What's up with adjustable pedals?

[jsimpson]

Using cruise will cost you on hills. The cruise will htrottl down to maintain the set speed downhill and then end up downshifting to maintain the set speed uphill. Those of us with fifty or more years behind the wheel have learned to let the speed build up downhill and have enough momentum to make it over the next hill without downshifting. Gets WAY better fuel mileage that way as well. Nevertheless, you've got the right to drive your rig any way you want to... .

 

[GerryDrake]

While I in fact may be wierd, it has nothing to do with the fact that our truck has adjustable pedals. What was explained to me regarding adjustable pedals was that with relatively short people, rather than jamming the seat forward in order to reach the pedals, thus placing you right at the steering wheel and AIRBAG... . with the pedals pulled toward you, you can keep your body a safe distance from the wheel and AIRBAG, and resultant injuries should the AIRBAG deploy. The wife appreciates it... . (even though she will agree I am wierd)... .

 

[hasselbach]

Using cruise will cost you on hills. The cruise will htrottl down to maintain the set speed downhill and then end up downshifting to maintain the set speed uphill. Those of us with fifty or more years behind the wheel have learned to let the speed build up downhill and have enough momentum to make it over the next hill without downshifting. Gets WAY better fuel mileage that way as well. Nevertheless, you've got the right to drive your rig any way you want to... .

This is not true. . Remember that to increase speed the amount of energy (hp and fuel) goes up exponentially (squared value). So for you to increase your speed downhill, the little you save in momentum is far offset by the increase in fuel comsumption due to the wind resistance against your vehicle. My family used to have a trucking business and they looked at every possible way to conserve fuel for their 18 wheelers. Actual on the road testing, supported by computer print out for fuel per hour, per load, per mile and per trip all show steady state comsumption was lower by not running the hills like mentioned above.

 

[thejeepdude]

Those of us with fifty or more years behind the wheel have learned to let the speed build up downhill and have enough momentum to make it over the next hill without downshifting.

I do the same thing with cruise on... just nudge the go pedal a little with cruise engaged. However, this only works if there's no turn at the bottom of the hill before you go up. It's also the way I got my last speeding ticket. So now I try to keep it reasonably close to speed limits which reduces the amount of extra kinetic energy I can build on the downhill without the risk of smokey pullin me over.

 

[thejeepdude]

This is not true. . Remember that to increase speed the amount of energy (hp and fuel) goes up exponentially (squared value). So for you to increase your speed downhill, the little you save in momentum is far offset by the increase in fuel comsumption due to the wind resistance against your vehicle. My family used to have a trucking business and they looked at every possible way to conserve fuel for their 18 wheelers. Actual on the road testing, supported by computer print out for fuel per hour, per load, per mile and per trip all show steady state comsumption was lower by not running the hills like mentioned above.

I think he meant let the speed build up on downhills from GRAVITY, not by gassing it... and in my post when I said I let the speed increase with cruise on by pushing the go pedal, I meant that I only push it enough to eliminate the effect of the transmission trying to slow me down, effectively letting it coast, burning slightly more fuel than putting it in N, but less work although on the long downhills I have done that as well.

 

[jsimpson]

You read it right jeepdude; gravity is free - why waste it?

 

[hasselbach]

You read it right jeepdude; gravity is free - why waste it?

Up until the point that wind resistance is greater than gravity. . I remember my dad's 1972 Winnebago had the wind shear of a garage door. Down a 6% grade, no matter how much pedal you gave it, it wasn't going to go faster than 65 mph, no matter what...

 

[DJOliver]

What I like about them is that when adjusted upwards the pedals get my short wife futher away from an encounter with the airbag.







David

 

[DanDee]

Glad I found this thread as I had forgotten all about my adjustable pedals!!! Going to have to try playing around with them...

Just got back from a 600 mile round trip pulling my 5th wheel & I have to say that the cruise control works great... even with a 10k trailer its the smoothest, best working cruise control I ever used!



I only have 2300 miles on the truck and so far haven't had to let the wife drive yet... keep scaring her about those wide dually wheels!!! Oh well, sooner or later she'll figure it out & then she'll be driving it all the time... .



(Just thought of at least one more drawback to adjustable pedals... . Its bad enough I always have to spend minutes fiddling with my seat & mirror controls after my wife has driven... now I'm going to have to remember to adjust my pedals too! Sure miss those memory settings on our old Chrysler!)



DanDee

 

[knewman]

my truck has the adj pedals and when people look at my truck they think it's neet but for my 2 cents worth I adjusted them leaving the dealers lot day one and can't rember when I last touched the button