# Speed limiter function



## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Has anyone made much use of the Speed Limiter function on the cruise control stalk?
If so how does it work in practice - the handbook is a bit light on this.
I have found that due to the improved handling and smoothness of the ride in my Mk3, compared to the Mk2, that its very easy to find your speed has crept up from 70 to well over 80+ mph without really noticing.


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

I love it and I use it!!! Easy to activate, like cruise control...you can bypass it if you activate it while you're over the set limit..often I use it or the cruise control just to slow down the car instead of braking!!


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## 35mphspeedlimit (Sep 25, 2010)

Absolutely essential when you live somewhere with a 35mph speed limit!


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## stumardy (Oct 25, 2009)

Yes I could figure it out so have never used it. Would like to though. Can anyone do a guide on how to actually make it work. Like said in this post the manual doesn't really explain very well. Do it mean if say set to 80mph you are not able to go over that speed even with your foot down?


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

Press the LIM button on the lever and the screen will tell you that limit speed function in on, push up the lever until your speed limit, pull to you the lever like when you want re-activate the cruise control after a brake.

With this function, if you set 100 and you're at 50, accelerating, you'll feel the car slowing about 90 until it reaches 100 even if you press all the throttle!! But not the kick button otherwise the function will be bypassed!

To turn the speed limit of and return to the cruise control mode, just press the LIM button again


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Having just tried it for the first time this morning I feel suitably incompetent :lol: to give you an Idiots Guide to using it. In addition to what ManuTT has just said -
Say you are driving down the motorway at 68 mph. You want to set your max speed to 75 mph.
1. Pull the cruise control stalk towards you to activate the system.
2. Press the Limit button on top of the stalk.
3. Press the Set button on the end of the stalk. This will now set your limited speed at whatever speed you are doing at the time. The symbol LIM with your set speed will now appear in the VC.
4. Push the stalk up repeatedly until the symbol in the VC shows your desired top speed - say 75 mph.
5. You can now drive and accelerate as normal but when you get to 75 mph further pressing on the accelerator does not allow you to go any faster than 75 mph.
6. If you need to overtake or go faster press the accelerator down as far as it will go - it goes a long way and seems like you have it to the floor but this is just a resistance point. Press it harder to go beyond the resistance point and you then regain full power.
7. It will stay like that until you allow your speed to drop below 75 mph whereupon the limiter will take over again.
8. Push the stalk forwards to cancel the function.

I must admit that overcoming the kick-down resistance point was a bit deceptive at first.


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## Matrix (Apr 11, 2016)

I think I will stick to warning chime


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Matrix said:


> I think I will stick to warning chime


Yeah, half a dozen clicks to set it up isn't exactly convenient. Don't think I'll be using it much.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

I use it a bit.
It doesn't take 6 steps.

Press the LIM button press the set speed button and you are done. 
It's just the same as using cruise control, but rather than maintaining a speed it sets the max speed.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

A few less clicks if you are already at the max speed you want to set. But otherwise - Pull the stalk towards you, press the Limit button, press the Set button, click the stalk up a few times to set your max speed and you're at half a dozen clicks or thereabouts.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

Well it certainly one way to do it.

LIM -> SET done. 2 clicks and BOOM. No rocket science, complicated moves or the need to invoke strike action over who presses which button.
Whichever way you want to describe it, it's one more button press than using the cruise control system. 
So if cruise is too onerous, tedious or complex for you, the limiter will be too.


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## aw159130 (Feb 27, 2016)

You don't have to keep clicking the lever to adjust the speed. If you hold it in the appropriate direction, the set speed (on both limiter and cruise control) will move in 5 mph increments (to the nearest 5 mph). So if you wanted to set a limit of 30mph you could either (1) press LIM to put it in limiter mode, press set to activate limit at the current speed and then hold the lever up or down until you reached 30mph or (2) press LIM as before, hold the lever to quickly set the speed to 30 and then pull the lever towards you to activate the mode.

Either way that is three clicks. The only difference between setting the limiter and setting cruise control is the LIM toggle switch.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

or you can just press "set" when you are at the speed you want the limiter to max out at..


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Advice from experienced users of the function taken on board and will be tried. 
As I said mine was an Idiots Guide after using the system for the first time and the handbook does tell you to set the desired max speed by pushing the stalk up and down in 1 or 5 mph increments.


