thank you. I'm going to start doing that. I like your fuelly figures. Its going to be a new habit to learn, turning off at reds, but I hate these city numbers. I already pull away slowly, upshift quickly, but I haven't yet been turning off at reds.

 

Have you consider the gas you save vs. the cost of extra wear and tear on your starter motor and the engine cylinder rings? The reason new cars stop the engine is to save gas during EPA testing. Start and re-start put excessive wear on your engine!

 

I recall people use this justification to leave computers and fluorescent lights run continuously. Why not leave the water run continuously so you don't wear-out the faucet?

 

"It ain't necessarily so, the things you read in the forum, it ain't necessarily so ..." The prior practice of warming up the car before driving of went by the wayside when more precise machining and multi-viscosity oil became common (along with synthetic oil). Starter motor wear out? When did that last happen and after how many miles?

I do turn off in drive thru lines, stop lights not so much.

 

As a response to UrbnMonkey, re living in Canada.

I lived in Canada for 55 years, and now live in the USA for 22. The impression that this guy gives of Canadian living is totally false. Yes...those places do exist, but no-one lives there, hence no gas stations.

Most Canadians live in large cities, within a 2 hr drive of the U. S. border...meaning in the south. Canada is more modern than many parts of the USA....esp when it comes to banking and credit cards. So gas stations can be found everywhere.....when you need them.

Canadians pay more for their cars, and a lot more for Gasoline. But they do get free Health Care.

 

When you bring up the faucet for comparison, I know your idea is flawed. Replacing the faucet cartridge cost about $15. Hum, replacing the starting costs 3-4 hundred bucks. That's not really a good comparison is it?

I am not willing to put extra wear and tear on these parts to save some gasoline. The starter motor has to be more robust so it stays reliable despite being used far more often. Likewise, the battery must have deep cycle capability that can endure more frequent draws from the starter. And the engine's crankshaft and rod bearings need to have special low-friction coatings to handle the extra loads placed on them during frequent restarts.

If any of these parts go bad, your gas saving will not pay for the repairs. The next time you turn off your engine at an intersection, think about it. It's your choice and mine as well.

 

Free isn't necessarily free. Somebody is paying for that free health care and as Pogo said decades ago, "We have met the enemy and he is us." The tax payers are paying for that free health care

Our gas here in Tennessee just increased by 4 cents and is scheduled to increase 1 cent in 2018 and 2019 to improve the infrastructure. State sales tax on food dropped 1 cent.

Canada or the US, car drivers are among the most taxed private individuals. Registration, inspection, at the pump, repairs ... there's no free lunch for auto drivers. (Did I bring this back on topic, sorta?).

 

I agree about the water faucet comparison, but IMHO, you concern for the other engine parts is far out of proportion as well. Unnecessary idling is a waste of gasoline. Cutting of the engine at traffic lights is potentially dangerous, that is in TRAFFIC. In the drive thru lane at McDonald's or Wendy's is a different thing.

 

I would be very careful when you decide to stop/start. The are consequences that do not show up until later in time. I agree there are certain situations when stop/start makes sense, like a mile long train traveling across an intersection. Or, when I know the signal takes several minutes before changing to green when a road is under repair.

Are you aware that BMW has a button to overcome the stop/start default? Yes sir, this stop/start came about for EPA testing when the mfg disregard any wear and tear consequences. It was done to get better EPA results. Now, VW did it better using software.

 

Now at 651.6 miles, the displayed mileage by the car computer is 38.8 MPG. I did check the second tank : actual was 330.2 miles using 8.292 gallons = 39.82 MPG. This was about 55% city and 45% hi way. Most of the time the a/c was off. This is an LX with CVT.
For the third generation Fit is the cold winter mileage significantly less?

 

Temperature makes a huge difference with mine ('15 EX-L, CVT). In good weather, I average about 44 mpg. In the colder weather, I struggle to get to 40 mpg, generally getting in the upper 30's.

 

By reducing error in mpg calculation, I start off with the tank full, ie top it off, and then again, top it off at the refill. (no lessons on why I shouldn't top the tank, thank you) otherwise I cannot be assured that the amount of gas I used is accurate. I have consistently fill more than 10.6 gallons. The most I have ever put in the tank is 11.318 gallons. I was surprised to find the Fit's mpg indicator is optimistic by 2+ mpg. In the past, I though it was accurate until I decided to accurately determined the amount of gas I used between fill ups. I have a 2017 LX with CVT. The last fill up information: 7/25/2017 10.756 gallons $1.979/gallon, cost $21.29, ODO miles traveled 452.5, calculated mpg 42.07, Honda Fit indicated 44.2 mpg (wrong!)

 

I don't know what the Fit uses to calculate ave mpg, but it is wrong. I suspect the calculation is based on 10.6 gallons maximum amount of gas you can use from the tank. I have in the past put more than 11.3 gallons in the tank. In my past calculation the Fit mpg is optimistic by at least +2 mpg. Here, I had 113 miles on the trip ODO after some city driving and now cruising. The Fit ave mpg shows 51.4 mpg, which I know is not right. I will find out how much error it is when I refill and calculate the mpg after completing this tank of gas. The way I drive, I have consistently getting between 41-42 mpg, but the Fit shows more than +2 mpg.

 

That is truly outstanding MPG !!! Mine has a little over 700 miles. The car's computer shows 39.2 MPG. Mine is a 2017 LX CVT with about 45% hi way and 55% city.
Currently driving on the third tank full. I will keep separate stats. Need to rely on the odometer for their mileage figures. If the speedo/odometer is optimistic, it still throws off the resulting MPG calculation.
Maybe someone with 15 inch wheels can comment on the accuracy of the odometer readings?

 

One way to check the ODO is to use the highway markers if they are available, or even your gps! I found the ODO accurate compared to my Garmin GPS.

 

I will do that. Thank you.

 

On my last fill-up, the car indicated 44.5 mpg, and my calculator gave the same result, but that's certainly not what happens at every fill-up.

The car knows how far it has traveled, and it knows how much gas has flowed through the injectors. I think it uses that info to calculate MPG. Whatever the system, I'm glad I have a car that is so cheap to operate.

By the way, this is the first time that this forum didn't take me back to sign-in before I posted. That's been a nuisance.

 

You have monitored your mpg for a while. How do you assure yourself what you filled is what you used? Contrary to what some dislike the idea of topping off the tank at every fill, that is how I assure myself that I am not putting less or more gas than what is used. And, the more I used for the calculation, the less error I introduce into the calculation. Engineers know better. I have the feeling that Honda does not use a flow sensor to calculate their average mpg because it is consistently higher than what I calculated. Saving cost, I suspect the Fit uses an estimated amount of gas in the tank instead, and then 10.6 gallon is the max it is used, which would make their average (guesstimate) mpg calculation wrong if I use more than 10.6 gallons, which I do at times. 11.163 11.156 11.162 10.990 10.892 11.223 11.285 11.318 10.921 10.756 11.152. The gas pump should be accurate, unless the store is trying to cheat you on purpose. I know my Fit well enough to know exactly when I have to refill.

I think the reason you didn't have to sign in again is because you cleared the "cookies and other site sign in" if you are using Chrome for your browser.

 

I stop filling as soon as the pumps clicks off. I figure any discrepancies even out over a few fillings. As long as my MPG doesn't drop into the 30s, I'm happy.

I'l look into that cookie issue.

 

True, overall long term mpg calculations would be accurate. Amazing that the Fit is capable of 40+ mpg without the complications of hybrids. Those who complain that the acceleration is inadequate is shameful! Be happy for what the car is designed to do.