Fuel Mileage Related Discussions
#901
11-08-2015, 04:24 PM
I don't know if it's the winter blend here in the beautiful six-county metro Chicago area or what but my mileage has been really sucking lately. I do mostly suburban driving and up until a few weeks ago my averages at fill-up were mostly flirting with 40 mpg. Well the average was way down with the last few tanks and the only thing that's different is the autumn temperature. In fact with my last tank, the average was under 30 mpg at one point before rising to about 32 mpg at fill-up. Yes I was a bit aggressive for a time but I've done the same thing before and never saw numbers in the 20s until now.
Last edited by bach; 11-08-2015 at 04:28 PM.
#902
11-09-2015, 05:10 AM
Question for you guys: How fast can you go without having the eco lights go from green to blue? I can't seem to hit 30 mph unless going down hill.
#904
11-09-2015, 04:03 PM
Tanks 'n Temps
I don't know if it's the winter blend here in the beautiful six-county metro Chicago area or what but my mileage has been really sucking lately. I do mostly suburban driving and up until a few weeks ago my averages at fill-up were mostly flirting with 40 mpg. Well the average was way down with the last few tanks and the only thing that's different is the autumn temperature. In fact with my last tank, the average was under 30 mpg at one point before rising to about 32 mpg at fill-up. Yes I was a bit aggressive for a time but I've done the same thing before and never saw numbers in the 20s until now.
#905
11-10-2015, 07:04 AM
I don't know if it's the winter blend here in the beautiful six-county metro Chicago area or what but my mileage has been really sucking lately. I do mostly suburban driving and up until a few weeks ago my averages at fill-up were mostly flirting with 40 mpg. Well the average was way down with the last few tanks and the only thing that's different is the autumn temperature. In fact with my last tank, the average was under 30 mpg at one point before rising to about 32 mpg at fill-up. Yes I was a bit aggressive for a time but I've done the same thing before and never saw numbers in the 20s until now.
#906
11-10-2015, 07:10 AM
Also, when looking at how to get good MPG, there's a few really really important factors, in order:
1) conserving kinetic energy and using it to brake: basically use the actual brakes as little as possible - this requires looking ahead 50-150+ yards and anticipating and paying attention to traffic light patterns during a regular commute so you can plan when to start the engine brake even before a light turns yellow (which annoys people who don't pay attention and think you're driving like a snail for no reason, but you're also doing them a favor technically even if they don't appreciate it).
2) conserving potential (gravity) energy: basically avoid stopping on downward slopes, or use the upward slope to brake. Just think of all the gas you spend going up a hill... you need to recoup it going back down otherwise it's just wasted effort, unless you didn't use the gas and just bled off speed for altitude. Conserve energy either by converting kinetic to potential or maintaining kinetic while increasing potential for a later conversion back to kinetic.
3) gearing: [lowest gear reasonable] for cruising, highest gear possible (over 1100RPM) for engine braking. Highest gears will create the least braking force on the car for a "dead" engine. The 2200-2500 is the lowest RPM point where you hit peak torque, so you use the least amount of gas for accelerating force. I would start any speed up from 2200 up to 4500, where the torque curve dies off.
4) avoiding both very low and very high speed driving. Anything over 45-50MPH and MPG starts to suffer, with 65+ being bad and 75+ being miserable. I stick to stated speed limits on city highways and 5 under outside of them. The car has a large cross section for its size/weight, so it suffers disproportionately from fast driving.
Doing that I manage around 45MPG for rush hour commutes (highway/gridlock mostly). 46-52MPG one way (downhill) and 41-44 the other (uphill). The only thing that really kills my MPG is dense city driving (Chicago), since it's all stop-wait-get to 30MPH-stop-repeat with short light timings and thick traffic. Lucky to break 40MPG there, usually mid-high 30s.
1) conserving kinetic energy and using it to brake: basically use the actual brakes as little as possible - this requires looking ahead 50-150+ yards and anticipating and paying attention to traffic light patterns during a regular commute so you can plan when to start the engine brake even before a light turns yellow (which annoys people who don't pay attention and think you're driving like a snail for no reason, but you're also doing them a favor technically even if they don't appreciate it).
