LOL! I love these kinds of arguments!

My own feeling is that if the Fit had a little bit taller 5th gear, it would rev a little bit lower at highway speeds resulting in better economy on longer trips. I don't think it would affect the amazing 5th gear passing performance that much. Becides, for all you guys who like to pass in 5th, you should have got a slush box ya lazy bums Downshifting to pass is half the fun!

Can you top off my coffee please!

 

I downshift to pass quite frequently, as it is the 5th gear passing power is pretty weak, which is where most of my arguement was stemming from. You would be back and forth between 4th and 5th so much that any gas mileage gains would suffer. But at the same time 5th gear now is still strong enough to pass in situations where doing so isn't critically based on speed. Which is nice since you have the option of not downshifting and saving on gas mileage, where as having a taller gear you would always have to downshift.

 

You might have a point, on some of the HUGE-ASS hills I hit on my way back from Kelowna to Calgary there was no way I was going to have enough staying power in 5th to maintain and I had to downshift. With that said, I have yet to drive a car that could do it in 5th I know they exist out there somewhere, but I just can't afford them

However when I am travelling around on mostly flat terrain (miles and miles of wheat fields) I find 5th has more than enough of power to push the car, way more than enough to execute a high speed ninja pass. Not to mention it stays up in an annoying high RPM range. I could really use a 6th gear or a taller 5th. I would be ok with hitting the mountains and doing a bit more shifting.

One other thing, in general I agree with your MPG statement. But my best MPG (44) was done with me goofing around shifting into 4th like crazy on a mountain pass!! I detailed that trip here https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/eco-...79-40-mpg.html (see post 3) I got better MPG for that trip than when I just leave it in 5th and drive to Edmonton or Lethbridge (basically a perfectly straight through wheat fields). Yes I know this defies logic, but just some extra food for though.

 

Higher gear ratios also help improve fuel economy by keeping rpms low during cruising. ???????

 

I've always wondered at what point do you waste more gas by leaving it in a higher gear with the throttle open more compared to a lower gear with higher RPMs but less throttle. I'd imagine that is the case with you getting higher MPG by being in 4th gear more often.

 

Just to add, I've run into this as well. Not too long ago when the wife was back home overseas, I took the Fit out for some backroad blasting. I did just over 100 miles@60+, sometimes as much as 75-80 at points, and almost always in 4th most of the time. I got the best mileage I've ever gotten, and this is in PA no less.

Personally, I think this is because when the engine is in its sweet spot, even though it's higher rpms, it's actually at its most efficient b/c it doesn't require nearly as much work done to handle the varying loads put on it.

 

Hmm... well for the non-sporty thing.. i think the fit IS sporty.. and im sure honda meant for it to be sporty... Why would it be called "The Fit Is Go?" Surely that isnt meant for some eco-minded person, its stating the car goes! CAT-like reflexes! cmon....

And if it's so unsporty, why is it that it caught the Spoon man Mr.Itchishima-san's..(lol prolly definately not how you spell it) attention? He liked it enough to show it on a JDM car show thing and asked Keichi to drive it! The spoon guy pointed out that the whole shell is perfect for racing. Why would Honda be so careful to use all these great chassis technologies just for eco-minded people?

Yes, it may be slow in acceleration, but take it in a corner, even stock! and it could probably keep up with a surprising group of cars. Why is there a SPORT model with a body-kit and paddle shifters if it wasn't meant to be sporty? Why do they offer Honda Factory Performance mufflers and that "sport grille"?

 

The Edmunds video review did say that the speeds the Fit reached in their slalom test is on par with "powerful sport cars." But they did said that the speed isn't very sport car like. When Car and Driver did their slalom test for the Fit they said it was faster than the Corvette Z06. I'm not sure what this really adds to the conversion...but I thought I should just throw their findings here.

 

No, "The Fit is go" is a reference to the lingo used in the space program. When something is "go", it means it's ready to be implemented. "We are go" means we're on schedule and ready to proceed.

