Does a car "know" who is driving it?

[s.green]

I was having a conversation with my hubby about the ECU and how I had heard that a car will adjust to whoever is driving it. I have never thought to research it until now.
Will an ECU adjust to someone who's light on the gas as opposed to someone who isn't?
I ask because we both drive the Civic and the CB differently. My husband just romps on it in the Civic and gets mad when the car doesn't react quickly enough.
This may be a stupid question, but someone once told me that it was okay to ask stupid ones

[Jarrett]

Short answer is no. Now, the effects of romping on a car may still exist for a few minutes afterward because of an escalated engine temperature, but that's about the extent of it. The car electronics in our Accords are very old technology. However, they still respond and adjust quite instantaneously.

The logic behind your question is off-base. While the car doesn't "learn" you it likely still performs better and more efficiently for you because you're not dogging on it. It's an economy car after all, I don't know what he expects out of it.

[s.green]

Short answer is no. Now, the effects of romping on a car may still exist for a few minutes afterward because of an escalated engine temperature, but that's about the extent of it. The car electronics in our Accords are very old technology. However, they still respond and adjust quite instantaneously.

The logic behind your question is off-base. While the car doesn't "learn" you it likely still performs better and more efficiently for you because you're not dogging on it. It's an economy car after all, I don't know what he expects out of it.

I don't know either...lol. It's a '97 with 250 plus miles on it. He should be used to it by now. Now that I think about it, I guess it's the other way around. We learn how our cars react in situations. The CB has a mind of its own anyway, and he only drives it the 1 mile to the gas station to put gas in it.

[deevergote]

The driver knows the car better than the car knows the driver. The ECU will adjust to conditions to some extent, but it doesn't learn driving habits (fancy, high-end stuff might, but nothing 99.99999% of the people here could possibly be driving.)

Chances are good that your husband's driving style makes the Civic seem unresponsive, while you can make it move, because you may have a better understanding of the subtleties of that car.


And now that I skim the replies, I see what I've just said has already been touched upon... oh well...

[IBCNYA]

Kinda the way I cant my girl to understand she can control the auto switch points by working the accelerator and not just holding it in one spot all the time. Lift the trans will shift and back on the gas. She one of those that accelerates the whole time with the pedal in one spot and never puts the engine above 2500 rpm, which is ok I guess but not when pulling out into traffic. Then when i drive she thinks im busting the engine because the shift points are different than whens shes driving.

[s.green]

Kinda the way I cant my girl to understand she can control the auto switch points by working the accelerator and not just holding it in one spot all the time. Lift the trans will shift and back on the gas. She one of those that accelerates the whole time with the pedal in one spot and never puts the engine above 2500 rpm, which is ok I guess but not when pulling out into traffic. Then when i drive she thinks im busting the engine because the shift points are different than whens shes driving.

Sounds like a day in my car......LOL! I don't usually say anything to him. He's worse in a manual, that's why he drives the CB every now and then. How he makes it in his VW is still a mystery to me.

[deevergote]

You married a VW guy? Wow... love truly IS blind!

[wed3k]

obd2 has short and long term fuel trims. it can probably adjust a whole lot better than with calculated values in a cb7. it is just based off o2 readings, ect, tps and rpm.

[crazymikey]

You married a VW guy? Wow... love truly IS blind!

Grounds for breakup/divorce in my books.

[evil_demon_01]

Some newer cars can actually identify the driving character based on the key.

Holden used a system where the car would learn a drivers driving style, and memorize it to the key in operation.

For example if there were 2 keys for the vehicle, supplied to 2 different people (I.e, husband and wife) then the driving styles of each driver were identifyed by the key in the ignition.


Of course this also means that it uses a long term permanent learning pattern.
Which is an advantage beacuse as thier driving styles change, so does the car.

Just makes it a bugger if your mate hands you the keys, but actually hands you his wifes set

[deevergote]

That's pretty cool.
I wonder if any GM products in the US do that... or if, as usual, you get all the GM products actually worth owning!

[evil_demon_01]

That's pretty cool.
I wonder if any GM products in the US do that... or if, as usual, you get all the GM products actually worth owning!

Surely not!!


Some High end cars come with valet keys, for just that - the valet that drives them.
Its basically a key that detunes the engine.

[buzz11]

Some newer cars can actually identify the driving character based on the key.

Holden used a system where the car would learn a drivers driving style, and memorize it to the key in operation.

For example if there were 2 keys for the vehicle, supplied to 2 different people (I.e, husband and wife) then the driving styles of each driver were identifyed by the key in the ignition.


Of course this also means that it uses a long term permanent learning pattern.
Which is an advantage beacuse as thier driving styles change, so does the car.

Just makes it a bugger if your mate hands you the keys, but actually hands you his wifes set

Would the ecu adjust how the car is driven? for example...shifts at different revs if its auto, use less hp to save mpgs, etc.

[evil_demon_01]

Would the ecu adjust how the car is driven? for example...shifts at different revs if its auto, use less hp to save mpgs, etc.

Correct.
It changes the shift patterns, engine maps, and throttle response.

[deevergote]

It'd be cool to figure out how to tune the ECU according to the key... like the whole valet key idea (way better than my valet key that just won't open my trunk or glove box!)

Like, put in a key for the track, and have it up the boost on a turbo car, change ignition timing, etc... Then put in a key for the street, and have it run in the most economical mode possible.