Disabling cruise control with clutch on 6MT

[GordonShumway]

Is there a way to have the cruise control disable when the clutch is depressed, rather than having the cruise remain active?

I recently purchased a 2014 S4 Prestige with 6MT. My driving style is to downshift to slow down if on the highway, coming up to a curve, etc. What I'm used to is, for example, if I'm in 6th gear and downshift to 5th to slow, when it's time to get back up to cruise speed, I will accelerate, shift back into 6th, and resume cruise control which would bring me back to the previous set speed. In previous vehicles, most recently a Japanese car, when you push in the clutch the cruise control disengages. On this car, it seems that cruise remains on, unless you hold the clutch in for ~3+ seconds. For those of you who drive manual, I'm also curious what you do with this 3 seconds because, to me, 3 seconds seems like an eternity.

I've had several instances where I've downshifted expecting to decelerate and the car accelerates in the lower gear to get back up to speed; I haven't gotten used to this yet. I guess that maybe there are some of you who like to shift through curves and hills, but it doesn't really make sense to me and certainly isn't my driving style. In this case, I need to either reach down and cancel cruise, or step on the brake.

Does anyone know of a way to adjust the interaction of the clutch switch and cruise control?

[Dr GP]

Just don't use the cruise control. I rarely do.Pretty simple. TURN IT OFF if you don't like it. Just thinking you might actually have the adaptive CC rather than the standard. I believe that can also be turned off. Check out the owners manual so you can better understand how it is supposed to work and how to turn it off. BTW, I have has 3 B8 S4s with 6MTs. It can be confusing if you are coming from a different brand of car.Check out the owners manual please

[SteveYem]

Just don't use the cruise control. I rarely do.Pretty simple. TURN IT OFF if you don't like it. Just thinking you might actually have the adaptive CC rather than the standard. I believe that can also be turned off. Check out the owners manual so you can better understand how it is supposed to work and how to turn it off. BTW, I have has 3 B8 S4s with 6MTs. It can be confusing if you are coming from a different brand of car.Check out the owners manual please

If he had the adaptive cruise control option, I believe he would have visible sensors for it in the front grille. That would be an easy visual check.
To the OP - I rarely use cruise control in my 2015 6MT, but from the times that I did, I don't recall it automatically kicking back in after any shifts. The cruise control "module" would remain activated, but I would have to pull the control stalk back to make the car automatically resume the set speed, if that makes sense.

[eurotic]

I have the same behaviour as the OP if I downshift. Also thought it was odd from previous cars I've driven. But I just flick the cancel and am not really bothered by that... but I don't do much highway driving.

[GordonShumway]

Just don't use the cruise control. I rarely do.Pretty simple. TURN IT OFF if you don't like it. Just thinking you might actually have the adaptive CC rather than the standard. I believe that can also be turned off. Check out the owners manual so you can better understand how it is supposed to work and how to turn it off. BTW, I have has 3 B8 S4s with 6MTs. It can be confusing if you are coming from a different brand of car.Check out the owners manual please

I never said I do not like cruise control, in fact I use it all of the time. I do not have adaptive cruise. The functionality does however make more sense for people who have adaptive cruise, if they need to shift through the cruise control. However, like I said, it is not favorable for highway driving.

Thanks for the reply, but that is not very helpful. FYI, I read the entire owners manual before I picked up the car, and I completely understand the operation of it, now. If you look in the manual it says you can temporarily disable cruise by "keeping the clutch pedal pressed down longer," and it also says "to resume saved speed, let up on the brake or clutch and pull the level to position 1 [resume]." If you read that and understood exactly how this system functions before you drove it, I'm impressed.

[GordonShumway]

I have the same behaviour as the OP if I downshift. Also thought it was odd from previous cars I've driven. But I just flick the cancel and am not really bothered by that... but I don't do much highway driving.

Yeah, that's an option. It's kind of an extra step to have to do and I find myself pushing it to OFF rather than CANCEL. I don't know, I feel like even in situations on the highway, without thinking, my first instinct has always been to downshift to decelerate. That stalk is right near the blinker and, I guess I'm not completely used to it yet so I have to feel around for it.

