► "Official" Fuel Economy Thread (Tips and Questions)

[E = Mc2]

Lots of time between posts. I'm guessing that most of us are ashamed of our Winter mileage. I've been averaging roughly 38 mpg the last handful of tanks. Nothing to write home about, but still better than the 20 I was getting in the truck!

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[redskull1944]

sorry i created another thread about fuel economy but i was hoping to get some opinions

so my gas mileage went way down after my cross country drive, the air filter was dirty so i went to autozone for a new one $30-$35 for one to be ordered to the store K&N filter on ebay $35 with free shipping now i get 26-29 mpg all city is this the average for everyone else? i have an automatic and i check my tire pressure weekly and my oil change was 1000 miles ago

[Sahwn]

E = Mc2 -
actually my last 3 tanks were:

69mpg 12/03
67mpg 11/26
56.8mpg 11/20

Grill Block FTMFW!!! :D


redskull1944 -

I have used a K&N air filter and noticed no difference in mpg. The colder air/weather kills mpg. Also, you need to look at your driving techniques if you really want to improve your mpg. Other things to consider for the colder weather: block heater and/or a grill block and/or warm air intake(short ram intake) along with a SGII. Which I just purchased by the way and that damn thing ROCKS! - I have all the above except a block heater which I am contemplating buying one.

I have been able to achieve great mileage with AM commute temperatures in the 30's and PM temps in the 40's.

[redskull1944]

i also live at 4800' elevation and my i don't really drive my car that hard at all the only other thing i can think of is the gas it is really terrible out here in utah i use midgrade which is 87 octane

btw what's a sgII?

[Sahwn]

SGII = Scan Gauge II - it is a tool that does many things like scan for OBDII codes and you can use it to get better mpg. It gives you instant feed back which allows you to adjust your driving techniques if you so choose. With that said one does not need a SGII to improve mpg but it does help and will get you there quicker. It will typically pay for it self in the money you save in gas. I use to be a non-believer.

[biggee]

first off, I only read the first 5 or so pages so if some of this has been dealt with I am sorry.

Most passenger car tires that I put on have a max psi rating of 44psi. Honda recommends much lower then that. Running on more then 44psi is dangerous. I like to check my tire pressures once a month. It is scary how many people have loooow pressures when I check them.

Always driving very slowly and granny shifting or short trips builds up a lot of carbon in your intake manifold and on your valves, which will in turn cause more damage to your engine. You may save 10 bucks, but it'll cost alot more to disassemble your engine. A good romp or highway trip is very good for your engine as it will help reduce the carbon build up. Oooor if you don't like that idea get yourself a motorvac (or equivalent) more often to keep the build up down. Carbon build up will lead to poor fuel economy as well.

Also I heard someone write that the additives in fuel cause the timing to be changed. That is false. Your engine pinging or pre-igniting when you put regular in a premium needing car will cause timing adjustments. Fuel doesn't change timing, your computer does.

Mythbusters tried that AC on widows up or no AC windows down MPG myth. They got much much further with the windows down AC off. Although when it is 30C+ I am rolling with the AC on.

Disconnecting your battery can cause fuel consumption to go up as well. Weird you say? Well your computer "learns" how you drive. It is called long term fuel trim or block learn/ integrator, etc. So if it always sees you need "X" amount of fuel at "Y" load, etc that is what it will start with and use short term fuel trim to fine tune that. Now if you disconnect your battery and lose all that information you have to start all over again. We have had some clients complain about it before. It just needs to re-learn your driving habits again. Crazy huh?!

I am not trying to knock increased fuel economy, because I have an 80km commute daily with a carb'd pickup, so I know the extra mpg is awesome. I just want to get rid of false information.

[screaminj]

hey guys, has anyone ever bought and tried one of those chips off ebaymotors? this power seller gt_plus has chips that can increase fuel economy by around 20%, also increase horsepower and torque, sounds very promising. I was wondering if anyone here ever got one.

my winter driving has been normal, i am getting mid to high 30s MPG, sometimes i find it too much work to coast and shutting the engine off at long red lights, etc.

[redskull1944]

i was looking at that chip and there wasn't any neg/neutral feedback that couldn't of been resolved I saw that a couple of fit owners bought it so the best thing i can do is message them threw ebay and ask how it works for them

[solbrothers]

gfto w/ chips

[redskull1944]

I did find this about the gt tunerbox nothing from anyone who actually used it though

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forum...ncy-issue.html

[JFit317]

what octane/ gas station is everyone using?

[solbrothers]

87 octane

[JFit317]

thanks man

[SDGD3kid]

yeah. 87 octane is the best for the fit. and to add on to the whole 60mpg to a tank im sorry i cant buy it. Im sure that Honda in all their wisdom tested the fit on so many conditions to figure out that the mpg on the sticker is what you get. unless your being towed or surprisingly your car is moving on its own with the without the gears being engaged (which would be impressive) i cant buy it. i do get that the 30+ mpg is reasonable and way better than any USDM car out there.

