while the vtec on the fit is the older vtec and not the newer ivtec, its noticability is not like a turbo is turning on or something; is still fairly subtle. And you are not going to engage vtec that low in the rpm range, try more like 4500 to 5200 rpms.
I filled my tank this morning and did my calculation... I got 37.36 mpg this past tank! It's going up with each tank full, and I have no idea why. I still have not inflated my tires (last I checked they were at 34 psi). I have a 12 mile commute on the Interstate to get to work, and back home, each day, excluding weekends, and I do some city driving in between, but not much. I tend not to drive at all on weekends (saving money), and I've not used the a/c much yet (I park in a garage during the day at work to keep the car cool so I don't need it when I get in after work), and I usually leave the windows up and just rely on the air vents for fresh outside air.
I don't know if it's me and my slow starts and low speeds (it's rare I hit 75 mph on the highway, but with a limit of 65, I do around 70 usually), or just that it's a GREAT LITTLE CAR, but I could not be happier!
(Oh, the car has a bit less than 2000 miles on it - I bought it new on March 12 - and it's a manual transmission)
"you are not going to engage vtec that low in the rpm range, try more like 4500 to 5200 rpms."
You sure about that? If you look at this graph from "Temple of Vtec" site it appears that the vtec contribution becomes noticeable at around 3400 rpm (though the increase could be due to something else). The author felt he could hear it switch at 3500 rpm.
I had a weird thing happen the other day. While traveling at 50-55 mph, I needed to brake suddenly, due to an oncoming car in the left lane. I didn't jam the brakes, but applied a steady pressure. The Fit seemed to fish-tail a bit, and almost swerved into the next lane over. Is this a problem with the ABS? :surprise:
Your numbers look alot like my mine. I also have a Sport Auto. I recently installed a K&N air filter in my car and have see a sight increase in gas mileage. I purchase the filter online for $34 at www.ajusa.com. I also noticed a slight increase in get up and go. My 1st tank with the filter installed was 30.6 city/highway combined.
Agreed, I don't like the idea of messing with something that is actually working as designed (the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra).
I think what is happening is that the wheel momentarily reduced contact and resistance with road surface which the ABS sensor detects as wheel lockup (like braking on ice) and the system kicks it into high gear and starts modulating (turning on and off) the brake on that particular wheel.
No, I don't think it will cause any harm, but having ABS activated will mean that it takes longer to slow the car down or stop completely. So, in an emergency situation, it could be dangerous.
It doesn't seem to happen on heavier cars/trucks...
Your explaination sounds much like my own thoughts on the issue. I noticed it mainly going on different road surfaces.
A heavier truck has greater friction with the road and can stop more quickly than a smaller car.
ABS helps you steer during a stop. I have had occasion to hit the brakes hard but I am not sure if the ABS kicked in because I hit the brakes hard twice. (Old habits die hard with the double braking and stereo was up too loud to tell if ABS was pumping.)
The car seemed to stop quickly enough, and it kept a straight line.
The power curve has virtually leveled off before the secondary valves open. Power then start to climb again. This is the inflection point in the power curve. This is around the 3500 area, by my looking.
I am so disappointed... This weekend, I did 144.3 miles, at least 80% highway, and filled up with 5.078 gallons, for 28.4 mpg, my best mileage ever. I did about 65-70 mph using cruise control. Why is my mileage so low??? I have about 2K miles on the car now. :confuse:
I just did 1200 miles over the weekend with my Fit Sport Auto driving in OH on I-70 and in Penn on the Penn Turnpike about 90% of the time, and about the other 10% driving in suburbs. I kept the speed at 70mph in the 65mph zones and about 60-65mph in the 55mph construction zones. I had the AC running just about the entire time. On my fillups I had 37.8 & 37.9 & 36.9 mpg and I won’t have to fillup again until the end of the week, so I don’t have my mpg for the last 200 miles of the trip, but it’s probably about the same, so about 37.5mpg. The car was loaded with 2 adults & one toddler and a lot of stuff packed inside. I used the cruise control nearly all the time on the highway. It did seem to cause the transmission to downshift to 4th quicker on the big hills (mountains) in Penn, but I wasn’t driving for max mpg, so for my driving style I’m pretty happy with the mpg.
I have a little over 10,000 miles on my Fit. The mpg seems better now than in the beginning, but it never was below 30mpg. I think the warmer weather is helping most.
