I'm new to this, so please forgive me on my crude definitions.

My 2015 Honda Fit has the green light indicator that appears during best gas usage, and blue at the worst gas usage. Correct? However, when I stop at a light and the car is at idle, shouldn't the indicator be green since very low gas is being used? It's blue.

Also, does everyone here use the ECON button all the time or just during long trips? Is it bad to keep it on all the time?

 

Your mileage is at its worst while idling...essentially 0 mpg. So blue is the color to expect.


The ECON button can be left on all the time if you want. It does cut power through the accelerator and the A/C, however, and the car does feel a bit sluggish. I don't use it anymore, but I was getting 2 or 3 mpg more with it on. I suspect it's less useful in steady state highway driving than in urban.

 

Hello fellas

I have a manual fit fun version (Mexico). It goes blue in mine as well and I idle a lot not becuase I want but because I do a lot of coasting(hypermilling) because my city is in a big Hill so I coast downhill for twenty-five minutes. I just put it in neutral and let it go.
So yes, I think it's pretty normal.

 

Don't ever coast in neutral down the hill, unless you have a death wish.

 

Care to elaborate more?

 

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/hybrid-electric/a5977/coasting-in-neutral-fuel-economy/

 

nonetery is correct.
Learned this in driving school many years ago.
Simply put: you no longer have full control of the car when it's in neutral. You should always have control of your car.

 

You might as well say hills are to dangerous to drive on, or Hondas are too dangerous to drive in.

The steering and brakes still work fine. If getting into gear takes too long for safety then it's you that's dangerous, not the technique you're using.

 

Perhaps a little education is required here. Tons of reliable articles on the subject. Here's one from the folks at Popular Mechanics... Google for more...
If still in doubt, ask your local driving school.
Cheers,

Coasting in Neutral or Gear to Save Gas - Coasting and Fuel Economy

 

I read it. That Mike Allen guy is either lying or stupid. But it's on the internet, so it's true, right?

I don't see any point to lying about it, so I have to assume he's stupid. He opened by pontificating about gallons per hour while at idle (while picking 1 gph as a good round number to use) and assumed a mile long hill at 30 mph. Neither of those is realistic enough to even laugh at, but his lack of understanding engine braking is all too common. For what it's worth, my last car idled at around 0.4 gph and I think my Fit drinks a little over 0.2, and most driving is done a bit higher than 30 mph.

He went on to attack the way that trip computers measure instantaneous mpg and bragged that at his magazine they measure fuel pumped against the odometer and GPS. He grudgingly mentions the Scangauge and that it can be calibrated, but doesn't make the leap to refining its calibration to the point where it's accurate.

If he actually tried to measure things instead of making them up, he'd have had a very different article. I don't know why he didn't.

 

I coast down most biggish hills.

I only strike pedestrians/other cars every couple days.

 

I had a great 2.5 mile hill, but the Fit's aero is so bad that I can't maintain speed all the way down it. Now it's a pair of 1 mile hills.

But at least I'm getting ~270 mpg with the engine on. With the engine off I get ∞. I haven't gotten any pedestrians yet; the Fit is too easy to dodge.

 

FitCharlie... clarification ... the info I referenced was for the safety discussion.

Here's another article from another authority, at the risk that you'll also declare them as "stupid".

https://www.safedrivingforlife.info/...g-your-vehicle

I'm only pointing out safe driving practices here, whatever anybody does is yours/their business. When I was very young, prior to diver's education some 35 years ago, I too thought it was wise to coast downhill (neutral). I discovered otherwise and am only sharing this info for those who may also be wondering.

As I said before, instead of debating with me or others on this forum, why not just ask a driving school or instructor? You'll hear firsthand that that coasting is indeed, not a safe practice.

Cheers

 

I saw a journalist who claimed to have done research. The research he described had gaping holes in it was was not internally consistent. I paint what I see.

I'll point out a safe practice with a link of my own: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. I don't think Mike Allen was explaining his bad methodology because he knew he was lying. Unless maybe that's what he wanted us to think and was really making fun of Popular Mechanics' readers, knowing they wouldn't catch it? Interesting...

I wouldn't ask a kindergarten teacher a physics question. Why on Earth would I ask a driving school instructor about advanced techniques that are not suitable for everyone in every car on every road?

 

^YUS.

Preach!

 

Those that say its safe, than why hasn't the transportation agency come out, and say it is, and recommended it to save gas ? Duh ! Please guys, stop saying it is, and get a little more mature in your argument. I heard this very same argument over 50 years ago, and it was not safe than, and its not safe now. Those back than were also at an immature age. They finally grew up when they had children to protect, and worry about.

 

It isn't safe for the average American who'd rather read, text, FaceBook, eat, etc., than drive. It is safe for the hyper vigilant.

Driving itself is dangerous with all the idiots surrounding me on the road, I'm not harming anyone by driving economically; I'm too busy thinking more about their children than they are.

 

I'm going to have to agree with Kike, Charlie and Mike on this one. I used to be a pretty avid hypermiler and still practice several techniques, and when I neutral coast I still have total control over my car and am very aware of my surroundings. The bonus is that there is no doubt that there is gas savings vs. coasting in gear.

 

Oh yeah? Well I read on teh interwebs that it's dangerous and burns more gas. How's that for doubt? Huh?

korgster- You linked to an article to support your assertation that some things are dangerous. That article made some strong assertations, supported only half of them, and did that badly. That's actually too polite a description: the support that article gave to the performance related claims was full of shit. Numbers were cheerfully made up and logical conclusions carefully avoided- and that was on the points that the writer bothered to support (hint: not the bit about danger). A quick summary: Doing things to burn less gas doesn't work because I do bad math, therefore it's dangerous don't do it. Citing an article like that hurts your point.

SR45- You mean the same transportation agency that requires airbags, traction control and tire pressure sensors because most drivers are too stupid to wear seatbelts, drive sensibly and notice flats? They don't recommend techniques that require drivers to pay attention to what they're doing because they know that most drivers don't.

Don't say that certain techniques are dangerous when you mean that inattentive drivers are dangerous. The South Park song "Blame Canada" comes to mind here.

 

I say we simply all agree to disagree without anyone, evidently, getting hot under the collar.

Leave everyone to their own theories and practices and be happy FitFreak forum members.

Case closed, time to move on.