I took delivery of my 2012 Fit Sport M/T in Black five days ago….

This is my fourth Honda so I am familiar with the product….

previous vehicles were 98 GSR, 06 AP2 S2K and 06 Civic EX coupe


The vehicle has about 500 miles at this point and so far I have noticed the following….

The Fit seems to need alot of adjustments to stay "on center"on the Highway, especially if it catches a good wind gust.. This is my first vehicle of this type/shape.. is this common to the Fits'?

I notice a slight rattle/tick coming from the engine around 2-3k RPM, is this the heatshield? which seems to be common on Honda's I have owned?

I have yet to activate VTEC or go over 5300 RPM since I am still breaking in the Motor. Is this a good idea or should I activate VTEC during Break in?

I have gone about 85 so far, is it ok to go that fast with only 500 miles on it?

This is my first new car…… so Im not too keen on proper break in procedures.


Also I noticed my tires bulge at the bottom where it contacts the pavement, when I add air it doesnt seem to change it. Is this normal or do the tires maybe have flat spots? doubtful since its a 2012 cant imagine it was sitting around for a long time.

Also that may be affecting my gas mileage. I have only been getting 31-32 MPG so far, with a good mix of HWY driving…. Does the MPG get better after its broken in?


My friend has a 2009 Fit sport MT and he consistently got 40 MPG doing mostly HWY driving… He drives more conservative then I do.

Thanks for any feed back. One thing I always love about Honda's they have great Forum feedback generally speaking….

If you guys have want any feedback on the 2012 let me know.


Bobby

 

I don't remember the ping sound on my 2009 but I'll check. MPGs will go up from what I've read on here after a couple thousand miles.

 

Normal for the Fit... there are a number of comments in the forum
about this topic.

Short wheelbase, relatively tall along with nice flat side surfaces get
the attention of wind like a sailboat.

You have a warranty. If this concerns to take it back to the dealer and
at least go on record as having advised them.

Read the owners manual regarding break-in and follow those recommendations.

This is normal with radial tires; however, do check your tire pressure to
ensure that is within or close to spec.

 

My Fit has very sensitive steering. It was a little bothersome at first but I don't notice it most of the time now. It adds to the responsiveness of the car.

 

There are lots of threads here concerning break-in. The manual just says to avoid hard acceleration and braking for the first 600 miles. Some will tell you that Honda engines are made to be abused, so pound on it. Others will tell you to give it a little longer break-in. It's really whatever sounds best to you. I personally would go somewhere in the middle: don't drive too gently or too hard; avoid driving at a constant speed/RPM - run it up and down through the "moderate" rev range as you drive, maybe up to 4K RPM with a combination of speeds and gears. That's just me...

The fuel injectors on the Fit make a pretty sharp tick-tick noise. Maybe that's what you're hearing? I've read the issues about tracking straight, but never really noticed it except in wind. But I've driven small cars all my life.

Congrats on the new car. You sound pretty excited with all the questions about making sure everything is right.

 

I rationalized squirrelly steering on my 09 as short wheelbase and high ratio steering until I had the tires changed and the thing aligned. It made a big difference. When it was new I took it to the dealer after a month or so and they looked at it (literally) and said, "It's fine." I suspect if I had the alignment checked when new they would have found it needing adjustment; tires only lasted 30K miles. But then it might be the michelins I got to replace the factory dunlops.

 

Get the alignment checked out on it. Stock tires are junk, but after a couple thousand miles and wear, they do hold the road a bit better.

Do this with a warmed up engine, but you don't have to floor it, just raise the RPMs into the VTEC range. Not constantly though, as in hard driving, just think of "exercising" the engine some. Keep engine speeds varied (no cruise).

Aside from the risk of running off the highway (due to crosswinds/tires/etc), that shouldn't be much of an issue. Aren't the RPMs pretty high up there though at 85... how's the sound in the car?

At 85, you're not getting much in the way of HWY mileage... try 65, 70 max.

 

Ok so the ticking sound I am referring I notice most commonly on Decel in low gear going roughly 20 miles an hour around 2-3k RPM…

I'm used to higher output honda motors, with assumably tighter tolerances. so maybe this is just normal for the L15 and its a "thrasher", for a honda it reminds me of my brothers VQ35 in his G sedan MT……Gritty but gets the job Done! Sort've like a Coffee Grinder. haha

And I checked the tire after 30 min spirited cruise on the highway tonight and they were around 30PSI I'm assuming they were closer to 20 cold so the dealer sold me a car and they couldn't even get that part right. Not very happy.

I cant wait to be done with the break in, this car is more fun splicing through traffic then I had anticipated.

Thanks for all the replies! Im very enthusiastic and I do plan to keep this car for a long time. Hoping to get 300-400k on the original Engine and Tranny.

My goal is to get the car to average 40-45 MPG. What are your thoughts guys on the best bang for the buck mods to increase MPG and/or driveability.

I was thinking some suspension work (springs or coils??), lightweight wheels, intake and/or filter…

Any recommendations? Advice?


Also, where in the owners manual does it mention break in. Couldnt find it in the index and I went through the whole thing and missed it. Guess they want to keep you as uninformed as possible so you rely on the dealer network. TYPICAL LOL

 

For my 2009, page 198. Second page of the "Before Driving" section. Maybe it's not there for 2012?