[GordonShumway]

If he had the adaptive cruise control option, I believe he would have visible sensors for it in the front grille. That would be an easy visual check.
To the OP - I rarely use cruise control in my 2015 6MT, but from the times that I did, I don't recall it automatically kicking back in after any shifts. The cruise control "module" would remain activated, but I would have to pull the control stalk back to make the car automatically resume the set speed, if that makes sense.

That makes total sense, and that's exactly how I'd love to have it set up. Pushing the clutch would just "CANCEL" cruise, not turn it off, and you just pull the stalk to have it resume the set speed. Hmmm, you sure about how that worked? That's optimistic that there might be a way to switch it then?

[Dr GP]

I never said I do not like cruise control, in fact I use it all of the time. I do not have adaptive cruise. The functionality does however make more sense for people who have adaptive cruise, if they need to shift through the cruise control. However, like I said, it is not favorable for highway driving.

Thanks for the reply, but that is not very helpful. FYI, I read the entire owners manual before I picked up the car, and I completely understand the operation of it, now. If you look in the manual it says you can temporarily disable cruise by "keeping the clutch pedal pressed down longer," and it also says "to resume saved speed, let up on the brake or clutch and pull the level to position 1 [resume]." If you read that and understood exactly how this system functions before you drove it, I'm impressed.

Didn't mean to be condescending if my post came off that way. I really don't like cruise control. But understand your frustration.

[superswiss]

I suppose Audi's implementation makes some sense so that when you upshift as opposed to downshift, it doesn't cancel cruise control. For example let's say you have to slow down, then the road clears and you resume CC, then as CC accelerates the car you want/need to upshift, at that point you wouldn't want the clutch pedal to cancel CC.

This seems a case where you'll have to adapt and change your style. The easiest is probably to get into the habit of cancelling CC with the stalk before you downshift. It just takes a light push. The stalk is actually located fairly conveniently and shorter, so you don't confuse it with the blinker. I have adaptive cruise and even though I have the DSG, I also downshift to slow down (old habit from my manual transmission days). If ACC is engaged I just instinctively cancel it before I downshift. I usually just lightly push the stalk with the back of my middle finger that way I don't apply too much force and push it past the cancel position all the way to the off position. Occasionally it happens that I push it too far, but no biggy. I just accelerate back up and set the speed again if that happens.

[Senseless]

I had a BMW that cancelled cruise every time the clutch was depressed and it was annoying! I much prefer having it automatically resume.

[SteveYem]

That makes total sense, and that's exactly how I'd love to have it set up. Pushing the clutch would just "CANCEL" cruise, not turn it off, and you just pull the stalk to have it resume the set speed. Hmmm, you sure about how that worked? That's optimistic that there might be a way to switch it then?

If I get the chance I will test it out this weekend and report back.

[mattro]

I use cruise all the time and hate that feature too. But I got used to just quickly flip the stalk to cancel and then pull back to resume when I'm ready.
Coming from a mk6 gti it has the same cruise control stalk and same functions except it would cancel cruise when touching the clutch.
So all I do now is flip the stalk and just slow down in 6th gear, it's not an extra step for me.

[GordonShumway]

If I get the chance I will test it out this weekend and report back.

That'd be great, thanks!

[SteveYem]

That'd be great, thanks!

I tested it tonight and mine works the same way yours does. I must have gotten into the habit of manually turning it off before shifting so I never realized it would resume automatically.

[EstorilS4]

Mine works as yours does and I love it! Had a G35 where the cruise was cancelled upon clutch pedal engagement and I hated it.

Regarding your example, when I am on cruise (pretty much all the time) I am a heavy user of the cruise stalk to adjust speed, as needed. In your scenario, I would likely use the stalk (push down) to slow to the desired speed. If I needed to slow more than that, I'd likely tap the brakes which cancels the cruise speed.

I like that the cruise setting isn't cancelled with the clutch so that if I need to slow way down on the highway (i.e. traffic) I can hit resume speed in 5th and shift into 6th without cancelling the setting. To each his own, I guess.