When is it safe to start using cruise control?

Hey...Just figured I'd ask around and see when would be a safe time to start using cruise control on a new car (after break in). I've read one some sites that say to wait until the first regular oil change (so around 7500km or so)...others say as soon as the 1000km break in is over its safe to use.

I've used it in brief stints at times...however I'd like to start using it regularly...as gas prices are up, and I basically have a 35km highway commute each way to work (I work 10am to 6pm, and usually stay late so that traffic has a chance to break up).

Thanks in advance...

Hey...Just figured I'd ask around and see when would be a safe time to start using cruise control on a new car (after break in). I've read one some sites that say to wait until the first regular oil change (so around 7500km or so)...others say as soon as the 1000km break in is over its safe to use.

I've used it in brief stints at times...however I'd like to start using it regularly...as gas prices are up, and I basically have a 35km highway commute each way to work (I work 10am to 6pm, and usually stay late so that traffic has a chance to break up).

Thanks in advance...


The only thing that comes to mind is when the break in period of the car is over.. I'm saying that because on my scion, it says the break-in period is 1,000 miles and during that time not to perform the following:

- Heavy/hard braking
- Full throttle acceleration
- Extremely high speeds
- Going slow in low gears
- Going the same speed for an extended period of time


If you were to use cruise control during the break-in period you'd obviously be going the same speed for an extended period of time.. that's the only thing I can think of for not using it until the car is broken in.


But at the same time, there are sites that recommend full throttle accelerations during break in periods to maximize the cars performance etc..

there are teo different schools on thought on break-in procedures....

- baby the car

- drive it hard

not sure which one is right...... :dunno: :paranoid:

On a Honda, I'd say anything after the first 600 miles.... during that time the manual recommends a little babying.... after that drive it as hard as you want, they can take it!! :yes:

On a Honda, I'd say anything after the first 600 miles.... during that time the manual recommends a little babying.... after that drive it as hard as you want, they can take it!! :yes:

Basically what I did...at 3000km now (so thats what...1500 to 1600 miles :dunno: )

I've just read before that since the engine is still minorly breaking in that cruise might not be a good idea until around 5000 miles (which is why I said around my 7500km oil change).

Ive broken in two new hondas in the last 12 months. I drove the crap out of both of them. Neither uses oil. Also neither sqeaks or rattles... lololololol

When was the lasttime you heard of a new car spining a bearing. Spitting gears out or trashing roller bearings? Ive heard of no issues like that for years.

I would use the CC as soon as you want. Moving spped will be the same. Engine speed will vary quite alot.

psy

I used mine about 2 miles after picking it up. Dealer is right next to the interstate. Lately I used one of Exel's tips not to use CC...My normal driving MPG is now about 31 vs. 28.5... HMMMMMM :dunno: Now on this tank I put 4 more PSI in my tires, up to 36/34 and lets see what happens. Will be about 38/36 when the weather is back up to normal temps..

Just an FYI - I know someone who toured the Marysville Assembly plant, and they said Honda runs every car to redline in every gear plus reverse, straight off the line, on a freshly built cold engine without even a chance for the oil to fully circulate. The Honda tour guide said that does 3 things: verifies the engines make the advertised HP and TQ, its a final quality control checkpoint, and it seats the seals, rings, and gaskets instantaneously. The motors are engineered with such precision that they said 90% of the break in is done in that very first test at the factory.

Now, this doesn't mean you should take your brand new Accord with 2 miles on it and drive it like Smokey and the Bandit. But Honda engines are very well engineered nonetheless. After all they are first and foremost an engine company.

Ok I have kind of a sub question about Cruise Control as well...I've used it a few times briefly now...and I thought I read somewhere that if you leave "Cruise Main" on/armed and turn off the car, it remembers your last speed setting. If you turn Cruise Main off, then it forgets, no matter if you are still driving or you turn off the car.

Mine remembers so long as I am driving (and I leave Cruise Main on/armed), but after parking and starting up again, Cruise Main is still on but if I hit "resume" nothing happens (and the second Cruise light stays off).

To me it makes sense to be this way...in case you engage cruise and forgot how fast you had it set (eg. driving at 60 and hitting it forgetting that you set it at 75)....but I thought I read it would remember until you turn off Cruise Main (and not a second before..lol).

