2016 Fit LX CVT 8k miles, ECO button on.

We do one long-ish trip a couple of times per year so I am very familiar with fuel consumption for this trip. On the outward trip about 6 days ago we got 49.4 mpg over the 275 miles. That's about usual and only about one or two mpg less than what we got last summer and on other trips. Usually the return trip is about one or two mpg less than outward. Today on the return trip we got 38.6 mpg. No wind either direction. The only difference was today we were driving in -4°F whereas last week it was maybe 20 degrees warmer but still mid-teens F. The car did sit outside, un-driven for the couple of days we were staying in the other town. The tires should be good. I put about 35 psi in them the day we left.

I know winter driving can be a bit less fuel efficient but we're talking over 10 mpg here. Has anybody else noticed this difference? Is this something we should worry about? I keep track of mpg all the time the way a doctor takes your blood pressure and temperature and the only other times I have seen this kind of difference was with a different car where the fuel pump was going, but this car only has 8k miles on it! I didn't measure tire pressure today but there was no warning from the tire pressure sensor and I'd think a tire would have to be seriously down to result in a 10 mpg difference.

 

Colder air is denser, which increases drag at highway speeds. That, on top of everything else that cold weather affects - engine fluids, warmup time, running the heater fan more often, decreased tire pressure - can easily result in your mpg drop. I wouldn't worry.

 

Also the denser air requires more fuel. The oxygen probe in the exhaust will dump in more fuel to keep the ratio correct. Hell, all I got yesterday morning was 31 mpg on my highway commute!

 

Normal for cold weather. Denser air - more drag, Colder tires - more drag and lower pressure, Probably more electrical drag due to rear defrost operating and higher blower setting. Colder fluids in trans / final drive and engine oil. It all adds up when you have a very small engine trying to keep up with all of it. I did not check yoyuur location but if you normally use 100% gasoline and bought some E-10 (10% ethanol) that will also reduce your mileage. I see 7% to 11% loss with craponol laced fuel depending on which vehicle I use.

Do not worry about it, mileage will return as it gets warm.

 

you might be on winterized gas too especially since you are in a snow belt state. those burn quicker than regular non-winterized gas.

my area uses winterized gas from around october to march/april timing.

 

Yesterday I drove to Albany and back. In the summer I can get maybe 42 MPG. Yesterday, with the temperature around 10 degrees, I got about 38 MPG. Perfectly normal for the reasons mentioned.

 

I know almost all vehicles are affected by colder temperatures.
Had a Ice and Snow, cold snap where I live any my MPG have dropped.
Somewhat disappointingly, but I am going to blame it on the weather. And only worry if it doesn't improve once things warm up.
I'm only talking about a 2-4 mpg drop here.

 

I drove home on Dec 24, a 100 km trip, mostly highway and had at least a 25% reduction in mileage compared to last fall when I was getting close to the highway rating. Of course this trip was in the midst of an arctic cold snap when the temp was -25° C (-13° F) and I was going against some wind. Not unusual to see that kind of mileage drop this time of year in these conditions.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I was expecting some hit in fuel consumption due to colder conditions but not as great as 20%. I probably did have things such as the fan going all the time. Unfortunately the 2016 Fit doesn't seem to push air through very well if you just have it on fresh air mode and no fan running. I know with my old Corolla if I am driving at highway speeds I almost never need the fan going if I use the fresh air selector setting. Then too you really need a good blast of air on the front window to de-fog it since it is so large compared to other cars.

 

I don't know why you wouldn't be running the interior fan all the time. It doesn't draw much power and has negligible effect of mileage. You do get a slight power savings from the radiator cooling fan which will not be running at really cold temps since natural cold air flow through the radiator as you are driving should be sufficient.

As has been mentioned there are many ways in which the cold temperatures kill your gas mileage and there's nothing you can do about it.

 

With the right temps in the winter, I can have the fan set to off and fresh air and it still generates enough heat to be comfortable. Once I hit traffic though, it doesn't work as well and I have to turn on the fan.

 

I bought a 2017 honda fit LX 2 months ago. At first I was getting around 30mpg in city driving, but it started dropping. Now it's winter and I expected a drop, but it's down to 24.5mpg. I always drive in eco setting. Should I be worried?
It runs perfectly.

 

Check out my post on my mpg tracking using mileage, % city driving and outdoor temperature as factors. Past history tracking these and more on my 1992 Integra (500K+ miles), 2002 CRV, and 1994 Civic show that we all take a hit in the Winter. Several factors for Winter driving: air density (as was mentioned), longer to operating temperatures requires longer fuel trims, Winter gas formula change (to modify Reid vapor pressue), and significantly more energy loss as heat loss.

My mileage tracker thus far:
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/atta...mi-cleaned.pdf

 

With those values, you have a spirited driving habit or have a long commute in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Boston.

 

Got to love that winter blend fuel too.

 

So it's time to visit the HOnda shop?

 

i guess it's normal , my mileage has dropped around 3 or 4 miles per gallon also

 

The biggest problem in winter is that fuel can't vaporize properly in the cold air. In the combustion chamber it's not going to burn very well. The car's computer will put more gas into the engine to make up for the inefficiency and maintain power. Your fuel economy goes down. The colder the weather the more gas you'll use. I was out on a highway run a couple days ago and in the sub zero weather my mileage was about 15% worse than it would be in the summer. And still colder weather is yet to come.

 

Thanks for all the information. I feel a little more confident that diving 5 miles per gallon isn't tragic...
Would it make sense to take the car off of econ if "The car's computer will put more gas into the engine to make up for the inefficiency and maintain power. Your fuel economy goes down."? Maybe if it's getting more gas routinely, it won't pull more off ...

 

Another thing to check is your tire pressure. The cold air will drop the PSI, causing more drag and lower MPG.