I wonder if you and I had the same father!
I've been doing what you describe my entire life.

 

It's a blessing and a curse! Haha

 

Me, too, since about 1962, Now I use Automotive Wolf to keep track of everything.

 

I had one of the gas cans for years and it does seal good so I will take that one and put it behind the front passenger seat. I did this running out of gas test with my previous car and I got to a few miles before Buffalo NY so If I still have atleast 50 miles range left then I know I would have made it to where I am going on one tank.

 

Just did my 2nd fill up today. 2015 EX 6MT.

Dashboard Comp says 36.9 MPG.
Fueleconomy.gov says 35.2 MPG.
EPA estimate says 32 MPG combined.

About 40% rural driving, lower speed limit, few stops. The rest split between highway and city.

Used 87 Octane Gulf Gasoline from Cumberland Farms, in my part of New York there are few Top Tier brands available. Those that are here are least .20 more per gallon of 87.

I am hoping, after engine break in and a change to synthetic oil, that those numbers will increase. But I am pleased with the early fuel mileage, my previous car could never get over 26 MPG on a tank.

*Update 8/25/15 - 290 mile road trip for work yesterday, with 4 people in the car. 90% highway, A/C all the time, cruise at 74 and got 35.8 MPG. The dashboard said 37.6 MPG. I still had 2 bars left on the gas gauge, fuel light on and put in just under 8.2 gallons.

 

With about 2.5K on the odometer so far, I did a 300-mile roundtrip run this week and I was kind of disappointed. I cranked it on the way out and averaged about 42 mpg, not bad for 3K-4K rpm. But on the way back I took it 55-60 mph and could only get 50-52 mpg average. Earlier in the summer I was doing that and getting 55 mpg-plus. Not sure why the difference, maybe wind? I got another 200-miler this weekend, we'll see if there's any difference.

 

Yes, the wind will make a very noticeable difference.

 

Do I recall correctly that max long-distance mpg will not be possible using cruise control? Also, are these 50 mpg+ stats acquired on extremely level ground?

 

In a different context, yes the wind will make a noticeable difference. Wednesday, a sudden gust snatched the door out of my hand and slammed it inot the OLD Gran Prix parked next to me. The result is an inch long dent along the edge of the Fit's door.

 

For the average driver, cruise control will improve fuel efficiency. Where using cruise control most hurts your MPGs is on inclines since it wants to downshift and use more throttle. For a hypermiler, cruise control is not a good thing.

 

Max anything is rarely achieved with automated systems- an experienced, aware and active driver not only knows what he's trying to accomplish, but can work with conditions better than on-board sensors can.

And level ground isn't as good as gentle hills and smooth traffic.

 

Thanks for your comments GoBucky and Fit Charlie. In recent months I have literally forgotten about the cruise control on extended drives. I realize the Fit is not a sports car, but I think the responsiveness is such that it is actually enjoyable, and certainly not tiring to maintain control of the accelerator. In June, I had an amusing experience driving south to north in West Virginia when ascending my first mountainside. I forgot the cruise control was still on, and felt like I was barnstorming in a vintage 2-winger from the sound of the engine. Lesson learned!

 

I have an add-on cruise control, not added on to the car, but to me personally. I have an artificial right foot (to correct a birth defect) and I can keep a very constant speed. The foot was amputated just above what we laughingly called my ankle. And yes, I drive a 6 speed.

 

Ok I have car computer results of my trip last night from Bloomfield, NJ to Mississauga, Ontario. It was approximately 450 miles the first 3rd was through mountains then it leveled off after I passed Syracuse, NY. On the I90 I was doing at least 75MPH. So the average for the entire trip including 2 stops to top off the gas tank was 39.7MPG. I had the car loaded up a bit with beer, clothes cat food cat and lots of water. I think If I was not in a hurry I would easily get above 40MPG as many people here stated that the car can do. So I'm just posting my own results. I will do a Fuelly.com calculation for the entire time I spend in Canada later.

