Cruise control on wet roads

[TesAus]

Here is a question that was puzzling me in wet weather recently.

Traditional wisdom is that you shouldn't use cruise control on wet or icy roads because if you aqua plane or slip the car will keep trying to accelerate to achieve the set speed and send you flying off out of control when you get some sort of grip.

My question is whether this only applied to older crude cruise control systems on cars without traction control and other modern systems or does it still hold true?

 

[Mark E]

Not sure I agree with the 'wisdom' most speedos and cruise controls are regulated from the driven wheels - so if the wheels lose traction the cruise will back off. You also cancel it with any application of the brakes or from the stalk.

The real danger of traditional cruise control is that if you fall asleep or pass out the car will maintain that speed as it veers off the road.

 

[TesAus]

Not sure I agree with the 'wisdom' most speedos and cruise controls are regulated from the driven wheels - so if the wheels lose traction the cruise will back off. You also cancel it with any application of the brakes or from the stalk.

The real danger of traditional cruise control is that if you fall asleep or pass out the car will maintain that speed as it veers off the road.

That was where my thought process was going and I do use cruise in wet weather (albeit I wouldn't use it in really extreme weather).

I would suggest that the combination of Traffic Aware Cruise and very fast acting traction control due to the nature of the Tesla drive train probably overcomes most if not all the issues with traditional systems in wet weather.

 

[mhh]

I used cruise control on the Hume in torrential rain and it performed perfectly. The wipers on the other hand couldn't cope, and the satnav kept telling me to return to the supercharger I just left - but that's another story.

 

[Mark E]

That was where my thought process was going and I do use cruise in wet weather (albeit I wouldn't use it in really extreme weather).

I would suggest that the combination of Traffic Aware Cruise and very fast acting traction control due to the nature of the Tesla drive train probably overcomes most if not all the issues with traditional systems in wet weather.

It's not an ICE vs electric thing - it's just how cruise works. I did a quick search & found this.

The truth about cruise control and aquaplaning | The NRMA Blog

 

[danielp]

TACC on a tesla is different to any other vehicle, so I'm also curious how it would respond in aqua plane scenario.. If autosteer is on I suspect it will panic or try to correct.. But this is a good question for tesla.

Thanks to the weather we've been having I've managed to drive recently in various storm conditions. The 7.1 TACC performs really well. Even autosteer is ok and I noticed the car giving a lot more room to other vehicles, probably because of the spray they were generating when passing.

What I noticed about TACC is that the radar seems to cut through the mess to see objects ahead and adjusts speed accordingly. Therefore, I actually strongly recommend it is turned on in these situations. It feels very much in control. Of course, drive to conditions so slow down.

 

[raynewman]

TACC on a tesla is different to any other vehicle, so I'm also curious how it would respond in aqua plane scenario.. If autosteer is on I suspect it will panic or try to correct.. But this is a good question for tesla.

Thanks to the weather we've been having I've managed to drive recently in various storm conditions. The 7.1 TACC performs really well. Even autosteer is ok and I noticed the car giving a lot more room to other vehicles, probably because of the spray they were generating when passing.

What I noticed about TACC is that the radar seems to cut through the mess to see objects ahead and adjusts speed accordingly. Therefore, I actually strongly recommend it is turned on in these situations. It feels very much in control. Of course, drive to conditions so slow down.

I had a Merc for 7 years that had a radar cruise control. Although the rest of the vehicle was a bit sub-standard, the CC was particularly good when I couldn't really see the road due to weather I would dial the distance right out and largely rely on it.
The Tesla TACC seems to be even better except when it decides that the road is too bendy (particularly on a dead straight highway) and slows down.

 

[green1]

Here is a question that was puzzling me in wet weather recently.

Traditional wisdom is that you shouldn't use cruise control on wet or icy roads because if you aqua plane or slip the car will keep trying to accelerate to achieve the set speed and send you flying off out of control when you get some sort of grip.

My question is whether this only applied to older crude cruise control systems on cars without traction control and other modern systems or does it still hold true?

This is still true of every cruise control system ever built. This is why every car with cruise control has warnings in the manual telling you never to use the cruise control in these situations. The Tesla is no different.

 

[Andy Wood]

This is still true of every cruise control system ever built. This is why every car with cruise control has warnings in the manual telling you never to use the cruise control in these situations. The Tesla is no different.

Not necessarily. In my Fiat Punto the slightest wheel slip will disengage cruise control. In fact you can't even turn it back on until the car has been turned off and on. Was a bit of a shock the first time it happened.

Of course perhaps I should have been driving manually in such nasty conditions!

 

[paulp]

This is still true of every cruise control system ever built. This is why every car with cruise control has warnings in the manual telling you never to use the cruise control in these situations. The Tesla is no different.

page 67 of the aussie manual for the model s answers the question really, which is consistant with what you just said.

 

[green1]

Not necessarily. In my Fiat Punto the slightest wheel slip will disengage cruise control. In fact you can't even turn it back on until the car has been turned off and on. Was a bit of a shock the first time it happened.

Of course perhaps I should have been driving manually in such nasty conditions!

Actually, this means that the car is smarter than the driver and is forcing you to abide by the warnings set out in the manual. This is probably a good thing as too many people try to use driver assistance features in a manner it is not designed to handle.