 

TPMS warning should activate around 28/29 psi!

You'll still have to change the clutch at least once in that long a period I'd imagine.

That's a little aggressive, depending on driving conditions, high 30s is about the max true average realistically. And requires some restraint in one's driving habits.

Those goals are somewhat counter - MPG can be gained with low rolling resistance tires for eg, but driveability will suffer. Better tires will help the car a ton, but reduce MPG by 1-3 for a slightly wider tire. Lightweight wheels, freer intake/exhaust all should help, but the engine doesn't like hot much, so keep intake air temps in mind. A drop will help with stability and might help with MPG a very slight bit.

Stock ride height almost seems in certain conditions, the car is generating lift with all the air under it. Thus the squirrely ride with strong winds.

 

Since upgrading tires and having it aligned I've gone from averaging 32mpg to 36mpg per tank over the same driving pattern. I also switched to 0w20 (2012s have that in there already, don't they?). 40mpg+ isn't realistic unless you have ideal driving conditions (45-55mph, few stops). Socal doesn't qualify.

I suspect of the three the alignment was most significant, but the tires didn't hurt any (and may have helped). Michelin Energy E3As (summer performance). Dunno if they come in a size compatible with the sport, but they seem to be a good compromise between MPG and handling.

Maintaining correct air pressure cold is critical to handling and mpg in these small cars. Don't over inflate it.

Pull into an independent alignment shop and have it checked. Yeah it might cost you $70 but it's worth the peace of mind.

 

LMFAO, your driving 85mph on the highway and you expect to get 40mpg?????
if you want great highway mileage, 65-75mph, any faster, you will fuel efficiency, i think the rule of thumb is for for every 5mph over 65, you lose 5% fuel efficency, so at 85mph you are losing roughly 20% fuel efficiency unless you have an unreal tail wind :P.

 

You think its fun now slicing through traffic, try it with VTEC! Mine puts a smile on my face every time I give it the beans. Its even more fun getting the tires to chirp from first to second, though I've only done it twice.

One thing to watch for is the clutch does NOT like cold weather. You might get some clutch chatter on cold morning starts, but I have no idea if the 2012's are affected. It goes away once the car gets warmed up, but the first handful of first gear engagements are a bit chatty. I bet good money because the drivetrain should be identical, but you never know.

Above all, congrats on the new Fit

 

op- get a tire pressure guage. they are cheap and can be bought locally. use 32psi if you'd like. i use 35-36psi on my Fit. measure it in the morning (ideally before sun hits it) after the car's been sitting for at least a few hours.

the nimble/nervous feel on the Fit at expressway speeds is normal for the car. i dont like it ether especially on moderate to windy days, but it's just the character of the car. you'll get use to it after a while i think. i dont usually drive my Fit so i notice it each time i take it out on the expressway.

as for break-in, just take it easy on both throttle and braking. should be fine.

 

Congrats on the new car. I used to get 40 mpg on my commute but it was hard work with all the traffic and hills. On the positive side, the speed limit was 55. I found that I couldn't do 40 mpg beyond 60 mph or so. I also inflated my front tires to 40-42 psi and rear to 36-38. Coast down hills whenever possible, etc.
Do you know if your friend is basing his mpg off of his dash meter? If so, was the meter fixed? They read about 4 mpg high unless fixed by the dealer.
My commute changed with a new job and I now average around 30 mpg with expressway and city driving, plus a roof rack and fatter tires.

 

My friend has a 09/10 Sport MT not sure if he got fixed doubt it and I saw his trip MPG not calculated….. Im sure it was a bit off

Im up to 34 MPG now avg… getting there lol

My plans are to lower it, not sure if coils are worth it or not…, get some lighter wheels, maybe nitrogen in the tires…

i was thinking about the grill block I wasnt sure tho because I havent reseaarched it dont want to over heat the engine

what do you guys think are the top 5 mods with mpg in mind… back for bang

im thinking…



1. Light weight wheels (looks good, lowers weight where you need to most (unsprung ) not too expensive) Maybe 13" Civic VX?HX? wheels, or are they too small for this car, or 15-16" RFP1?

2. Lower ride height… Coils or spring/shock combo, or just srping?
Back story: This is a DD that will be driven on the track at some point, and driven hard at times daily….

3.Scangauge II

4. Grill block

5.Nitrogen in tires?

5.2. Intake WAI? HAI? SRI? All mean the same thing?

5.3 Exhaust, Test Pipe. Hi Flo Cat??

Am I on the right track, would you guys like to throw in ideas Please?

Thanks


I was considering removing the rear seats but wasnt sure what that would mean for cargo carrying funtionality… is there bare metal underneath??

 

Everything I have read indicates air intakes decrease mpg. Nitrogen won't help either. Check out cleanmpg.com for more ideas. Try to focus on aerodynamics, weight reduction, and going slow... most other things are gimmicks or may even hurt your mileage.

 

if mpg is your concern check out the hypermilers and wat they do. they're pretty extreme so only go with those that you feel save. i personally dont think i want to pressure up the tires beyond 38psi for normal use...