[Guest]

OK,

I'm thinking about adding the Toyota cruise control to my 2001 Prius. I'm not interesting in installing it myself. I know myself too well (there are still the remains of a ten-speed in my parent's garage that I was going to put back together 30 years ago).

But I'm wondering: is the cruise a software solution, or hardware. In other words, does it interact with the computer that controls the car to set the speed? I was under the impression that cruise on those other kinds of cars that we used to drive was mechanical.

Just curious.....

Mike Mahaffie

 

[Guest]

Mike,
The cruise control is software. Remember, the car is already drive-by-wire and has no mechanical linkage between accelerator pedal and throttle. The 2001 car already has all the wiring and software for cruise control. The only things missing are the control stalk on the steering wheel and a two-pole brake pedal switch so the cruise control knows when you touch the brake.
I installed my own Toyota cruise control soon after the price became reasonable. So have many others. This is well documented on the Yahoo! groups. It takes 1 to 2 hours if you go really slow with breaks. I could do it again now in about 30 minutes. Since you know yourself I would not suggest you change your mind, but don't let anyone tell you this is difficult or time consuming!
I attach a report I wrote after my installation.

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