Using premium gas in the Fit is a total waste of money. If you want the CEO's of Shell, BP etc to get richer, by all means keep wasting your $$$.

 

I got 35.5 mpg on the last tank, now around 1500 miles. That's the best yet so I hope it's getting 'broken in' as far as fuel economy.

 

After talking to an experienced and very well respected mechanic.... This is entire untrue! My mechanic suggested using premium because it is better for the engine. Premium has detergents in it that will keep your fuel injectors clean, and will run the engine leaner and cooler (both good things for your engine). Be careful what you tell people…. And for everyone else, do your research, and talk to “experts.”

 

39.7 mpg today, traveled 200 miles, cruise control set most of the way at 65 with the a/c on. I still have the same oil in that the car came with and only 3000 miles on the car. I'm quite pleased, I must say.

 

I got 40 mpg on my first tank. I put on 365 miles in the first two days-80% interstate going 60-70mph. I was thrilled, but my second tank dropped to 35 mpg- still great- I did a lot of stop and go driving. I have a basic Fit - automatic.

 

Dude, your totally wrong. Premium gas does absoulutely NOTHING to help you or your engine. If you want to wast your money, go for it!

 

Sport AT with all stop and go, city congestion, no highway, got 24 mpg. Wow, I did not think it could get that low .

 

Hiroko, Dude! What is your background? What do you do for a living? I'm a graduate student studing Couple and Family Therapy, and not an expert, and that is why i reported what i was told by my mechanic.... (however, I work on my own cars, what i can't do i take to my mechanic). Like a said, he is a very knowledgable, respected, and experienced mechanic. This is what i was told by and EXPERT? Are you an expert?

 

Check out the following...
*note* some of these are just opinions, while others are from so called "experts"

http://www.diabolicalperformance.com/hotrodoctane.html

http://www.epinions.com/auto-review-...38D070E2-prod2

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/...s_premium.html

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fuelec...3/article.html

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/041008.html

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/GFM...soline_FAQ.asp

I learned a few things... there can be some advantages at times, and no advantage at other times... I have an uncle who designed the engine for the Corvette-ZR1 (no, i'm not kidding) and ran a race team for some time... he now runs his own performance garage in Brighton, Michigan.... I'll have to give him a call and ask what he thinks... he is definitely an Expert!

 

OK. So somwhere on one of the links on this site I read that with VTEC the higher you rev the more valves open. Intake valves? so if at 3500 rpm you have additinal intake valves opening do you also inject more fuel? If so is the key to economy, if you really worry about it, to keep your RPM below 3400, (which means a max of around 67mph) and drive with a very light foot shifting early on acceleration? These are questions not my thesis on how to drive. My Fit is way too much fun for me to want to drive it that way.
Any ideas?

 

I just filled up my first tank with 9.3 gallons and had 246 miles. 26MPG. I think it was lower than I expected because I did a lot of short trips letting people ride in it and I played with the Paddle shifters some. Most of the driving was in city traffic, stop and go, idling. I guess having other people in the car didn't help too. I'm hoping to get better mileage on this tank.

Sport AT

 

Ordered a 2006 Honda Civic SI today, black stock. The Fit will be my wifes car. As much as I have tried to adjust, I just cant handle the mediocre power in the Fit. The SI will serve me right, and the Fit will be cool with my wife.

 

Just got back from a 1000 mile trip and averaged about 41 mpg with alot of weight in the car. also did not see any other Fits on the road during the entire trip.

 

log on www.petronfuelsuccess.com....re: fuel performance

 

After 2000 miles, averaging 30.5 mpg combined city/highway (more city) with a very heavy foot (car almost never shifts before 5krpm in first two gears) Cant complain with my lead foot. Course drove agressively with my 3.4 L Olds alero and still got 26-28mpg well broken in. Better than a 10% improvement.

 

Don't be gulled by slick oil company marketing ploys about the benefits of premium fuel: few new cars really need it and those that don't won't run any better from using it.


