I agree... The whole idea behind me looking into the scan gauge is so that with the instant data, I will be able to modify my driving habit to one that is the most fuel efficient... and that is pretty useful. Plus, I think the scan gauge also give you diagnosis when something is wrong with the car...?
Does the car get better mileage (instant) on a particular type of hill or terrain if I force it to stay in 5th gear, or would a downshift serve me better
So if you're going uphill in 5th and it shows 23.4mpg (for example) and then you shift to 4th and it shows 22.3mpg, so now you know it's better in 5th so you go back to 5th? Is that the idea? And then going up the same hill you lose a little momentum, so now the Scan Gage shows only 22.9mpg in 5th, and so you go back to 4th to see if you could get better mpg, and on and on. I'm not sure how shifting between gears while going uphill is going to save you any gas, since all of that up and downshifting is wasting a lot of gas just to see which get could get you the best mpg for that moment in time.
Plus how do you use Scan Gage around town with traffic, lights, etc? On the highways is pretty simple just to leave the car in the highest gear all the time and simply drop in down a gear if it isn't able to maintain the speed up a hill. And use the cruise control as much as possible and keep the speed at the speed limit.
Warning: The Scan Gauge might overwhelm some people and they should not use one. :sick:
For me personally, it would be helpful.
While on that hill I would keep an eye on the Gauge. It will be registering a MPG figure. If/when it downshifts, it will still be registering a figure, which may be better or worse. If it is better or the same, I would know to let the tranny do the thinking. If the mileage dropped along with the shift I would know that on that type of hill , it would be better to use the paddles and remain in 5th.
With a MT and it is one of those long gentle hills and it is taking a lot of throttle to maintain speed in 5th, I would try shifting to 4th and see is that made any difference. I would know instantly, thanks to the gauge.
What is the "Real world" mileage difference between 55,65,70, and so on.
Some believe staying in the highest gear possible is the way to go. For instance, remaining in 5th going up a long hill even though it might require full throttle, as long as the intended speed is maintained.
I don't believe that. I believe that when 3/4 or so throttle is needed to maintain a given speed, a down shift and less throttle will be better. The Gauge would say instantly which is better.
In local driving, some believe more throttle to get to speed quicker is better, as it allows for quicker top gear access. Others believe Extremely light throttle is the way to go while building speed. The gauge will show which is better.!
I don't pretend to know all the answers, and the Scan Gauge would be very beneficial for me. I generally get better than the EPA numbers. But if a device will help to get even better, I'm for it.
I guess to me it sounds like a toy, but I'm sure they sell a lot of them with today's gas prices.
I guess I'm a little simpler. Driving 55mph is always better than driving 60, 70, 75 on the highway. Just drive your commute at 55 instead of 65 for a tank of gas, calculate your MPG manually and you'll see the MPG increase.
I don't believe that. I believe that when 3/4 or so throttle is needed to maintain a given speed, a down shift and less throttle will be better. The Gauge would say instantly which is better. How would the ScanGage say which is better. The only way you'd know is to shift back and forth when going up the hill, but I guess if you drive up a specific hill as part of your commute, then I guess you could use it for future reference, as long as the wind and weather conditions are the same.
In local driving, some believe more throttle to get to speed quicker is better, as it allows for quicker top gear access. Others believe Extremely light throttle is the way to go while building speed. The gauge will show which is better.! What would the ScanGage tell you? It would simply say when you're light on the throttle, of course you're getting better MPG for that instant as compared to being heaving on the throttle during that instant of time. Maybe I just don't get it.
I guess the only conditions where I can think of where it might help is in your long hill example when you're on the verge of shifting between 4th and 5th gear. You could use the ScanGage on that hill many times to see which gear is better and if you drove up that hill all the time maybe it would help, but even then it would depend on exactly when you shifted going up the hill because you lose some momentum (i.e. do you shift to 4th at the beginning of the hill, 1/2 way up, etc).
And then there's the question of how much difference it would make. If that hill is one mile long, and your MPG is 35 versus 30 for that one mile stretch, how much difference does that make in a tank of gas. Say you drive 300 miles on the tank and for 0.33% of the time (1/300) you were at 35 vs 30mpg. For that tank of gas, that one mile stretch may have only made the difference from getting 32.45 versus 32.52 mpg. $27.73 for the 32.45 tank vs $27.68 to fill up the tank if you 32.52mpg, or about $0.05 difference, but then considering the error margin, there would be zero statistica difference.
Yes one could say that all of those little adjustments would help, but other than going up and down the same hill and using Scan Gage to help figure out what gear to use, I don't see where else it would help.
Maybe I'm just a little too skeptical on a Saturday morning, so just ignore my post and enjoy your Scan Gage
I have two Scan Gages 1 in my 05 CRV and 1 in my 07 Fit sport AT. They work great once you train them. What I like most is it will tell you how match gas and how many miles you have to go on the current tank. It is usually accurate to within 2 tenths on the fit and 1 tenth of gallon on the CRV. On the fit I told it I have a 10 gallon tank which gives me a small reserve after the Scan Gage says 0 gallons in the tank. I usually put it in average MPG for the current trip mode. If you drive to the same place (work) often you can see how many miles, galleons, time, average speed, max speed, and max rpm for the trip. That way you can try other driving routes or times of day to fin the best. It will show all the same stats for the previous day and tank also. I will show all the current conditions the car computer is putting out too. Such as timing advance, rpm, inlet air temp, GP Hour, MPH, water temp, alternator ovulate and so on. My wife loves them for the peace of mind of knowing how much fuel she has. I find I usually run the tank down until I can put in about 10 gallons with 1 top off after first cut off. The when the Scan Gage says I have averaged 32.5 for the tank it is usually correct within a tenth or so.
