When do you use cruise control

Please answer the poll about when/if you use your cruise control and add a response to this thread about when and why you use it and whether you think there is an effect on gas mileage.

I didn't used to use it that much, but now I almost always use it on the highway, as well as sometimes on other roads. It's less tiring. I don't know whether I can get better gas mileage by controlling the gas pedal myself - but it seems a lot of hard work and I feel fairly confident that the Prius can work it better himself.

i use it a lot. now i dont leave it at a set speed, i am constantly using the adjustment to bump it up and down 1 mph but then again, i always put it in park at lights even if only for a few seconds.

what i frequently do to manipulate the SOC, is set CC at something that is say 5 mph above the posted speed limit which usually forces a charge to traction battery. then i drift down 1 mph as the instantaneous mpg drifts down until i am at say 2-5 mph below the posted limit.

usually by then, i am in EV mode. i then start over. it really cuts down on the boredom of the daily commute

Cruise control lets me achieve reproducible results and concentrate on the traffic. If dealing with overpasses, I sometimes accelerate a little over the set speed approaching an upgrade so I can slack the speed on the upgrade. Otherwise, cruise control works great.

Bob Wilson

My typical main impetus for using cruise control is ticket avoidance. For example, there is a thoroughfare through a planned community I take on my way to work. The speed limit is 30 mph and it has more cops patrolling it than the Ohio State Turnpike. So, accelerate to ~32, set cruise and kick back.

Since most of our driving is city, the DRCC is not often used, but, occasionally we drive to a small town about 20 minutes from where we live, and BOTH the DRCC and LKA are used.

Just today, we went to that town for lunch, and the DRCC (and the combination of highway driving) netted us an increase of 4.4 MPG.

David (aka Blind Guy)

Thank you for all your replies. Those of you who say you seldom or never use cruise control, why is that?

As I said, I didn't use it very much before. I used to worry that I may not react soon enough if I start to approach someone who is going slower than me. But now I have gotten used to it and find myself adjusting and readjusting the speed accordingly.

I wish I could have gotten DRCC and LKA on my package IV. They sound like really neat features.

I always use CC on the highway, mostly for comfort but also for ticket avoidance. I have a stretch of highway on my daily commute that changes from 55 to 60 for about five miles and then back to 55. If I am not careful I will be doing 65+ in a 55 zone, and they have local cops all around.

I have a friend that has a gas guzzling SUV that says that he uses his CC around town and has found that he gets better gas mileage. I have not tried CC around town to see if the Prius does any better.

Does anyone here use CC around town to get better MPG?

I use the CC a great deal, as it has a 'steadier foot' than I do. I can often set the CC in town and have the computers decide to use an electric mode.

When I hear folks complaining about CC, they worry how it handles hills. I have no hills in my normal travel

My Service Area - Google Maps

60 foot elevation gain from Greenville to Tunica, in 111 miles

I voted never and the main reason is I can achieve higher mpg by not using cruise (I trust my driving skills more than the car's to drive for efficiency). In addition, when I looked at 2009's to buy I ended up picking one that does not have cruise...don't use it and don't need it.

In my former vehicle I had cruise but only used it once or twice in the 2 years I owned the car...same reason...I trust my driving skills more than the car's when operating for efficiency. In addition, when I used cruise on the highway (long trips) I found myself less attentive and often sleepy when driving as I did not need to keep an eye on my speed.

When cars start being produced with "smart" cruise control I'll think about getting it but not until then. By smart, I mean cruise is set for mpg and not for speed...often called smart cruise.

I have a lot of hills. Most places around here have too many lights and/or traffic to use CC, but I sometimes switch it on if there is a fairly clear stretch. I'm not really sure whether the CC does better or was than my foot, but probably better.

The hills and stop-and-go traffic really kill my mpg. I cannot get better than low- to mid-forties for my local trips.

I use the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control on most roads with a speed limit of at least 40 MPH. It is just much easier to let the car worry about maintaining the speed and dealing with other drivers slowing down, speeding up, and cutting in and out of lanes. I need to concentrate on watching the traffic, not on maintaining my speed.

I am sure I could get better fuel economy if I spent the time watching the fuel economy meter and HSI all the time, but it is just too much trouble. I do this on a short 35 MPH road I travel in the mornings. I play a game where I try to keep the fuel economy meter at 100 as much as possible. There is very little traffic on this road, and only one stop sign, so I can afford to have my attention on the gauges.

I use CC primarily to reduce my workload on the highway and sometimes off the highway.

On the highway I wish more people used CC as well. It's annoying when others drivers can't keep a constant speed.

As far at ticket avoidance, the eyeball, experience of known hiding places and Valentine One are reportedly very reliable

I have used cruise control a fair amount for increased regenerative braking in medium-length downhills, not long enough to top off the traction battery. Longer downhills get B-mode instead.

Beyond that, I use CC sometimes on the highway.

On long trips (e.g. going from MD to NJ), I often use cruise control for convenience. However, I have experimented and seen the gas mileage is less. With CC, I get about 50-52 in my Gen2. Without CC, I got 54.5. There are hills. Without CC, my speed will vary between the speed limit and about 10 over, depending on the speed of traffic.

I use CC locally too. But, I do that mostly for fun and for "consistency". I've noticed that most people involuntarily (I hope) speed up when you pass them. I've noticed that I do that sometimes too - without thinking. It must be a relative motion and peripheral vision thing. Sometimes when I see someone coming up to pass, I'll throw it in CC so that the passer can deal with a vehicle at constant velocity.

As Bob Wilson said, and with the added input of accelerating before an overpass. I also apply throttle to allow speed to creep up going into an underpass.

Cruise control helps me avoid speeding fines on long drives. As said by Chrisj428.

My mileage is about the same if I use cruise or don't. I suspect that is because I help it along a little. I used to use it around town but I do that less now.

I use it a ton for ticket avoidance. I drove my last car onthe highway a lot and found it's optimum MPG speed... 82. But that was a Deville. I find my optimum MPG speed on the roller coaster interstate roads I travel to be 71. The controls are at my fingers, it's simple to use. Yeah, I could get better MPG without it, but I'm more relaxed when I can concentrate of the road ahead of me, versus the fuel consumption guage.

I get ~42, some of you cringe, but if I drive it like I used to, I get ~38, but still more than double the previous car. So, in retrospect, I'm happy withteh MPG results of my Prius using the CC.

Also, I use it through town on long stretches without light to maintain a safe speed. I tend to creep up on the speedometer without it.

I've used it a couple of times, just to try it out, but I'm not comfortable with it. I prefer to slow down a bit climbing hills, and speed up going down. There are usually enough variations in traffic, road conditions, and terrain that I feel safer without using cruise control.

I have never used the cruise control on the Prius, but then the traffic here is usually a higher volume. But I do plan to use CC when I take some road trips away from here.

I have only used the cruise control once or twice since I got my 2010 Prius IV in June.

Why? I mostly use it to communte or do shorter drives. The highway driving I do is partially stop and go, and if not there are some small hills/inclines to negotiate.

I find I can control my mpg's much better WITHOUT the use of cruise control.