Summertime is upon us! This usually means reduced fuel economy due to having to use the AC frequently. There are a few things we can do to help reduce it's impact on our fuel economy.


1. Get your windows tinted! Use a good quality metallic film, and go with either the darkest you can stand, or the darkest legal in your state. Use a reputable installer. (I recommend the 3M metallic films. I've had it on several cars and it looks great and performs well.)

Tinting your windows will help reflect heat and UV rays that not only heat up your interior, but also degrade your upholstery, plastic and leather components.

2. Get a sunshade and USE it! This has the same affect as tinting - it helps keep the interior from getting so hot, and also shades your dash, protecting it from UV rays. I'd try to find a reflective or light colored shade that fits the window well.

3. When possible, keep a couple windows open just an inch. This will help the cabin vent hot air

4. When starting your drive, roll down your windows, and set the AC for fresh air. Windows down will get that hot air out of your cabin. Setting the AC to fresh will pull in air from outside that is likely cooler than the inside temperature at first.

5. After a few minutes driving, roll up the windows, but leave the AC on fresh for a little while longer. When the air output is cool enough, switch to recirculate. This lets the AC work on the now cooler inside temperature.

6. Reduce fan settings as you are comfortable. The more you reduce the fan, the lower the duty cycle of the compressor will be, easing the load on the engine.


These are a few things I've learned over the years. Living in Texas, it gets mighty hot during the summer months. I've tested and found the sunshade and tint tips can keep your car's interior about 20 degrees cooler. It'll still get HOT, but not AS hot.

And I think this is my 'FitFreak mantra'...

Remember... the biggest thing that affects your fuel economy is


YOU

 

good thread!

 

I'd like to add a few.

Get window vent/shades and you can leave the windows cracked with no fear of car flood

If there's a spot in the lot that has shade from something, use it. That's BIG for initial comfort and save the chepo Honda paint from UV.

pic of window vent/shaded

 

My parents are all about the friggin home shopping network and those "as seen on tv ads". They bought one of those solar car fan/vent things that hang on to your window when you leave them cracked open and the blow the hot air out of your car. They actually do work (a little). He's got two that he uses on his Lexus. I borrowed them to test it on my Fit. However I realized that my windows are tinted too dark for the solar panel to get enough juice.

Oh yeah one thing I did notice, is that if its really hot, say in the 90's, they do absolutely zero in my honest opinion. Because at those temps I usually dont sit in an idle car long enough to actually measure if they are helping or not, hot is hot. I get moving to get a breeze going ASAP or I turn on the AC. If anything they help keep the air circulating, so maaaybe its not stale. Other than that, its a novelty item.

 

Thanks for the post.

What kind of sunshade are people using or recommend for the Fit?

It seems like my sunshades are easily worn from use...and i end up with ugly torn shiny blobs that just sits in the back seat.

 

I got one off of Amazon... it's one of those wire rimmed cloth jobbers that you twist into a little circle to 'fold' up. I think it's a large. The Fit does have a HUGE front window, so you'll need something BIG. I'll check Amazon and see if I can find it.

I think this is the one I got: Amazon.com: Basix Magic Jumbo Sunshade (Styles May Vary): Automotive

 

I have never tried this sunshade, but I love the concept!


It is quickly deployable and always handy---you cannot lose it!




The only problem is I don't see a version for the Fit yet... maybe another model could be used?
Dash Designs

 

I've an accordion style shade that has a scrunch silverfoil layer on either side. Simply unfold and flip down your visors to hold it in place. It has an elastic loop that goes around it to hold the bunch together and you can just toss it in back when driving (make sure it's out of sight; the reflection from the sun on the foil could unexpectedly blind you). I don't think these are more than 10 bucks at your favorite Target.

 

They're very cheap, and VERY effective at helping keep the car cool inside. I'm stunned by how many cars I see around here sitting in the hot sun... no tint, no front sunshade... I'm pretty religious about using my sunshade. I put that bad boy in when I get home from work at 10:30PM, so the car won't be so hot when I leave for work the next day at 12:30PM.

 

What size sun shades are yall using for those accordian style ones?

 

I don't think mine came with any choices of size. It is a little too wide thanks to the the Fit's narrowness but the edges just hang down and block some sun from the side windows - bonus!

 

In addition to my Fit with heavily tinted windows, I've got a Chevy Astro cargo van here in Las Vegas. In the summer, I've noticed the van stays much cooler with two shades in the front window than with just one. I first roll out my old floppy rollup reflective shade, then help support it with an accordian reflective shade - not the fancy one with mini-pleats, I mean the el cheapo kind that used to say "Help - Send Police" on the back.

 

You're from texas so I can understand why your fuel economy would go down. Anyone north of the mason dixon line will tell you their fuel economy improves in the summer because of warmer temps...even if they use the a/c. I see an improvement of probably about 5 mpg at the least.

Good thread, however. Still very appropriate if you want to max out your MPG in the summer.

 

It's a bit of a myth that you have to get a very dark tint to reject heat. From this Window Film | Solar Gard | Performance Specifications chart you will see that the difference from 32% tint to limo dark is less then 5% heat rejection.
Do get Metallic tint however, it reflects the light.

 

That's a very interesting topic.
But this field is still new to me.
It will be grateful if you give me some
more information about it. Thanks in advance.

 

a good tip during the winter months your ac compressor runs with the defroster which i think makes no sense when your running heat in the colder months. wish i had a choice in that matter, you would think they could come out with a ac system that doesn't kill gas mileage with all the technology they got out there

 

Custom fit sunshades are the way to go. I have bought almost 10 of these for my cars and for other people that requested them.

This is the seller I have always used on eBay: protriminc | eBay

Many times the shades fit so well that I don't even need to pull down the visors to support them. But with the size of the Fit windshield, it might be a different story.

 

Quaker
see thread below about disconnecting ac-defrost during winter.
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...defrost-5.html

 

thanks good to know a lot from your post ... as automobile is meant for a longer run with a sheer performance but diverse climatic conditions has its own challenges to put forth your vehicle to overcome with... and the summer season is no exception ...

 

I was a mechanic years ago, and there is 2 good reasons to run your ac in the winter. 1st, it defrosts the windows faster. 2nd, in your ac system there is a lubricant the keep the o-rings from cracking, and leaking your ac into the atmosphere. Which is why a lot of people are running to there mechanics on the first hot day of the year.