Pickup up my Fit on Jan 8. Used the dealer's free (sic) tank of gas in about 6 days. Very little freeway driving, but also very little time waiting for lights or slow traffic. MPG was 33.75. I stopped pump at first click, 9.001 gals. No telling how much gas was in it when I got it, but it's safe to assume that the dealer didn't fill it to overflow.
"And how long would it take to make back the $160.00 price of a Scangauge? Or how many miles? Len "
Don't know Len. Someone getting 15mpg average that could increase to 16 mpg and is driving 12K a year, @ $3 a gallon, would pay for the Gauge in about 13 months. A person already getting 30 mpg and increasing to 31 would take 49 months. A person getting 27 that increases to 31 will pay for it in less than a year.
While we are at it, how long would it take to make back the $2K+/- that a Fit cost over another brand that gets 2-3 miles less per gallon. Or even the price of a Sport Fit over a base model, because we "Think" we know more than the computer and the Paddles will save gas?
How long to pay back the price of "Any" boat with the fish we bring home. How long to pay for that camper with savings by not staying in Hotels?
Some things we do just for enjoyment or educational purposes.
Scangauge may or may not help. Won't know until I try it. I look at it as an educational tool that just may actually pay for itself. Unlike most of the others. Also a neat toy that I don't have yet!
BTW about half my local driving involves fairly flat roads with a 35-45 mpg speed limit. Sheriff deputes are not a problem as they think the speed limit should be faster also. So, Mileage wise, Am I better to drive at the posted speed limit with the tranny staying in 4th gear, or speed up to 50 , allowing the tranny to shift to 5th and running on the ragged edge of it sometimes shifting up and down. I need an absolute answer for my car. Not a "swag" guess !
BTW about half my local driving involves fairly flat roads with a 35-45 mpg speed limit. Sheriff deputes are not a problem as they think the speed limit should be faster also. So, Mileage wise, Am I better to drive at the posted speed limit with the tranny staying in 4th gear, or speed up to 50 , allowing the tranny to shift to 5th and running on the ragged edge of it sometimes shifting up and down.
I don't know if Scan Gage will help you, but if you really want to know the answer to this question, simply drive your commute one tank in 4th gear and the next tank in 5th gear and see which tank gives you the better MPG. This way is more accurate because it's giving your the MPG over the entire tank, rather than from from a few miles of driving.
My commute is 75% highway and 25% non-highway. Some tanks I drive 70mph on the highway and some tanks 65mph and the result is that driving 70mph gives ma an average of about 33mpg and 35mpg if I keep the highway speed at 65mph.
My previous car had a trip computer while my two current cars do not and I have to admit that it was fun to play with the instant MPG and miles to empty feature, and if I had Scan Gage or trip computers on my current cars I'd probably do the same, so enjoy them!
"simply drive your commute one tank in 4th gear and the next tank in 5th gear and see which tank gives you the better MPG."
That would work to some degree. Problem is with different temperatures humidities and having to hold the rest of the trip including traffic to some type of standard, for an entire tank. Plus any side trips would have an effect.
With the instant reading, I can drive 45 and get a real time reading, then increase to 50 and get a real time reading to answer questions about any particular part of the trip with instant gratification. Next day drive 50 then 45 over the same course and see how they do or don't match.
Hot dang ! This could be fun! And the beauty of it is that it can be moved from car to car.
I'm about to buy a new manual FIT Sport and read many pages here on the MPG of them. I drive a 5.7 3/4 Suburban now and can't wait to see the expected savings.
One thing many of you may not be aware of or have any good way to measure is the accuracy of the gal's delivered meter on the gas pump you use. You would flip if you know how much they can vary.
If you want a accurate MPG readings, you need to pick a pump and check it with a 1 gal container. Than use the same one over and over when collecting results and making changes to your driving style. Anything else is not reliable.
To give you a feel for how much this can vary after looking pretty hard I found a pump mid Nov that supplies about 40% more fuel than indicated. Of course I use it often and of course it's an extreme example, but prior to that I measured +/- 10% at many different pumps and stations with my 1 gal container.
I agree about the variations of pump delivery. I unintentionally let my Pilot get way too low on gas. The light came on about 3 miles from the station. The pump I used was not the one I normally use. The tank capacity is 19.3 and the pump indicated that the tank took 18.5 gallons. The other few times the light has come on, the tank only took about 16.5 gallons, leaving about 3 gallons reserve. I believe that particular pump indicated I had received 2 more gallons than was actually delivered.
Normally tank to tank fillings deliver about 18.5 MPG on the average. This one resulted in 15.9 MPG. Had it taken the expected 16.5 gallons, the mileage would have been more in line. Should have gone back with a gallon can and measured it.
Although the only satisfaction would have been the attendant saying they would tell the owner. Then he would have said, "Well they check it ever so often. :sick: "
While it may be true that some pumps in some places vary somewhat, I don't think that explains the wide range of MPG seen by Fit owners. After 6 months, my best guess is that the Fit's auto trans and engine try to get the engine warm as quickly as possible on start up to minimize emissions, keeping engine speed higher than it should be for best MPG. If you drive short distances, in stop and go traffic, mileage will not be great. (last tank of my 05 Ford Expedition some hwy some city was 15 mpg- last Fit fill-up no hwy, all short city trips 17 mpg). I drove my brother's Smart yesterday (about 2 feet shorter than the Fit, but more room for 2) and noticed how aggressively the auto manual gearbox upshifts-on medium to light throttle, the RPMs are never over 2500 or so. Based on my experience, I'd go with a manual Fit if you want better MPG.
