a bit ambitious

[intocoasters]

I was thinking about how I use my cruise...

I use it all the time and I get disappointed when cars in front of me do not keep a constant speed.  This causes me to engage and disengage the cruise a lot.

I have heard that there are cars that have some kind of mechanism that looks forward and adjusts the set speed if approaching a too close to another vehicle.

I am not sure I am describing it correctly.. but if there is such a thing that will readjust the speed to match a vehicle in front of me, that would be awesome!

But I suspect that this is probably cost prohibitive... that is if it even exists.

[admin]

It was in the ambitious initial plans when this was all just an idea... but it got scrapped for several reasons.  For one, as you guessed, costs are prohibitive.  The concept requires either Lidar (light detecting and ranging) or forward looking radar, both of which are very expensive.  We threw around possibly doing it with a camera and complex calculations, but it probably wouldn't work very well in poor lighting conditions (at night, for example).  However it would be done, cost of the components and r&d would easily triple the price of the unit, if not more.

It'd be pretty cool though

[John_H]

My sister who works for the internet leads part of a car dealership group searched to find the "active" cruise control the customer wanted.  He had it in his 2008 and loved it, wanted to get it on the new car as well.

I talked with one of the smart owners at Ft. Desoto Park last weekend who uses an active cruise control on his long-haul trucking voyages.  When time is money and the difference between 61mph and 55mph is extreme, the active cruise can lull someone into a sense that everything's fine when they're going too slow (for their needs) and need to pass!

Nifty little lasers that ping off the reflectors (and license plate, working day or night) would be very cool but expensive.  And imagine if the cruise gets it wrong!

[admin]

And imagine if the cruise gets it wrong!

yeah, a primary concern!  Of course, as with the steering wheel, brake pedal, and every other control at your disposal - its ultimately up to the driver to responsibly use their car's features correctly.  That's easy to say here    But I'd like to believe that the driver would be alert and not depending on the active cruise control to get it right!  Just like a GPS that tells someone to turn right into a wall... is the GPS at fault?  Certainly the wall isn't.  That leaves the driver.

[intocoasters]

I figured it would be expensive.... whats the chance for a "made to order" add on?

What can I say? I like gadgets! LOL

 

[admin]

It would be cheaper to hire a driver to make the speed adjustments for you   

[intocoasters]

Dang... I already got on of those...

oh wait... its me