flow of traffic.


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## hammer (Jan 3, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Not too surprising to get nabbed for going 70+ in a 55, IMHO...


True...but my experience was that CT state troopers had a greater presence and a tighter threshold.  Guess I'm used to Mass where people routinely go 70-75 on roads where the limit is 55.

FWIW NJ seems even more strict...


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## gmcunni (Jan 3, 2012)

highways I live with the limit+9 rule.  limit +5ish on back roads in VT where they pick on out of staters.


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## hammer (Jan 3, 2012)

Maybe MA Lt Gov Murray should have been using cruise control...

http://www.boston.com/Boston/politi...4PPxUcuG2PM4QzsS8lNJ/index.html?p1=News_links


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## C-Rex (Jan 3, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> highways I live with the limit+9 rule.  limit +5ish on back roads in VT where they pick on out of staters.




I find on back roads in VT, as long as you go slow through residential and commercial areas, you can get away with a little speeding on those open rural stretches.

On the highway, if there's very little traffic, I stay with the +9 rule.  If a faster driver goes by I may follow him at a distance and slightly slower to pick up time.  Let that guy find where the little oinkers are hiding!! 

I use cruise but only if there's very little traffic.  I can't stand people that constantly speed up and slow down and I have to keep hitting the brakes.


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## gmcunni (Jan 3, 2012)

C-Rex said:


> If a faster driver goes by I may follow him at a distance and slightly slower to pick up time.  Let that guy find where the little oinkers are hiding!!



yes


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## Nick (Jan 3, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> yes



yup, I can remember my dad doing this his entire life. He would call the guy in front the "rabbit".


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## gmcunni (Jan 3, 2012)

Nick said:


> yup, I can remember my dad doing this his entire life. He would call the guy in front the "rabbit".



i call the blockers


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## bvibert (Jan 3, 2012)

I think I'm usually the rabbit or blocker... :-?

Seriously though, if someone is traveling faster than me I'll happily let them go by and then follow them from a safe distance at around the same speed.


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## ctenidae (Jan 3, 2012)

gmcunni said:


> i call the blockers



Me, too. I'm generally happy to be the second fastest car on the road.


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## Glenn (Jan 3, 2012)

I know "adaptive cruise control" gets some laughs. But based on my experience with people and their lack of understanding with regards to leftlane usage, i can see the benefits of an adaptive system.


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## drjeff (Jan 3, 2012)

bvibert said:


> I think I'm usually the rabbit or blocker... :-?
> 
> Seriously though, if someone is traveling faster than me I'll happily let them go by and then follow them from a safe distance at around the same speed.



That's the way to go!  What I HATE is when i'm the rabbit, and then someone comes cruising up on my rear bumper, so I get out of their way to let them into rabbit position and then they WON'T move into rabbit position and i'm now stuck in the middle/right lane   If you want to be the rabbit, great.  If you want to let someone else be the rabbit, then stay at a reasonable distance back of the rabbit!!!


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## bvibert (Jan 3, 2012)

drjeff said:


> That's the way to go!  What I HATE is when i'm the rabbit, and then someone comes cruising up on my rear bumper, so I get out of their way to let them into rabbit position and then they WON'T move into rabbit position and i'm now stuck in the middle/right lane   If you want to be the rabbit, great.  If you want to let someone else be the rabbit, then stay at a reasonable distance back of the rabbit!!!



Yes, that is no good.  Sometimes I'm hesitant to let them pass unless I have ample room in the right/middle lane to retake them if necessary.


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## Hawkshot99 (Jan 3, 2012)

In my truck I use the cruise all of the time.  Even just daily driving which includes no highway.

I even went and installed a sorta cruise control on my motorcycle.  It is not real cruise control like in a car, but locks the throttle in a certain position.


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## darent (Jan 3, 2012)

Use CC on uncrowded highways, do the +9 routine. I really hate it when I get passed and the  car pulls in front of me and slows down, what is with that!!


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## riverc0il (Jan 3, 2012)

Never. Too hilly around here. Even on the interstate. CC isn't as efficient when there are lots of ups and downs. I can work the propulsion much better manually. 

And when going east-west to ski... MUCH more fun pushing it around the bends with my foot on the peddle.


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## Geoff (Jan 3, 2012)

C-Rex said:


> I find on back roads in VT, as long as you go slow through residential and commercial areas, you can get away with a little speeding on those open rural stretches.



No you can't.   On Route 4 anywhere from the NH state line to the NY state line, even 5 mph over can get you a ticket.   Route 100 in Central/Southern Vermont has similar risk.   Speeding tickets are a local revenue source.   Towns rent the county sheriff on contract and use their speeding tickets to fund the town budget.   The state gets half.   The town gets half.    The sheriff is out of work if he doesn't write enough tickets to pay for himself.   It's not a safety thing.   It's a revenue thing.