"If you want a accurate MPG readings, you need to pick a pump and check it with a 1 gal container. Than use the same one over and over when collecting results and making changes to your driving style. Anything else is not reliable."
No offense, but if you're going to go to that much trouble, you might as well buy a Scangauge. Also, different ambient temperatures affect the same pump, even with your method. You can achieve the same accuracy a lot easier by pumping slowly and averaging over the last five fill ups (total miles/total gallons)--any slight differences will even out.
I concentrate more on driving style. I get 37mpg in urban driving by following the driving style described at Citympg.
Based on my experience, I'd go with a manual Fit if you want better MPG.
I'd second this recommendation if you care more about mpg than convenience. The Fit is particularly sensitive to driving style, and you can't control it much with the AT. On the other hand, if most of your driving is highway you will get almost as good if not better mpg with the AT. But for city driving the MT makes a big difference since you are in "total" control. There is just no way I could get my 36% above EPA with an AT.
No offense taken. A scan tool will never tell you if your getting more or less at any pump. That was a big part of the message I tried to share. 1000's of comments on here about the FIT mpg and I think it's odd most if not all trust these gas pumps. :surprise:
Guess it's just one of those lessons you'll never have a clue about even with advice till you take a good look and see what I mentioned.
The other few times the light has come on, the tank only took about 16.5 gallons, leaving about 3 gallons reserve. I believe that particular pump indicated I had received 2 more gallons than was actually delivered.
I think that has more to do with when the low fuel light comes than the accuracy of the pump. The sensor for the low fuel indicator light can be triggered by bumps in the road, hills, declines, sudden stops, etc all of which can cause the fuel move and the sensor to get triggered.
gas pump conspiracy theories? Are there really folks that believe this? There may be variances in pump pressure that will cause them to auto shut off quicker than other pumps, but these pumps are highly regulated. It's sort of like people worrying about Vegas casinos cheating them....like the gas pumps, they make millions of dollars being perfectly honest so there's no reason to cheat.
Was reading a few notes that said the MPG falls off fast when you get into VTEC mode. At lease that's what it looked like the comment was.
On a stock FIT Sport with Manual tranny, does anyone know at what rpm or speed in 5th it will be turning on? Or can you hear it?
Just in case this comes up again, at least for me, I have no plan to buy a scan tool, just trying to sort out some comments made and maybe flush out some facts.
"I think that has more to do with when the low fuel light comes than the accuracy of the pump".
bobw3 You offer some reasonable points! And I tend to agree with them. However, the events still seem a bit suspect. Here is why:
I've been accused more than once of being overly conservative concerning how much fuel I keep in the tank. I have "preached" the dangers of letting the fuel run down enough to trigger the light because of an unexpected emergency trip that may present itself when fuel may not be available for whatever reason. OR the light may fail for some reason.
A couple of days before this event, I had intended to fuel up because the tank was nearing 1/4 and intended to do it the next time out. Before doing it, something came up that required a quick but fairly short "road" trip. We got back late and I knew the needle was getting close to empty. I had a doctors appointment the next morning and decided to get gas then.
Drove the 4 miles to the doctor which involved a cold start, 1 stop sign, 2 traffic lights, 5 turns onto different streets, and some rolling terrain. Gas in tank had plenty of opportunity to slosh around. My paranoia about running out of fuel force me to keep a close eye on the fuel gauge. Light never came on.
When I left the doctor, the light came on when the car started. Headed back home and about half way (2+/-) miles I got gas. My above post explains the consequences of that fill up.
As I see it there are just a few possible explanations. 1.The pump fuel delivery was wrong, which would also explain the 2+/- less than normal mpg for the tank. 2. The fuel light failed to come on when it should have. 3. A combination of 1 & 2.
Here is the scary part for me. If the pump was accurate, the light was not. I only had 8/10th of a gallon of fuel left. For my "normal" driving the tank only retained enough fuel for 14.4 miles of driving before the car quit!
As I said in above post, the few times the light has come on before, there was still a 2-3 gallons remaining in the tank. This time 8/10th, if the pump was accurate.
Therefore you guys that like to push the limit and drive after the light comes on, beware !
If the car should quit in daylight and the side of the road is available, it would be a hassle. However, on a fast moving freeway and in anything other than the far right lane, OR attempting to "SCOOT" across several lanes of traffic, OR attempting to "Make" that traffic light, the consequences could be catastrophic!
2 questions. 1. Was the pump running really slow when filling up to the 18.5 point (may have indicated that you were filling up a lot of your line that runs from the filler cap to the tank. 2. And was your MPG on the tank that you filled up with 18.5 gal seem higher than normal, which also supports that you may have put a lot of extra gas into the filler pipe.
When I left the doctor, the light came on when the car started. Has your low fuel light since this event been back to "normal" where you fill up with 2-3 gallons? If not, maybe it is your low-fuel light.
Was the gas guage in the "normal" spot when your low-fuel light comes on, or much lower than normal?
If you do think it's the pump, then go back and try again and if you get the same results then report gas station to the BBB or who ever you'd call.
There is a chart at Templeofvtec that clearly shows when the vtec kicks in--look for the article on the vtec engine or search the archives here. Eyeballing, it looks to be about 3400 rpm (which is about where Honda recommends you to shift). However, I've found that if you're already moving steadily and don't need to accelerate you can easily shift at 3000 rpm, which produces excellent mpg.
... please verify that the MT Fit does not use gasoline when "engine braking"--that is, as long as your foot is off the gas pedal, though the rpm's may be spinning you are not burning gasoline. Does this occur as soon as your foot comes off the throttle, or is there a certain number of seconds delay? thanks!