[ScratchRepair]

Hey there,
I have a customer here at my Automotive Reconditioning shop, located in Montclair, NJ. He has an 07 Fit with a broken gas tank door... apparently one of our gas pump attendants got a little 'strong' with the door, snapped it right off and bent the tank door. I am wondering if the Fit tank door and assembly is the same from any other honda product or even Acura for that matter. The dealership quoted him at just under $400 for replacement, paint, and installation! Ouch. If you have any info please let me know.

Shane Dresser

Paint Perfections
1800.446.8513

[tblock]

true thanks tips do help..

[JDM-97CX]

Originally Posted by SDGD3kid

yeah. 87 octane is the best for the fit.

How do you figure?



And there is no way people are getting 60+MPG. I don't care what "trick" you say that you found, it isn't happening unless you push the car 300 miles.

[bilbofett]

In almost a year I have never, ever, ever broken past 18 mpg or gone over about 200 on a full tank on the odometer!

I'll give you the full story so someone can maybe identify something I haven't thought of yet. Please read and offer any advice/tips/help you can. Thanks!

Bought my 08' Automatic Fit Sport in August of 2008.
It only registered 30 test-driven miles on it, being brand new.
The dealership was a good hour from my house, and they filled up the tank all the way, and I drove it all the way home on the freeway, averaging between 55-70 the whole way.
Even then I wasn't that excited about the gas mileage.
The next day, I was almost broadsided by some jerk who was going about 150 and going into my lane. I had no choice but to slam on the breaks and swerve left and right really fast so I wouldn't hit the car next to me, avoiding him.
That incident balded my tires a bit, and I think my car eventually got out of alignment from that.

I was a little suspicious of the dealership because they were selling another color of the new '08 Fit and it had custom tinting on all the windows... the Fits don't come that way.. so what gives, were they selling a returned one and saying it was new?

Ok... thats the sum total of the negative forces (that I'm aware of) that have impacted my car.
I've only done 1 oil change, and theres less than 6,000 miles on it now, almost a year later. I've only EVER put in Mobil or Chevron, and never used the cheapo gasses. On this recent oil change, I put in a synthetic Mobil1 oil filter. I changed the air filter and cabin filter, even though it was way under the time needed, obviously.

I took it to another dealership and told them my story and had their service department check it over. They (said) they checked it top to bottom; no faults or codes on the computers, the breaks aren't sticking (thereby causing extra friction which I was suspicious of). They offered to have one of their technicians drive it an hour away and back and check the mileage but I told him I've done that over and over and over. They said they didn't know what to tell me. They offered stories of salespeople who own the Honda Pilot and they were very displeased with the mileage until after about 15,000 miles the gas mileage suddenly went up, apparently after the engine was broken in.

Eh.

I don't drag race it, I don't drive it like its a sports car, and even when I've done entire tanks driving like a very cautious old lady, the mileage is pretty much the same. Whether I drive 90% freeway or 90% city, the mileage is the same. Whether I have lots of passengers or just myself, the mileage is the same.

When the dealership says they can't find anything wrong with it.. .what am I supposed to do?

I'm a young single guy and I could've bought a Mustang for this kind of mileage. I tried to be wise and sensible and I wanted to save more money on gas in the longrun than look cool and impress people. I test drove the Yaris, the Nissan Versa, and the Fit. I had to go with the Fit because of the safety rating, the cheaper auto insurance, and the overall features and kudos/awards from all the car magazines.

I know, this was a very long story and I'm sorry for that but I wanted to give you the full details so y'all wouldn't have to ask for them later.

My parents drive a 6-cylinder GMC Jimmy SUV thats from 2001 and it gets... 18-20 mpg... the same as my damn Fit!!

I saw a guy today driving the 2009 Fit Sport and I asked him what kind of mileage he is getting and he looked on his dash and said it was reading 33, and he said thats about right.

That's when I decided enough is enough.

The fact that it needs an alignment and the tires are slightly balded a little can't possibly kill the mileage by 10 mpg or more??? I've checked and re-checked everything over and over. The air pressure in my tires is correct. Like I said, I've never used cheap gas. Its only had 1 oil change. All the filters are brand new in it since I changed them a few weeks ago. I run the AC alot but so do others who live around here, including that guy who gets 33 mpg average.


I need some advice/help on who to contact.. Honda corporate? I have absolutely no idea who I would call or email there.... maybe contact a consumer advocate to put on the heat? the dealership I bought the car from?? I want to start getting the 27/33 mileage this car is rated for, or I want a different car.

I'm sick of this. I'm tired of throwing my money away. Maybe I should've bought a Prius like I was thinking. I know, I know... you end up paying about 7,000 more in the long run. But I could *REALLY* use that immediate gas savings in my wallet right here and now!

Someone, anyone... please help me figure this out... shed some light on this!

P.S. Thanks for listening

[screaminj]

billbofett, that sucks man. Most of us here don't know what to tell you just as the Honda dealership people.

How do you measure your MPG by the way?

[upNover]

I am actually looking to buy a VW TDI as a commuter. I checked out some TDI forums and to my surprise, their only averaging 44mpg.

I get 35MPG on my 98 Civic coupe. That's with full exhaust, headers and a drop-in K&N. Regularly check the tires and kept the speedo under 70.

Knowing this, I'm keeping my civic... lol

[screaminj]

I'm happy to report that my gas mileage has been increased to 42+MPG highway