Cruise control. Where do you put your foot?

[brianusa]

My Dad who was a policeman in Plymouth taught me on Harrowbeer airfield with its wide open runways.  He was of the downshift faith and I followed his advice, passed the test and changed to an auto with my first American car.  The last car I ever drove with a manual shift was a Toyota Celica hatchback.  Shifting gears is fun if you like the zoomzoom feature but it gets old after a while as you do!

     Brian.

[New Haven Neil]

I had to change to an automatic a couple of years ago as a result of a left foot accident that left using a clutch problematic - they were for old men as far as i was concerned. Oh hang on.....harumpph.  However, now I am used to it, it is brilliant.  Its a 6 speed torque converter box, electronically controlled, and is very clever.

 

I use the cruise control in 30 and 40 limits, as I tend to find I am the slowest vehicle in those limits.....at the limit. Admittedly roads here are a lot quieter than in the UK but I use it a lot.  All the controls are on the steering wheel at a thumb stroke, no need to move your hand.  I thought it a gimmick, but now find it very useful.

[Reorte]

1 hour ago, brianusa said:

My Dad who was a policeman in Plymouth taught me on Harrowbeer airfield with its wide open runways.  He was of the downshift faith and I followed his advice, passed the test and changed to an auto with my first American car.  The last car I ever drove with a manual shift was a Toyota Celica hatchback.  Shifting gears is fun if you like the zoomzoom feature but it gets old after a while as you do!

 

My first driving lesson was on the roads around there! The perimeter roads, off the public roads, werea good starting place, the runways by that time not being suitable to drive on, being more obvious on aerial views than on the ground. I lived in Yelverton at the time.

Edited August 13, 2019 by Reorte

[EddieB]

14 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

 

 

I was taught to use the same gear going downhill as going up and this included doing my pcv license and test.

 

I believe that when the police are/were taught to drive, the best brake was the gearbox and use the brakes when you need to stop.

 

 

 

Which is why I struggle to understand the logic of putting an automatic gearbox in a 4x4 (outside the Chelsea set), especially when there are no selectable lower gears for descending.  I recently ended up with an “upgrade” to just such a vehicle - ok, for the most part, but no way I would contemplate the Öxi Pass “shortcut” without being able to choose the right gear.

 

https://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/iceland/6361-öxi-pass.html

 

 

[Sir TophamHatt]

In the Ford Focus my foot rests on the floor.

In the VW Golf, there's a convenient plastic "rester" on both sides of the pedals.

 

One tiny reason why I'll probably never buy a Ford again.

[PaulCheffus]

22 hours ago, alastairq said:

The most recent complaint regarding vehicle technology I have listened to , regards what I presume is something like 'lane assist'...?

The complainer has a new motor...and,when driving down one of our local, narrow lanes, came across an oncoming vehicle.

The complainer knew they could manoeuvre their car much closer to the nearside hedge....to allow the oncoming vehicle to pass....but the technology refused to allow him to do so..the steering, effectively, 'locked' on him.

He said he had to talk to the other driver, and apologise for compelling the other guy to 'back up' to a wider bit...as his own car refused to let him get in closer to the hedge.

Now, I'm not sure whether, or how this system could be switched off.....but, in an instant's response, I'd find that very annoying....

For me, this is technology going too far.....

Hi

 

My car has lane assist and it can be either switched off permanently or overridden by turning the steering wheel.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[stewartingram]

12 minutes ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

In the Ford Focus my foot rests on the floor.

In the VW Golf, there's a convenient plastic "rester" on both sides of the pedals.

 

One tiny reason why I'll probably never buy a Ford again.

I can think of a number of reasons never to buy a Ford.

Starting with the name on the oval badge....

 

Stewart

[alastairq]

6 hours ago, stewartingram said:

Starting with the name on the oval badge....

 

Oooh, I don't know?  Can't be worse than a company that lived off a tarnished reputation for reliability?

 

Let's face it, they're all as bad as each other?

[Sir TophamHatt]

 

On ‎14‎/‎08‎/‎2019 at 12:59, stewartingram said:

I can think of a number of reasons never to buy a Ford.

Starting with the name on the oval badge....

 

Stewart

 

To be fair, my Focus is a 56 plate, bought in 2010.

Has been the most reliable car I've ever had in recent years, costing nothing more than the MOT for the past three or so.

[Gibbo675]

On 11/08/2019 at 01:06, Colin_McLeod said:

One can brake to a stop in neutral. Easy to go straight to the correct gear if acceleration becomes necessary.

Hi Colin,

 

I wouldn't try that trick on a motorcycle !

 

Gibbo.

[Zomboid]

I put my foot on the floor in front of the pedals.

 

Love cruise control - I can't stand long motorway drives, they're so boring. Cruise takes a load of the stress out of it for me, and prevents me from inadvertently doing 90, which used to happen before I had a car with it. Wouldn't have a car without it now.

 

Had a rental with radar controlled cruise once. Now that was quite something. I'd have specified it on my current car if it hadn't cost £1000 to do so...