Automotive

Does Cruise Control Save Gas? Exact and Simple Answer!

Lots of people are curious about the answer to this question. Does cruise control save gas? Here you can find a detailed answer to this question. And you know the general technical reasons for the answer.

Does Cruise Control Save Gas? Simple Answer: Yes.

Does Cruise Control Save Gas?

Yes, cruise control save gas every time. To understand why it saves gas, we need to understand the general working principle of cruise control systems.

You can easily fix the speed of your car to a certain speed value with the cruise control system. And it makes it possible to drive your car at a maximum speed. And it provides a very good amount of comfort for the drivers. So, cruise control is a very important part of modern cars.

But what happens if you do not have a cruise control system? Probably you will adjust the speed with your gas and brake pedals. But the cruise control system is an electronic system that controls the throttle much more accurate way to adjust the speed of the car.

So, let’s think about the situation. Will a system design apply the minimum and optimum amount of throttle to reach a speed that spends less gas or a human? The answer is very straightforward. The cruise control system will use much lower gasoline to reach and stay at a specific speed.

Studies Show that Cruise Control is More Gas Saving

There are different studies are carried out to make comparisons between human driving behavior and cruise control systems in terms of mileage. And in one study, they simulated the human user by fluctuating the car speed between 47 and 53 mph every 18 seconds. And also they tested the opening of the cruise control at 50 mph. The results show that the cruise control system spends 20% less gasoline than the human driver.

This is another thing that we can show you cruise control saves much more gasoline than the human controller.

Other Benefits of Cruise Control

Along with the gas savings that we stated above, there are other important things to consider. There are other important advantages of cruise control systems in automotive applications.

  • It provides a very good amount of comfort to the driver. Once you set the cruise control, you do not need to deal with adjusting the speed of your car with the gas and brake pedals. So, it is a very good amount of comfort that these systems bring to you.
  • Also, it improves the driver’s focus on the road. Because the driver can give their whole attention to the road and traffic instead of dealing with the gas and brake pedals.
  • And also you do not need to deal with the speed limits and the penalties. Because you can adjust the cruise control to the speed limit of the road that you are driving. And this will save you from the stress of the speed limit penalties.
  • Also if you are environmentally-conscious and friendly like us, you should consider using cruise control to reduce exhaust emissions. It is also very helpful in this case.

Situations to Avoid Cruise Control

Along with the benefits, there are certain situations in which you need to avoid cruise control. They are generally related to safety.

  • If you are driving in inclined and hilly terrains, you should take the control of your car wholly. This is because cruise control systems are not developed enough to deal with changing terrains. You need to adjust the speed of your car for different terrain conditions.
  • On rainy days or slippery roads, the driver must assess the road situation and the bends carefully to adjust the speed of the car. If you let the cruise control decide the speed, it can be very dangerous for you and your safety.
  • In traffic jams and urban traffic, do not use cruise control systems. Because there are lots of traffic lights, other cars, pedestrians, and other objects that you need to consider. Do not forget that cruise control only fixes the speed of your car to a certain degree by adjusting the throttle. They are not autonomous systems to drive your car.

Effect of Air Conditioning and Open-Window on Mileage

There are also other important things to consider if you want to save gas. They are very basic measures that you can consider.

The first one is the open windows. When the windows of a car open, the aerodynamic performance of the car reduces. And this will cause using much more gas. Once you close the windows, especially at high speeds, you will save gas along with the cruise control system.

If you are opening the air conditioning, you also spend extra gas. Because the air conditioning system has a compressor and this compressor works with the power that comes from the engine itself. And if you open the AC system of your car, the engine spends much more gasoline.

And also driving at high speeds will consume much more gasoline than the lower speeds. At highways where you can drive at high speeds, the optimum speed to save gas is the last gear of your car and the 2000-2500 RPM of the engine. This will save lots of gas also.

Conclusion on Does Cruise Control Save Gas Question

These are the general points that we can state about the question of the does cruise control save gas. And you know the general logic of why the cruise control system of your car saves gas. If you have additional comments and questions about this topic, please leave them below.

And also, you can find extra information about the fuel systems of cars;

Fuel Filter Wrench – Different Models

Fuel Injector Tester – What is That? How to Buy?

How to Get Gasoline Smell Off Hands? Every Solutions!

What Color is Gasoline? Colors of Different Types

References;

How Cruise Control Systems Work? – HowStuffWork

Cruise Control-Wiki

The Pros and Cons to Cruise Control-ButtaroLaw

Uğur Uygun

Hello everyone, I am Uğur. I am a mechanical engineer who has experience in different R&D departments of HVAC companies. With my best friend, I decided to build this website to share out knowledge and experience. And also, I am interested in automotive. So, I am writing about automotive and automotive-related articles here. Sharing my knowledge and experiences on these topics is a very big pleasure for me. I am willing to answer all of the questions people have about these topics.

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