Use Your Cruise Control to Increase Fuel Efficiency

Most drivers think about their cruise controls as tools for keeping their feet from falling asleep during long trips on the interstate. The cruise control feature that is standard in most cars can keep fuel costs low when used properly according to Edmunds.com. This automotive website performed tests on several vehicles to determine how much fuel is saved when drivers use cruise controls during highway trips.

The test drivers at Edmunds.com used four undisclosed brands to test out fuel efficiency with and without cruise control. The first test performed with each vehicle required the drivers to activate cruise controls at 70 miles per hour on a closed track. Another test using each sample vehicle allowed the driver to change speeds between 65 and 75 miles per hour to simulate typical driving. Both tests were conducted on a 55-mile track used by Edmunds for a variety of experiments.

Every driver who spends a lot of time on the open road should learn to use cruise control regularly after the results produced by Edmunds.com. The best result in the cruise control test run by Edmunds resulted in a 14 percent decrease in fuel use over the entire track. The average fuel savings throughout the entire test was 7 percent. This level of fuel efficiency means that drivers can save hundreds of dollars each year by staying away from gas pumps during daily commutes, family trips and errands.

It is important for drivers to use common sense when switching from manual control to cruise control. Edmunds points out that drivers should switch off their cruise controls as they travel through mountains and narrow passes throughout the United States. This level of caution should be applied to commutes and drives that take place during inclement weather. The slight savings on gas prices from cruise control are negated by the increased risks of driving in rain, sleet and snowstorms.

This balance between safety and gas savings in cruise control can be applied to the average driver’s daily commute. Professionals who are heading home from late night and early morning shifts at work can use cruise control during long stretches on highways. Workers who are dealing with bumper-to-bumper traffic each morning will need to save their cruise controls for weekend trips out of town.

Comments