i as well had better mpg when i first got it

 

all my vehicles have gotten worse mileage in the winter. probably because of the winter fuel formulation and the vehicle taking longer to warm up I have experienced a slight decrease in mileage to.

 

Well, my last tank was a shatty 28mpg. I just got 32mpg so Im more happy.
I dont really know what happen that last tank.... I broke 2000miles.

Almost time for that 2nd oil change.

 

Many "many" moons ago, I used to own what was then called a Datsun 1200. It was a 4 speed manual, and by far the best car I've every owned for gas mileage (I recall getting very close to 50 mpg on the highway). I keep forgetting that I now drive an automatic, and it has more hp than that old Datsun/Nissan, (almost double), so I am not dissatisfied at all with the Fit's performance --- but of course we are always hoping for better.

But, now I'm wondering about the odometer, and the accuracy of it. I have not read or heard anything here in Canada about this (although there was a recall for Nissan Versas and my brother had the problem described for those babies). Is there a recall on Honda Fits for faulty / inaccurate odometers? Any references I can see / read? Perhaps I'll ask my dealer too!

Later,
Bill

 

There is no recall on the Fit odo, however it is included on the class action settlement. You should get a notice in the mail.

 

i think i missed something here. class action settlement? are you talking about the Fit? Please some more info.

 

Drove from the southwest to the east coast and back over new years close to 2,000 miles each way,drove the speed limits +3mph thru a mixture of rain and clear roads relatively loaded one way but still averaged 38 mpg ack just like the epa,listed for my mt sport ,it now has 13,000 on it.

 

I had my milage drop into the high thirties when it was really cold here in the nw but this last tank seems to be back up at the higher end again so far..

 

I've been tracking mpg since taking delivery on my 5-speed base Fit in late Aug '06.

My average mpg in first 4 months ownership (5220 miles) was 39.52.

Best tank mpg 42.82. Worst, 35.17.

Did some comparison on gas brand performance. Interesting results. To my knowledge, none of this gasoline had ethanol in it. At least, they did not indicate so on the pump. These are total gallons purchased of each brand, and weighted average mpg for each brand.

BP Amoco 42.43 gallons 37.67 mpg
Valero 7.70 gallons 39.09 mpg
HEB 32.65 gallons 40.23 mpg
Citgo 32.44 gallons 40.90 mpg

Guess I'll try to fill up with Citgo from now on!

Yes, I drive gently, with mind toward fuel efficiency. But now I wonder if gas brand plays a major role in mpg performance. More to come!

 

I'm really sure it does make a difference I get better mpg on chevron and moble/exxon than I do arco and cenex. (though I THINK the cenex one is due to octane, their regular is 89 vs 87 on the others. ) I haven't done a full tank of union so I don't know if it will make a difference or texaco.

 

No way Citgo is giving you a good MPG! lol

 

I also live in northern Cal Ranch Cordova. I noticed the last few post are from this area. My BPA has 5.500 miles and I never got better than 26 miPG in daily driving. I did travel once to San Diego and got around 37 MPG for the trip. City driving is awful, it may because I only drive 5 miles to work and 5 miles back. I read that if the car doesn't warm up sufficiently it hurts MPG, but still seems odd that three of us in this area are getting MPG. Maybe it's gas in this ara? MAybe if someone form our area that has a Fit auto and are getting great MPG could post a note for us all to feel better.

 

Hi Neighbors,
I have resisted the impulse to post on this thread because I don't want to add to your problem. I live right in the middle of the Santa Cruz Mountains in the town of Boulder Creek. To get to anywhere from here except the shops here in town, requires from 10 to 25 miles of up, down, & hairpin turn mountain driving. I do a lot of business in both Santa Cruz and the San Jose metro areas, and my freeway routes are along Hwy. 17/880, 85, 280, 101 and Hwy. 1. This is why I bought a Fit Sport. I consider this mixture to be fairly extreme to the point of preventing the possibility of the best fuel economy. I buy my gas almost exclusively at Costco stores.

I am sorry (for you guys) to report that my best mileage (first tank) was 39, worst was 31, and the average is running at 33. I am waiting for Spring weather to drive over the Sierras via Hwy. 50 to the Carson Valley and back as the difinitive test for the results that I can routinely expect.

I will add the low restriction K & N intake system this Saturday, but don't expect any great increase in mpg just from that. Will be happy to report on this thread if I do see significant mpg diference, good or bad.

I have another secret that may make my driving results better than yours in spite of my harsh (and fun) driving terrain. I manufacture specialized lubricants (not automotive related). My industry information sources bring me into contact with chemical research that the general public never hears about. About 6 years ago, I bought a product made from a high molecular weight polymer that was called a "fuel conditioner" that reduced emissions and increased fuel economy. Unlike all of the B.S. TV infomercials, this stuff worked. It worked so well that YOU can't buy any of it. To reduce emissions from diesel truck fleets, the state of Texas bought the chemical formula and the manufacturing plant last year, and now adds this chemical to all diesel fuel sold in Texas.

When I was notified that the product would no longer be commercialy available, I bought one gallon. I usually fill up at 1/4 tank on the fuel gauge and top it off until I get 8 gallons in it. But first I add one ounce of fuel conditioner. It will take 128 fill-ups to exhaust my supply of additive.

