You will not know real gas mileage until you have 15,000 miles on the engine because that is how long it takes to be fully broken in.

Make sure to keep using 5W-20 oil (be sure your dealer isn't just putting 5W-30 in his bulk oil drum and using that in every car that comes in for maintenance). Of course beyond driving habits, proper tire inflation is the biggest impact on gas mileage.

Everybody should have a WalMart bicycle pump and digital air pressure guage and check their tire pressure once a week.

PS - if you consistently lose 2 or 3 pounds of pressure from the same tire every week, you've got a nail in that tire. Repair is to take the tire off the rim, plug the leak and put a patch on the inside. Hand torque the lug nuts when replacing the wheel. Everybody should have their own 1/2" torque wrench as well to hand torque after the tire shop gets done

 

Tires actually run cooler when they have more inflation. This is because they flex less as they roll and the flex is what causes the heat. As long as you stay under the max number on the sidewall you are fine from a safety standpoint. The tire will also last longer (again heat makes a tire wear faster) but may have more wear in the center. The biggest downside is a harsher ride.

 

My Toyo dealer is pushing Nitrogen tire fills. ($45 for 4). Without it my 98 Camry
got 32 mpg (80% hwy,20% City) They claimed NO pressure fluctuations due to temperature, as well as 2-3 mpg increase. I got a 2mpg increase. Put dis gas in yo fit wheels!

 

Don't have my Fit yet, maybe in three weeks or so, but I'm wondering what tire pressure most are running at.

I used to have an Insight for about a year, and I'd run those tires at 50-52psi, and got pretty good gas mileage. I'd like to run the Fit's tires a bit high, and see how they do.

 

I discovered after the last fillup that my tire pressure was low, all 4. Raised them all to 32 psi and I'll see how I do on gas mileage. I've been getting between 31-32 mpg consistently after I passed 2,000 miles on the odometer. If I see improvement, I may take the pressure up to 34-35, but no further.

 

there's has been numerous discussion on tire psi, and should be below 40 at most...

 

glad someone else said it! 44 psi your asking for trouble.

 

I have run 44 psi for 7 years on the Insight now approaching 200,000 miles and on my many CRX's and never had any problem at all. No flats, blowouts, uneven wear, loss of road adhesion, or suspension damage. the ride is a little rougher yes, but the cars just seem to roll far better and the difference in gas mileage is large. The Potenza's on the Insight and the Dunlops on the Fit are both spec'd at 44 max on the tirewall. These I am sure are conservative, or tire companies would be getting sued if failures did occur.

 

That works great for you, however you mentioned you were mostly a 60MPH, light footed driver.

After reading this thread there are a bunch of guys here that drive faster and harder than that and then bitch about their poor gas mileage.

Also what are the road conditions like in your area? You ever hit a NYC sized pothole at 60MPH?

I'm sticking to 36 PSI(cold) all around even though I could probably go up to the listed 50 PSI on the sidewall of my Kumho Ecsta's

 

Heck, I drove my Insight with 50PSI in the tires. Only had it a year (probably put 13k on it..) and it was fine.

 

Just get one that gives the actual pressure read out. It's more flexible that way.

I got mine at the local Autozone.

 

I can see that being beneficial if you're changing cars or tire pressures often, but if you're shooting for a specific psi, wouldn't that be a good way to sorta let you know when you needed to fill them up?

And... most of the places you get air have a pressure guage on the pump - so you won't be filling them blindly either way.

(Yeah... I just asked for an opinion and am now defending the item I was questioning myself... I'm kind of just thinking outloud though...)

 

I'd invest in an accurate tire gauge instead and use it often... just make sure to always use the same gauge and to check the tires when cold. Also, to up the mpg, try putting a few psi over what the mfg calls for.

 

Well I heard that the guage on the air pumps aren't too accurate.

 

What thingies?

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...nce&n=15684181

 

I'd just get a mechanical type that looks like a pen. Get one calibrated from 0-50/60 psi instead of the ones that read to like 150 as they tend to usually be more accurate.

Buy two and use them to calibrate one against the other. If they both read different by a few pounds, use the one that reads lower of the two.

And yes, those pressure gauges on the end of the air lines at the service stations can be way off. Besides, you want to take your pressure readings when the tires are cold, before you start driving on them, for accurate readings. I usually check mine after they have been sitting overnight.

 

My $30 Walmart air compressor has lasted over 5 years now - with fairly frequent use (track events, etc). There are different ways to adjust tire pressure for performance/handling. But, for daily driving, this link is pretty useful.

 

Yup! We keep a small pump in our other car, and when I need a quick pump it's fast. Heck, even if a tire is really low it's just a minute or two of work.

I found my fronts were at 32 and my rears at 30 when we drove the car home for the first time, so I upped it to 36 all around. Feels a bit tighter in the turns now, and should help MPG a bit!

 

Thanks!

You're very unlikely to exceed 51 PSI (indicated maximum) unless you load the car up with a lot of weight. For city driving, 38 is very safe. Given that we don't go 4 million MPH and that we don't drive over a pile of tiny rocks that will puncture it.

My driving habits consists of 70MPH max, going up to 80MPH if traffic calls for it, but never exceeding 70MPH as I am a patient guy and actually enjoy spending time on the road with the car . All city driving so no bother with gravel and puncturing terrain. Of course, your mileage may vary. For me, I rather put the stress on the tire than the engine as tires are easily replaceable.