2) conserving potential (gravity) energy: basically avoid stopping on downward slopes, or use the upward slope to brake. Just think of all the gas you spend going up a hill... you need to recoup it going back down otherwise it's just wasted effort, unless you didn't use the gas and just bled off speed for altitude. Conserve energy either by converting kinetic to potential or maintaining kinetic while increasing potential for a later conversion back to kinetic.
3) gearing: [lowest gear reasonable] for cruising, highest gear possible (over 1100RPM) for engine braking. Highest gears will create the least braking force on the car for a "dead" engine. The 2200-2500 is the lowest RPM point where you hit peak torque, so you use the least amount of gas for accelerating force. I would start any speed up from 2200 up to 4500, where the torque curve dies off.
4) avoiding both very low and very high speed driving. Anything over 45-50MPH and MPG starts to suffer, with 65+ being bad and 75+ being miserable. I stick to stated speed limits on city highways and 5 under outside of them. The car has a large cross section for its size/weight, so it suffers disproportionately from fast driving.
Doing that I manage around 45MPG for rush hour commutes (highway/gridlock mostly). 46-52MPG one way (downhill) and 41-44 the other (uphill). The only thing that really kills my MPG is dense city driving (Chicago), since it's all stop-wait-get to 30MPH-stop-repeat with short light timings and thick traffic. Lucky to break 40MPG there, usually mid-high 30s.
#907
11-16-2015, 09:32 AM
I have only about 800 miles on my 2015 bought about 2 months ago, which I use 95% for commuting 20mi to work each way, about half of that is hilly highway. My last 3 tanks have all yielded about 33mpg and I have a 6spd EX.
#909
11-20-2015, 01:10 PM
It is funny how 32 is a low fuel milage. I remember my old ram 2500 had an average 10 mpg. Now 40 mpg an the lowest is 32 when I am in a rush and still I save a lot of gas.
This car milage it is awesome. I love it eveytime I drive it again and again.
This car milage it is awesome. I love it eveytime I drive it again and again.
#910
11-20-2015, 01:23 PM
Yeah. I had one car once that ever beat this car's worst tank. I had another car that managed to get to 34 mpg on a few tanks, but this little thing just smokes everything else I've ever owned.
And that one car that beat the Fit's worst tank? The Fit's best tank beat that car's best by 14 mpg.
And that one car that beat the Fit's worst tank? The Fit's best tank beat that car's best by 14 mpg.
#911
11-29-2015, 08:17 PM
I am getting 28 mpg. 11 miles to and from work highway (65 mph) then 4 miles back and forth from my old girls job to pick her up (40 mph) . Now at 600 + miles. I got an EX 6 speed manual and a lead foot.
Last edited by oiric2006@gmail.com; 11-29-2015 at 10:21 PM.
#912
11-30-2015, 08:05 AM
With the arrival of low temperatures (20's - 30's), my mpg has gone way down. It will stay in the 20 - 30mpg range for a long time. A cold engine uses a lot more gas. Only after a long, warmed-up drive, does the mileage get into the 40's.
#913
12-19-2015, 10:59 PM
As temps drop, remember to check your tire pressures. (In case anyone doesn't know, as temperature drops, pressure in the tire drops, and lower-pressure tires worsen gas mileage.) Check the tire pressures cold, in the morning, rather than after driving or in the warmer hours of the day.
And as SilverEX15 suggests, take it easy until the car warms up.
I'm averaging mid-30s commuting in my '15 LX 6MT and finding the expected mismatch between calculated MPGs and the car's display. About 7300 miles on the car so far.
Oddly, one thing that appeared to improve mileage substantially was strapping a 16' canoe on the roof and driving 70 mph on a trip to the Adirondacks. Unfortunately, I mounted the canoe with foam rubber blocks that weren't quite thick enough, and ... well.. didja know canoe-seat bolt heads can do a $600 job on a Fit roof very, very quickly? Shoulda spent the $$$ with Thule.
Al, in wonderful, not yet wintry Wynantskill, NY
And as SilverEX15 suggests, take it easy until the car warms up.
