Alright, I have a 2008 MT fit and when i have the A/C running it seems to take away alot of power from shifting. Is this normal or should i be concerned? Is there anyway that I can get this to stop or since its only a 4cyl just deal with it? Thanks for the input in advanced. -Sean

 

The AC compressor takes a certain amount of twisting power to run it, and at the low end of the RPM scale the engine is not making much power. As a result low-RPM shifts will feel like there's not much power left over to motivate the car. As a simple example using hp, say the AC takes 5hp to run, and at the low end of the RPM range you are only producing 25hp from your engine. When you turn that AC on it's going to feel like you've got 20% less power, which you would definitely notice!

I had the same issue in my CRV (manual trans), because even though it was a bigger engine it was still a low-torque 4-cyl. On bigger-engined cars like a V6 american car, no problem - you don't even notice the AC is on really, and the car's normal gas mileage is so bad it hardly matters. Hehe.

There is no way around it except to turn off the AC while accelerating I'm afraid. Or rev the engine a little higher than you would otherwise.

 

The under the hood temperature becomes crazy hot in the summer down here and you guys further north are having record heat this one... Cool denser air makes for more power and more miles per gallon... My car suffers terribly in the summer.. Hood louvers have helped some as has using Redline water wetter and one heat range colder plugs but not enough to make me happy...The A/C condenser sitting in front of the radiator also contributes to the problem by giving off heat as well as putting an extra load on the engine like fujisawa pointed out in his post.

 

As already cited by TC and fuji, you just have to adjust/tweak your thought process and adjust your driving accordingly... It's a small displacement engine and the added load (AC) is just amplified more compared to a bigger engine.

 

Yes!!!!! I HATE turning on my a/c because it robs so much power from this little guy :P bleh I just roll down the windows instead ;P

 

Or..... Hit the gas pedal. It's the one on the right. Fixes most my power issues

 

Man I feel for you guys that have to deal with this issue.I'm in Socal near the beach and I really don't have to use my AC much at all.

I had to go to the Valley last week and I did run my AC a bit but it was no problem.I had a 2011 Mustang 5.0 and there was no drop off in power with the AC on lol

I don't notice the issues with the Fit's small motor and limited power but I'm sure if I was driving across country it would be a different story.

I just rent a larger car with v6/v8 when I travel and need cold ac.

 

Or the heat, I bet :P

Re renting a car, you've got the right idea. On a long road trip, I think you come out ahead by renting a car. A good guide is that the cost per mile including depreciation is somewhere between $0.50 (older car) and $2.00 (new car, unreliable, luxury = Jaguar et al). A real beater might get you down to $0.30 per mile.

If a rental costs $50, it'd make sense to rent if you were going more than 100 miles and could deal with the annoyance of going to/from the rental place. If you were going 200 miles you could get a car for $100/day (and very few rentals cost that much). Math checks out

 

Do what I sometimes do. Turn off the A/C when you are accelerating. Pump it up at red lights and when you are on the highway keeping a regular average speed or decelerating. It's kinda like pushing the turbo boost button on KITT except the opposite.

 

Ditto. Do this and keep it in recirc mode. That way when you turn it off to accelerate, it doesn't get to hot to fast.

 

I just recently purchased my first Honda Fit - 2008 Sport MT also! I live in Florida, so the heat/humidity is always brutal in the summer. I noticed this same problem sean. You almost cannot survive in the south w/o AC. I really can't wait for autumn/winter to see the difference! I think I will do a MPG test starting tomorrow since I am low on fuel and need to fill up.

 

As of right now I have just been turning the A/C off at stop lights and then once I get going turn it on at will. It is a hassle but oh well. I am thinking about getting on of the fans that plug into the outlet and just have that running.

 

I have a 2008 MT too and have the same issues. My A/C doesn't work all that well to begin with and definitely takes a lot of power. I also turn it off at stoplights in order to give myself a "power boost" . Does anyone know if that is hard on the car? Turning it on and off like that? Summers in Montana don't last too long, but this one has been hotter than usual. Blech. Also not happy that I don't have a heat gauge so I can keep an eye on things. I am a little paranoid about running the A/C all the time and not being able to see my heat gauge for that little engine.

 

It's a 1.5L economy motor, not a Dodge Viper... you're going to lose some mpg and power with the A/C on in the city.

 

I raced a Dodge Viper the other day. I think we all know the outcome of that race. ..

 

You mean you thought about it then all of a sudden all you saw were tail lights and exhaust...

 

Not trying to be a smart ass but the Fit is far from a performance car. It's very good at a few things but not that. As was said, if the OP wants that power back when accelerating, just click the A/C switch off to stop the compressor and but also make sure to leave the vent on Internal so your not pulling in HOT outside air.

It would not be too hard to install a throttle position switch and drive a relay that cut's the compressor out at WOT. This was a common feature not long ago on small power cars like the Fit. If that's not enough, consider a Nitrous system or sell it.

I live in South Fla and rarely use the A/C, but have a few times and when not in Eco mode. I do not notice the compressor as far as power bc I'm never WOT.

have fun

 

the first time i use my ac this season i kill my batt?

 

Fitster, what do you mean exactly that it killed your batt? Do you never use ac?

 

no clue

i rarely use ac
it was a really hot day

optima yellow top too oh well
only lasted me 2.5 years