My Fit has about 11000 miles on it. I have been disappointed in the gas mileage since I purchased the car. Things are starting to improve with warmer weather and a K&N filter. Now, I'm getting 31.8 mpg consistantly, compared to 28 mpg. Same driving, 60/40 (Highway/City). I took this car on a 2300 mile trip before I put the filter in it. During the trip I averaged 32 mpg. I was disappointed so I purchased the high flow filter when I got back. My mileage for my normal driving after the trip was 29.4 mpg and after installing the filter I got 31.8 mpg. The filter cost $34 and is a million mile filter( with proper care and maintenance), so should recoup my money in less than a year for sure. I'm much happier with this car now I getting better gas mileage:)
Use more gas before refueling. With only 5 gallons used, it means a lot of room for error. 5.3 gallons would change your mileage to 27.22 MPG. 4.7 gallons = 30.7 MPG
Use more of the tank next time, lizardking, you'll get more accurate results.
I'm guessing that you fill up early fairly often? If so, perhaps on the last fill up you may have filled to a lesser extent than you did this time, perhaps. A difference in .6 gallons makes a HUGE difference in mileage.
I continue to be surprised by the complaints of low mileage. A few weeks ago I took my first all-highway drive of 330 miles and got almost 43 mpg. I have a 5-speed sport. I can't imagine why people are getting such radically different numbers.
I get the same kind of mileage when I drive straight highway. But, I keep the cruise control on, right at about 67 mph, and only speed up to pass trucks, etc. If people are getting extremely low mileage with their FITS, how fast are they driving? I suspect much faster than 65 mph. And, what about winding up the rpms? Isn't it better to keep those below a certain amount? Maybe decreasing their accelerations a bit would help. If people really want to conserve energy and resources, driving a bit slower will help . But y'know, I still have no complaints with my car. Just a big smile when I see those big SUVs looking over my car with curious eyes!
My logbook says my mileage is about 32-33 for tanks where I'm mostly doing city driving and after a recent 500+ mile trip I started seeing 37-38..
This is a 07 Fit Sport Manual and I try to keep rpms under 3500 by shifting up quickly when I'm not pressed to go any faster. Recently I've been revving it up to 6500 RPM on a regular basis just to have some fun so we'll see what impact that has on things.. Haven't used the AC much either.
I just hit the half tank mark today at 135 miles. i have a sport auto. Most of my driving is probably 6 miles one way to work or to the store. maybe once a week a 25 mile round trip to downtown freeway driving. I know this is probably the worst situation for fuel economy. My average mpg is 26-27, my best was 29. Is this what I should be expecting for my driving habits? Also, I notice if I am babying it, my car shifts at about 3400 rpms, but if I am going on the freeway ramp and trying to get up to speed fast, but not flooring it sometimes it wont shift until 4000 or 4500 rpms is this normal?
I notice if I am babying it, my car shifts at about 3400 rpms
If your Fit AT is up-shifting at 3400 RPM, that to me is not babying it. Mine shifts at no higher than 2500 RPM in my normal driving. I wonder whether the computer setting is off on your car (or maybe you are stepping on it more than you think).
I used to fill up at about half, but now I fill up near E. I still haven't driven it down to see the gas light come on, but i'm going about 180 miles between fillups. I onbly filled up at half this time to get a more accurate mostly-highway number.
With my normal daily city commute, I am CONSISTENTLY getting 25mpg (within a small variation). I have tracked every fillup and it's accurate to just a few tenth of a mile (sometimes I drove off before resetting the trip). I will post an updated mileage log shortly.
Picked up my new Storm Silver 07 Sport Manual last Wednesday with 3.5 miles on the odometer and a full-tank of gas (dealer provided). My daily commute is 150 total miles, with 130 of those on the highway with the cruise control set between 65 and 68 mph. The other 20 miles are city/rural with a few lights/stops and up to 50 mph. My first fillup was Friday night, and yielded 39.6 MPG. Very happy, considering the dealer probably didn't fill the tank as full as I did, and haven't yet checked the air pressure in the tires.
Twice per month, my job takes me on a 600 mile round trip from (far) Northern CA to Palo Alto. The route is mountainous highway for the first 125 miles, then fairly flat highway to the Golden Gate Bridge. The rest of the route is about 50-50, city-highway. I usually drive my Sport Auto as fast as practical (70-80 mph) and get 33 mpg. Last week I tried an experiment and drove at the speed limit. The result was 36.21 mpg, my best to date (7900 miles).
I'm not sure about the RPM question but I was wondering how many miles are on your car? I've seen improvements with my AT at 11,000 miles. I also added a K&N filter. The filter helped me reach 30.5 mpg city/highway.
I know (my Accord gets well over that on highway, and it is a 2.4L). That post was just to demonstrate the large margin of error with using small amounts of fuel before filling up.