Anyhow...just wanted to confirm with everyone else out there.

Thanks

Just an FYI - I know someone who toured the Marysville Assembly plant, and they said Honda runs every car to redline in every gear plus reverse, straight off the line, on a freshly built cold engine without even a chance for the oil to fully circulate. The Honda tour guide said that does 3 things: verifies the engines make the advertised HP and TQ, its a final quality control checkpoint, and it seats the seals, rings, and gaskets instantaneously. The motors are engineered with such precision that they said 90% of the break in is done in that very first test at the factory.

Now, this doesn't mean you should take your brand new Accord with 2 miles on it and drive it like Smokey and the Bandit. But Honda engines are very well engineered nonetheless. After all they are first and foremost an engine company.

I had read that top end exotics were put through this (Ferrari, Porsche, etc) and also heard rumors that Honda does it as well. So you can confirm that Honda does this at all plants? (preferably at the Ohio facility as thats were most of "our babies" came from...lol)...

... if you leave "Cruise Main" on/armed and turn off the car, it remembers your last speed setting.

When the ignition is switched off, the system does not remember any previously set speeds even if you leave the 'main' button on. Turning off the ignition or the cruise main switch will erase the memory. The only time it will remember a set speed is if the car stays running and you've tapped CANCEL, the brakes or the clutch. (Good feature to have! If you suddenly need to downshift, the engine will not rev.)

FYI - Keep in mind for manual transmissions, the car doesn't "know" which gear you're in. If you had cruise set on 55, come to a complete stop for whatever reason (traffic backs up) - if you hit RESUME and you're in first gear, HANG ON! :D The car will try to resume 55mph in first gear. It's always a good idea to get to your preset speed on your own and then hit RESUME. :thmsup:

FYI - Keep in mind for manual transmissions, the car doesn't "know" which gear you're in. If you had cruise set on 55, come to a complete stop for whatever reason (traffic backs up) - if you hit RESUME and you're in first gear, HANG ON! :D The car will try to resume 55mph in first gear. It's always a good idea to get to your preset speed on your own and then hit RESUME. :thmsup:

lol don't worry...I dont like cruise making big adjustments for me anyhow (could say I'm anal...thats why I needed the control of the 6spd over the AT...lol). Typically I either do exaclty as you said (resetting the speed then engaging it), or I set it once, then have to slow down for some reason (or something), then once I get back to that speed give or take around 5mph then I'll re-engage the system.

Still thinking about if someone did that though...lol...have to scare the $#%$ out of them (hopefully just that...and that they don't slam into someone as well). I know cruise doesn't allow you to turn it on at low speeds but if you were just going fast enough...

I've tried CC a few times recently...i'm not sure if I like it; it seems a bit too agressive at speed control.

What I mean is that it'll send the car up to about 4000RPM when going up a slight grade on I-84, in an effort to maintain 69MPH.

that would be the grade logic kicking in....

that's one of the reasons why i don't like the newer honda trannies: grade logic.... i can shift my AT myself, thank you.... :yes: :stupid:

I drive an MT...it may want to shift all it wants...I will tell it when I want it to shift.

I had read that top end exotics were put through this (Ferrari, Porsche, etc) and also heard rumors that Honda does it as well. So you can confirm that Honda does this at all plants? (preferably at the Ohio facility as thats were most of "our babies" came from...lol)...

I can't speak for all Honda plants, but I would assume they are very consistent with their engine production regardless of where they are built.

BTW, how on earth did you get 250,000 miles out of a '95 Pontiac Sunfire?

Toyota cruise control uses 4000-5000RPM to maintain speed as well...it's ridiculous.

The Honda cruise control does not resume at speeds below 25MPH as far as I know.

If you put it in neutral and hit resume, it will just go WOT :lmao: :paranoid:

BTW, how on earth did you get 250,000 miles out of a '95 Pontiac Sunfire?

Simple...3 engines... :lmao:

The first one blew when it was still my parents car. Basically I was in the car while my mom was driving, and the fanbelt snapped. Well..without the belt, the engine overheated (even though we pulled over fairly quickly), and that killed the cylinder head. It proceeded to ruin 3 more belts within 10,000km, and with a few other problems, we decided to get a rebuild. This was around the 225,000km mark.

