Cruise control oddities (Was Re: How to get 300bhp at 1.0bar)

["Arun Rao" <rao@quattro>]

On Apr 23,  4:11pm, Graydon D. Stuckey wrote:
. Seems like the computer wasn't expecting
> all the new-found hp, because a few times it really got into the boost
> going up hills, but it always backed off just enough, so apparently it is
> damped enough to handle the power.

	You know, that reminds me of two things about the
	cruise controls on both my cars ('85 5KT, '91 200Q).

	1. The speed is *rock-steady*.  I mean, that darn
	needle doesn't even waver, uphill or down.  This
	is different from several domestics I've driven,
	whose owners seem to accept that the set-point is
	a sort of mild suggestion to the car, rather than
	an order ...

	2. Maybe I'm hallucinating, but the car seems to
	be able to hold a lower speed on a downgrade than
	I can manage in "free-wheel" mode (cc off, foot
	completely off the gas pedal).  How is this
	possible?

	-Arun


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Arun Rao
Pixar Animation Studios
Pt. Richmond, CA 94804
(510) 215-3526