Posted on 04/12/2013 4:20:29 AM PDT by SMARTY
This morning, I drove to work in the rain. It was raining all the way and it is a highway drive of about 35 miles.
I didn't use the cruise control, because I was told that was not a good idea on wet pavement.
Is that correct?
Just don’t go to the back and get a cup of coffee.
I have hydroplaned while on cruise control. One unintended lane change was all it took for me to never do it again. I like being able to immediately let off the accelerator when the tires start breaking loose.
I woul dnot use it in wet weather. Every once in a while, my car hydroplanes...even at relatively slow speed, when some imperfection in the road makes the water deeper.
The instinct is to let off the gas..and all is well. With cruise on, I think the ‘reaction time’ of the control will be too slow.
With cruise control set you can become inattentive. Better to have your foot on the gas and your mind alert to changing conditions.
There are different cruise controls out there. Some are smarter than others. Even if some have conquered the icy and wet roads problem, how do you know how smart yours is? You don’t.
Better safe than sorry.
I was a fully ASE certified mechanic at an Oldsmobile dealership. Courses taught by General Motors specifically stated you should NOT use cruise control on wet roads. I don't think this applies to modern traction control though.
You blithely ignore the Coriolis Effect, not to mention centrifugal forces which lead to untoward catenary changes in the MacPhersons. Just FYI, the Bingham Brothers now work as Wal-Mart greeters and tother day nary a one of'em could tell my grandmother where the automotive section was.
Furthermore, from the tenor of your remarks, Sir, I deduce you to be none other than Toto, the notorious cabbie of Siragusa who drove me all the way to Sigonella in the rain without ever looking at the road, all the while explaining trouble-shooting the Isotta-Fraschini turbocharger.
I can’t help it GM is run by lawyers...I do know that those same lawyers hadn’t affected the ability of me to use my cruise in the rain (although they could have, easily) - with or without traction control engaged.
One of the reasons you do not use Cruise on bad weather is you need 100% positive control of your vehicle and cruise does not do that for you.
I just got an email from State Farm the other day leading me to this link:
The relevant portion:
4. Turn off cruise control. Ironically, on rain- or snow-slick surfaces, cruise control may cause you to lose control. You might think it’ll help you stay at one steady speed, but if you hydroplane while you’re in cruise control, your car will actually go faster.
Traction control on my Z06 is controlled by retarding ignition timing and sapping power to the wheels. The stability control engages brakes at individual wheels when it senses the car yawing. I imagine they went a different route on the Jeep with off road in mind.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.