I filled as always. Let it run fast until it clicks off. Wait about 10 seconds to give the bubbles time to settle and gently fill until it clicks off again, one time, which is just a couple of seconds. Didn't force feed it.
The next tank, I refueled at 1/4 ( left in tank) and the mileage was about 1 mpg higher than "NORMAL" which could indicate some extra fuel was stuffed in on the 18.5 gallon fill. Except for the fact that tank had a 60+/- mile road trip which normally doesn't occur and could have raised the mileage by one.
I don't really recall just how low the needle was before the light came on. Pretty sure it was not touching the "Empty" peg or I would have stopped for fuel before seeing the doctor.
Haven't let it run down to the "light" again. I've thought about doing it, maybe on a back road, with an "Exact" amount of fuel in a can, in case I don't make it back to my station. Problem is that my station and my pump are in an area that could put us in harms way if the car dies.
I'm just going to continue trying to keep the tank above the 1/4 mark and hope the needle is accurate ? I personally feel safer that way.
Was wonder if anyone has read the MPG at various highway speeds under steady conditions? Like at 55, 60, 65, 70 and 75mph. It would be interesting to know that and plot the curve.
I've taken enough long road trips in several cars to know that for a given set of conditions, 55mph will always give you better than 60, which will give you better than 75, etc.
That's why the national speed limit was 55mpg...for better MPG. Now in some cases with hilly roads going faster can give you better MPG because you're able to keep the car in 5th rather than 4th gear.
This is pretty easy to test if you have a commuter car that pretty much drives the same route every day. Just try a tank of gas doing nothing but 55mph on the highway, then 60, 65, etc and see how that affects your MPG over a tank. Yes, you can use a trip computer or Scan Gage just for the highway portion, but you'll still need to compare at least a few days at each speed to get a good average. Plus if you just do it for an entire tank, you'll see the real-world difference in your MPG over the tank.
For me in my Fit Sport Auto, if I keep my highway speed at 65 vs 70mph on my commute (55-60mph is dangerously slow in 65mph zones, and a constant 75mph to dangerous because of cops), then mpg is about 35 vs 33 for my 75% highway/25% suburb commute, or $25.71 per 300 miles at $3/gal for driving at 65mph vs $27.27 for driving at 70mph, or about $1.56 savings. My weekly commute is about 150 miles, so by keeping the speed at 65 vs 70mph I'll save about $0.75/week.
But then driving right at 65mph is more relaxing generally, since I'm not have to pass too often, plus that extra MPG allows me to go 2 full weeks on a tank of gas more comfortably.
The latest CR magazine lists their 12 most fuel efficient vehicles in their tests. 1 Prius 2 Civic Hybrid 3 Camry Hybrid 4 Yaris 34mpg avg 5 Fit 34mpg avg
I read the magazine at the bookstore, so that's all the detail I remember. These were all manual transmissions, except for the first 3 which were CVTs. I've seen other long term reviews of the Fit also getting excellent overall MPG. The Fit even beat out the Corolla and non-hybrid Civic.
I average 27.5 mpg in my Automatic Sport. That said, 90% of my driving is city, lots of stop and go. On road trips, I usually get 33mpg, once getting 39.2 mpg.
Was wondering if a few owners could help me out. Please I would like to know the tachometer RPM at 65, 70 and 75 for a FIT Sport Automatic and manual tranny?
Here's a question For FIT highway driving only, the stick has better mpg than an automatic, right
My first fill up was 31 MPG city and I was a little more hopeful but happy.
I filled up today for the second time all city driving and I am now getting 36.6 MPG
Go fit go :shades:
I have noticed the gas tank is shaped like a martini glass, the first half I get 200 miles the second I get like 130 miles, what gives? That also leads me not to reply on the miles reported by people judging there mileage by the half way point.
Now thats not 50MPG like the prius but its also $10,000 cheaper.
Yep, I've had my Fit for almost a year and it's always the same, 200 miles for the first half of the tank, and about 130 to 145 for the second half. I wanted a Prius, but there's no way I could afford one. The Fit is affordable, a low emission vehicle, and gets great mileage. I'm happy with my choice.
At 80 MPH with my sport Automatic, I'm right at 3000 rpm. Maybe 2950. I think the stick has shorter gears, and on the highway you'd be at higher rpm's.
I'm having some major believability issues with this. If I'm reading it right the stick is 1000 RPM's higher than the AUTO at 70 2500 rpm in the AUTO and 3500rpm in the stick
That's huge and if true would have a huge effect on MPG and noise.
Shite! Just drove my new '08 off the lot and directly onto the highway for about 400 miles to get it home. Didn't do over 60 but used cruise at that speed and now that I've read that I've done everything I shouldn't have what do I do? No one at the dealership said anything about a 600 mile break in or not to use cruise or nothin'-"there isn't a break in period" was what I got! Thoughts please anyone?!
I did the same thing, I bought my car in Topeka, KS and immediately drove 312 miles to St. Louis at an even 70mph. Car has been running fine and getting the same miles per gallon as everyone else. I followed the manual, no hard starts or stops for the first however many miles. Changed the oil the first time in accordance with the owners manual and have 8,200 miles on the car in 2 1/2 months. My wife is working in Topeka and I am drive back and forth twice a month. Car has ran the same since the first day. Don't stress, it is a Honda! :shades:
I think you're fine. The only "break in" things are to avoid hard braking for the first xxx miles and not to really rev the engine for the first xxx miles (look under "break in" in the manual, it gives the mileage figures). I tried not to rev mine past 4000 on the tach for those first miles. Steady highway miles at 60 wouldn't violate the recommended break in treatment.