The place my dad got the rebuild from was a little shady (atleast to me). Car seemed fine, but started to develop problems around 2 years later (after I bought the car off my parents of course). Started to lose power in the high end (for a GM pushrod engine) and developed a really bad knock. Then it blew its cylinder head again due to overheating (it could do this even on a -10C day if it idled long enough). Fixed that, and continued along. Well around the 350,000mark I was driving home one day and the knock started sounding like the engine was going to explode. When I tried to come home from work (40km drive on the freeway) I couldn't get past 100km/h and if I put it higher than 3rd it would almost stall out.

This time (since it was my car) I took it to a guy who does the rebuilds for dealerships in the area. He looked at the engine, and told me the last guy scammed us. Basically instead of a sunfire engine, he had pieced together parts from scrapyards from various engines and sold us that. This mechanic asked how long it ran for and was amazed we got more than 10,000km out of the engine...lol. We tried to sue the original guy, but someone had beat us to it...and taken him for all he was worth.

Well this 3rd engine was the one that I had until I basically got rid of the car at the 400,000+ km mark. It had developed seal problems (the mechanic modified the dipstick and we made a few mistakes and ran it with too little oil for a while...plus the low oil sensor was burned out, which didn't help). Therefore, with each full tank of gas I had to add a litre of oil to top things up.

At this point I was looking for a new car anyhow (had been for a while), and then over 6 months the windshield got cracked, suspension started to fail, oil consumption worsened and my brakes needed to be redone. I was about to buy a Type-S (actually about 2 weeks away from signing) when I looked into the V6 6spd Accord Coupes. After a test drive in a 2004 V6 AT (all the dealerships had) and a friend's 2003 6spd I was sold. I ended up getting the 6spd cheaper than I talked Acura down to on the Type-S...lol.

After all that I think you can see why I wanted a Honda... :lmao:

Simple...3 engines... :lmao:

Yeah, that explains it :D .

You think GM dynos their engines fresh off the assembly line? :biggrin:

Just an FYI - I know someone who toured the Marysville Assembly plant, and they said Honda runs every car to redline in every gear plus reverse, straight off the line, on a freshly built cold engine without even a chance for the oil to fully circulate. The Honda tour guide said that does 3 things: verifies the engines make the advertised HP and TQ, its a final quality control checkpoint, and it seats the seals, rings, and gaskets instantaneously. The motors are engineered with such precision that they said 90% of the break in is done in that very first test at the factory.

Now, this doesn't mean you should take your brand new Accord with 2 miles on it and drive it like Smokey and the Bandit. But Honda engines are very well engineered nonetheless. After all they are first and foremost an engine company.

Over the years Ive seen videos of Honda doing quick dynos on there motorcycles. Looked like 3rd gear pulls. Have also seen videos of early Civics and Accords getting the same type of dyno run.

There was a video that showed this on motorcycles of the early 70's on one of the corprate Honda sites.

Honda may struggle with trannys, paint, fit and trim. But nobody does engines better.

Yeah, that explains it :D .

You think GM dynos their engines fresh off the assembly line? :biggrin:

Sure...so long as they are the J30's Honda gave them for the Saturn VUE V6s... :lmao:

The one thing I do have to say about my Sunfire was the fact that even throughout it all, it did it (basically) on one transmission. We did have the tranny replaced very earily on due to a defect (involved the gearing for reverse..think it was done at around 10,000-20,000km or so), and the bearings had to be done once on it around the 250,000km mark...but outside of that it held its own.

Honestly I doubt I will ever buy an actual AT in my life...when I get tired of MTs (a long long time from now) I'll probably go with a dual clutch or SMG or something (if they are picked up by more car manufacturers down the road...esp Honda). MTs are just that much more reliable and that much more fun to drive. Sure, they are a pain in traffic...but then all I have to do is think of those with auto's and how hot their tranny's must be running and it makes all that low speed stop-go shifting more enjoyable...lol

Toyota cruise control uses 4000-5000RPM to maintain speed as well...it's ridiculous.


