18-20 MPG in san francisco...please help

[fitcop]

hello,

I have a 07 Fit with AT sport. No matter how I drive (slow, smooth xceleration on the peddle) I get really crappy mileage for a Fit. I live in San Francisco and do 80% of my driving in the city, the other in the bayarea freeways. As most know SF is alot of hills, stop lights/signs, and traffic but I think 18-20 sucks. My 2.3 Prelude si got 20-30 city/freeway depending on how hard I drove it and I drove that car HARD.

I'm not happy with the car for only this reason...is there any service issues that HONDA is aware of? I searched a little and found that I could try a fuel additive that takes water out of the system and the usual tire psi, filters, and drive smooth, ect.

anyone else live in a city like SF that had this problem?

[fitcop]

BTW I use chevron 87 octane if that matters

[martymcfly]

I head out to the city and drive around often and I average 35.5mpg. If you are constantly getting 18-20, there is something going on. No, the 87 gas is not the problem.

Check your tire pressure, look for slow leak (on all 4 tires) What else do you STORE in the car?

[kylerwho]

Originally Posted by martymcfly

I head out to the city and drive around often and I average 35.5mpg. If you are constantly getting 18-20, there is something going on. No, the 87 gas is not the problem.

Check your tire pressure, look for slow leak (on all 4 tires) What else do you STORE in the car?

lightening the car helps. maybe try changing the spark plugs just as a quick fix because some original plugs tend to lose some spark. maybe check the air filter too in case its clogged. just my $.02

[fitcop]

thanks for the responces guys, good to see a bayarea guy...I might get some new plugs then, what are an upgrade over stockers if there is such a thing for this engine.

My car only keeps two car seats that are light weight so weight isn't the issue...

I'm also going to do the auto zone DIY intake to make sure the filter isn't the problem

[bdrake]

My folks live in The City (I was born in the Haight and raised on Twin Peaks). When I go to visit, I take advantage of the hills. If I'm driving down Market or O'Shaugnessy, I'll turn the engine off, put it in neutral, and turn the key back on to get the EPS working. Waiting at lights, I turn the engine off too. I have a manual trans, which tends to get better mileage than ATs anyway, but I've gotten better than 40mpg on every tank after the first two. I've been visiting my folks for a few days every couple of weeks for the last two months, due to work, so I've done my share of driving in the city.

--Barry, 08 FS MT BBP

[pb and h]

Your problem is TECHNIQUE. Just driving slow will not net you high/better mpg and there is no magic airfilter. There are no mpg add ons unless you are going to make aero dynamic modifications or make a warm air intake(that remains to be proven in my book).

Lets look at my my 22mile trip last night(headlights on= draining the battery which puts more work on the engine to recharge) in the wife's 2008 CRV AUTO which netted me 38mpg with NO A/C. The CRV is flat tow able only which means I cannot coast engine off. My I encountered 3 stop lights and 2 stop signs on the way to the store and 3 stop lights and 2 stop signs on the way back. I did turn the CRV off at 2 stop lights because they were long. 15miles of the commute was interstate which I P&G from 50-45mph(ICE on). The interstate was nothing but hills the kind where the auto tranny likes to shift from 4th into 3rd even at 45mph maintaining or accelerating up the hill.

If I can achieve this in a non-aero dynamic heavy automatic beast then you or anyone else should have no problem getting 40+ out of the FIT auto or manual.


So, here are some tried and true things to do:

- Inflate tires to side wall max(mine are at 65psig and I have 42k on the tires with 5/32 of tread left)
- Shift at 2.5k-2K( I do 2K)
- Accelerate moderately(it is not a race car)
- drive the speed limit or below
- Learn FAS
- Learn P&G
- DWB
- DWL

All this will take practice and best part it is all FREE!

Good luck

[xander]

good info there, could someone please explain how FAS and P&G are done? I've looked through the different forums but can't find a good CLEAR method of doing it with an AT.

[TOOL]

Sounds like a problem to me. When i drive hard in the city i get 26 at the lowest.
When i go easy in the city i get 32-34.
I dont live in SF, but i live in a subrub full of hills. I also have a 07 AT.