 

I totally agree. The thing is, if you need more torque, you can always put it in 4th. But if you're always winding it out in 5th gear just to go 70 mph, you have no other option. There would be a lot more benefit in having the choice to get into high rpm's when you want to, but not have to have it up there all the time when you're just rolling along on level ground. Spread 'em all out - have 4th gear closer to where 5th gear is now, and have that 5th gear to use for cruising. Or just have a 6th gear on top of everything.

 

yeah taller..

 

imo i think the gears are actually spaced out fine the way they are and that honda should just make a 6th gear on top. The short gears are what adds to the car's "sportiness." Having taller gears all around may make the fit feel a little less zingy and a little more slugish. I think the auto's 5th gear may be a good 6th gear for the MT.

 

Well a 6-speed would be awesome, but you know...I don't think it feels "zingy" at all. It just feels slow. That's coming from my Jetta 1.8T, which does feel zingy. I guess I got that wanting to burn out at stoplights feeling out of my system already, and got the Fit because I was ready for something that gets better gas mileage. That's why I'm surprised how many people think it's sporty and opted for the Fit for "sportiness" rather than a Civic SI. I would totally have gone for the SI if I wanted "zing" and didn't care about gas mileage too much. To me, the Fit feels like it's winding out all the time, but I'm not feeling much acceleration. It just slowly and gradually turns more and more rpms as you press the gas pedal, but never feels like it's taking off. But the gears already feel too close together. I can easily go straight from 1st to 3rd without any hesitation at all from the motor. 2nd is so close to 1st it almost seems superfluous. I think the problem is that car companies are afraid to market anything efficient to the U.S. because they think Americans will scoff at any car that they perceive isn't "fast" (even though the Fit isn't fast at all), or that we couldn't bear to drive a car where you might actually have to shift to 4th on a 12-percent uphill grade. Maybe they're right, but it would be nice to go back to the days when they made cars like the Civic VX or CRX HF or Geo Metro, that actually were designed specifically for fuel efficiency. These cars are fetching a high price these days because people are looking for gas mileage without paying a ridiculous $10,000 premium for hybrid technology.

 

Zingy is not relative to other cars in different markets. The car is zingy in comparison to other b-segment cars on the market and also for only having 109hp. In the Road & Track article with all the b-segment cars that came out last year, the Fit was significantly faster than pretty much every other option in it's market and out handled every car in it's market as well. And if I remember correctly, it had the second lowest HP. It is in that sense that it is "zingy" and "sporty." Most people here who got their Fit and were only shopping in the b-segment market more than likely got their Fit because of this more fun-to-drive element of the Fit compared to the other cars. If all you were looking for was the best highway mileage car you should've gotten a Yaris, or better yet an FG1/FA1 Civic.

 

I completly agree, why have a 6500 redline, i think at least it should be 7500...oh well

 

My Jeep used to redline somewhere around 5000rpm.... normal shifting was done at around 2000rpm. At 4500rpm it sounded like the world was ending

First time I took the Fit for a test drive I though the engine was going to explode running those kinds of RPM's This car feels super zippy to me!

All perspective I guess

 

why stop there? i say it should be atleast 8k like every other high performance Honda motor.

I have an engineering question: if you bore out the motor and destroke and balance it, would it be able to rev that high? Assume that all necessary headwork is done and that we some how found a way so the motor wouldn't oil starve.

I know this is off topic...sorry

 

I admit I fall asleep when the drive is toolong. My commute when I drive (I bike and take train now) I fall asleep. The only times I am awake is during city driving, where I shift a lot.I wish I had more shifting opportunity during highway to keep me awake.

I don't know why ppl like a 5th gear to be powerful, like "the fit sucks. i have to downshift to climb a hill". What's the point of having gears if you don't shift?

 

Because people want better gas mileage on the highway and to get that they want a taller 5th gear which will make them downshift more and negate any mpg gains by having a taller 5th gear. Not everyone will fall asleep at the wheel unless they have to downshift every few minutes. It's more efficient to stay in the gear your in if you it will move you where you need to go at an acceptable speed. It also saves wear on your clutch.

 

All true, but this kind of perspective usually puts people behind the wheel of a CVT or an automatic. Most people who pick a manual tranny do so for reasons other than just gas miliage, I know personally I picked it for FUN! I couldn't give two hoots if it gets a couple of mpg better than the Auto or vice-versa.