First tank I measured was 25.45 mpg across half a tank. Not very good. I drive 12 miles to work, 9 of those at 65 mph or 55 mph. I use cruise control and AC. Then, I drive around town for about 50 percent. I keep wondering whether there is a break-in period. My Toyota Corrola with 205K on it was getting better mileage.
Well, measuring after only using 5 gallons or so makes for LOT of room for error. You should be using more of your tank to get more accurate mileage, just to be sure.
I've been carefully tracking my mpg for the last 10K and on the rare occasion get 36mpg, but 30-33mpg is the average, with and w/out AC. Previously, it was 26-30mpg, but I found out staying at or below 60mph or below makes a noticeable difference.
This is based on 80% highway, 20% city driving.
Been trying some hypermiling tricks, too, which helps, too.
Like Bobst I also get 40-50 miles when the needle reaches "full". Usually 200 at half tank, get about 350-360 miles per tank. I drive in tucson city streets, mostly at rush hour. The Fit can get excellent gas mileage if you know use a certain driving style. You've got to coast like crazy, keep the rpm below 3500, raise tire pressure, and minimize braking.
On pure highway trips I'll go 370 miles and get over 200 miles at the half way point, but normal driving I'll go about 330-350 on a tank. In general it works out to about 38mpg on the highway and 34 mixed highway/subarb.
awesome. Its funny because on my rabbit, i experience much the same; about 40-50 miles before i drop down from FULL and then anywhere from 190-220 miles at the halfway point.
The highest i've ever gotten from her was about 365, with about 85%highway driving. Normally i mangage about 325 miles; so its good to know that the fit at least does slightly better. I'm between a civic and fit right now; like the power, size and mileage of the civic (i would probably get over 400 miles to a tank with my commute), but i'll miss having a hatch, and the versatility that the fit offers.
with regards to gas tanks, mind everyone, i cant fill up with 9 gallons and accomplish my figures like you guys can. It takes my bunny 13 gallons to do it! I just wanted a to know what everyone was getting, so that way it at least didn't 'feel' like i was getting the same mileage, at least from a fuel gauge point of view. But i can see the fit does slightly better to begin with with regards to how far you can go.
Am i right in saying it only takes about 8 or 9 gallons to fill up?
My tank will never take more than just over 9 gallons. Of course I don't "top it off", but just set the pump handle to turn off automatically when it's full. I usually drive about 15 miles after the gas light comes on, but the owner's manual says we have about 30-35 miles at that point. I don't want to push it.
I actually put in 10.2 gallons once when I filled up. The gas light came on between 325 and 335 miles, and I went a total of 388.1 miles on that tank. All of the miles after the light came on were on the expressway at about 65 mph. Now that I know how far it can go after the light comes on, I don't worry quite so much about finding the first possible gas station. I was surprised it kept going as long as it did.
I've had my Black Fit Sport Auto for about a week now and have just completed my first full tank (not the dealer supplied "full" tank which was not quite full).
I've slowed down my fill rate when I know I am nearing full and then run it for two clicks and then round up to the dollar if I can or $.50.
My fuel light came on at 314 miles and I went another 21 miles before filling up. It took 9.5 gallons for 35 mpg.
That was about 70% hgwy (40% stop and go on route 3) and 30% suburban driving.
I am happy very happy with this after my 20mpg 8 cyclinder vehicle. :shades:
Ya, I know...sounds ridiculous but you can get 11-12 gals. of gas into the tank if you let it settle some each time down the super-long neck that extends to the gas tank up front....did nearly 500 miles one time going from ft. lauderdale to the keys and back and cruising a lot there at 45-55 mph [speed limit and lots of cops].....410-420 miles cruising at 65 mph is typical otherwise for a straight hiway cruise on interstate. 1. my commute is 25 miles mostly hiway with 55 mph speed limit most of the way and some lights and city riving at each end. 2 I usually time the lights pretty well or coast to a stop consistent with traffic 3. I set speed at 57-58 mph and use AC only as needed but occasionally go faster up to 65 mph...usually stay with flow of traffic or just a little slower..not too much...decided to do it this way when gas got up to about $3 recently 4. Acceleration at about 2K rpm gets you decent flow with traffic and steady movement up to speed...hard to do sometimes as the car easily wants to jump to 2500-3000rpm or above when accelerating if you don't watch out 5.Just an example but not offered as fitting all traffic situations...so no sermons please 6.car is easy to get less mpg's if you run it hard all the time instead of concentrating on a steady cruise..tires are set at35-38 pounds...40 or above seems too harsh and with less control 7. overall interior quality is fragile with stains all over beige seats even with scotchguard tx....seats not the best....other small aggravations like a rattle in dash dealer can't [won't try] or too low headlights [had to do myself] seems like should not be in a car pricey at subcompact end of things..overall my '03 civic was nicer and bigger and MUCH more stable on straight line cruise....if I had it to do over again would have kept it or spent a little more for a '07 LX...honda dealer are awful across board at service hours, attitude, and cost....my $0.02
Just had my first oil change this weekend at about 8800 miles. So I figured this would be a good time to do a mileage update on my Auto Sport.