There's no mystery to it. Just take a look at your owner's manual; it will tell you the manufacturer's fuel recommendations. There may also be a sticker on the gas cap or even on the instrument cluster under the gas gauge.


Whatever it says, abide by it. You're only wasting your money by burning premium fuel in a car that doesn't require it. Higher-octane (91 and up) gas burns more slowly, and will actually give poorer performance when fed to engines that were designed to burn regular 87-octane fuel.


But the reverse isn't always true. What happens, in fact, if you use regular or even mid-grade gas in a car that really does need premium? If the car in question is a late-model one, nothing that will cause any permanent problems. The computer will adjust the ignition timing and other engine parameters to compensate for the lower-octane juice. You may notice a slight fall-off in acceleration, but no engine damage or drivability problems should arise.

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But with some older, pre-computer cars (model year 1981 and before) you could have a problem. For example, a Sixties-era "muscle car" with a high compression ratio must have premium fuel to avoid deadly engine knock (pre-ignition), which occurs when the gas and air inside the engine's cylinders ignites before the piston reaches its firing position at "top dead center." When that happens, the explosion tries to force the piston down when it's coming up -- and that puts enormous strain on engine bearings, connecting rods and the relatively fragile aluminum pistons themselves.


Unless you want to ruin your high-compression engine, premium fuel is an absolute must in such cases. You may even have to add a can of octane boost to each tank in some cases to bring the fuel up to spec. In this case, premium fuel prevents engine knock because it is less volatile and hence burns more slowly than lower grade gas. Thus it is not as susceptible to pre-ignition.


However, even today's "ultra" premiums come nowhere near the octane level of the leaded premium that was available 30 years ago. In those days, octane ratings of 100 were common; today 94 is the best you can get -- and the octane level is raised not by lead but by the addition of "aromatics" that may cause problems in older engines.


Fortunately, very few cars still on the road today have high-compression engines that need such fuel. The handful that remain have usually had their engines rebuilt with lower compression pistons to run on today's lower-grade gas -- and the others can avail themselves of octane boosters readily available at auto parts stores.

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You should not buy octane boost, however, for use in an emissions-controlled car with a catalytic converter. Octane boosters may foul the converter and eventually plug it up. Besides, no factory-built produced since the early 1970s needs the stuff anyway. You're just wasting money and buying the advertising hype.


There is one thing, though, that could cause your late model, regular-fuel car to need a higher grade gas: age. As an engine gets older, carbon build-up on the tops of the pistons effectively increases the compression ratio -- which in turn means you may find the car knocks when you use anything but mid- or even premium-grade gas.


This is a normal condition and nothing to worry about. Your engine will run great for many miles to come, so long as you feed it the stronger juice. If you wish, there are ways to flush the engine and purge the carbon from the tops of the pistons, but this service is not cheap, and the pistons will eventually get a coating of carbon all over again anyhow. It's typically cheaper and certainly less hassle just to spring for mid-grade gas.


With this exception, you should stick with the fuel recommendations of the manufacturer and avoid being sucked into the trap of paying extra for something you don't need.


If for some reason your car still knocks, the ignition timing is probably off or you need a tune-up. Don't crutch the problem by going up to higher grade gas; have the car looked over by your mechanic to determine what the problem is.


Read More: Is $3 Gas Too Cheap?

2006-06-30 11:20:50



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Very true. Many people are under the illusion that premium gas gives you more power when in fact the opposite is true, although I suspect that the difference wouldn't be seat of the pants detectable.

High compression engines want premium gas to avoid detonation/pinging because of the fact that premium is less volatile than regular gas, and therefore can handle higher compression levels than regular gas. Higher compression engine = more power, not the premium gas the engine needs to run.

If your engine doesn't requeire premium you won't get any additional benefit from it.

 

i got 303 in my last tank. light turned on at 290

 

http://www.epa.gov/donttopoff/

 

First fill up: 251 miles, 7.606 gallons, 33.0 miles per gallon. (87 octane, $2.95/gal here in Indianapolis). These 251 miles were a majority city back and forth to work miles, though some were highway. Very satisfied!