[Tofuman]

The spoon sports Fit race car gets 20 MPG on thunderhill... something must be wrong. Check your tire pressure. Check your air filter. Check for a fuel leak even. Or check your calculator. Something is wrong.

[fitcop]

Originally Posted by Tofuman

The spoon sports Fit race car gets 20 MPG on thunderhill... something must be wrong. Check your tire pressure. Check your air filter. Check for a fuel leak even. Or check your calculator. Something is wrong.

LOL, maybe I'll try that first.... I had the oil changed today at jiffylube (I used to do it myself but its just easy to have a oil place do it) and filled it with chevron 87 octane. I also bought the parts to do the DIY air intake from autozone.

I'm going to see what I get with this setup and then put the results up for what you guys think... If its still jacked up then HONDA here I come

[solbrothers]

u have an auto, thats why ur mileage sucks

[TOOL]

Originally Posted by solbrothers

u have an auto, thats why ur mileage sucks

Look at some facts buddy.
Dont post random non sense AT hate messages anymore, they get old.

[ToFit2Quit]

Originally Posted by solbrothers

u have an auto, thats why ur mileage sucks

LOL...don't you get sick of saying the same things over and over again?

[CuTeBoi]

It's normal... if you're ONLY driving in the city this is pretty good.

I've learned to drive a little softer in SF, and I get about 20~24MPG...

but I remember I mentioned before hand that I was getting 18mpg at some point, I posted about it, and realized that I was only doing city driving, stepping on the gas, and not going too far...

Going on th ehighways changed the MPG dramatically...

It's all about how you drive, where you drive, and if you even leave the city.

And Tyler, suburbs I get about 28mpg, especially in fremont, and concord.... the hills make a BIG difference in SF.

[MINI-Fit]

Your Fit Sport AT is normal. You probably aren't doing anything wrong.

If you have done all you can as has been suggested then that is about all you can do given your area.

Part of the problem deals with the automatic transmission- it doesn't do well for mpg in urban areas. Everytime you pull out from a stop it eats gas no matter how gently you drive.

I have monitored mpg using a Scan Gauge II for my Fit Sport AT and on hills and in urban environments getting about 18-20 mpg is about right. You do get a little better mpg with very gentle throttle inputs.

Add some highway miles and expect about 25 to 27 mpg overall.

The cars that handle city driving best are the hybrids.

[solbrothers]

Originally Posted by ToFit2Quit

LOL...don't you get sick of saying the same things over and over again?

ill continue posting it until people get it :P

[solbrothers]

Originally Posted by fitcop

thanks for the responces guys, good to see a bayarea guy...I might get some new plugs then, what are an upgrade over stockers if there is such a thing for this engine.

My car only keeps two car seats that are light weight so weight isn't the issue...

I'm also going to do the auto zone DIY intake to make sure the filter isn't the problem

the filter isnt the problem its the driving conditions. is it easier to walk on flat ground, or walk up a hill in sf? same with a car, the harder it is for the car *more throttle being applied*, teh worse the fuel economy

[R35553H]

Originally Posted by solbrothers

ill continue posting it until people get it :P

I think people get ANNOYED before they get what you are trying to say

[R35553H]

Originally Posted by fitcop

hello,

I have a 07 Fit with AT sport. No matter how I drive (slow, smooth xceleration on the peddle) I get really crappy mileage for a Fit. I live in San Francisco and do 80% of my driving in the city, the other in the bayarea freeways. As most know SF is alot of hills, stop lights/signs, and traffic but I think 18-20 sucks. My 2.3 Prelude si got 20-30 city/freeway depending on how hard I drove it and I drove that car HARD.

I'm not happy with the car for only this reason...is there any service issues that HONDA is aware of? I searched a little and found that I could try a fuel additive that takes water out of the system and the usual tire psi, filters, and drive smooth, ect.

anyone else live in a city like SF that had this problem?

Sir, turn off A/C when it is not hot enough to have it on. The A/C compressor creates unnecessary friction/strain on your engine.

Do you drive with your patrol car, too? You can't really compare between the two. Your patrol car has a V8 and three to four times the torque of the Fit. Hence, it was easier to get around the city with your patrol car than the Fit.

If you drive your Fit like a Fit, your mileage should improve, however, if you drive your Fit like your patrol car...well, you get my point.

I hope those two points help.