In the past month I've had both my highest mpg and my lowest. They were under very different circumstances.... The low point was 27.5 mpg. This was during the week I took off work to do some work on my house. It was 90% city driving, with mostly short trips (less than 5 miles), and hauling lots of stuff back fromt he home improvement store. Most times I drive until the gas light comes on, but every once in a while I fill up when I still have a little less than 1/4 tank left, and I only fill the tank until the gas pump clicks off.
The high point was 37.8 mpg. That was about 90% expressway driving at 70-75 mph, approx. 40 miles per trip. I have used the A/C some, but not constantly. I don't drive the car nearly as gently as I did in the beginning - I've just been accelerating and driving to keep up with traffic, letting the car shift when it wants, to see what the car does under normal driving conditions.
My average is still holding steady at 34 mpg, which I'm happy with.
It is a bad idea to "force" extra gas into the filler neck. There is an emissions system/vapor collector built into the top of the gas tank neck in most Hondas (I think Fit as well). Filling it to this level fills the emissions system in the tank with fuel, messing it up.
I'm not trying to sound like a smart aleck when I say it, but do yourself a favor and stop after the first click or two. It'll reduce what, 30 miles from your tank (not affecting your MPG of course).
Comments
I don't know if it's me and my slow starts and low speeds (it's rare I hit 75 mph on the highway, but with a limit of 65, I do around 70 usually), or just that it's a GREAT LITTLE CAR, but I could not be happier!
(Oh, the car has a bit less than 2000 miles on it - I bought it new on March 12 - and it's a manual transmission)
You sure about that? If you look at this graph from "Temple of Vtec" site it appears that the vtec contribution becomes noticeable at around 3400 rpm (though the increase could be due to something else). The author felt he could hear it switch at 3500 rpm.
Good luck
I think what is happening is that the wheel momentarily reduced contact and resistance with road surface which the ABS sensor detects as wheel lockup (like braking on ice) and the system kicks it into high gear and starts modulating (turning on and off) the brake on that particular wheel.
No, I don't think it will cause any harm, but having ABS activated will mean that it takes longer to slow the car down or stop completely. So, in an emergency situation, it could be dangerous.
It doesn't seem to happen on heavier cars/trucks...
Your explaination sounds much like my own thoughts on the issue. I noticed it mainly going on different road surfaces.
A heavier truck has greater friction with the road and can stop more quickly than a smaller car.
ABS helps you steer during a stop. I have had occasion to hit the brakes hard but I am not sure if the ABS kicked in because I hit the brakes hard twice. (Old habits die hard with the double braking and stereo was up too loud to tell if ABS was pumping.)
The car seemed to stop quickly enough, and it kept a straight line.
Maybe they are expensive for that particular car?
I just did 1200 miles over the weekend with my Fit Sport Auto driving in OH on I-70 and in Penn on the Penn Turnpike about 90% of the time, and about the other 10% driving in suburbs. I kept the speed at 70mph in the 65mph zones and about 60-65mph in the 55mph construction zones. I had the AC running just about the entire time. On my fillups I had 37.8 & 37.9 & 36.9 mpg and I won’t have to fillup again until the end of the week, so I don’t have my mpg for the last 200 miles of the trip, but it’s probably about the same, so about 37.5mpg. The car was loaded with 2 adults & one toddler and a lot of stuff packed inside. I used the cruise control nearly all the time on the highway. It did seem to cause the transmission to downshift to 4th quicker on the big hills (mountains) in Penn, but I wasn’t driving for max mpg, so for my driving style I’m pretty happy with the mpg.
I have a little over 10,000 miles on my Fit. The mpg seems better now than in the beginning, but it never was below 30mpg. I think the warmer weather is helping most.
Use more of the tank next time, lizardking, you'll get more accurate results.
I'm guessing that you fill up early fairly often? If so, perhaps on the last fill up you may have filled to a lesser extent than you did this time, perhaps. A difference in .6 gallons makes a HUGE difference in mileage.
If people are getting extremely low mileage with their FITS, how fast are they driving? I suspect much faster than 65 mph.
