"Bill Putney" <bptn@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:63iqanF251nvtU1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Daniel Who Wants to Know wrote:
>> "Bill Putney" <bptn@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>> news:63id2hF282echU1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> Daniel Who Wants to Know wrote:
>>>> I have written about the '95 GC SE that I got recently before but I
>>>> noticed a strange (to me) behavior that I had never heard of before.
>>>> On an 86 mile round trip that I do twice a week I usually set the
>>>> speed/cruise control for 54MPH (55 speed limit) and I noticed that
when
>>>> I was going down a hill and the speed hit 60 that the trans
down****fted
>>>> to help keep my speed down.
>>> It's a feature on the LH cars too - probably most car these days. It
is
>>> generally helpful, but can be annoying in generally hilly terrain as
you
>>> go down one hill and crest another (if anyone is familiar with hiway
460
>>> East of Lynchburg and Appomattox, VA, that is the exact worst-case for
>>> what I'm talking about).
>>>
>>> Also, if you have the cruise set just below ticket threshold for the
>>> straight-and-level, this will put you well over that on a long
>>> downgrade. I am in the habit (on two particular hills that I drive on
my
>>> daily commute) of punching the 'Decel' button 3 or 4 times (drops
cruise
>>> control setpoint 3 or 4 mph) just before the start of the downgrade to
>>> start that down****ft earlier and stay safely below the 'get a ticket'
>>> threshold, and then to punch the 'Accel' button 3 or 4 times (ups the
>>> setpoint 6 to 8 mph) at the bottom for the long descent, then hit the
>>> 'Decel' button 3 or 4 times again when returning to straight and level
>>> to return to the original setpoint.
>>>
>>> This will never be a completely acceptable speed control augmentation
>>> for all terrains. If they programed it to hold the speed too tight,
the
>>> constant up and down****fting would be very annoying on minor terrain
>>> variations. The way they have them set now works well for relatively
>>> level terrain. In constant short up/down hill, the constant ****fting
is
>>> annoying and does not hold speed well; on long grades, it allows way
too
>>> much speed variation on hills if your goal is too travel just below
the
>>> speeding ticket threshold on the level terrain using the same
setpoint.
>>>
>>> Bill Putney
>>> (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
>>> address with the letter 'x')
>>
>> LOL I should have mentioned that while @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
54 the rest of the people pass
>> me like I am sitting still so speeding tickets should be a non issue.
>> The route is just 2 lane with some short slow lanes going up the hills
>> but the strange part is that after tailgating me for a few miles rather
>> than wait 10 more seconds for me to get in the slow lane most people
seem
>> to pass me just as we are coming up on one. I guess I am the only one
>> who values fuel savings over small time savings.
>
> Well - the feature, with its ±4 mph window is perfect for you. No
tickets
> for 60 in a 50.
>> snip <<
Bill, I was stopped by a patrolman on a July 3 a # of years ago for
driving too slow. I'd just moved to a small S.C. town. Just left my
dad's
house and still daylite and hot, and the highway had a limit of 45. Not
being in any hurry plus running my ac w/windows up and only going about
40--gonna make a right turn shortly anyway, and about 3 cars ac***ulated
behind, and 'here he came' with his lights fla****ng. Obviously he thought
I
was drinking, going so slow plus I was driving w/windows up in hot summer.
He mis-accused me of weaving and even reached thru the door to my steering
wheel asking what was wrong with the steering on my older, yet esp. nice
'57
Chevy. In later years after we became acquainted he admitted he'd never
bothered had I been going 50 in that 45 instead of 40! ...or maybe if I
had
windows down, as he never dreamed that car old could have ac! We actually
became friends. s
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