Cars We Drive!

[HRoi]

Wouldn’t a car that auto-stopped but didn’t auto-start back up just be an “unreliable piece of sh1t”?

 

[otc]

Is ACC a feature that's always on are do you have to turn it on while driving?

In most cars I've rented, it is usually always on (but obviously only when you turn on the cruise control). Some cars may remember the last setting though (so if you have ACC on, it will come back on, if you have it off, it will stay off).

Honestly I can't see a big reason to disable it unless the following distance is super long (or you have a car that brakes hard when it engages). It just works like normal cruise control...unless it malfunctions, it is only going to slow down if there's a car in front of you, in which case you would have had to step on the brake anyways. It is really the ideal form of cruise control because you can actually cruise--no more having to disable and restart the cruise control when someone pulls in front of you to pass and then pulls back in the other lane, no more playing games with moving traffic where you keep bumping it up or down because you can't exactly match the pace of the car in front of you...it just lets the car cruise.

As for the lane keep...I've said it before, but I'm a fan (other than a few cars I have rented that have a really terrible system). Do I love the feeling of it correcting my steering? No. But a lot of that is just my ego getting annoyed that the car is reprimanding me for drifting to the edge of the lane. I also really wish *everyone else* had it turned on while they text and drive down the highway...the combo of ACC, Lane keep, and auto emergency braking would probably prevent a lot of accidents.

Obviously if you are doing "spirited" driving go ahead and turn stuff off...but they are pretty useful safety/convenience features.

 

[Omega Male]

I really like Porsche InnoDrive and whatever Mercedes call their TOTL system. Make driving long distances piss easy and haven't found either to be squirrelly in denser traffic conditions.

 

[Piobaire]

holy fook

A visual representation of how a vaccinated sheeple sheds spike proteins and impacts a pureblood.

 

[venividivicibj]

How long are your guys' commute that you're all using cruise control this often?

 

[Piobaire]

Mine is 12 minutes mostly on sleepy two lane roads. My adaptive is awesome.

Doesn't everyone's have a way to set the distance? I have five different intervals. At 45 the closest is close enough to get the guy in front of me upset. The same setting also widens the gap as speed increases.

 

[brokencycle]

How long are your guys' commute that you're all using cruise control this often?

I don't have a commute. I just use cruise control 90% of the time.

 

[UnFacconable]

How long are your guys' commute that you're all using cruise control this often?

I don't know what I'm missing but I have never used cruise control. I've trialed it for a minute or two a few times but always felt like the downside risk (potential disengagement) outweighed the upside (less ankle fatigue?) for me.

I get why self-driving might be nice but just cruise control never felt like it was solving a real problem for me and I really never enjoyed how the old systems accelerated and braked so differently from how I would do it. I suppose modern systems may be significantly more useful but having relied on my hands and feet for this long, I have a hard time imagining the personal upside just because a system is adaptive.

 

[Piobaire]

I started using cruise at every possible instance as if you're not paying attention in a Douchemobile you're doing 30 mph over the limit without noticing. It's saved me many a ticket.

 

[Michigan Planner]

How long are your guys' commute that you're all using cruise control this often?

My commute is only about 10 miles, with about 90% of it all on one divided highway going against rush hour traffic both ways. If I time the first light correctly and keep my speed around 56 mph for the first bit and then about 45 for the final few miles, I can make every green light.

My kids are tired of me coming home on those days and announcing, “I made it all the way without hitting any lights!”

 

[Jr Mouse]

I use cruise all the time on longer drives. For example when I visit my family it's about 3.5 to 4 hours. Cruise makes it much more enjoyable a ride.

I don't think I have ever had it disengage in any vehicle I've owned. Is that really a thing to be concerned about?

EDIT: Even if it does disengage it's the equivalent of you taking your foot off the gas. I'd think you would have time unless some asshole is hugging your tail.

 

[otc]

I assume he means driver disengagement…you stop paying attention to the road as much.

Personally I don’t find that. I’m still driving, and I often still keep my foot pressing the gas…I just am now driving at a consistent speed, saving some fuel, and I feel like it lowers the level of driving fatigue I feel over time.

 

[Jr Mouse]

Agreed. You are still driving. Having to keep your eyes on the road, etc.

 

[HRoi]

No question cruise and adaptive cruise are tremendously useful, but I’ve never used it, even on 20+ hour drives.

Yeah it’s not to be used if you’re entertaining yourself, but even on normal drives I feel like I need to have full control and attention on the task of driving, else I feel unsafe

 

[Jmm722]

Every time I’m on the highway I engage lane keep and adaptive cruise. Mostly so I don’t get speeding tickets because there’s speed trap everywhere.