Adaptive Cruise with Stop and Go..... Few days in
Preface: I drive 54 miles one way to work, about 48 of those miles are highway through some of the worst stop and go traffic in SE Michigan. I've done the commute for going on 7 years now, and It's a grind. I'm a cruise control guy through and through. The less I have to touch the gas/brake the better. I would find myself using the +/- buttons to control speed and trying to judge distance, but during peak traffic hours it just wasn't feasible.
Fast Forward to ACC: I've talked to a few folks that have had it before, and they say they enjoy it, with the exception of the full stop and resume. Most didn't have it and said it was great unless your in heavy traffic that stops frequently.
Day1: Got on the highway about 7 am, knowing full well that traffic was going to be a female dog. As soon as I enter the on ramp, on went the cruise and I quickly got to 75. I set the following distance at 3 bars (I think that's like 1.8 seconds gap). The first 5-10 miles is pretty smooth, with merging traffic that gets thicker. I was IMPRESSED to say the least. The ACC and auto braking was very smooth and consistent. No jerkiness butt puckering moments. I even changed lanes a few times to find that it immediately begins to accelerate back to speed if slowed, as to not piss off people in the lane your merging into. Here's where things get a wee bit nerve pinching... coming up on what I know to be a slow down point, we are cruising at about 72 mph, all of the sudden I can see brake lights far up and know we are going to be hitting the binders hard. Naturally I wanted to back off the holding pattern and coast into the stop, but I hovered my foot over the brake and let the car do it's job. Sure enough... 72 to 5 mph real quick, the car had a bit of a delayed braking response and got on them pretty hard. We slowed rather quickly, but the car held it's own. Time gap seemed to be maintained throughout the whole process. There were a few jerky moments, but most of it was smooth and controlled. The car resumed gracefully up to 45 or so, until the next slow down which ultimately was to a complete stop. It was perfect... all the way to a stop, left a respectable 1 car gap, and the resumed as we were only sedentary for a second or two.
Day 2-4: I can't live without it... It is a must on the highway for me. I don't have to mind the gaps between me and car in front. Changing lanes is a breeze, cornering on the highway next to cars doesn't affect it. I have yet to have a bad experience. Again, this is no replacement for the person operating the vehicle and you need to be aware of what's going on, but it definitely makes easier and less stressful.
Few observations:
Money well spent.
Preface: I drive 54 miles one way to work, about 48 of those miles are highway through some of the worst stop and go traffic in SE Michigan. I've done the commute for going on 7 years now, and It's a grind. I'm a cruise control guy through and through. The less I have to touch the gas/brake the better. I would find myself using the +/- buttons to control speed and trying to judge distance, but during peak traffic hours it just wasn't feasible.
Fast Forward to ACC: I've talked to a few folks that have had it before, and they say they enjoy it, with the exception of the full stop and resume. Most didn't have it and said it was great unless your in heavy traffic that stops frequently.
Day1: Got on the highway about 7 am, knowing full well that traffic was going to be a female dog. As soon as I enter the on ramp, on went the cruise and I quickly got to 75. I set the following distance at 3 bars (I think that's like 1.8 seconds gap). The first 5-10 miles is pretty smooth, with merging traffic that gets thicker. I was IMPRESSED to say the least. The ACC and auto braking was very smooth and consistent. No jerkiness butt puckering moments. I even changed lanes a few times to find that it immediately begins to accelerate back to speed if slowed, as to not piss off people in the lane your merging into. Here's where things get a wee bit nerve pinching... coming up on what I know to be a slow down point, we are cruising at about 72 mph, all of the sudden I can see brake lights far up and know we are going to be hitting the binders hard. Naturally I wanted to back off the holding pattern and coast into the stop, but I hovered my foot over the brake and let the car do it's job. Sure enough... 72 to 5 mph real quick, the car had a bit of a delayed braking response and got on them pretty hard. We slowed rather quickly, but the car held it's own. Time gap seemed to be maintained throughout the whole process. There were a few jerky moments, but most of it was smooth and controlled. The car resumed gracefully up to 45 or so, until the next slow down which ultimately was to a complete stop. It was perfect... all the way to a stop, left a respectable 1 car gap, and the resumed as we were only sedentary for a second or two.
Day 2-4: I can't live without it... It is a must on the highway for me. I don't have to mind the gaps between me and car in front. Changing lanes is a breeze, cornering on the highway next to cars doesn't affect it. I have yet to have a bad experience. Again, this is no replacement for the person operating the vehicle and you need to be aware of what's going on, but it definitely makes easier and less stressful.
Few observations:
- Haven't figured out the ideal time gap (number of bars)
- Seems to be slightly delayed when traffic slows immediately/quickly
- putting on your blinker and changing lanes immediately begins the acceleration process if necessary
- Acceleration is smooth
- It's eased my stress
Money well spent.
