Retro-fitting cruise control

[ctaniab]

Hi, does anyone know if it's possible to retro-fit cruise-control to a pre-2006 Sprinter? I've read differing advice on other forums - some folk say it's definitely possible, others say not without ABS (which I don't have).

If you already have cruise control, could you live without it? If you don't have it, would you bother with the cost and agro to get it?

 

[wildebus]

Hi, does anyone know if it's possible to retro-fit cruise-control to a pre-2006 Sprinter? I've read differing advice on other forums - some folk say it's definitely possible, others say not without ABS (which I don't have).

If you already have cruise control, could you live without it? If you don't have it, would you bother with the cost and agro to get it?

Mercedes Citan 2012> Aftermarket Cruise Control Kit - Electronically holds vehicle speed without the need for your foot on the throttle pedal

Mercedes Citan 2012> Aftermarket Cruise Control Kit from Conrad Anderson & GoldCruise, simple to install or retrofit. Reduces accidental speeding and engine wear & tear, improves fuel consumption and reduces driver fatigue

www.conrad-anderson.co.uk

The above kit will be the "Gold Cruise" CC System, which is a very good Dutch product.

I like Cruise Control and have retrofitted it on a RAV4 using a Gold Cruise system similar to the above. Although it was expensive I found it very useful on the commute I use to do. Took it slowly and methodically and spent half a day fitting it.
Also retrofitted Cruise Control on a VW T5 using the VW Factory system (around £100 by just changing stalks and recoding system - around 3 hours to install) and on another RAV4 by buying a second-hand steering wheel fitted with the CC stalk (around £25 and just plugged in and it worked - around 30 minutes to install).

Not added it to my 2003 LT (which has probably an identical ECU to yours except I do have ABS and TC) as don't do enough miles to warrant it. But if I did the miles, I would like get the Gold Cruise (the unit I fitted to the first RAV4 was better then almost all the Factory Cruise Control systems I have used)

 

[ctaniab]

Many thanks for brilliant link

 

[Squiffy]

I have cruise control on my present V70 Volvo and have had it on previousVolvos, to be frank I've tried it out but a handful of times, I can see that in a country like America or Australia having cruise control could be a help towards driver fatigue however here or in europe I have found it not only to be fairly dangerous in our traffic conditions even on motorways, that to all intents and purposes its comparatively a useless gadget and I personally would not go to the expense or time to retrofit what is really a conversational piece " Oh yes it's got Cruise control" so unless it is fitted at the factory and you have to have it in the cost of purchasing the vehicle forget it as you will only use it on very very rare occasions in any case. Phil

 

[wildebus]

Cruise Control when used intelligently is very good.

You can use it to ensure you don't creep over the speed limit on quiet roads (Single and Dual Carriageways as well as Motorways).
The "Gold Cruise" I bought (mentioned in my first reply) I opted for the optional stalk control with 3 presettable buttons. When I used to drive from Devon to Hampshire/Surrey, the roads were mostly quiet, but the speed limits kept changing between 50, 60 and 70 MPH, accompanied by frequent speed cameras. I set the buttons to 50, 60 and 70 (funnily enough) and I could drive for around 50+ miles, hardly touch the pedals on the floor and simply pressed the appropriate preset CC stalk button as limits changed and let the cruise control alter the speed to the required speed (this is why I said this system was better then just about any Factory CC system I have had).
Blooming Brilliant and I would not be surprised if using the Cruise Control paid for itself in saved speeding tickets!

Other benefits ....
You can use the cancel and resume buttons to provide a nice relaxed drive in varying speed limits and not just on straight roads. I have often used CC driving on normal roads with those buttons working essentially as a hand throttle so allowing the car to naturally slow for bends and then resume the desired speed. If you combine using Cruise Control with an Auto Box this really works well.
The only vehicle that that didn't work out with was my 2010 RAV4 - the Cruise on that was poorly implemented and the car would drop down gears to accelerate back to the set speed ASAP rather then gently increase speed like every other Cruise Control system I have used.

Also, when driving for extended periods it allows you to relax your right leg and makes for a much more comfortable drive and saves aching ankles and knees.

Is it a useless gadget? if your driving is limited to busy roads then I guess it would be.
Personally when I have had it on any car as standard I have used it. When I have added it to any vehicle, I regarded it as money well spent, even when - in the case of the Gold Cruise on the 2005 RAV4 - the kit cost over £400.

