Two different motors over the last few months with ACC as standard, I thought I’d give my thoughts on the systems and what I like and what I’m having to learn to live with. LIke it or not, you’re all eventually going to have to drive with them.
I like forgetting about heavy traffic. In the days of 3 pedals, I used to pick 3rd, 4th or 5th and just move along on tickover, it saved holding the clutch which, on a crash box was just damned hard work. Then as auto boxes took over, I did the same thing only altering the speed if necessary to keep things moving. Now with ACC I just steer. If the traffic is moving well enough, I can just let the truck make all the speed adjustments it wants and keep a gap from me and the vehicle in front. If something does cut across, the speed automatically drops and then re-adjusts to keep moving. For the first few journeys, I’d hover over the brake pedal like a father running alongside his offspring when they ride a bike for the first time. I still keep ready to brake as I approach slowing or stationary traffic and both the DAF and the Merc systems seem to brake a great deal later and sharper than I would but, I still let them do their job. It’s not an all out tyre smoking, trailer swinging nose dive but it is in my opinion, too much too late.
I don’t like the fact that both systems I’ve used, can’t tell the difference (and how could they) between a truck I am slowly catching up and will eventually overtake and what appears to them as slowing traffic. From over 60 metres away both systems will start to progressively bring the speed to match the vehicle I want to pass. It’s not the end of the world because once you realise why your speed is dropping you can over-ride the system and crack on. You just feel a bit of a plum having passed someone only to slow down again. Perhaps I’m not doing something with the systems to encounter this little niggle. I have fiddled around with the controls but nothing seemed to change.
Overall I like them. I’ve had no real problems getting on with them. No one has said you need to be trained which has surpised me (we all know how trainers like to preach).
I haven’t used the systems (far as i know) which dictate the following distance and adjust speed accordingly, TBH i don’t want a vehicle dictating such things to me either, or deceleration/acceleration rates depending on the vehicle in front, which might well be driven by an idiot and takes nothing into account of what is happening all around or up ahead several vehicles.
I have used the GPS linked systems which read terrain extensively now though, and they have good and bad points.
On an open clear road it doesn’t matter up to a point if the vehicle speed drops up to 5kph as you approach the top of a long descent, thats sensible fuel saving and the resulting minor lack of progress is more than compensated when you reach the pumps.
Left to its own devices, if you cruise at 53 which is my chosen normal speed (for economy and avoiding involvement with the on the limiter tailgaters), then if loaded just before you start to climb an incline the vehicle will itself increase speed to 55 in order to facilitate the climb.
I have no problem in leaving the vehicle to make its own progress as such, but if traffic is heavy then that easy option changes.
The issue with these systems, or at least the ones i’ve been using is that you can’t switch off the GPS control and revert to standard cruise (maybe an option box not ticked when ordering, i’m just a lowly steering wheel operative), so you have to sense when its about to either cut power at the brow of a hill or you again have to sense when its increased speed from 53 to 55 at the start of an incline, because in either scenario you can cause issues with other vehicles ranging from unnecessary elephant racing to baulking others who have planned and executing quite legitimate overtakes.
I’ve mostly driven a Merc with the system, it gives you the speed of the target vehicle, at which point you decide on missiles or guns, ok! you decide whether you’re going to override the system and overtake or are happy at the speed of the other vehicle and let the system do its stuff. The decision is mine I’m still driving the truck, it’s just another tool to use, like going from trucks without cruise control to with cruise control.
We have them on the new DAFs and without fail it will alert you to an impending collision with an imaginary vehicle on the M40 between junctions 5 and 4. I should by now know when its about to happen but it freaks me out every time it happens…
ytrehodluap:
We have them on the new DAFs and without fail it will alert you to an impending collision with an imaginary vehicle on the M40 between junctions 5 and 4. I should by now know when its about to happen but it freaks me out every time it happens…
Mine emergency braked because of a pigeon in the road, nearly kissed the windscreen!
ytrehodluap:
We have them on the new DAFs and without fail it will alert you to an impending collision with an imaginary vehicle on the M40 between junctions 5 and 4. I should by now know when its about to happen but it freaks me out every time it happens…
^^^^^^^^^^^
youve not heard about the ghosts from the wycombe low flying plane airfield disaster then?
ytrehodluap:
We have them on the new DAFs and without fail it will alert you to an impending collision with an imaginary vehicle on the M40 between junctions 5 and 4. I should by now know when its about to happen but it freaks me out every time it happens…
^^^^^^^^^^^
youve not heard about the ghosts from the wycombe low flying plane airfield disaster then?
No I hadn’t hear that one, as I don’t do much RDC work these days… It would be interesting to find out what causes it though…
Seems to occur every time I’m about to pass under park lane. I wonder could it be to do with the front end rising up while pulling hard up that hill and assumes it is about to take off and crash into the bridge? That would give some interesting results when googling “wycombe air disaster”…
ok! you decide whether you’re going to override the system and overtake or are happy at the speed of the other vehicle and let the system do its stuff. The decision is mine I’m still driving the truck, it’s just another tool to use, like going from trucks without cruise control to with cruise control.