I use cruise control on the Vermont secondary roads.   Always, unless I'm following a moron who is inconsistent with his speed.   I routinely drive from Killington to I-91 on Route 4 without ever touching the gas pedal.   When I hit a speed limit change, I just adjust the speed using cruise control.   It's no different from flying on instruments using the autopilot.   Sure, I could do it manually but why bother?

It pisses the crap out of the New Yorkers to get "stuck" behind somebody who is going the speed limit.   I can think of a few instances where a New Yorker flew by me and ended up getting pulled over a mile up the road.   On the secondary roads, it really doesn't save any time speeding since you're always going to eventually hit the car going the speed limit and there aren't enough passing zones to get by them all.   Why spike your blood pressure worrying about it.

When I'm in Massholia during the summer, I drive a lot faster on the highways but I still stay at the speed limit on secondary roads.   There's really no point in racking up the speeding tickets.


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## bigbog (Jan 3, 2012)

CC on I-95/#295 or major routes(sometimes)...as much as possible(auto trans = super deal Xterra and Accord(auto = was grandparents)).  Very seldom am I in traffic up here.....only if driving during rush hours(which is nothing compared to traffic south of Augusta).  Ditto on Uphillklimber's going manual once road surface condition changes...and on the older country/woods paved roads, never know when you're going to hit a stretch where budgets collide with need for road work.


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## tarponhead (Jan 3, 2012)

Geoff said:


> It pisses the crap out of the New Yorkers to get "stuck" behind somebody who is going the speed limit.



Cruise control freak here.  I laugh when I see them (NY plates) pulled over on Rt 78 after they hauled a$$ by me a few minutes earlier.


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## Bene288 (Jan 3, 2012)

I never use it anymore, people drive too slow and I end up just turning it off. I have a full size truck and it kills the fuel economy, if I let the torque drive the truck I get way better mileage. I also don't like the feeling of not being in control 100%.


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## SkiDork (Jan 4, 2012)

Geoff said:


> It's not a safety thing.   It's a revenue thing.





I know some people who treat it like a road use tax.


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## frapcap (Jan 4, 2012)

I feel like its a give/take relationship. I rarely go over the speed limit on my way to work or just running errands around town. However, come time for those trips to the mountain, 5-9 additional MPH can make up 20-30 minutes depending on the distance. Adapting the same behavior around town will only get you 1-2 minutes, tops. At the expense of gasoline, frustration, and stress. 

In reference to the "blocker," you gotta love when you're behind a car with a fully loaded ski rack at 5:15am and they're doing 80mph down the Mass Pike. Its awesome early morning comradely. But watch out around 5:45-6am. State Trooper shift change time!


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## C-Rex (Jan 4, 2012)

Geoff said:


> No you can't.   On Route 4 anywhere from the NH state line to the NY state line, even 5 mph over can get you a ticket.   Route 100 in Central/Southern Vermont has similar risk.   Speeding tickets are a local revenue source.   Towns rent the county sheriff on contract and use their speeding tickets to fund the town budget.   The state gets half.   The town gets half.    The sheriff is out of work if he doesn't write enough tickets to pay for himself.   It's not a safety thing.   It's a revenue thing.
> 
> 
> It pisses the crap out of the New Yorkers to get "stuck" behind somebody who is going the speed limit.   I can think of a few instances where a New Yorker flew by me and ended up getting pulled over a mile up the road.



I'm not talking about doing  90 mph up route 100. But from my experience most cops sit in the towns and are much more strict in those areas.  The only time I've seen one on the rural stretches was in the summer. 

I was headed to killington for some DH biking.  I was in my car (Subaru STi) and my friend had the bikes in his truck.  Just like you said, a New Yorker came up behind me in his Porsche 911.  When we came to one of the hills with two lanes for slow vehicles we both hit it.  I stuck with him for a little but he had me beat top end, so I slowed down and let him go.  A couple miles up the road he was pulled over by VSP.  I smiled and waved as I drove by. He didn't look pleased.

I gotta say this for the VSP though, they've always been friendly and professional anytime I've been pulled over.  And I'll take a $120 ticket for 80 in a 65 over the $280 they wack you in CT.  MA state police, in my experience, are by far the biggest A-holes I've dealt with.  I think they're grumpy because they have to wear those stupid pants. :lol:


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## snoseek (Jan 4, 2012)

I have a 2011 vehicle that doesn't have CC, doh!

I will use it when traveling cross country through a desert or something, mostly to keep me under a 100.


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## ScottySkis (Jan 4, 2012)

Only on boring highway without much traffic,  if i don't i tend to speed and i don't want higher insurance and court fees


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## Black Phantom (Jan 4, 2012)

Scotty said:


> Only on boring highway without much traffic,  if i don't i tend to speed and i don't want higher insurance and court fees



You are a smart man Scotty. And you'll have that cash to spend on lift tickets.