And, what about winding up the rpms? Isn't it better to keep those below a certain amount? Maybe decreasing their accelerations a bit would help. If people really want to conserve energy and resources, driving a bit slower will help . But y'know, I still have no complaints with my car. Just a big smile when I see those big SUVs looking over my car with curious eyes!
This is a 07 Fit Sport Manual and I try to keep rpms under 3500 by shifting up quickly when I'm not pressed to go any faster. Recently I've been revving it up to 6500 RPM on a regular basis just to have some fun so we'll see what impact that has on things.. Haven't used the AC much either.
Hope this helps some others..
If your Fit AT is up-shifting at 3400 RPM, that to me is not babying it. Mine shifts at no higher than 2500 RPM in my normal driving. I wonder whether the computer setting is off on your car (or maybe you are stepping on it more than you think).
With my normal daily city commute, I am CONSISTENTLY getting 25mpg (within a small variation). I have tracked every fillup and it's accurate to just a few tenth of a mile (sometimes I drove off before resetting the trip). I will post an updated mileage log shortly.
This is based on 80% highway, 20% city driving.
Been trying some hypermiling tricks, too, which helps, too.
You people driving at 6000rpm are nuts.
how far can you go in normal day to day driving in one tank?
much appreciated!
The highest i've ever gotten from her was about 365, with about 85%highway driving. Normally i mangage about 325 miles; so its good to know that the fit at least does slightly better. I'm between a civic and fit right now; like the power, size and mileage of the civic (i would probably get over 400 miles to a tank with my commute), but i'll miss having a hatch, and the versatility that the fit offers.
with regards to gas tanks, mind everyone, i cant fill up with 9 gallons and accomplish my figures like you guys can. It takes my bunny 13 gallons to do it! I just wanted a to know what everyone was getting, so that way it at least didn't 'feel' like i was getting the same mileage, at least from a fuel gauge point of view. But i can see the fit does slightly better to begin with with regards to how far you can go.
Am i right in saying it only takes about 8 or 9 gallons to fill up?
Can I wait until my first oil change, or should I do it right away?
I've slowed down my fill rate when I know I am nearing full and then run it for two clicks and then round up to the dollar if I can or $.50.
My fuel light came on at 314 miles and I went another 21 miles before filling up. It took 9.5 gallons for 35 mpg.
That was about 70% hgwy (40% stop and go on route 3) and 30% suburban driving.
I am happy very happy with this after my 20mpg 8 cyclinder vehicle. :shades:
1. my commute is 25 miles mostly hiway with 55 mph speed limit most of the way and some lights and city riving at each end.
2 I usually time the lights pretty well or coast to a stop consistent with traffic
3. I set speed at 57-58 mph and use AC only as needed but occasionally go faster up to 65 mph...usually stay with flow of traffic or just a little slower..not too much...decided to do it this way when gas got up to about $3 recently
4. Acceleration at about 2K rpm gets you decent flow with traffic and steady movement up to speed...hard to do sometimes as the car easily wants to jump to 2500-3000rpm or above when accelerating if you don't watch out
5.Just an example but not offered as fitting all traffic situations...so no sermons please
6.car is easy to get less mpg's if you run it hard all the time instead of concentrating on a steady cruise..tires are set at35-38 pounds...40 or above seems too harsh and with less control
7. overall interior quality is fragile with stains all over beige seats even with scotchguard tx....seats not the best....other small aggravations like a rattle in dash dealer can't [won't try] or too low headlights [had to do myself] seems like should not be in a car pricey at subcompact end of things..overall my '03 civic was nicer and bigger and MUCH more stable on straight line cruise....if I had it to do over again would have kept it or spent a little more for a '07 LX...honda dealer are awful across board at service hours, attitude, and cost....my $0.02
In the past month I've had both my highest mpg and my lowest. They were under very different circumstances.... The low point was 27.5 mpg. This was during the week I took off work to do some work on my house. It was 90% city driving, with mostly short trips (less than 5 miles), and hauling lots of stuff back fromt he home improvement store. Most times I drive until the gas light comes on, but every once in a while I fill up when I still have a little less than 1/4 tank left, and I only fill the tank until the gas pump clicks off.
The high point was 37.8 mpg. That was about 90% expressway driving at 70-75 mph, approx. 40 miles per trip. I have used the A/C some, but not constantly. I don't drive the car nearly as gently as I did in the beginning - I've just been accelerating and driving to keep up with traffic, letting the car shift when it wants, to see what the car does under normal driving conditions.
My average is still holding steady at 34 mpg, which I'm happy with.
I'm not trying to sound like a smart aleck when I say it, but do yourself a favor and stop after the first click or two. It'll reduce what, 30 miles from your tank (not affecting your MPG of course).