Before I bought my Fit Auto I test drove a manual and it was a lot noiser on the highway, which is one of the reasons I went with the auto, plus the fact that for me the pedal position isn't comfortable for shifting, but the fact that the highway MPG for the auto is less than the manual leads me to believe that the normal slippage and energy loss in an automatic transmission reduces the MPG more than the lesser RPMs would increase it.
I bought my automatic base model 2008 Fit on December 18, 2007 and have been getting terrible gas mileage, worse than my 1992 Tercel which I has previously. I'm so unhappy I am considering selling it.
I've been getting only around 25 miles per gallon. This seems pathetic compared to what I'm seeing in this forum. It has been a lot of city driving but I'm driving it really easy and it seems to me a lot of you on here are driving in the city and still getting way better mileage than I am. The first few tanks I was using the defrost a lot, which someone told me actually uses the air conditioner so gas mileage would be worse due to that. Since then, I've been trying to not use it, and not even use the heat too much, but it hasn't helped. Plus this is not ideal considering I live somewhere I need the defrost!
There was an incident when I had just got it where I accelerated really fast to get out into a lane of traffic, and I felt like maybe I had done something to it. Is this possible? Is there something else that could be going on?
If you're getting 25mpg in mostly city driving than that's pretty good. I get in the low 30s, but that's 1/2 highway and 1/2 suburb and no "real" city driving. And I wouldn't be surpised that a '92 Tercel got better MPG.
Also, look in the Honda Fit Prices Paid Buying Experience forum and there are 2 people that just posted getting 20-22mpg in pure city NYC traffic, and that's what they expected.
Test it out on a long highway drive and see what you get.
The 08 fit has an 10.8 Gal or 41 Liter tank. Did they reduce the tank size on the 08?
Also I'm getting 36.6 city ( only driven on the freeway once for 5 miles) but I do have some city kind-of highway in there (long periods with little idle at the light).
Um sounds like the above may be letting the engine run for long periods in the driveway to defrost the windows. This gets you 0 miles per gallon for those periods and can effect the overall MPG.
The max pressure on the tire says 50psi but the door sticker says 34, I'm considering raising the PSI to 40. Anyone else had good VS bad with this? Seems it would wear the tire faster but better MPG. Trade off? Input?
"I've been getting only around 25 miles per gallon. This seems pathetic compared to what I'm seeing in this forum. It has been a lot of city driving but I'm driving it really easy and it seems to me a lot of you on here are driving in the city and still getting way better mileage than I am."
You're actually getting average city gas mileage for an AT Fit, and, believe it or not, it's among the highest out there. In the last CR, the city averages for the top automatics were Fit (22mpg), Yaris (23mpg). All the others in the top ten were hybrids (e.g. Prius, 35mpg) or manuals (e.g. Fit MT 26mpg).
I agree this is "pathetic". But don't blame the Fit. Put pressure on politicians to raise the minimum requirements on automobiles! The industry has gotten away with murder.
Having said that, I will say that over a year I've averaged 37mpg in almost 100% city driving in my MT Fit using a lot of coasting and other methods I outlined in Citympg. I don't think I could do this in an AT, frankly.
Comments
So if you're going uphill in 5th and it shows 23.4mpg (for example) and then you shift to 4th and it shows 22.3mpg, so now you know it's better in 5th so you go back to 5th? Is that the idea? And then going up the same hill you lose a little momentum, so now the Scan Gage shows only 22.9mpg in 5th, and so you go back to 4th to see if you could get better mpg, and on and on. I'm not sure how shifting between gears while going uphill is going to save you any gas, since all of that up and downshifting is wasting a lot of gas just to see which get could get you the best mpg for that moment in time.
Plus how do you use Scan Gage around town with traffic, lights, etc? On the highways is pretty simple just to leave the car in the highest gear all the time and simply drop in down a gear if it isn't able to maintain the speed up a hill. And use the cruise control as much as possible and keep the speed at the speed limit.
For me personally, it would be helpful.
While on that hill I would keep an eye on the Gauge. It will be registering a MPG figure. If/when it downshifts, it will still be registering a figure, which may be better or worse. If it is better or the same, I would know to let the tranny do the thinking.
If the mileage dropped along with the shift I would know that on that type of hill , it would be better to use the paddles and remain in 5th.
With a MT and it is one of those long gentle hills and it is taking a lot of throttle to maintain speed in 5th, I would try shifting to 4th and see is that made any difference. I would know instantly, thanks to the gauge.
What is the "Real world" mileage difference between 55,65,70, and so on.
Some believe staying in the highest gear possible is the way to go. For instance, remaining in 5th going up a long hill even though it might require full throttle, as long as the intended speed is maintained.
I don't believe that. I believe that when 3/4 or so throttle is needed to maintain a given speed, a down shift and less throttle will be better. The Gauge would say instantly which is better.
In local driving, some believe more throttle to get to speed quicker is better, as it allows for quicker top gear access. Others believe Extremely light throttle is the way to go while building speed. The gauge will show which is better.!
I don't pretend to know all the answers, and the Scan Gauge would be very beneficial for me. I generally get better than the EPA numbers. But if a device will help to get even better, I'm for it.
Kip
I guess I'm a little simpler. Driving 55mph is always better than driving 60, 70, 75 on the highway. Just drive your commute at 55 instead of 65 for a tank of gas, calculate your MPG manually and you'll see the MPG increase.
I don't believe that. I believe that when 3/4 or so throttle is needed to maintain a given speed, a down shift and less throttle will be better. The Gauge would say instantly which is better.
How would the ScanGage say which is better. The only way you'd know is to shift back and forth when going up the hill, but I guess if you drive up a specific hill as part of your commute, then I guess you could use it for future reference, as long as the wind and weather conditions are the same.
