AM I messing up my car??

TXm42

Ms B,,,

You notice a pattern in all the "Cruise Control does not work at those low speeds" type answers you are getting??

Those good folks are Not making that up.

If yours is actually Functioning at 20~25,,,that's Great.

But there's a POSSIBILITY you are NOT actually running
on CC even though you pushed the Button to activate it.

Your car may simply IDLING that fast,,,and appear to be in CC mode.

Try "testing it " yourself on a SAFE place...
***Set Cruise at 20~25,,get settled in at that speed,,
and then Manually Switch it OFF,,,
and see if car continues at that speed or Slows Down.

***Then with Cruise OFF,,,try driving along at that speed and let your foot completely off the gas pedal,,,
See what speed the car runs at "all by ITSELF".
With NO Cruise Control,,and NO foot on the gas

***You can also try while driving in either mode(with CC On and OFF) at that speed 20~25...
Press in Clutch or shift an Automatic Trans into Neutral.
Listen to hear if Engine Speeds Up when You do that.
If it Does,,that's an Indication of HI Idle Speed.

(Most all cars NORMALLY run at Hi Idle when they are COLD)
So "test" when engine is warm.

IF Your CC really IS working,,thats GREAT

If it's IDLING that High on it's own,,and just APPEARS to be on Cruise,,,
You should get the Idle Speed Adjustment Checked by a repair shop.

In any case,,,no amount of using the CC can hurt the vehicle in any way.
It would be easy to argue that running on Cruise Is BETTER for the car than many people's driving habits.

But,,if You car actually IS running that speed by itself,,,that can cause undue wear on brakes and things by requiring more force to stop the car which is actually Under Power.

On Automatic Transmission Cars,,,Hi Idle speeds can cause a sort of "QUIRK" under certain Driving Conditions.
If Engine is actually running a little too fast,,,
And You begin to do a gentle gradual Stop...

You're "Stopping" 2 Things----the Car's Forward Motion,,,
AND dragging Down the Engine Speed which is "set" to go faster.

Light Braking will slow the car gradually,,,but it's actually LOADING the engine.
When the car slows down slow enough,,The Auto Transmission Downshifts itself.
That creates a sudden surge of Power which can overcome the amount of Braking Force being applied by the Driver.
The Care responds by --engine being suddely UNLOADED and revving back UP to the speed it Wants to Run at.
And car will lurch forward a bit.

The effect is the same as Downshifting and stepping on the gas.

It is only an Instaneous thing,,and Driver Instinct is to step harder
on brakes.
So it's Seldom a Problem.

But in scenarios like bumper-to-bumper traffic,,or approaching a Stopped vehicle ahead,,etc.....
That little "lurch forward" can be a Bad Thing.

It's RARE when all the "stars line up just right" to cause a prob..
But Hi Idle Auto-Downshift during braked-decelleration is known to have caused a few accidents.

Remember,,that WEIRD event only applies to AUTOMATIC Transmissions.

May seem like a small point,,but it's IMPORTANT to know whether your Car is Travelling at 20~25 actually ON CRUISE CONTROL,,,,or on it's on free will from engine idle setting being too hi.

Your car "Sounds Suspicious" because it's Unusual for Cruise to work at such low speeds.

Best Wishes to You & Your family!

gearnofear

Your lucky. Most cruse controls do not even work at anything below 35. your completely fine running the cruse. all it does is hold your speed. the worst thing that could happen is that the controller will stop working sooner then designed. but (depending on how old the car is) should be shortly after you sell the car.

colorguy

No, it won't hurt your car at all, exept for the normal wear and tear as if you were driving.

Miks

Check your manual for a minimum speed requirements to engage your cruise control.

fire4511

You are not hurting your car at all. If it keeps the MP's away, keep doing it!!

rottentothecore

not at all

and save some gas in meantime.

oklatom

You are kidding, right? No, setting the cruise control won't hurt anything, but it won't work under 25.

shelcom

In a way, the cruise control helps your car by keeping it a a constant speed, thus saving fuel and minimizing unnecessary wear. However, every cruise control I've ever seen will not function under 30 mph. If yours does (and it appears to from your description) go ahead and use it to your hearts content.
Remember, short distance/slow speed driving is hard on oil. If that is how you mostly use the car, make sure you change your engine oil every 3 months or 3000-3500 miles whichever comes first, and transmission and radiator fluids every other year regardless of mileage. If you do at least 50% highway driving, you can probably stretch the transmission fluid change to 30,000 miles or 3 years whichever comes first.
Believe it or not changing the oil is the best way to keep an engine running longer...and don't fall for the synthetic oil thing unless it came that way from the factory. Look in your owners manual for the recommended oil. If you can't find it, you can't go too far wrong with a nationally branded 5w-30 in colder climates, and a 10w-30 in warmer areas.

annie_4ever

it wont hurt the car but because it is an electrical devise it can go out its self, you will just have to get the cruise fixed, but that shouldnt happen anytime soon.

Mister E

NO ! READ YOUR OWNERS GUIDE THOUGH!

Blunt Honesty

No problems there. I have never seen one that worked under 30 mph before, though.

duster

I don't think so.If the cruse control will engage at those low speeds, it was a decree from the manufacturer that it operate like that.

just take your car up on the free way at times and do a faster speed to keep carbon build up to a minimum

joe d

On most vehicles, the cruise doesn't work unless you're over 60kph or 40mph.... irregardless, you cannot do any damage using cruise.

Good Deeds

jareihart

like using your radio!!! or your heater....it was made to be used thousands of times

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