 

[Squiffy]

Each to their own Dave, to me in today's traffic it's an expensive gadget and getting less and less useful as traffic increases at the rate it has. I moved from Portsmouth to South Wales 35 years ago because I couldn't stand the amount of traffic in the south of England and especially in Portsmouth, it is now just as bad here in South Wales. So I would suggest that those ( Like me ) who have Cruise control better use it while they can as areas where it can be used are disappearing rapidly. Phil

P.s. By the way in 50 years I've never had a speeding ticket so it's not any gadget that has helped with that.

 

[Vanterrier]

Are you looking for a kind of intelligent CC or are you hoping for something cheap and simple that just relieves the aches on long straight and quiet roads?
If you cannot simply or cheaply add proper CC to your sprinter and are after the latter, consider this...
... I had Mitsubishi Pajeros and Challengers for years and they normally come equipped with a choke-like device on the lower dash. They were intended I believe as a fast idle device and simply worked by holding the accelerator pedal in place but could be used at any speed and pedal position. I could drive at my preferred speed then lock the Crude Control as I called it and it would keep the speed until I hit a hill when a bit of fiddling might be required. It provided hours of fun and saved aches and pains on some long runs ( I used to commute between Northumberland and Huddersfield via A1M). Braking easily overcame the device too.
So, simple/crude, easy to fit and use and cheap as chips.
Just saying...
K

 

[ctaniab]

Intriguing! Not sure there's anything like this on my Sprinter, but will go and explore

 

[Squiffy]

Van terrier is suggesting that a choke cable and pull knob is fitted to your van just as in the (Old days) with carburettors which not only closed the choke flap but also put a certain amount of fast idle on as well, the Mitsubishi Shoguns/ Pajeros had a similar set up only it did not operate the choke but opened the throttle from idle to almost full open depending on how far you pulled the knob out. This would be good if your van used a cable to operate the throttle but unfortunately in today's day and age the majority of vehicles including yours used fly by wire technology, which is to say that the throttle opening is controlled by electrical impulses provided by electronic signals from the accelerator pedal, there is no cable coming from the pedal to the throttle body so no way to control the air flow mechanically by a cable Phil

In the old days cruise control was controlled by manifold vacuum and the throttle flap was pulled open and held in various positions by a relay controlling a vacuum line, so when you had reached the speed you required you pressed a button and the relay opened the vacuum line which in turn pulled a serrated arm into a position that held the throttle flap at that position until you touched the accelerator at which time the serrated arm was over ridden and flicked back so that if you took your foot of the accelerator it would allow the throttle flap to return to idle or what ever speed you decided on until you hit the button again and once more the vacuum would pull the serrated arm back to that particular speed. Pretty crude but effective and cheap in comparison to today's electronic gizmos.

 

[SquirrellCook]

Hi, does anyone know if it's possible to retro-fit cruise-control to a pre-2006 Sprinter? I've read differing advice on other forums - some folk say it's definitely possible, others say not without ABS (which I don't have).

If it's the same fly by wire setup as the Vario's, apart from the stalk it shouldn't be too hard. I would first talk with a Mercedes service centre.

Mark

 

[ctaniab]

I would first talk with a Mercedes service centre.

We've had different responses from different service centres, Mark. One said it's possible, but quoted a mad price to fit. Two others said not possible without ABS (as suggested by a couple of folk on other forums). I'm waiting to hear back from Conrad Anderson, as there's no mention of ABS on their website - this is the best lead we've so far (thanks, Wildebus). Will report back when we hear.

 

[wildebus]

We've had different responses from different service centres, Mark. One said it's possible, but quoted a mad price to fit. Two others said not possible without ABS (as suggested by a couple of folk on other forums). I'm waiting to hear back from Conrad Anderson, as there's no mention of ABS on their website - this is the best lead we've so far (thanks, Wildebus). Will report back when we hear.

No Problem.

Ref ABS, I would be surprised if an aftermarket unit (or a factory one for that matter) really actually needed ABS for the system to function. They disengage when the brake pedal is touched, and also if fitted to a manual vehicle, when the clutch pedal is touched. If ABS gets engaged, it has to be initiated by the brakes being applied, so the Cruise Control is alreasy disengaged before any ABS system is working.