In local driving, some believe more throttle to get to speed quicker is better, as it allows for quicker top gear access. Others believe Extremely light throttle is the way to go while building speed. The gauge will show which is better.!
What would the ScanGage tell you? It would simply say when you're light on the throttle, of course you're getting better MPG for that instant as compared to being heaving on the throttle during that instant of time. Maybe I just don't get it.
I guess the only conditions where I can think of where it might help is in your long hill example when you're on the verge of shifting between 4th and 5th gear. You could use the ScanGage on that hill many times to see which gear is better and if you drove up that hill all the time maybe it would help, but even then it would depend on exactly when you shifted going up the hill because you lose some momentum (i.e. do you shift to 4th at the beginning of the hill, 1/2 way up, etc).
And then there's the question of how much difference it would make. If that hill is one mile long, and your MPG is 35 versus 30 for that one mile stretch, how much difference does that make in a tank of gas. Say you drive 300 miles on the tank and for 0.33% of the time (1/300) you were at 35 vs 30mpg. For that tank of gas, that one mile stretch may have only made the difference from getting 32.45 versus 32.52 mpg. $27.73 for the 32.45 tank vs $27.68 to fill up the tank if you 32.52mpg, or about $0.05 difference, but then considering the error margin, there would be zero statistica difference.
Yes one could say that all of those little adjustments would help, but other than going up and down the same hill and using Scan Gage to help figure out what gear to use, I don't see where else it would help.
Maybe I'm just a little too skeptical on a Saturday morning, so just ignore my post and enjoy your Scan Gage
Len
Len "
Don't know Len. Someone getting 15mpg average that could increase to 16 mpg and is driving 12K a year, @ $3 a gallon, would pay for the Gauge in about 13 months. A person already getting 30 mpg and increasing to 31 would take 49 months. A person getting 27 that increases to 31 will pay for it in less than a year.
While we are at it, how long would it take to make back the $2K+/- that a Fit cost over another brand that gets 2-3 miles less per gallon. Or even the price of a Sport Fit over a base model, because we "Think" we know more than the computer and the Paddles will save gas?
How long to pay back the price of "Any" boat with the fish we bring home. How long to pay for that camper with savings by not staying in Hotels?
Some things we do just for enjoyment or educational purposes.
Scangauge may or may not help. Won't know until I try it. I look at it as an educational tool that just may actually pay for itself. Unlike most of the others. Also a neat toy that I don't have yet!
BTW about half my local driving involves fairly flat roads with a 35-45 mpg speed limit. Sheriff deputes are not a problem as they think the speed limit should be faster also. So, Mileage wise, Am I better to drive at the posted speed limit with the tranny staying in 4th gear, or speed up to 50 , allowing the tranny to shift to 5th and running on the ragged edge of it sometimes shifting up and down.
I need an absolute answer for my car. Not a "swag" guess !
Thanks,
Kip
I don't know if Scan Gage will help you, but if you really want to know the answer to this question, simply drive your commute one tank in 4th gear and the next tank in 5th gear and see which tank gives you the better MPG. This way is more accurate because it's giving your the MPG over the entire tank, rather than from from a few miles of driving.
My commute is 75% highway and 25% non-highway. Some tanks I drive 70mph on the highway and some tanks 65mph and the result is that driving 70mph gives ma an average of about 33mpg and 35mpg if I keep the highway speed at 65mph.
My previous car had a trip computer while my two current cars do not and I have to admit that it was fun to play with the instant MPG and miles to empty feature, and if I had Scan Gage or trip computers on my current cars I'd probably do the same, so enjoy them!
That would work to some degree. Problem is with different temperatures humidities and having to hold the rest of the trip including traffic to some type of standard, for an entire tank. Plus any side trips would have an effect.
With the instant reading, I can drive 45 and get a real time reading, then increase to 50 and get a real time reading to answer questions about any particular part of the trip with instant gratification. Next day drive 50 then 45 over the same course and see how they do or don't match.
Hot dang ! This could be fun!
Kip
One thing many of you may not be aware of or have any good way to measure is the accuracy of the gal's delivered meter on the gas pump you use. You would flip if you know how much they can vary.
If you want a accurate MPG readings, you need to pick a pump and check it with a 1 gal container. Than use the same one over and over when collecting results and making changes to your driving style. Anything else is not reliable.
To give you a feel for how much this can vary after looking pretty hard I found a pump mid Nov that supplies about 40% more fuel than indicated. Of course I use it often and of course it's an extreme example, but prior to that I measured +/- 10% at many different pumps and stations with my 1 gal container.
Normally tank to tank fillings deliver about 18.5 MPG on the average. This one resulted in 15.9 MPG. Had it taken the expected 16.5 gallons, the mileage would have been more in line. Should have gone back with a gallon can and measured it.
Although the only satisfaction would have been the attendant saying they would tell the owner. Then he would have said, "Well they check it ever so often. :sick: "
Kip
I drove my brother's Smart yesterday (about 2 feet shorter than the Fit, but more room for 2) and noticed how aggressively the auto manual gearbox upshifts-on medium to light throttle, the RPMs are never over 2500 or so. Based on my experience, I'd go with a manual Fit if you want better MPG.
No offense, but if you're going to go to that much trouble, you might as well buy a Scangauge. Also, different ambient temperatures affect the same pump, even with your method. You can achieve the same accuracy a lot easier by pumping slowly and averaging over the last five fill ups (total miles/total gallons)--any slight differences will even out.
I concentrate more on driving style. I get 37mpg in urban driving by following the driving style described at Citympg.
