sorry if my comment struck a wrong chord with you guys.

you know i gots love for the fit family <33333333333333333333

 

I stop at first click, never top off. Usually I go to the costco near my place, but occasionally stop by Valero or Chevron if there is a need to fill up right then and there.

 

What's probably different between you, and say, ME, considering I'm getting about 34mpg out of my AT Fit...

CONDITIONS.

Temperature, elevation, humidity... Geography most of all. Going up a lot of hills can KILL your economy.

I'd really suggest you get yourself a ScanGauge. Then you can SEE what's going on. You'll SEE what causes low mileage, and what gives you high mileage.

Also, doesn't Kalifornistan use different blend fuels? That could be affecting your economy.

 

hey Koi, do you always drive in sport(S) mode?

 

try different gas stations too. back when i kept a log, i noticed that the station by work always resulted in lower mpg (but not that low!).

check the air filter, maybe it inhaled something. check tires are 35-38 psi. wind the engine out sometimes to wear it in too (after it's warmed up!). run synthetic oil. a/c and hot weather are enemies.

 

Thanks for the tips guys. Definitely looking into getting a Scangauge to help drive for better mpg, but also to see with my own eyes that my car is capable of reaching 30 mpg and higher (or, to see that it can't).

Is Costco gas considered pretty good, quality wise? Been getting that for the majority of my fillups since I got the car in Dec 07 because they're 10 cents+ cheaper than every other location. Indeed Kalifornistan does use ethanol mixed gas, but if that was a main culprit, wouldn't that cause every californian fit owner to suffer a dip in mpg? Alot of fit owners are in socal/ca and they're still in the "better than 24 mpg" club.

And no, I don't always drive in S mode - I mix it up depending on when I need to manually shift and when I'm just casually driving along in D.

 

On my base fit, I got 32 mpg from the first tank in mixed driving. (I have installed Sport alloys and haven't fully recalibrated the odo yet so now I'm getting 30-31 per the readings). I get 260-280 miles before the fuel light comes on and stop after the second click, I don't try to squeeze another gallon or two into the fill tube.

Some posters experience is in line with mine, others match yours. Some of the low mpg posters have also noted significant improvements over the first 2-6K miles (engine break-in). One poster claimed an issue with the airfilter/box - mpg jumped after putting an aftermarket filter in or having the dealer replace it - I don't recall exactly which they did. IMHO, you should have this checked by the dealer if you don't see any improvement by 3K. I doubt it is your driving habits causing that much of a drop.

You could try a new air filter or check the existing tube and box to see if something is amiss. That won't cost you much and you can still go back to the dealer if the problem persists. Check this forum carefully, there have been a bunch of posts on this as well. Since I don't seem to be having a problem, I haven't checked them all out.

 

So tomorrow I'm going to make sure the air filter/intake is clean and clear, make sure tire pressure is at least 32 psi, and then get a full tank of gas. Maybe I'll even try throwing on the sid 6.7 DIY SRI and see how the car fares with somewhat conservative-yet-enjoyable driving (shift at 2500-3000rpm, never over 70 on the freeway).

On a side note, is there a mechanical reason that some people report their fits having bad mpg until around the 10,000 mile mark, while others have great mpg right from the dealer? Do I really have to drive my car for 2500 more miles before I might see an increase in mpg?

Anyone know where to get a scangauge for cheapest? I see it for $160 on Amazon w/ free shipping but that's about all I can find. I had my eye on a new axleback but this mpg problem is stressing me out!

 

Got my Sport last November. Drive in NYC BORO traffic (for those of you who's never been in Queens, this means traffic light or stop sign every other block when you're off the main road), terrible roads, and very short commute (4-5 miles each way). I am an average driver and average 20 mpg. my worst tank with pure city driving got 18 mpg. (this is a FIT you say?!) I am DYING to compare Fuel economy with other NYC drivers. But Koi, hope this makes you feel a little better. I was hoping that as the weather gets warmer, the mileage would also get better. That's gone down the drain looking at my last two tanks. My only hope now is that my FIT has not yet been properly broken-in. However, if by 10k I am still getting the same MPG, I probably would be trading it in for a Civic Hybrid or a prius, or whatever the hybrid that happens to be the highest rated at the point.

 

Koi, you probably know this already, in S mode it doesnt cycle to 5th gear, so that will leave you in 4th as final gear and higher RPM=more gas consumption? Im not sure...Just got my fit last saturday from the dealer with 8miles, im now at 80 and the fuel needle is at 3/4 mark so thats about 30 somethin mpg. Im driving like a grandma by the way and always at D mode

 

Yeah, I know it doesn't reach 5th, which is why I never use it in S mode without using the paddles.

