Do manual cars have cruise control

We all know that many automatic cars have a cruise control function, and the driver can drive at the set speed without stepping on the accelerator after setting the cruising speed while driving. If there is insufficient power on the uphill section during driving, the gearbox can also automatically change gears to ensure that the speed is always the same as the predetermined speed. And many people may not know that, in fact, manual transmission cars also have a cruise control function. Statistical data confirmed that many drivers consider it impossible to work cruise control on a car with a manual transmission. However, this is not the case at all. Let's take a look at what this principle is.

In fact, the principle of cruise control and automatic transmission in manual transmission is the same, but the automatic transmission car can control the throttle and gear at the same time, and the whole process does not require driver intervention. The manual cruise system can only control the throttle but not the gear, so if the power is insufficient when turning on the cruise control, the driver needs to change gears manually. The gear change is also very simple. The driver presses the clutch after the cruise control system has been suspended, the engine speed will drop, and then the driver can manually change gears. After the gear change is completed, the driver presses the RES button to resume the cruise state, and the cruise control system will accelerate the car to the previously set speed to continue cruising.

The essence of the cruise control system to control the throttle is to control the throttle opening. Now many cars have electronic throttles. There is a drive motor inside the throttle. The ECU controls the throttle valve plate opening according to the power demand to adjust the output power and speed. Therefore, although the driver does not step on the accelerator when the cruise control works, it is equivalent to the ECU helping you keep stepping on the accelerator and constantly adjusting the size of the throttle according to the speed of the car.

There is also an even older cruise control, which is the cable-type throttle. This throttle opening angle is controlled by the accelerator pedal by pulling a cable, and there is no drive motor inside. In other words, the ECU cannot control the throttle opening if the driver does not press the accelerator pedal. But the cruise control system does need to control the throttle, so engineers design an additional cable on the throttle and rely on the extra design cable to control the throttle when opening the cruise control. The picture above is a throttle with a cruise control cable.

The driver of this cable is a cruise control server, which is a device that uses the vacuum level of the intake manifold to generate tension and adjust the tension according to the electrical signal of the cruise control system. The cruise control system determines how much power is needed according to the difference between the actual speed and the set speed and then controls the power output of the engine by pulling the throttle valve through the corresponding pull force generated by the control servo through the electrical signal.

In addition to the difference in the control mechanism, the cruise control of the manual transmission is one more step than the automatic transmission, which requires the driver to manually change gears. Other than that, it's not that big a difference.