I'd second this recommendation if you care more about mpg than convenience. The Fit is particularly sensitive to driving style, and you can't control it much with the AT. On the other hand, if most of your driving is highway you will get almost as good if not better mpg with the AT. But for city driving the MT makes a big difference since you are in "total" control. There is just no way I could get my 36% above EPA with an AT.
Guess it's just one of those lessons you'll never have a clue about even with advice till you take a good look and see what I mentioned.
I think that has more to do with when the low fuel light comes than the accuracy of the pump. The sensor for the low fuel indicator light can be triggered by bumps in the road, hills, declines, sudden stops, etc all of which can cause the fuel move and the sensor to get triggered.
Just about every car's MPG forum you'll see wide ranges...nothing special about it for the Fit.
On a stock FIT Sport with Manual tranny, does anyone know at what rpm or speed in 5th it will be turning on? Or can you hear it?
Just in case this comes up again, at least for me, I have no plan to buy a scan tool, just trying to sort out some comments made and maybe flush out some facts.
bobw3 You offer some reasonable points! And I tend to agree with them. However, the events still seem a bit suspect. Here is why:
I've been accused more than once of being overly conservative concerning how much fuel I keep in the tank. I have "preached" the dangers of letting the fuel run down enough to trigger the light because of an unexpected emergency trip that may present itself when fuel may not be available for whatever reason. OR the light may fail for some reason.
A couple of days before this event, I had intended to fuel up because the tank was nearing 1/4 and intended to do it the next time out. Before doing it, something came up that required a quick but fairly short "road" trip. We got back late and I knew the needle was getting close to empty. I had a doctors appointment the next morning and decided to get gas then.
Drove the 4 miles to the doctor which involved a cold start, 1 stop sign, 2 traffic lights, 5 turns onto different streets, and some rolling terrain. Gas in tank had plenty of opportunity to slosh around. My paranoia about running out of fuel force me to keep a close eye on the fuel gauge. Light never came on.
When I left the doctor, the light came on when the car started. Headed back home and about half way (2+/-) miles I got gas. My above post explains the consequences of that fill up.
As I see it there are just a few possible explanations.
1.The pump fuel delivery was wrong, which would also explain the 2+/- less than normal mpg for the tank.
2. The fuel light failed to come on when it should have.
3. A combination of 1 & 2.
Here is the scary part for me. If the pump was accurate, the light was not. I only had 8/10th of a gallon of fuel left. For my "normal" driving the tank only retained enough fuel for 14.4 miles of driving before the car quit!
As I said in above post, the few times the light has come on before, there was still a 2-3 gallons remaining in the tank. This time 8/10th, if the pump was accurate.
Therefore you guys that like to push the limit and drive after the light comes on, beware !
If the car should quit in daylight and the side of the road is available, it would be a hassle. However, on a fast moving freeway and in anything other than the far right lane, OR attempting to "SCOOT" across several lanes of traffic, OR attempting to "Make" that traffic light, the consequences could be catastrophic!
Thanks,
Kip
When I left the doctor, the light came on when the car started.
Has your low fuel light since this event been back to "normal" where you fill up with 2-3 gallons? If not, maybe it is your low-fuel light.
Was the gas guage in the "normal" spot when your low-fuel light comes on, or much lower than normal?
If you do think it's the pump, then go back and try again and if you get the same results then report gas station to the BBB or who ever you'd call.
I filled as always. Let it run fast until it clicks off. Wait about 10 seconds to give the bubbles time to settle and gently fill until it clicks off again, one time, which is just a couple of seconds. Didn't force feed it.
The next tank, I refueled at 1/4 ( left in tank) and the mileage was about 1 mpg higher than "NORMAL" which could indicate some extra fuel was stuffed in on the 18.5 gallon fill. Except for the fact that tank had a 60+/- mile road trip which normally doesn't occur and could have raised the mileage by one.
I don't really recall just how low the needle was before the light came on. Pretty sure it was not touching the "Empty" peg or I would have stopped for fuel before seeing the doctor.
Haven't let it run down to the "light" again. I've thought about doing it, maybe on a back road, with an "Exact" amount of fuel in a can, in case I don't make it back to my station. Problem is that my station and my pump are in an area that could put us in harms way if the car dies.
I'm just going to continue trying to keep the tank above the 1/4 mark and hope the needle is accurate ? I personally feel safer that way.
Thanks,
Kip
That's why the national speed limit was 55mpg...for better MPG. Now in some cases with hilly roads going faster can give you better MPG because you're able to keep the car in 5th rather than 4th gear.
This is pretty easy to test if you have a commuter car that pretty much drives the same route every day. Just try a tank of gas doing nothing but 55mph on the highway, then 60, 65, etc and see how that affects your MPG over a tank. Yes, you can use a trip computer or Scan Gage just for the highway portion, but you'll still need to compare at least a few days at each speed to get a good average. Plus if you just do it for an entire tank, you'll see the real-world difference in your MPG over the tank.
For me in my Fit Sport Auto, if I keep my highway speed at 65 vs 70mph on my commute (55-60mph is dangerously slow in 65mph zones, and a constant 75mph to dangerous because of cops), then mpg is about 35 vs 33 for my 75% highway/25% suburb commute, or $25.71 per 300 miles at $3/gal for driving at 65mph vs $27.27 for driving at 70mph, or about $1.56 savings. My weekly commute is about 150 miles, so by keeping the speed at 65 vs 70mph I'll save about $0.75/week.
But then driving right at 65mph is more relaxing generally, since I'm not have to pass too often, plus that extra MPG allows me to go 2 full weeks on a tank of gas more comfortably.
Last year, we took a trip down to the beach and got 42 MPG.
We usually get a minimum of 35 around town--the gas mileage is only getting better as the car ages!