 

Dude, this just goes to show you that it is all technique. Even my wife is getting 27mpg in her 2008 CRV-EX with AT tranny. She doesn't even drive more than 10miles to work and it is in morning and afternoon traffic. I have been coaching her on hypermiling techniques. She use to get 22mpg. The CRV is rated at 21 city and 27highway. Oh, she only has 7000 miles on the CRV and we haven't even reach 50% oil life yet. :P


Don't sweat the Technique.

 

after getting the scangauge, my mileage has gone from 32ish to over 40mpg

 

I dont have scangauge, i dont think I will get one, maybe for other purposes like temp etc. I like calculating my trip/gallons filled, most accurate imo...plus gets my brain tickled

 

The problem here is most likely not based on technique, as my experience and plenty of others in the AT mileage thread seem to show. You guys who are getting consistently good mileage with no problem as the car should, just be glad you aren't stuck with problem cars where nothing seems to be helping the bad mpg - there's nothing to be gained here by sticking your tongue out and blaming it all on the drivers when the disparity in good and bad mileage is so big for similar driving circumstances. In the case of your wife's crv, pb and h, it already fell within the epa estimates - my fit and many others on this board don't even reach the city-only estimates even with a good mix of city and highway.

 

maybe you should get the car checked, it could be idle problem and/or air/fuel ratio is off, maybe running too rich? check with the dealer or a reputable auto shop if the car is on spec.

 

No, it's most likely based on technique. Maybe compounded by not being past break in, and crappy conditions. Just because other people get good mileage doesn't mean you will. It doesn't even mean you should. It means it's just possible in the right conditions.

I doubt there's anything wrong with your car. It's probably your right foot.

Get a ScanGauge. Just do it.

 

I'll just turn your argument around: just because people are getting good mileage doesn't make the relatively few low mileage cases like mine or kayden's (as compared the the number of good mileage reports) any less valid from an objective point of view (ie, it's always the driver to suspect first, never the car as you've never had a problem with mpg). I'm not saying out right that the car is the problem as there is not enough proof yet, but I'm getting tired of people thinking that no matter what, there's something other than the car that's causing the drastic difference in mpg (driving skills, conditions, etc).

I'm not exactly the only person with a Fit that lives in Socal (plenty of AT Fit owners in southern california getting great mileage, while having to naturally deal with the same horrible traffic and city conditions I encounter), and I'm not the only person who is trying hard to get good mpg and just not getting the results.

Think about it this way: most people who get the Fit are not going to be experts at driving conservatively, and will not be practicing the best possible techniques to maximize mpg right off the bat. They probably don't even know what hypermiling is. Alot of Fit owners are middle aged moms and first time car owners - do you think they've mastered how to drive 'correctly' to maximize their mpg, yet still they get 30+ mpg easy without any problem on their AT's, not even realizing that going below that number is possible with this car? That many people drive off the dealer lot getting 28-30 mpg and think that's low, looking forward to the engine breaking in to increase the mileage?

If you really want to argue technique, try driving your fit for a tank with a lead foot and no regard to conserving mpg - see if your mpg falls to anywhere near 24, where I get with NORMAL driving (complete opposite). Or try driving casually for a tank without putting thought towards actively conserving gas - see what kind of mpg you get. I doubt it'd be anywhere under 28.

By the way, I bought a scangauge this morning - let's say my car does have something wrong with the air/fuel ratio or it's running too rich; will that kind of anomaly be detectable through what the scangauge is showing?

 

Coincidentally, I ordered a ScanGauge myself a few minutes ago. And I did drive an entire tank revving every chance possible -- I got 25 mpg that tank. My best ever was 46 mpg to Las Vegas drafting with traffic at 55-65 mph (was something like 550 miles on a single tank @ 12 gallons, yah I over filled and ran it to under empty...) I got *awful* mpg in LV, so hot + a/c was like 20 mpg in the city.

Normally my a/t Fit throws down 31-33 mpg. Perhaps we can compare some numbers from our shiny new ScanGauges soon for the heck of it! I used 2-day DHL shipping.

I think it took around 10K miles for my Fit to reach its mpg peak. It's at 33K now. Redline was meant to be found every day!

a/c is a killer. Last weekend I had cruise control on at 70 mph (the speed limit on 580 around 132 junction) -- and it kept kicking between 4th and 5th gears. a/c sucks the life out of the engine. Per chance you have the "hidden a/c" selected on the on dial? It turns the a/c on without turning the a/c light on...

 

My scangauge is coming by priority mail - I'd love to compare some numbers and see if something is drastically off with mine.

What is the "hidden a/c" you're talking about? I usually keep mine on just the "off" position.

At this point (7500 miles), I'm going to give it till around 11,000 miles and see if my mpg is improving - if not, it's time to trade it in for the 09 Fit.