Bolt on fuel saving device and mechanical cruise control (throttle stop w/ override)

[Maco]

Originally Posted by spacemanspif

I think this is a great alternative to hand throttles that are popular on here. Instead of an extra throttle and other junk cluttering up the driver's area, this little gadget can be set to the throttle position you want for constant throttle while driving on the highway. Assuming the spring is robust enough to act as a throttle stop that your foot can rest on while driving it will enable you to gain and lose speed while going up and down the hills which is where we lose MPG while using cruise control. Neat idea Maco, if I had $100+ laying around I'd think about trying one out.

Thanks for the compliment much appreciated.
Just so every one knows because I want to save people time if they want to try and build their own versions - there are no springs in this device, I tried springs on the carburetor and on the accelerator and even big return springs from a huge workshop metal guillotine (8 coils 7mm wire diameter, outside diameter 40mm 100mm long) did not give reliable and accurate results the speed always had around a 15 km/h variance just via different foot pressures, plus over time hard springs will damage the accelerator pivot point.
There are no springs in this device the mechanism is accurate to around 0.2mm every time you use it, springs cant do that, they float around at about 3mm it doesn't work its a pain in the ....
I started working on this in 1987 its taken 16 years of trying and testing to get it right. I almost gave up, then one day it all fell into place and became clear to me what to use, to build a safe accurate and reliable mechanism with no springs, hooks or catches that could jam and become a block of wood under the pedal, and possibly cause an accident. Its not what it appears to be, this is a precision instrument.

[Ecky]

For those other G1 Insight owners out there, staying in lean burn is based on throttle position...

Fantastic idea. $100 is more than I'd like to spend on this kind of mod but it's cheaper than aftermarket cruise control. I'll probably play with low-rate springs for a bit and see if I run into what you did.

EDIT: A 2-stage mechanism would be ideal for the Insight. The upper one would be best as a tactile-feedback (a click), with your resistance setup for the lower one.

[Xist]

Since most HXes cannot have cruise control, this is one option, with the aforementioned hand throttle being another, but as Frank Lee pointed out, this really only works on level ground.

How much resistance does it add when you need to push it all of the way down?

[Maco]

Originally Posted by Xist

Since most HXes cannot have cruise control, this is one option, with the aforementioned hand throttle being another, but as Frank Lee pointed out, this really only works on level ground.

How much resistance does it add when you need to push it all of the way down?

Its around 4kg or 9 pounds.

As a Cruise Control it works best on a flat surface.
As a Fuel Saving Device it works best on hill climbs and during the acceleration component.
Please have a look at the Lab Test I posted earlier.

Thanks.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by ecky

cool! :d