1 Prius
2 Civic Hybrid
3 Camry Hybrid
4 Yaris 34mpg avg
5 Fit 34mpg avg
I read the magazine at the bookstore, so that's all the detail I remember. These were all manual transmissions, except for the first 3 which were CVTs. I've seen other long term reviews of the Fit also getting excellent overall MPG. The Fit even beat out the Corolla and non-hybrid Civic.
I would like to know the tachometer RPM at 65, 70 and 75 for a FIT Sport Automatic and manual tranny?
Here's a question
For FIT highway driving only, the stick has better mpg than an automatic, right
thanks
My first fill up was 31 MPG city and I was a little more hopeful but happy.
I filled up today for the second time all city driving and I am now getting 36.6 MPG
Go fit go :shades:
I have noticed the gas tank is shaped like a martini glass, the first half I get 200 miles the second I get like 130 miles, what gives? That also leads me not to reply on the miles reported by people judging there mileage by the half way point.
Now thats not 50MPG like the prius but its also $10,000 cheaper.
http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-talk/20213-honda-fit-gear-ratios-chart.html
Indeed it does, I've heard of several owners reporting higher-than-auto RPMs in their stick-shift Fits. This is also the case in the Civic and Accord.
Should be pretty easy.
Velow is from the f freak site
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1000 4.70 8.70 12.31 16.77 21.49
1500 7.05 13.05 18.47 25.15 32.23
2000 9.40 17.40 24.63 33.54 42.97
2500 11.75 21.74 30.78 41.92 53.72
3000 14.09 26.09 36.94 50.30 64.46
3400 15.97 29.57 41.86 57.01 73.05
3500 16.44 30.44 43.09 58.69 75.20
4000 18.79 34.79 49.25 67.07 85.94
4500 21.14 39.14 55.41 75.46 96.69
5000 23.49 43.49 61.56 83.84 107.43
5500 25.84 47.84 67.72 92.22 118.17
6000 28.19 52.19 73.88 100.61 128.92
6500 30.54 56.54 80.03 108.99 139.66
In comparison, here is the same spreadsheet for the AT
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1000 5.11 9.11 14.34 20.24 27.82
1500 7.66 13.67 21.51 30.36 41.73
2000 10.21 18.23 28.68 40.48 55.64
2500 12.77 22.78 35.85 50.60 69.55
3000 15.32 27.34 43.02 60.72 83.46
3400 17.37 30.99 48.76 68.82 94.59
3500 17.88 31.90 50.19 70.84 97.38
4000 20.43 36.45 57.36 80.96 111.29
4500 22.98 41.01 64.53 91.08 125.20
5000 25.54 45.57 71.71 101.20 139.11
5500 28.09 50.13 78.88 111.32 153.02
6000 30.64 54.68 86.05 121.44 166.93
6500 33.20 59.24 93.22 131.56 180.84
I'm having some major believability issues with this. If I'm reading it right the stick is 1000 RPM's higher than the AUTO at 70
2500 rpm in the AUTO and
3500rpm in the stick
That's huge and if true would have a huge effect on MPG and noise.
Thanks, Cashwell
I did the same thing, I bought my car in Topeka, KS and immediately drove 312 miles to St. Louis at an even 70mph. Car has been running fine and getting the same miles per gallon as everyone else. I followed the manual, no hard starts or stops for the first however many miles. Changed the oil the first time in accordance with the owners manual and have 8,200 miles on the car in 2 1/2 months. My wife is working in Topeka and I am drive back and forth twice a month. Car has ran the same since the first day. Don't stress, it is a Honda! :shades:
I've been getting only around 25 miles per gallon. This seems pathetic compared to what I'm seeing in this forum. It has been a lot of city driving but I'm driving it really easy and it seems to me a lot of you on here are driving in the city and still getting way better mileage than I am. The first few tanks I was using the defrost a lot, which someone told me actually uses the air conditioner so gas mileage would be worse due to that. Since then, I've been trying to not use it, and not even use the heat too much, but it hasn't helped. Plus this is not ideal considering I live somewhere I need the defrost!
There was an incident when I had just got it where I accelerated really fast to get out into a lane of traffic, and I felt like maybe I had done something to it. Is this possible? Is there something else that could be going on?
Can someone please offer some insight on this?
Thanks
Also, look in the Honda Fit Prices Paid Buying Experience forum and there are 2 people that just posted getting 20-22mpg in pure city NYC traffic, and that's what they expected.
Test it out on a long highway drive and see what you get.
But I put 42 psi in the tires to achieve that:- )
What do you think?
Also I'm getting 36.6 city ( only driven on the freeway once for 5 miles) but I do have some city kind-of highway in there (long periods with little idle at the light).
Um sounds like the above may be letting the engine run for long periods in the driveway to defrost the windows. This gets you 0 miles per gallon for those periods and can effect the overall MPG.
The max pressure on the tire says 50psi but the door sticker says 34, I'm considering raising the PSI to 40. Anyone else had good VS bad with this? Seems it would wear the tire faster but better MPG. Trade off? Input?
You're actually getting average city gas mileage for an AT Fit, and, believe it or not, it's among the highest out there. In the last CR, the city averages for the top automatics were Fit (22mpg), Yaris (23mpg). All the others in the top ten were hybrids (e.g. Prius, 35mpg) or manuals (e.g. Fit MT 26mpg).
I agree this is "pathetic". But don't blame the Fit. Put pressure on politicians to raise the minimum requirements on automobiles! The industry has gotten away with murder.
Having said that, I will say that over a year I've averaged 37mpg in almost 100% city driving in my MT Fit using a lot of coasting and other methods I outlined in Citympg. I don't think I could do this in an AT, frankly.