Good luck- I hope that my Bay Area neighbors either find a fixable mechanical problem or some other way to improve their gas mileage.
Dave

 

Hello nor cal guys...

Im in elk grove and i bought my VBP Sport in Lodi.. I havent has much of a problem.. worst has probably been 33mpg and best was today at 36.5 mpg.. i commute from elk grove to emeryville and hit a lot of stop and go traffic and i do a lot of run around errands here at home and around south sac.. hope ur situation gets better.. i purchased mine in early december and have about 4300 miles now.

 

Four months of ownership tells me that the 'problem' is just that the Jazz/Fit is very sensitive to how you use it. I think it might be a consequence of the clever engine design. If you treat it gently it responds by being a supremely efficient engine (my 1.3 CVT-7 Jazz has given me 51/53 UK mpg (around 43mpg US) for the last two tanks despite it being winter weather and dark to/from work). OTOH when you push the engine it goes through a Jekyl/Hyde transformation and becomes a supremely powerful engine (for its size).

At Christmas I visited my parents (190miles) and on the way up and down I kept pace with the motorway traffic (which meant 80/90mph) and used kickdown to pull away from roundabouts. It behaved beautifully, giving far more than I would expect from a 1.3. OTOH it turned in 32/34mpg which is worse than my old 1.6l ever did for what felt like similar performance.

I've also noticed in experimenting with one tank that you really don't have to do much to persuade it to stop being Mr. Frugal. I think with the 1.3l at least Honda are trying to avoid it seeming sluggish so anything except the most subtle of presses on the accelerator causes it to come out all guns blazing.

I don't know how much of this relates to the 1.5 that you get in the US of course. I know that the 1.3 we get here has two spark plugs and the EMU can stagger their firing as well adjusting valve timing and opening. Is the 1.5l just a bigger version of the same engine?

One last thing I've noticed - it is definitely more efficient below 55mph which corresponds (on the CVT-7) with up to 2000rpm. Cruising at 50 I can get what seems to be 52mpg (based on the economy display climbing back to that then settling). Cruising at 60mpg will cause the economy display to drop back down to 48 over time.

 

This post made a lot of sense to me. I think the US Fit is the same. The engine does not have 2 sparkplugs, but it behaves the same way; ie: it feels "peppy" off the line which gives it a fun to drive feeling. But it's just as sensitive to how you mash the throttle as the UK version. I also think part of the problem is that the Fit has a not so good power-to-weight ratio. The Honda Civic, a bigger & heavier car, gets almost the same MPG as the Fit, cuz the power-to-weight ratio is better. After reading all these posts for months, I really think that the Fit would do better with a more powerful engine, just enough more power to get the power-to-weight ratio where it belongs (like around 120-130 HP).

 

Yes, there is an almost 80 page thread on gas mileage, but how bout a thread with the any potential fixes for poor fuel economy. The most I've ever gotten on the freeway is 30, and I'm averaging about 27 combined. That's way below what I expected.

I know that some people talk of an idle relearn procedure. Anyone done it and tracked the results? Any other things that you or the dealer have done to get the gas mileage anywhere near what it is supposed to be? Mine's a manual Sport.

I drove a preproduction unit with a lead foot for a couple of days months before I got my car and got 32 mpg. *shrug*

 

I'm averaging around 27mpg as well and i'm interested in and solutions.

thanks and good idea!

 

Light foot. If you wanan speed up, downshift, don't press gas pedal harder.

One thing I learned that contradicts a basic tip a lot of people told me: don't worry about high RPMs. I also realized light footed high rpm (or no gas, as in coasting or engine braking downhill) is better than a heavier foot at a low RPM. I think this MUST be why autos get lower mileage.

My mom got an RDX, and I hate how honda gears its automatics to have low rpms. To get the car to move, even at 1st gear, you have to lead foot it. Driving my car a lot, I can feel the gearing is giving the engine a harder time than necessary. Each gear is as if it should be one gear above. (first gear of the RDX drives like second gear of my MT fit)

 

Gordio touches on something I feel has merit regarding the 'foot touch'. As I've said before, I almost exclusively drive in S using the paddle shifters. for the very purpose of defeating Honda's 'get me into 5th gear quick!' mentality. If you listen carefully while driving along in 5th at lower speeds (30-50mph), even in level cruise, the slightest incline loads the engine! You can hear the tone of the engine change (sounds like a deep bass bogging). Most of us have noticed how shift happy the thing is as well, and this is precisely because, even though torquey for a small engine, it just does not have the 'leverage' to maintain the speed being inferred from the driver's foot. Instead of playing the 5th to 4th to 5th to 3rd to 4th game along a stretch of driving, I have been leaving it in a single gear, like 4th, or 3rd, depending on speed. Drive it with a manual trans mentality. Most folks will select a gear that most closely suits the type of driving...i.e., if I'm cruising at 40-45, I'm going to seek 4th, not 5th.

Also try to work on slow smooth foot patterns...the drive-by-wire may be overactive if you continously stab the pedel, or are otherwise inconsistent.

Here is another tip...since this pedal is much more senstive (read: a weak spring) compared to cable throttle setups, I think a lot of people are not realizing how much they are pushing in on it...I've made it a habit during cruising to 'let off' the pedal w/ my toe and see where it stops at the return...this gives me an indication of how far in I'm pressing it. Do this a few times and you can quickly see how easy it is to get past 1/2 way and not really realize it.