Cruise control is great when you are going on long drives or road trips. It is one of the nicer technological conveniences. However, if you are concerned about saving on your gas mileage while you use the cruise control feature you might want to know when is the best time to use it? This article will address that question for you so you will know the perfect time to deploy your cruise control.
- Evaluate the driving and road conditions. Cruise control is not designed to be used in hazardous weather conditions, so use good judgment when deciding to apply your vehicle’s cruise control.
- Build your speed. If driving on an interstate or open highway, the speed limit is generally between 55 and 70 miles per hour. This is the ideal speed range for cruise control. Do not attempt to set your vehicle’s cruise control at a speed that is above the legal limit. This is both dangerous and unwise. Once you reach your desired speed, turn on the cruise control system. In most vehicles, the buttons that control the cruise control system appears on the steering wheel. You should check your owner’s manual and locate these buttons in advance when the car is not being driven to avoid an accident. In most cases the system is switched on by pressing a bigger button which says cruise
- Set the cruise control. This will likely entail simply pressing the marked “set” button on the steering wheel. After the cruise control is set, you may remove your foot from the accelerator. The car should then maintain its speed.
- Watch the road carefully. Your reaction time will be slower because you will have to deactivate the cruise control system before you slow down or stop.
Using cruise control is a great way to control your speed when driving on the interstate. Setting your vehicle’s cruise control at or around the speed limit will also reduce fuel consumption by preventing sudden accelerations and decelerations
However, what about back road driving? Can cruise control handle the hills you may encounter? The answer is no. Driving up or down hills should be manually controlled, as your speed needs to increase and decrease whether you are going up or down a hill. Therefore, unless you have straight roads, cruise control is not ideal to use on hills.
Just like every decision when driving a vehicle, there are rules and recommendations to follow but always take into account the driving conditions and always use your best judgment.
