I just bought a new 2016 Honda Fit about a month ago (automatic cvt, LX model). I have a little over 1000 miles driven on it. I love the car, but am a little curious about the fuel guage compared to the actual amount of fuel left. Let me give you an example based on my last fill up: I was able to drive about 230 miles from full tank to the empty gas light turning on. My car said I got about 35-36 mpg between fill ups. This was about 3/4 city driving, so I didn't expect to get the full 400 miles that specs said I should be able to drive, but 230 miles seems very low. Anyways, I filled up with the empty light on (2 ticks left on the gauge), but, according to the gas pump, I was only able to fill up roughly 7.5 gal of the 10.6 gal tank the Fit has. I understand that the empty light gives you some wiggle room, but 3.1 gal worth of wiggle room? Is the tank smaller then the specs state or is the fuel Guage not calibrated correctly? Is this normal in Honda Fits? Would love other 2016-15 owners to chime in and let me know if this is normal and the way things are supposed to be working. Thanks!

 

It's completely normal, 7.5 gallons on two ticks is about average. Nothing to worry about. Also the source of many complaints.

 

My '15 is the same way, and, my '09 Fit was just as pessimistic.

 

I've driven mine with an indicated 0 range left with about 5L left, which would've allowed me to travel roughly under 90 km or 55 miles.

 

Good to know. I guess I just got a little concerned when I was only able to drive 230 mile on a tank before the low fuel light came on and then I was only able to fill my tank 7.5 gal out of 10.6 gal.

 

Did you have any ticks left on the fuel guage when it indicated you had 0 left?

 

Yeah, I'm noticing the same thing. I was about to dig out my manual to see what the capacity of the tank is. Once you get a handle on your normal mpg, you can multiply that by 10 for a better idea how far you can drive. I just didn't want to see how low I could go until I was more confident. I drive my car pretty gently, so I'm getting 40+ mpg with just city driving. Next tank, I'll push towards 350-375 miles before filling up. I wonder if the lights start going negative, like an analog gauge with the needle going below "E". .

 

Push 350-375 miles before fill up in city driving? My gas light came on when I was at 230. Every mile after that I would be sweating bullets. I couldn't imaging risking driving 120 miles after the gas light came on.

Also, any driving tips on how to get 40+ mpg in the city? Do you use ECON?

 

Do the usual stuff (no jackrabbit starts, coast up to stop lights, etc.) plus use your ECON button, keep the ambient meter in the green as much as possible and watch the instant fuel usage meter. When I first got my car I hated that ambient meter and wanted it shut off (can't be done) but now it's my best friend, though I've learned to hate the color blue.

 

Ugh... I was hoping you wouldn't recommend Econ mode. I hate how my Fit feels when driving with Econ on compared to with it off.

 

So buy an UltraGauge and calibrate it. Tell it how large a tank you have (I told it a half gallon smaller than it is) and aside from giving you actual mpg info and real coolant temp, it can tell you how much gas you have left for real, minus any reserve you decide not to tell it about.

The OE gauges may suck, but the car actually has the information- and you can get it.

 

Exactly what Bach says. Attempt to drive with the light glowing blue as little as possible. Rapid acceleration guzzles gas. Just one hard acceleration can kill my average mpg for a whole trip to work. Every time you press the brake you are throwing away kinetic energy you bought with previous acceleration. It helps that the area where I live is mostly flat. I spend long stretches of my commute in cruise control at around 45 mph on flat terrain. With cruise engaged, on flat terrain, my car barely sips gas. Those stretches spent at 60-80 mpg make up for the times I need to accelerate (gently) from red lights.

With an average mpg of 42, and a 10.5 gallon tank, my max range on a tank should be 441 miles. Going 350 miles before filling up isn't such a stretch. You just have to realize that the stock gauge isn't necessarily linear with tank capacity. From what I've seen, it takes using about 2.5-3 gallons of the 10.5 gallon tank to take the gauge down to 50%. Most cars have their own quirky gauges. I had one car where the gauge would stay pegged at full until you used a quarter of a tank of gas. You have to get to know your own car by experience.

 

Do you use ECON mode? If so, do you use it all the time, or just some of the time?

 

This is so true ... during my first few tanks I thought the mpg tracking was broken or at least poorly calibrated because I would have 40+ mpg trip averages until I got into town, when the number would settle into the mid-30s by the time I got home. Eventually I realized I was killing the average myself because I sometimes accelerated heavily to get to the top of a steep hill just inside town. Even going up lightly hurts the average, but going heavy on the pedal is so much worse.

 

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...ml#post1343569

Just one tick.

 

The Fit's fuel tank is under the driver's seat. The fill pipe is long and convoluted. If i fill the tank to auto-shutoff on the pump it holds about 8 gallons. If I then fill it slowly I can put another 2 full gallons in before it is truly full.

OK I can hear the net.experts already "Don't top off your tank, it will fill the charcoal canister with gas, ruin your paint job and cause cavities in your teeth!!!"

My response: The Fit is a well-engineered car. A well-engineered car will incorporate expansion space in the fuel tank that cannot be filled with fuel. It should be able to be filled with any pump, one that pumps fast and one that just dribbles the fuel in.

I've driven hundreds of thousands of miles in various vehicles and have always topped off my tanks. It's a habit born of living in rural Nevada where that extra gallon or two might make the difference between driving and hiking. I've never had a charcoal canister fill with fuel or had any other ill effect from topping the tank.

Now, I'm not stupid about it. I don't fill the car on a cold morning and then let it sit in the sun without driving. That could conceivably cause a problem, but the solution is simply to drive a few miles after fueling.

I typically drive 80 miles before the first square on the fuel gauge goes out. At that point I usually have 270 miles left in the tank, more on the highway, less in urban driving. I've taken the range meter down to single digits and there is probably a bit of reserve left even then but I don't push it. Typical mixed freeway and suburban driving gets me 350-370 miles of range. If I'm on the highway it will go over 400. That's driving normally, not playing at hypermiling.

 

I just fill the tank once a week and don't worry about the rest of the nonsense

 

Do you use ECON mode at all?

 

I like knowing how my vehicle works and what are its limits. This is why I'm invested in knowing about this.

 

That's why many of us would like to have either a digital or printed repair manual without having to pay an outrageous price. I know Honda's rational ... it doesn't want Joe Shadetree going in and screwing up some system and then claiming warranty to fix Joe's fu.