I was just wondering because I'm gonna have to do this Sunday morning. I'm going from Bay Area, CA. to Biloxi, MS. It's going to be about a 4 day trip. I was just wondering if I should bring an extra 5 gal. can of gas because the gas tank is so small. I drive a MT and I noticed that when I'm on the freeway, I'm usually at 2900-3100 RPM cruising at 65-70 mph, I've never really paid much attention to MPGs that much. How is the MPG on the Fit when you are constantly cruising at those speeds?

I need some words of advice from people who has ever driven cross country, what should I bring with me to make this drive as painless as possible?

Thanks guys.

 

My last tank was mostly freeway and I got 39 MPG with a manual. I spent a lot of the time with the cruise control set between 65-70. It wasn't an exciting tank, but I felt good about it.

 

PM CuTeBoi-
He has done at least one round trip from the CA Bay Area to Chicago & back, maybe two. He will probably have some very good tips.

 

Cuteboi has an automatic, though. As long as you keep the speed between 65-70, you should get great mileage. If you want to cruise near 80, it'll be lower, but still not bad.

 

just put 10,000miles on my 2009 sport fit in 3 months.
7,300 mi from mass too havau az. 38 to 41 mpg
kept speed 62mph too68mph to slow for most people
in no hurry (retired)

 

With myself, the wife, and kids in the car (780 lbs total) and the hatch PACKED (another 200+ lbs), we made the 1200 mile round trip between our house and the parents' house in South Carolina on 32.4 gallons of gas, or slightly more than 37 mpg. Tire pressure set to sidewall max (44 psi in the Base) and speeds kept at or below 70 the entire trip.

At 35 mpg, you still have more than 50 miles left in the tank when the gas light comes on. I've rarely seen areas where it was more than 50 miles to the next gas station, but if you feel like you must carry extra fuel, get that stuff that won't burn outside of an internal combustion engine. It's much more safe than carrying extra gas in the car.

 

i have found my bladder to run out before the gas...
I just drove 8 hours to New orleans and have made several 10 hour trips to north carolina.. bladder loses to the tank every time.. so when ya got to pee.. fill er up.. and besides,, 5 gallons of gas, thats like 200 miles! 1 gallon will get you plenty far if you run out..lol

 

I made a long road trip last summer. I went from Calgary, AB Canada to Salt Lake, UT, to Las Vegas, to LA, to San Fran, to Seattle, to Spokane, than back to Calgary.

It was really hot, I didn't have my turbo in yet. Had the AC cranked most of the way. If you can keep the speed around 60-65mph you'll get great mileage, go near 70-80 and the car will really guzzle the fuel.

 

LOL, 200 miles! Yeah, 5 is a bit much. I grabbed a small 2.5 gallon just in case. The hardest part of the trip, for me at least, will be from El Paso to San Antonio. West Texas is so........ boring.

 

with my GD
basically from Milwaukee
2 trips to King of Prussia PA
2 trips to Lynchburg VA
6 trips to Minneapolis
Lots of trips to the cabin

always 36-39 mpg except once I got 32 going into a major head wind. Usually 65-78 MPH

Naw, dont bring a gas can

GPS is helpful and fun if you got or can borrow
Tunes, easy to eat food and snacks....you will do fine.
Oh my new comfort thing is to take off my shoes when on a long trip

 

I think that is why I10 has a 75 mph speed limit...

Back in the mid 50's I had an uncle stationed in El Paso in the army. When his older brother would drive out from Central Texas to pick him up, the only time the speeds would dip below 90 mph was when they went through towns (which there were not many) and he said every so often there would be a cattle guard across the road...

Good luck

 

I have done the El Paso to San Antonio before. Not bad. It is 75 mph about 85% of the way. Plenty of gas stations on the route. If you are any type of outdoors man there is a Bass Pro Shop outside of SA before you get there. I just drove from Alamogordo NM (an hour north of El Paso) to Marion VA (an our east of Bristol) with two fits. 1 is an auto and the other is a man. The manual got better MPG by about 2 MPG. We did the posted the whole way which ended up being about 1600 miles. there was never a need for a can. We would fill up in the morning when we started our trip and then once at lunch. That would easily get us the 650 miles or so per day. Usually 3 or 4 gals left over at each stop. I would not bring a can. There is really no need for it. I a have driven 75 percent of the route you are going to take. I started in Tahoe, went south on the 99 (you will need the 5) went over to Bakersfield and then through the pass and on to 10 bypassing all of LA. I took 10 all the way to Las Cruces, NM and there were gas stations every where. And that was running the air constantly. Are you staying in Kingman your first night? Taking Pets? I recommend the Best Western there. They allow pets. Last time I was there it was $10 for the pets. Good luck and be safe.