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## 4433allanr (Mar 11, 2016)

Matrix said:


> I think I will stick to warning chime


Ditto! Had a play with it today. Not something I've been calling for. Could be useful at times. But quite rarely.


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## ROBH49 (Jun 13, 2013)

My car is 13 months old now and I have never used this function, that's not to say I won`t just haven`t bothered yet


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## GrantTTS (Mar 18, 2016)

Use it all the time myself, sort of like a licence safety net, many unmarked cars and the odd 'safety' camera van around East Sussex. In moving traffic far more useful than Cruise in that it allows you to drive below and up to limiter without needing to worry. Was the reason for stipulating cruise function when I bought the car having had it on my last 3 cars.


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

my opinion, is the limit option has to limit, really, the kick down button should be deactivated!
for instance, another person drives you car, speed limit on, she reaches the limit and press and press and press the pedal because the car doesn't go until.....she reaches the kick down button.... [smiley=furious3.gif] I said she because.....


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## Waitwhat93 (Mar 28, 2016)

ManuTT said:


> my opinion, is the limit option has to limit, really, the kick down button should be deactivated!
> for instance, another person drives you car, speed limit on, she reaches the limit and press and press and press the pedal because the car doesn't go until.....she reaches the kick down button.... [smiley=furious3.gif] I said she because.....


I think the point is that it limits you accelerating, but the kick down is if you need to do an overtake quickly. Same as when using economy mode, slows the acceleration unless you hit the kick down.

Also.. If you're trying to limit someone else using this then they'll eventually wise up and just push the cruise lever back to turn the limit off.


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

I understand the kickdown is for an emergency situation but, if I set on the speed limit, it means I can't go over a specific limit so I shouldn't use the kickdown because I would pass the limit!


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## Waitwhat93 (Mar 28, 2016)

ManuTT said:


> I understand the kickdown is for an emergency situation but, if I set on the speed limit, it means I can't go over a specific limit so I shouldn't use the kickdown because I would pass the limit!


I understand that if you set the limit then using the kick down is an easy way around it, but it's not different a "way around" than turning the limit off by pushing the lever.

Both are ways to turn it off that take a split second to perform, it's a limit but it's not supposed to cause danger by not allowing you to over 20mph when you realised you need to do an emergency manoeuvre.


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

Slightly different...if you accelerate gently and turn off by the lever, you can overtake a car not as so fast as you'like do with the kickdown!
There is much difference in power from the engine..my question was if another person is driving.


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## Waitwhat93 (Mar 28, 2016)

ManuTT said:


> Slightly different...if you accelerate gently and turn off by the lever, you can overtake a car not as so fast as you'like do with the kickdown!
> There is much difference in power from the engine..my question was if another person is driving.


If another person is driving they can just flick off the limit with the lever?


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

come on....are you serious?
have I to explain again?
it's obvious the lever is always there but overtaking, a thing is turn off the speed limit and pass the car with few km/h more and another thing is put down 3 gears and overtake!
plus, if you are trying to don't go over a specific limit, I think the kickdown is not gonna help you!


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## Waitwhat93 (Mar 28, 2016)

Sorry Manu i think your point is going straight over my head because all I can think you mean is that the limiter is pointless because there are ways around it, my point is that there should be ways around it for safety or quick manoeuvres.

I think the main use of it is if you're in a 30 with cameras about, just quickly put the limiter so you can't go over 30 and when you try push the accelerator it won't let you go faster and you'll realise you're already going 30.

I don't think it's sposed to be something you keep on a long journey (or maybe it is for people with a black box on a motorway that can't go over 70...)


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## aw159130 (Feb 27, 2016)

I'd need to double check but I'm sure the limiter mode turns itself back to cruise control mode when you turn off the car. Certainly every time I have wanted to use it having just got in the car I have had to turn it on so I'm struggling to see how it could ever be an issue for an unsuspecting second driver unless they swapped seats with you whilst the ignition was on and you didn't tell them.

If I found myself in an emergency situation in which accelerating was a better course of action than braking then I don't think driving briefly over the speed limit I had set would be high on my list of concerns!


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

You are correct. LIM mode had to be selected.


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