Tone down cruise control acceleration speed

[Casey]

I see your point. But I have a long commute on lonely roads in flat Florida. I think it would work good for me. Sometimes I just want a little break for my leg.

[Casey]

I think that would have it's own set of sucky issues. Slow down terribly uphills, take off like mad downhill. Personally, I think that would suck much worse than the small issues of our cruise controls.

I see your point. But I have a long commute on lonely roads in flat Florida. I think it would work good for me. Sometimes I just want a little break for my leg.

[Mark]

I see your point. But I have a long commute on lonely roads in flat Florida. I think it would work good for me. Sometimes I just want a little break for my leg.

I have done some long trips (8-10 hours) these past couple months. When I feel my right foot needs a break, I will drive with my left foot. It takes a little practice, & I only do it in low traffic areas. I'm 6'1", well over 250 pounds, over 55 years old, & not very flexible. I make it work. Just giving my right foot a 5 minute break makes a huge difference. I have a 5-speed manual & wear work boots most of the time, too. I just slip my left foot around the brake & make it work. It doesn't seem that unnatural when I do it now. I never do it for very long (5-10 minutes max), however.

I thought I would add cruise, too. Nearly 4 years later now & more than 50,000 miles it hasn't happened. I've had cruise on underpowered vehicles before, & sometimes it's just annoying. Having said that, I would trade stability/traction control & power steering for cruise control. It's the only feature I miss at times.

[Casey]

I have done some long trips (8-10 hours) these past couple months. When I feel my right foot needs a break, I will drive with my left foot. It takes a little practice, & I only do it in low traffic areas. I'm 6'1", well over 250 pounds, over 55 years old, & not very flexible. I make it work. Just giving my right foot a 5 minute break makes a huge difference. I have a 5-speed manual & wear work boots most of the time, too. I just slip my left foot around the brake & make it work. It doesn't seem that unnatural when I do it now. I never do it for very long (5-10 minutes max), however.

I thought I would add cruise, too. Nearly 4 years later now & more than 50,000 miles it hasn't happened. I've had cruise on underpowered vehicles before, & sometimes it's just annoying. Having said that, I would trade stability/traction control & power steering for cruise control. It's the only feature I miss at times.

I used to do that in my truck too. I haven't found myself doing it in the mirage. It's just not as bad. Lighter pedal I guess.

[7milesout]

I would trade stability/traction control & power steering for cruise control. It's the only feature I miss at times.

Oh ... I was reading that backward I think. I was about to say, "no way!"

But I think you mean you'd get rid of traction control and power steering in order to have cruise control. That I agree with 100%.

Especially on such an engine. If a person can't manage traction with a 78 hp (or less) engine, they have issues. And yeah, manual steering is not so horrible. I drive like I have manual steering. Meaning, I absolutely never rotate the steering wheel when any of my vehicles are at a standstill. Usually manual steering is extremely difficult to turn unless the vehicle is rolling, then its not terrible.

This all started with my Dodge Ram and it's old school recirculating ball steering. Even though it is power, it is weak. And when stopped when I try to turn it, it feels like it doesn't have enough power to force the tires to turn on dry pavement. And feels like I could be doing damage if I force it. So I just stopped trying, to prevent damage / wear. Even if I have to roll at 0.1 mph, I do and only turn the steering wheel while it's moving. Can be a pain at times in my big long Dodge in tight parking spaces, but I just have to deal with it.

[Mark]

Oh ... I was reading that backward I think. I was about to say, "no way!"

But I think you mean you'd get rid of traction control and power steering in order to have cruise control. That I agree with 100%.

Especially on such an engine. If a person can't manage traction with a 78 hp (or less) engine, they have issues. And yeah, manual steering is not so horrible. I drive like I have manual steering. Meaning, I absolutely never rotate the steering wheel when any of my vehicles are at a standstill. Usually manual steering is extremely difficult to turn unless the vehicle is rolling, then its not terrible.

This all started with my Dodge Ram and it's old school recirculating ball steering. Even though it is power, it is weak. And when stopped when I try to turn it, it feels like it doesn't have enough power to force the tires to turn on dry pavement. And feels like I could be doing damage if I force it. So I just stopped trying, to prevent damage / wear. Even if I have to roll at 0.1 mph, I do and only turn the steering wheel while it's moving. Can be a pain at times in my big long Dodge in tight parking spaces, but I just have to deal with it.

Yeah, I would trade those items for cruise control. Can't trade what I don't have, & a 2017-18 Mirage ES doesn't come with factory cruise control.

I am not impressed with the electric power steering on a Mirage. Power steering isn't really necessary on such a small car. I honestly believe the Mirage would handle better on the highway without it. My 1990 Ford Festiva didn't have power steering, & it handled just fine for a small car. Mazda designed those 1988-93 Festivas, KIA built them, & Ford sold them.

[7milesout]

I respect the idea behind EPS, but I agree with you that a car this size would work adequately with no power assist. I'd be fine with no power assist and a cost reduction.

[Fummins]

I used to do that in my truck too. I haven't found myself doing it in the mirage. It's just not as bad. Lighter pedal I guess.

Casey, Snow brush. Snow brush Casey.



Cut to length. Jam it against the gas pedal and the seat. The same tool can be used to test your brake lights by yourself. A tree branch or a small child would probably do the trick too.

[Mark]

Casey, Snow brush. Snow brush Casey.



Cut to length. Jam it against the gas pedal and the seat. The same tool can be used to test your brake lights by yourself. A tree branch or a small child would probably do the trick too.

Cruise on a motorcycle is usually a collar with a locking mechanism that allows to you lock the throttle in place. Jamming a stick against the gas pedal is the same thing! We could market/sell an adjustable broom handle for cruise control, but most vehicles come with cruise these days. We probably wouldn't get rich on that one. I would fear being rejected on Shark Tank, too! People also have much higher expectations. They want adaptive cruise & emergency assist braking. Otherwise, one might have to pay attention to what's going on around them when driving.

[Casey]

Casey, Snow brush. Snow brush Casey.



Cut to length. Jam it against the gas pedal and the seat. The same tool can be used to test your brake lights by yourself. A tree branch or a small child would probably do the trick too.

What's a snow brush? Haha, I am a southern boy. I did consider cutting a broom stick for my old truck.