It makes you wonder.

[Grant052]

Was having a drink t'other day and overheard something that made me just shake my head. People towing a camper trailer at 100 kmh (no problems with that) but with cruise control ON!! Seems they almost came to grief (thankfully didn't) but in the process learned a pretty valuable lesson. Driving with cruise on when there's something attached to the rear of the car is a big NO, NO. Similarly driving in the wet with cruise on has the potential to end up in hospital or the morgue. Do supposedly intelligent people really need this spelled out for them or am I being just a tad naive??

[101RRS]

Why :confused: - I do it all the time and have no issues. Quite safe both towing may camper and in the wet.

Not sure what the issue is as you still have full control of your car.

Garry

[shining]

I use CC a fair bit (but not towing). When the road is undulating and has curves the application of power (and occassional kick down) at unexpected (the worst times)for example, on the apex of a corner. I could see how it would be an issue.

[robbotd5]

My engine is too small and my van too big to even contemplate using CC. On a straight flat road maybe in 4th only at about 85km/h.:o:)
Regards
Robbo

[Grant052]

Why :confused: - I do it all the time and have no issues. Quite safe both towing may camper and in the wet.

Not sure what the issue is as you still have full control of your car.

Garry
Garry,
Using CC on wet roads can cause the car to begin to hydroplane and, has been described as causing the vehicle to literally 'fly through the air'. If the cruise control is on and your car begins to hydroplane i.e. when your tyres lose contact with the road, the car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed and 'take off' causing the driver to lose control.
Similarly, if you come to a sweeping bend or going up a hill, the car initially slows down then the computer realises what's happening and (in an auto) kicks down. Result? Half-way through the sweeping bend or half-way up the hill the car begins accelerate and accelerate very quickly! Add that scenario to a wet road and it's easy to see how a driver can, almost in the blink of an eye, lose control.
I use CC regularly on the highway but never when its wet and never towing my camper, just too dangerous.

[101RRS]

Ok thanks for that - never experienced those issues with over 25 years using cruise control driving in the very conditions you mentioned - however certainly there are occasions when I would not use cruise control such as slow winding roads and in medium to heavy traffic.

I don't share your views and your entitled to your opinion but I don't believe there is any basis to them.

cheers

Garry

[Homestar]

There have been reported cases of people losing control of their vehicle using CC in the wet, but I haven't heard of one for a while. Newer vehicles with ESP won't do that - as soon as the car loses control and the ESP kicks in, the CC is disengaged as part of the process. I use my CC all the time - wet, dry, trailer or no trailer. Never had a problem, but I drive to the conditions anyway.

[101RRS]

There have been reported cases of people losing control of their vehicle using CC in the wet,

I have heard far more people loose control in the wet driving normally with no CC or not engaged - so maybe to lower the incidence we should all be driving with CC in the wet.

Garry

[PhilipA]

You just need to apply "common sense".
You don't get up and walk back to get a cup of coffee in a Motorhome with cruise control on either.

I use it if bored towing on a straight level road, but find the TD5 kicks down too much on the slightest rise.
I have very rarely aquaplaned in Australia , and if it's raining that heavily you should have slowed down long ago.

Regard sPhilip A

[Homestar]

I have heard far more people loose control in the wet driving normally with no CC or not engaged - so maybe to lower the incidence we should all be driving with CC in the wet.

Garry

Absolutely correct - far more people loose control in the wet without CC.:)

[gusthedog]

You just need to apply "common sense".
You don't get up and walk back to get a cup of coffee in a Motorhome with cruise control on either.

Regard sPhilip A

You 'obviously' need to tie the steering wheel straight as well as put in on CC when making coffee in a moving motor home :wasntme:

[bee utey]

I tow frequently and also use cruise control. That is because my cc is set very modestly and won't initiate kickdown under most conditions. It simply doesn't apply enough throttle. When towing I can maintain speed up inclines if I manually select 3 instead of D. Otherwise it simply drops out when the road speed is more than 10% lower than the set speed.

And that built in margin of around 10% puts a lie on the myth that cruise can accelerate your vehicle to warp speeds. Once you lose traction the cruise shuts down as the measured speed (not the actual vehicle speed) suddenly exceeds the upper limit of the cruise range. The vehicle doesn't defy the laws of physics, the speedo reads momentary wheelspin.

Now of course if the cruise kicks in on a sharp bend and you lose traction then you're in trouble but anyone other than a fool has disabled the cruise before the corner by tapping the brake pedal. So my suggestion for drivers is, use your cruise sensibly, it won't kill you unless you're already too close to the edge. If your cruise control is aggressive in action have the sensitivity adjusted, or change the operating cable to a longer lever on your throttle if it's a mechanical actuator.