My wife and I are thinking about taking a trip out to the western US next year, and it brought up a question - how does the Fit handle the higher altitudes found in mountainous regions (i.e. the Rocky mountains)? The car feels noticeably different on uphill slopes, so I wonder.

 

The Fit, like all normally aspirated engines (non turbo or non-supercharged) will lose power at high altitudes. If memory serves about 3% per 1000 ft above sea level. Its not additive however, but sequential, so at 10,000 ft you only lose 26% of your power (1 -.97 to the 10th power). Thats more than enough for you to double passing times, or to drop another gear to make the grade. Watch for overheating. WaterWetter coolant additive is recommended.
I made it with a 1960 Sprite making 40 hp so you should too. Just takes a while. So you can enjoy the scenery better.
PS peruse AZ Highways at your local library before you go, especially if you're going to visit the Grand Canyon.
Cheers and enjoy.

 

It runs just fine up there. There will be some loss of power, but it is manageable. You may want to shift manually on up grades to keep the engine in a useful RPM range. Of course, use the engine for braking when descending. The FIT is a joy to drive on mountain roads. By the way, you can use 85 octane gas above 4500 feet without any loss in power or performance.
... Craig in Colorado

 

you will loose significant amount of power. one reason why you wont
see me living in denver.

even at 4000ft it's quite a bit of a loss...like your a/c compressor
running on a hot day vs cool dry day.

 

I live at 7700 feet and frequently drive over passes over 11,000 feet. I'm sure there is a loss of power, but it is no problem. I've been getting 40-45 mpg. As Craig said, the dealer in Grand Junction told me to ignore the manual about octane; that 85 octane is fine for the engine at high elevations.
Jim

 

Buck,

I live at 8100 feet and the fit is actually quick and easily keeps up with traffic. I have a manual and there is a gearing advantage in the mountains over an automatic so your experience may be different but I suspect not as bad as some think.

The new cars adjust for the altitude as you drive so there is no problems going to 12000 feet plus, at least as the fuel to air ratio is constantly being adjusted by the computer. The main power loss relates to less oxygen to burn at the higher altitude, so less fuel is dumped into the engine to maintain the proper fuel to air ratio.

The 85 octane gas at this altitude is equivelant to the 87 at sea level. No need to upgrade the octane.

My mileage is averaging around 40-41 mpg in the mountains (again manual) and I drive faster than most but I try and drive smoothly.

Enjoy the Rockies. Your trip should be enjoyable and an adventure.

J