Speed kills.


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## ctenidae (Jan 4, 2012)

Black Phantom said:


> Speed kills.



Actually, speed differentials kill.

Like, the difference between your speed and a bridge's.


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## bvibert (Jan 4, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> Actually, speed differentials kill.
> 
> Like, the difference between your speed and a bridge's.



I swear occifer, that bridge stopped short.  It was traveling at the same speed I was...


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## deadheadskier (Jan 4, 2012)

use it all the time.  one less thing to worry about when I need to text someone


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## deadheadskier (Jan 4, 2012)

uphillklimber said:


> Bad!!!!!



I don't do it often.  Only when I've had a few beers and I want to let my wife know on my way home from the bar.


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## wa-loaf (Jan 4, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> use it all the time.  One less thing to worry about when i need to text someone





uphillklimber said:


> bad!!!!!





deadheadskier said:


> i don't do it often.  Only when i've had a few beers and i want to let my wife know on my way home from the bar.



lmfao


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## Nick (Jan 4, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> I don't do it often.  Only when I've had a few beers and I want to let my wife know on my way home from the bar.



Awesome


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## ctenidae (Jan 4, 2012)

Nick said:


> Awesome



Drinking and driving is one thing, but I can't believe you're defending texting while driving. That's just unforgivable.

Wait...what?


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## MarkC (Jan 4, 2012)

I will use it on rt 28 on the way up to the Catskills to keep me from speeding.  Other than that I rarely see the need.


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## Nick (Jan 4, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> Drinking and driving is one thing, but I can't believe you're defending texting while driving. That's just unforgivable.
> 
> Wait...what?


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## Zand (Jan 5, 2012)

I always use it on rural interstates and set it around 73 or so... if I don't use it I'll hit 80+ without realizing it. If I'm on the Pike heading into Boston or going down 84 or something, I just wait for the first line of cars that is going 85 and follow them. And I ALWAYS do the speed limit in any VT town... especially the ones that have 25's. Secondary roads (especially in the NEK) rarely see cops, so those are more ok to go a bit faster. I can't imagine actually doing 50 on a road like Route 2 in Concord VT.

And as an aside, there is no state more annoying than New Hampshire when it comes to drivers that have 20 mph differentials in their speeds every other minute. Having to take 93 to and from school every other weekend, everytime I'm on that road (especially between Tilton and Manchester) there are ALWAYS multiple cars that will blow by me doing 80, then pull in front of me and do 65. When I go to pass them back, right when I get next to them they speed back up to 80, so I fall back in behind them just to have them slow down again. A car started doing this to me on the Pike the other day so I looked at the plates and of course it's NH. Is cruise control illegal in NH or something? This happens to me EVERY time I drive on 93.


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## Edd (Jan 5, 2012)

I use mine as much as possible.  I live on the NH seacoast so the rule is: use it going north to Maine, but not going south to Mass.


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## riverc0il (Jan 5, 2012)

Zand said:


> Secondary roads (especially in the NEK) rarely see cops, so those are more ok to go a bit faster. I can't imagine actually doing 50 on a road like Route 2 in Concord VT.


The only time I got nailed for speeding when I lived in VT was on Route 2 in Concord, VT coming back from Mount Wash. Only a warning. County cop got me. I've seen him a few times on that road. The more important reason not to speed in that area though is moose. I've seen more Moose on Route 2 than almost any other road.


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## jrmagic (Jan 5, 2012)

bvibert said:


> Seriously though, if someone is traveling faster than me I'll happily let them go by and then follow them from a safe distance at around the same speed.



I do this too but absolutely hate when I move over to let the guy on my azz go through and then I move back over and find myself on his butt and I've been in cruise control the whole time.


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## kickstand (Jan 5, 2012)

jrmagic said:


> I do this too but absolutely hate when I move over to let the guy on my azz go through and then I move back over and find myself on his butt and I've been in cruise control the whole time.



This happens to me all the time.  Or you creep up on someone, move over to pass and next thing you know they're pulling away from you?  It's amazing how cruise control shows how inconsistent folks are with the gas pedal.  Pick a speed and go with it.....


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## jrmagic (Jan 5, 2012)

kickstand said:


> This happens to me all the time.  Or you creep up on someone, move over to pass and next thing you know they're pulling away from you?  It's amazing how cruise control shows how inconsistent folks are with the gas pedal.  Pick a speed and go with it.....



Absolutely. it reminds me of a trip I did to VT years ago. My then wife and I in one car and my sister and her husband in the other. I was driving pretty consistently at 70. They would fall way back behind me and then come back up to me , then fall back etc... we get there and they yell at me for doing 90:-o  they refused to belive the facts eventhough the trip still took 4 hours. If I was doing 90 it would have been an hour less.


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