I'm averaging mid-30s commuting in my '15 LX 6MT and finding the expected mismatch between calculated MPGs and the car's display. About 7300 miles on the car so far.
Oddly, one thing that appeared to improve mileage substantially was strapping a 16' canoe on the roof and driving 70 mph on a trip to the Adirondacks. Unfortunately, I mounted the canoe with foam rubber blocks that weren't quite thick enough, and ... well.. didja know canoe-seat bolt heads can do a $600 job on a Fit roof very, very quickly? Shoulda spent the $$$ with Thule.
Al, in wonderful, not yet wintry Wynantskill, NY
#914
12-20-2015, 12:15 AM
As temps drop, remember to check your tire pressures. (In case anyone doesn't know, as temperature drops, pressure in the tire drops, and lower-pressure tires worsen gas mileage.) Check the tire pressures cold, in the morning, rather than after driving or in the warmer hours of the day.
And as SilverEX15 suggests, take it easy until the car warms up.
I'm averaging mid-30s commuting in my '15 LX 6MT and finding the expected mismatch between calculated MPGs and the car's display. About 7300 miles on the car so far.
Oddly, one thing that appeared to improve mileage substantially was strapping a 16' canoe on the roof and driving 70 mph on a trip to the Adirondacks. Unfortunately, I mounted the canoe with foam rubber blocks that weren't quite thick enough, and ... well.. didja know canoe-seat bolt heads can do a $600 job on a Fit roof very, very quickly? Shoulda spent the $$$ with Thule.
Al, in wonderful, not yet wintry Wynantskill, NY
And as SilverEX15 suggests, take it easy until the car warms up.
I'm averaging mid-30s commuting in my '15 LX 6MT and finding the expected mismatch between calculated MPGs and the car's display. About 7300 miles on the car so far.
Oddly, one thing that appeared to improve mileage substantially was strapping a 16' canoe on the roof and driving 70 mph on a trip to the Adirondacks. Unfortunately, I mounted the canoe with foam rubber blocks that weren't quite thick enough, and ... well.. didja know canoe-seat bolt heads can do a $600 job on a Fit roof very, very quickly? Shoulda spent the $$$ with Thule.
Al, in wonderful, not yet wintry Wynantskill, NY
#915
12-20-2015, 08:32 AM
Unfortunately, I mounted the canoe with foam rubber blocks that weren't quite thick enough, and ... well.. didja know canoe-seat bolt heads can do a $600 job on a Fit roof very, very quickly? Shoulda spent the $$$ with Thule.
Al, in wonderful, not yet wintry Wynantskill, NY
Al, in wonderful, not yet wintry Wynantskill, NY
#916
12-21-2015, 03:23 PM
Foam is great, if on a rack or if the boat is well tied down.
Without mounting the foam on crossrails, just one rope on the front is a recipe for disaster, as is not having enough downforce with the ropes. If you've got two lines the boat won't wiggle from side to side- whichever side it pulls to, the nose will always be held in place by the other line. If the boat isn't held down tightly enough to pinch the foam in place, the foam is going to walk. That sucks.
But it's like most other things in life: if you do it properly, you'll be fine.
Without mounting the foam on crossrails, just one rope on the front is a recipe for disaster, as is not having enough downforce with the ropes. If you've got two lines the boat won't wiggle from side to side- whichever side it pulls to, the nose will always be held in place by the other line. If the boat isn't held down tightly enough to pinch the foam in place, the foam is going to walk. That sucks.
But it's like most other things in life: if you do it properly, you'll be fine.
#917
12-21-2015, 06:51 PM
First fill-up about 25 mpg, mostly in-city start/stop driving, one longer trip that I forgot to ecoboost in one direction.
#919
12-23-2015, 02:29 AM
2015 LX ~11k miles 6spd
best indicated MPG yet
This was on mostly cruise doing 60-65 freeway. MPG was climbing up until stopping at the off ramp light. Gets much better MPG doing 60 then 65. I'm lazy and kinda heavy footed so rather leave it on cruise when I can.
Last edited by DaBinChe; 12-23-2015 at 02:40 AM.
