Surging cruise control?

[Control freak]

Going downhill with the cruise control set (no traffic, I don't have acc anyway), it feels like the speed is surging. Not that the speedometer can register it, just a slight seat of the pants feel.

I assume that it's trying to engine brake or something, but it's not that steep of a hill and my other two cars never felt like that on the same section of road.

Obviously, my civic is just that much better at coasting downhill. Next time I'm on that road I'll see if the car speeds up if I put it in neutral.

Still, one would hope for a smoother ride.

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[PS3]

Going downhill with the cruise control set (no traffic, I don't have acc anyway), it feels like the speed is surging. Not that the speedometer can register it, just a slight seat of the pants feel.

I assume that it's trying to engine brake or something, but it's not that steep of a hill and my other two cars never felt like that on the same section of road.

Obviously, my civic is just that much better at coasting downhill. Next time I'm on that road I'll see if the car speeds up if I put it in neutral.

Still, one would hope for a smoother ride.

Is this the same problem that others are reporting with engine surging? Does it happen anywhere else other than downhill?

 

[Control freak]

Is this the same problem that others are reporting with engine surging? Does it happen anywhere else other than downhill?

It only happens going downhill with cruise.

I've got a manual, so it's not exactly the same issue others are experiencing with their CVTs, but maybe there's the same root problem and the effect is more pronounced in a CVT.

 

[Control freak]

Okay, there's the whole other thread that I need to check out. Consider this one closed.

 

[dick w]

Hondas on cruise will try to maintain set speed going downhill (i.e., slow down to it) even if it means using engine braking changing ratio/gear via the transmission. Not all cruise control cars do this.

 

[Control freak]

Hondas on cruise will try to maintain set speed going downhill (i.e., slow down to it) even if it means using engine braking changing ratio/gear via the transmission. Not all cruise control cars do this.

I posted a reply to the other thread already. Yes, I already acknowledged engine braking in my original post, but none of my other cars surge on the same section of road.

Regarding CC changing ratio/gear to maintain speed. Nope, my Honda doesn't do that, but I wouldn't expect that from a manual transmission car

Certainly you'd expect it to let up on the gas (or retard timing, or whatever) to compensate for going downhill- after all, that's just another aspect of CC- but the surging indicates that it's not doing it smoothly.

I never tried it in my previous manual, but this one maintains RPM when you press the clutch and shift. Which is what you'd hope for. I don't know if it'll rev match when changing gears in CC- I didn't pay that close attention.

 

[dick w]

I didn't notice the manual transmission in your profile. Is it possible that your car is engine braking just effectively enough, on that hill, at that speed, to be nudging below the cruise speed and getting a momentary shot of gas to overcome this? So many reasons different car models would behave differently in this kind of situation, so little time…

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