I wonder if the "have to have ABS" thing is similar to the situation when fitting Cruise Control to a VW T5. For example, if you want to fit Cruise Control to a T5, chances are you have a Rear Wiper and Electric Windows. Are those actually required? Well, no, not at all, but VW have different "BCMs" (Body Control Modules), and the one that includes the support for Cruise Control was often only fitted on higher spec vans with Rear Wipers and Electric Windows. So the question on the VW forums like "have you got a rear wiper" when someone asks if they can add Cruise Control is a quick way to check if they have the right BCM or if they need to change that as well. Maybe the "Have you got ABS" question is for a similar reason?
Either way, that VW BCM thing would only be for a Factory system. and probably same for Mercedes as well.


Ref Conrad Anderson... I found them very professional as a company.
I fitted the system myself to my RAV4 and it was pretty straightforward, however I did get stuck on one part where the diagram didn't appear to match the vehicle. The reason was purely my disorientation from being upside down in the car when looking at it but when I called their support for assistance, they were most helpful.
I don't know if it will be of any use, but I believe they always take a stand at the NEC Motorhome and Caravan show (on this week!) so if you are able to do so, you could speak to them face to face (and maybe get a deal? who knows!).

 

[SquirrellCook]

I hadn't thought about the clutch pedal switch, but I've never worked on a vehicle with cruise control and a manual gearbox. What ever cruise control you have, it will need a speed signal. Be it from an abs sender or a speedo generator,

 

[wildebus]

I hadn't thought about the clutch pedal switch, but I've never worked on a vehicle with cruise control and a manual gearbox. What ever cruise control you have, it will need a speed signal. Be it from an abs sender or a speedo generator,

Quite a few folk think you cannot actually have Cruise Control with a Manual Gearbox. But you certainly can

Some manual cars do have a clutch switch already (the T5s do, for example) but I don't think most do. (I had to retrofit a clutch switch on the RAV4 for example). Interesting enough, even though the T5 has a clutch switch, the cruise will cut out without that being connected if the engine speed is detected to have increased abnormally (so imagine a car going off a cliff? wheels have no contact and start to accelerate outside of normal bounds. This is detected by the factory cruise and cuts out (very handy ))

Ref the speed signal - this can very often be picked up in the radio loom, which is nice and handy (used for Sat Nav systems), but I am sure all relatively modern vehicles have a speed pulse signal somewhere in the wiring loom.

 

[trevskoda]

Handy as i could go back and use the loo,NO worth a try.

 

[IJenk52]

……...… so imagine a car going off a cliff? wheels have no contact and start to accelerate outside of normal bounds. This is detected by the factory cruise and cuts out (very handy ))

You don't have to drive off a cliff to try this!! On my Dacia the cruise control cuts out if the traction control kicks in. Did it on Sunday in the pouring rain on the M1 - drove into huge pool of standing water, traction control kicked in and switched off cruise control. It took me a second or two to realise something serious had not gone wrong as the car slowed down. Next time I'll be expecting it!
The Dacia also has a speed limiter - just set it at the motorway road work limit and you can accelerate up to the set limit, but not exceed it. Also useful in towns (especially abroad where there are loads of things to distract you).
I use both as often as possible and find them a great benefit

 

[wildebus]

……...… so imagine a car going off a cliff? wheels have no contact and start to accelerate outside of normal bounds. This is detected by the factory cruise and cuts out (very handy ))

You don't have to drive off a cliff to try this!! On my Dacia the cruise control cuts out if the traction control kicks in. Did it on Sunday in the pouring rain on the M1 - drove into huge pool of standing water, traction control kicked in and switched off cruise control. It took me a second or two to realise something serious had not gone wrong as the car slowed down. Next time I'll be expecting it!
The Dacia also has a speed limiter - just set it at the motorway road work limit and you can accelerate up to the set limit, but not exceed it. Also useful in towns (especially abroad where there are loads of things to distract you).
I use both as often as possible and find them a great benefit

My Example was a little extreme wasn't it!

My car also has Cruise and Speed Limiter options. I use the Speed Limiter often in Glasgow where I go on a long stretch of road whch has lots of cameras, lots of potholes and parked cars and people darting around. I prefer to concentrate on the road and obstacles and not have to keep checking the speedo to make sure I am under the limit, especially when most cars on that stretch totally ignore it.
I did get a scare with it last week mind... I was turning right and suddenly the car was like it was in limp mode. Getting a bit concerned and then realised I had accidently activated the speed limiter as I turned the corner and it was set at something like 5MPH.