Cruise control for constant throttle rather than speed? - Fuelly Forums

Click here to see important news regarding the aCar App

Go Back   Fuelly Forums > Fuel Talk > General Fuel Topics
Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 05-13-2008, 06:51 AM   #1
Registered Member
 
oneinchsidehop's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 165
Country: United States
Thumbs down Cruise control for constant throttle rather than speed?

It seems like there would be a way to do this, but I'm not sure how...

The only bump I've been able to get in the mileage on my '96 Suburu Legacy Wagon (auto tranny )has come from wedging my foot against the tranny hump and trying to keep a constant throttle and let the speed fluctuate between 40mph uphill and 65mph going downhill.

It seems the cruise control could be rigged to do this too, any ideas?

********Update and pics are at the bottom************
__________________

__________________
Mike
_______________________________________________

"If you want to save gas I suggest you permanently remove the drivers seat and steering wheel. That seems to help." -Oscar Halverson

oneinchsidehop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2008, 07:46 AM   #2
Registered Member
 
GasSavers_BEEF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,831
just a thought (might be stupid) if you are worried about throttle opening, why don't you do something to limit your play. you could put a restrictor plate behind the throttle body. or an even wilder idea is to put something behind the gas pedal to limit movement. I wouldn't recomend that because there may come a time when you need it.

you could rig up a stop that is on a pretty heavy spring to that you can go past that point if you want to but you will know when you hit it. I am speaking all mechanical that doesn't even touch the pedal until you depress it far enough to contact it. that way you know where that limit is but you can punch it if you need to.

*edit* not as good as the cruise idea but probably simpler to execute
__________________

__________________
Be the change you wish to see in the world
--Mahatma Gandhi



GasSavers_BEEF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2008, 07:59 AM   #3
Registered Member
 
theholycow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 6,624
Country: United States
Send a message via ICQ to theholycow Send a message via AIM to theholycow Send a message via MSN to theholycow Send a message via Yahoo to theholycow
The best way to do this would probably be low-tech, maybe a remote-operated clamp on the throttle cable or something...
__________________
This sig may return, some day.
theholycow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2008, 08:05 AM   #4
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 557
Country: United States
A locking throttle cable? Motorcyclists have added these devices for decades. There is enough friction to prevent the return spring from closing the throttle plate, but not so much that a roll of the wrist can't overcome the friction of the grip when a flip of the release lever isn't quick enough.
But in a car there's no easy means of closing the throttle by pulling the pedal up
Lug_Nut is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2008, 08:29 AM   #5
Registered Member
 
GasSavers_BEEF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,831
this may be way out there but you could set up a series of proximity sensors (maybe magnetic since the gas pedal is metal). you could rig up a series of LEDs that could tell you where your sweet spot is. you could monitor this so that it was in the same place (relatively) all the time. this way noting contacts the pedal or restricts your movement and you know where the pedal is and where it should be. it would take some time to rig up and set to the right throttle position though

sorry for overthinking this but it is an idea and I was talking about a completely stand alone system that is not hooked to the car in any way other than the battery.
__________________
Be the change you wish to see in the world
--Mahatma Gandhi



GasSavers_BEEF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2008, 09:22 AM   #6
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 87
Country: United States
I believe the Scangauge will display TPS voltage, you could use that as feedback to maintain a constant throttle setting manually.
__________________
samandw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2008, 09:29 AM   #7
Registered Member
 
GasSavers_RoadWarrior's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,652
Hmmm thinking of magnets... thinking a strong electromagnet close to the cable might lock it, then you could rig an on/off switch, with a light sensor override with the beam cutting across the tops of the pedals, so it would cut off immediately when your foot went for emergency acceleration or braking and broke the beam. Well, maybe you'd want to rig a set/reset pushbutton and latch it through electronics rather than a switch.
__________________
I remember The RoadWarrior..To understand who he was, you have to go back to another time..the world was powered by the black fuel & the desert sprouted great cities..Gone now, swept away..two mighty warrior tribes went to war & touched off a blaze which engulfed them all. Without fuel, they were nothing..thundering machines sputtered & stopped..Only those mobile enough to scavenge, brutal enough to pillage would survive. The gangs took over the highways, ready to wage war for a tank of juice
GasSavers_RoadWarrior is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2008, 01:01 PM   #8
Registered Member
 
JanGeo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,444
Country: United States
Location: Tiverton, RI
Send a message via Yahoo to JanGeo
The easy way to do it is to disable the cruise control from opening and closing the vacuum servo that moves the throttle cable either by fixing the power that keeps them closed or open and yet still have the vacuum release on the brake / clutch pedal for safety. I think I will try this on mine once I get into the circuit a little since it will be easier to increase and decrease throttle if I have control of the valves that regulate the servo. I would also like to see when it is adding and removing vacuum to vary the throttle with a red/green led.
JanGeo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2008, 01:03 PM   #9
Registered Member
 
GasSavers_BEEF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,831
a friend of mine at work told me about the "old" cruise controls they had when he was younger (he is 61). He said they used a throttle cable hooked to the carburator that held the flap open a certain ammount and it had a thumb nut that held it into place. the problem (he said) was that it had no override so if you had to quickly slam on the breaks then you were fighting the engine with the breaks until you released the cable.

I think you could apply this to a throttle body but I would do it with caution. this sounds a little on the dangerous side and thus the reason they don't do it anymore.

hopefully the description above paints a descent picture. I haven't seen it, I am just going off of his description. he said himself that it wasn't verry safe.
__________________
Be the change you wish to see in the world
--Mahatma Gandhi



GasSavers_BEEF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2008, 01:55 PM   #10
Registered Member
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 211
Country: United States
The adjustable stop with a heavier spring sounds like the most straightforward idea to me.. Easy and cheap to implement and nothing really dangerous to go wrong like could possibly happen with clamping the throttle cable.
__________________

__________________
94 Altima 5 spd.. Stock.. 29 mpg combined with basic hypermiling techniques ..

89 Yamaha FZR400 Crotch rocket, semi naked with only the bikini fairing, no lowers, 60 plus mpg

87 Ranger 2.3 5spd.. Does not currently run..
fumesucker is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Fuelly Android App - eehokie Fuelly Web Support and Community News 2 07-14-2010 08:59 PM
Average fuel mileage line in the history graph? BDC Fuelly Web Support and Community News 1 05-06-2009 12:07 AM
Is there a website where I can look up... wehrd1 General Maintenance and Repair 3 04-18-2007 05:23 PM
metro aero mods larryg Aerodynamics 4 03-27-2007 04:49 AM
speculate: Will a fixed IACV help gas mileage? SVOboy General Fuel Topics 8 04-09-2006 11:49 AM

» Fuelly iOS Apps
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 08:28 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.