 

We have very active police departments around here, so cruise control can be a big money-saver. I use it for local driving and on trips. Where it hurts mpg is trying to maintain speed going uphill. That's when I hit "Cancel" and drive it myself. Maintaining a steady throttle uphill, depending on traffic, will help mileage. If it shifts down while going downhill, I use the right paddle to shift it up and coast easier.

Getting 40+mpg is great, and if I can make it 42 or 44, that's just icing on the cake. Considering the cost of the Fit compared with the Prius, which I thought about getting, I think the Fit comes out way ahead.

 

I used some hypermiling techniques and I just got 44.8 MPG calculated on my last fill up. Onboard calculator is 45 MPG. This was using econ mode and 87 octane. I filled up about 9.44 Gallons and traveled 422.9 miles.

I'm going to try the same without econ mode to see what the difference is.

 

If you dont mind me asking what techniques are you using? I have 5 fill ups in my new fit and have got it up to 38 mpg on Fuelly. I am hoping to break 40 mpg on Fuelly but need some advice to get there.

You guys that are getting 50+ is it all hypermiling techniques or have you added anything to the car to get there?

 

It's complicated. Cold starts, short trips, and going up hill are mileage killers. I was averaging 44.6 till the winter arrived. then it went down to about 41.

Things that help mpg are steady speeds, steady throttle, as much coasting as you can manage - even in neutral on a long hill - shutting off when you know you will be stopped for a while. As cruising speed increases, mileage decreases. I keep my tire pressures at 33 psi and don't carry any extra weight in the car. I use A/C when it's hot. I'm not going to suffer to get one more mpg. I get about 56 mpg driving into town (14 miles with 45 and 55 mph limits) with lots of downhill stretches. Coming home, I get more like 45 mpg. On a recent 408 mile trip, I averaged 46.4 with varied traffic, hills, and speeds up to 65.

Even if you don't get 50 mph, you have a great car with great features. You could be driving a Suburban and getting 15 mpg.

 

This is so true, not to mention paying $60-$70 every time you fill up vs. $20-$25 with the Fit.

 

I'm not doing anything really complicated. The things I've started doing are coasting in neutral on hills as well as when coming into stops. I find keeping good spacing allows you to modulate the gas and seldom use the brakes. I know my route pretty well so I know where there are congestion points so I know that it's a waste to rush because all the cars are going to have to stop anyways. For example I know there is a section with multiple hills with a stop sign at the bottom. If I rush through the section, the cars will bunch up and I'll be at a bottom of the hill. You'll use up more fuel getting your car up the hill. If I keep a certain MPH, I can time it and use my momentum to get me to the top of the hill and then be able to coast to the stop sign.

Timing lights also helps. If I see far ahead the light is red, there is no need to be on the throttle hard. I can either coast or just slightly slow down so that I can hit the light rolling. Even if I'm just moving a few MPH, it's better than coming to a complete stop and then getting the car moving again. Inertia is your friend!

Now I use cruise control on flat sections. I find that cruise control increases the RPM when going up inclines. I can modulate the throttle that it still hovers around 2k RPM and climb the same hill. At stop lights, I'm in neutral. When I park, I find a spot that I can pull through that when when I depart I just go straight out. I avoid having to back out of a spot and then go.

At my house, I back into the garage. The driveway has an incline. So when I leave in the morning, I turn the car on put it in D and just use the idle to pull me out off the garage and down the driveway. I can use minimal throttle to get me out of the neighborhood because it's mostly downhill. When getting back into my neighborhood, the I use the other entrance because that route is mostly downhill as well and I can coast in neutral a lot of the way.

I just used the same techniques but with Econ mode off. I went 364.600 miles and used up 8.801 gallons of gas so averaged 41.427 MPG. That's roughly 3.4 MPG difference with Econ ON/OFF.

My previous vehicle was a Toyota 4Runner that I was lucky to get 17 MPG with so I'm more than doubling the MPG.