 

I've taken my manual-gearbox GD1 Jazz on a road trip from Manila to Subic that took around 4.5 hours one-way. I know that pales in comparison to your cross-country treks, but I do have a few helpful tips.

The GD's stock front seat squabs are pretty short and don't provide much knee support, especially for taller people (I'm not one of them, I'm just 5'8" and still my knees got sore). To combat this, slide the seat a little backward so that your legs are as straight as they can be on full extension, while still allowing you a good grip on the steering wheel. Your knees will thank you, especially when you run into heavy traffic.

Even so, it's a good idea to take a break every few hours or so to stretch your legs for a few minutes...and maybe take a trip to the john.

+1 on getting your feet comfy. I suggest soft-soled shoes. My driving shoes are a pair of Sanuks (okay, technically they're "sandals") and they're great for the job.

Bring a map and know how to read it...or invest in GPS.

HTHs

 

hahaha, i like wearing chinelas alot anyways. i'm for sure going to be in pajamas the whole trip. Oh, and i already have GPS, that thing is awesome. thanks for the tips my fellow countryman. Salamat po and don't eat all the sinigang

 

I've driven from Omaha, NE to Port Saint John, FL (about 45 mins outside Orlando) and back twice.

I usually make it in 25-27 hrs nonstop

I ALWAYS go 5 mph above the speed limit unless there is construction,
so I average about 80 mph the whole way.

Usually 5 tanks of gas one way

Its about 1500 miles.

My Fit is a AT GD3 Sport

 

We bought the Fit to go cross-country. This will be a 1000-mile week for us. We went to STL and back and we're doing a round trip to Chicago on Sunday. I envy the trip through the southwest. We brought our kid's GSR back from San Jose. What a great trip! Why not post updates on your trip, or pictures so we can see the great places the Fit will take you.

Cheers and be safe.

 

Good idea. Don't we have a "road trips" section on FitFreak?

 

Great Idea! But I'm going to need a laptop. Maybe I should just take picture along the way and post them up after my trip is done. It'll only take 4 days, I'm staying in Mississippi for a year for school, and then take the same trip again..... sheesh. I'm going to get to know my "Abigail" alot.

 

Missed this part.

Take some music you like to listen to. It's rare to find a radio station that you like in the middle of nowhere. Sunglasses. Cooler with beverages and sandwich makings. I find that it helps to keep your head and eyes moving on long trips. This helps to keep you alert, and helps avoid the 'fixed stare'. Get out and stretch every so often. Never turn down an opportunity to use the bathroom. Eat light. Heavy meals will make you sleepy. If you get tired, pull over.

In the 'You never know when you'll need it' category: A first aid kit. Blanket and pillow. A small tool kit ($20 at most big box stores). Flares or warning triangles. Reflective vest. A gallon jug of water. NO gasoline can inside the car, please.

As a professional driver, the "5 Keys To Space Cushion Driving" come to mind.

They are:
Keep your eyes moving.
Aim high in steering.
Make sure they see you.
Get the big picture.
Leave yourself an out.

You can read up on what that means here.

 

Driving from CT to Tampa, FL took 4 fill-ups. Outside of NYC we were going at least 70 to 75, once we hit the 70mph states we were steadly running 80mph. At those speeds I was getting about 280-290 miles on a tank and putting in around 9 gallons each time. From everything I've read, if you are not on a time schedule like we were, slow it down to 65 and your MPG will increase drastically. If it's your first time doing a big trip like that and you're by yourself, make sure not to push yourself. If you get tired and think you can hold out, just find a safe place to pull off, set an alarm and take a quick nap. Although nothing wakes you up more than falling asleep at the wheel; but I don't recommend it.