But the sound - It's fun going uphill at 60mph and 5000rpm (The V6)

But nobody does engines better.


More than once (which is scarry if you think about it), I've encountered, shall we say, vehicularly maintenance challenged people who have actually run their Honda engines almost dry with little oil and no oil changes..... and the engine still runs fine. No joke, no lie. They come to me wondering why the oil light is flashing, and while keeping my personal opinions to myself I politely show and tell them to change the oil regularly and check the level every time they fill the gas tank up.

I specifically remember one person with a '96 Civic EX at about 85,000 miles. And when I changed what oil was left, the car ran like there never was a problem to begin with. She said she owned the car for about 2 years and "kept forgetting" to change the oil. And the engine ran fine.

Again, it's scarry, but a testimate to how well Honda motors are engineered.

Disclaimer: Please do not try this at home

More than once (which is scarry if you think about it), I've encountered, shall we say, vehicularly maintenance challenged people who have actually run their Honda engines almost dry with little oil and no oil changes..... and the engine still runs fine. No joke, no lie. They come to me wondering why the oil light is flashing, and while keeping my personal opinions to myself I politely show and tell them to change the oil regularly and check the level every time they fill the gas tank up.

I specifically remember one person with a '96 Civic EX at about 85,000 miles. And when I changed what oil was left, the car ran like there never was a problem to begin with. She said she owned the car for about 2 years and "kept forgetting" to change the oil. And the engine ran fine.

Again, it's scarry, but a testimate to how well Honda motors are engineered.

Disclaimer: Please do not try this at home


http://videos.streetfire.net/Player.aspx?fileid=CFC000B5-BDC3-4008-B8B0-8AA19CBCBDF4&p=0

I know I posted this before but it really says it all...doesn't it....lol

No Honda engine is designed with the intent to take that abuse......

But it's quite reasuring that when maintained in any half way decent manner, it really will run forever.

Almost makes you wonder why they even bother puting oil in them at all :)

Amazing stuff. And to think they were pouring water into it and bouncing off the rev limiter, and they even shut the engine off, poured more water, and it started right back up.

This should be a Honda ad campaign......

Show that video, then pan into new S2000 in someone's garage - Narrator: "No one would think to do this to an engine. But isn't it nice to know yours made by Honda?"

Reminds me of the security camera footage of a guy in Germany on the autobahn flipping his Mercedes 500 SL with the roof down at 120 mph..... he had no seatbelt and after the car flipped about 5 times in the ditch, you see him crawl out from under the car and just dust himself off. Perfect ad for the safety of their cars.

I help the accelerate button on my cruise control today to see how high it would go, at 105mph it downshifts into 4th gear at about 4500rpm its funny for it to do that in cruise, then at 115 it cuts off fuel I think, its only at ~5X00 rpm but it sounds like its hitting a rev limiter, and wont go past that

Cruise control has an upper bound speed too so thats what you might be hitting.

If you put it in neutral and hit resume, it will just go WOT :lmao: :paranoid:I tried playing around with my CC the other day and it didn't go to WOT when I hit the Resume or Set buttons while I'm in neutral. If the CC is set, and I pop it into neutral, then the CC is disabled (the main relay is still powered). Nothing I press will set the CC until I put it back into drive. I think Honda caught on with the 7th gens on this one. :thmsup:

I tried playing around with my CC the other day and it didn't go to WOT when I hit the Resume or Set buttons while I'm in neutral. If the CC is set, and I pop it into neutral, then the CC is disabled (the main relay is still powered). Nothing I press will set the CC until I put it back into drive. I think Honda caught on with the 7th gens on this one. :thmsup:
I think they were referring to the manual transmission cars and pushing the clutch with the cruise on :dunno:

I think they were referring to the manual transmission cars and pushing the clutch with the cruise on :dunno:
Oh. :blush:

If you put it in neutral and hit resume, it will just go WOT :lmao: :paranoid:
Looks like I was wrong. You'll have to try this and see what it does.

Nah. You were right. I could see the car going to WOT if you left it out of gear (MT) and tried to set the CC (no clutch). There aren't any neutral safety switches in the MT as far as I know.