Cruise Control

Cruise control works well on the flat for steady driving. It's less efficient going up and down hills, as it tries to keep a constant speed.

Hypermilers can do better than CC by using P&G and other advanced techniques, but for normal driving down the highway, CC is the way to go.

Tom

 

I only use Cruise Control when on the interstate. Otherwise, I dont use it. because without it, you can have better control of the hybrid vs ICE engine.

 

I think at speeds above 60mph, you might as well use CC unless you're a hypermiler - you might get slightly better mpg by accelerating a bit before hills and lifting off sooner at the top, but I don't think the difference is as significant as you would see at lower speeds. (I wish it were possible to use the CC in combination with your foot, but my CC refuses to cooperate)

40-45mph is probably a very bad speed for CC because the ICE can maintain speed but in a less-efficient band, and the CC likely wouldn't lift off enough to give any glides.

 

Interstates at 55 mph or higher. Otherwise I can easily beat the CC in fuel mileage.

 

That's kinda the point, isn't it? (I hadda do it)

 

:doh:

 

I use the cruse control to boost mileage and to avoid speeding. Without it, I have a tendency to go a bit tooooo faaasssstttttt. Saving money by not getting tickets and keeping my insurance low may save me as many $s as the slight improvement in mileage.

 

I don't know. I use it all the time and get a consistent 52 MPG (4.5 l/100 km.) Right now, both Prius are going through the annual winter slump. However, there are advocates for another style of driving called pulse and glide.

Using cruise control with our 1.5L NHW11 to replicate pulse and glide, I see an 11% improvement by pulsing to 43 mph (69 km/h) and gliding in neutral to 25 mph (40 km/h.) over the equivalent 33 mph (53 km/h):


Comparing the mileage, I found:


Reducing the band between acceleration and glides tends to reduce the improvement. One attempt to pulse and glide around the maximum distance speed, ~18 mph (29 km/h), found a distinct efficiency loss:


Compared to holding the speed constant at 18 mph:


But going back to the winter blues and spring pickup, yesterday I drove the 2010 Prius in 50F (10C) at 50 mph (80 kph) and got 60 MPG (3.9 l/100 km) indicated. By the end of May, our first full year of 2010 Prius ownership, I'm expecting to see 52 MPG. The 2003 Prius anniversary month is the first of October and it will easily be over 52 MPG.

Let me suggest performing your own test over a known route. Ideally, it needs to be at least 16 km long after the car has warmed up. Make runs in both directions to even out wind and grade differences using the tripmeter reset after achieving the starting speed. The fuel burned 'benchmarking' your car and driving style will pay dividends over time.

Bob Wilson

 

It also helps you avoid cramps and aches in your right foot by relieving it of a rigid set on the accelerator pedal during long drives!
Though they may not happen frequently in Israel, a small country.