HELLo from Canada (Honda Fit M/T)
 

Hello everyone,

I've lurked on this great forum a bit before, but just signed up now.
I've stumbled across the great art of hypermiling about a year ago while still driving a '98 Chrysler (Dodge) Intrepid which had a pretty low MPG. I only had that car for a couple years, during which I managed an all time average of 26 MPG (9.1 L/100km here in Canada). Been keeping track on Fuelly.com.

No mods, only SGII and keeping tires around 40-44 PSI.

About 3 months ago, for my 29th birthday, I bought a used 2013 Honda Fit LX with manual transmission at just under 40,000 km. So far my average has been just under 36 MPG (6.6 L/100km) but I would like to see it climb up to 40 MPG, especially after I get better at shifting gears and get into some warmer weather.

The Canadian cold weather and winter gas have a negative impact on fuel mileage. With the Intrepid it was anywhere between 10-20% more fuel in winter months...that's almost 6 months here in Canada :D

Anyways, that's it for the introduction - hope to learn a lot from this excellent resource (you guys) and improve my gas mileage. :thumbup:

Welcome to the site Andrei. The Fit is a great vehicle and I'm fairly confident you will be able to get it up to and above 40 mpg with a little work.

What is your normal commute like?

Welcome! The Fit's a fun little car.

You've already got the SG, so your next move should be to block the lower grille- and watch those coolant temps! I got mine in February of 14 and didn't block the grille until spring 15. It didn't just help with aero, it helped with warmup and heat retention. I don't have to wear my hat and gloves all the way to work like I did pre-block.

Welcome!

The Fit is a neat car. And congrats on not swallowing the automatic transmission kool-aid! The manual is more efficient in the real world, despite the AT's better ratings. Just as it is with the Mirage MT vs. auto.

And the manual is more fun too.

I took a manual Fit (2009 model year) out for an eco-driving coaching session, and saw 41 mpg US / 5.7 L/100 km in sub/urban driving in warm weather/warm vehicle. And that was without using any advanced techniques. There's lots more where that came from.

What part of the province are you in?

Thanks for the warm welcome
 

Thanks for the warm welcome guys (on a cold wintery day) :D

@ Daox

Normal daily commute is only about 10 miles (15 km) one-way of mix city/country roads. I've noticed my "per trip" mileage vary widely according to how many RED lights I catch. Been trying to "learn" those lights and time my arrival so that I catch the GREEN, but it ain't easy and can't annoy other drivers behind me.

The Intrepid took about half my commute to warm up in colder weather. I love how fast the Fit warms up.

Best mileage with my Fit since I got it 3 months ago was 48 MPG (4.9 L/100km), but that was for a 100% hwy trip going at legal speed 60mph (100km/hr) with an empty car and I'm pretty sure I had some back-wind. The return trip was worse, with head-wind and girlfriend aboard. ;)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-an...trip-legal.jpg

Best mileage for a tank of gas was 39.6 MPG, so I've almost reached the 40 mark, but my goal is to have 40 as an average, not all time best.

@ Fat Charlie

Thanks Charlie, I'm glad you recommend that because it was on my to-do list as a first mod, since it seems fairly easy to DIY. I was thinking of the top-grille though, since on the bottom I attached some Gutter-Guard (plastic mesh) with zip-ties to prevent rocks flying into the radiator through those large openings.
Which one is generally better for improving FE, top or bottom?
Or both?
I still need to do more research here to find the best ideas and materials.
I would be worried about engine temperatures if blocking both...
I'm not currently using my SGII, as my new car insurance convinced me to try the telematics device for 6 months to save up to 25% on next years rates. They gave 5% off just for trying.

@ MetroMPG

I fully agree with you, driving a manual is so much fun...after your learn though. My first couple of weeks were pretty terrible, a lot of stalling and stressing out like mad when having to stop on a hill with traffic behind me. :eek:
I feel heavily involved in driving, more connected with the car, and I've been paying attention and focusing more on the whole driving experience and the traffic around me since switching from auto. Auto boxes feel like somewhat of a boring video game (left, right, stop, gas).

I live in Guelph now, after being in Toronto for 8 years. So glad to have escaped the rat-race rush-hour madness. Outside of the big city it's a pleasure to drive.

Andrei- Big Brother may not like it if he spots hypermiling techniques. But hte gauges are critical to even gentle driving, so try an OBD splitter:

http://litbimg.rightinthebox.com/ima...5088787761.jpg

The upper grille is tiny, the lower one is a gaping wound that ducts air through the radiator and compresses it underneath the car. Block that one.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...5&d=1429113889
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...6&d=1429113889

Thanks a lot Fat Charlie, I've wanted to get an OBD splitter since I got that insurance telematics device. But believe it or not, I couldn't find one online because I didn't know what it's called and my online searches failed in finding one.
I just searched "OBD splitter" on Amazon and found it for $15 Canadian with free shipping. Would be even cheaper in the US I'm assuming. Will order one tonight - thanks :thumbup:

And with Big Brother...I'm going on the premise he's got bigger (fatter) fish to fry!!! otherwise, you might as well turn off your cell & remove battery for every drive you take :rolleyes:

What did you use to block the lower grille of your Fit?
Have a pic after blocking the opening?

It's coroplast spray painted black, and the lower pic is with the block. :D

Some members block behind the grille opening to keep the OEM look. There may be a small efficiency penalty vs. an external block, but it's still way better than wide open OEM.

Also you might consider a block heater if you've got somewhere to plug in. Depending on wattage, an hour of pre-heat will make a noticeable difference in cold weather.

Fat Charlie: considered extending the air dam? Using that OEM lip as a mounting surface is about as convenient as it gets!

I did that with my '07 Civic winter beater -- screwed directly into the upper part of the OEM rubber lip:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1412037852

From: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...7-a-30111.html

Hey! Nice car you have there. I always did like that color, but settled for a white one myself. You can't be so choosy when buying used.

You can haul just about anything in it. It just "fits". :p I've carried a lazy-boy, a water heater, a stove, a dresser, multiple bales of hay at once, a sheep, lumber, rolls of fencing, and much more.

I agree about the lower grille block. I used a foam exercise mat cut to size. Poke a couple holes through and secure it with zip ties around the grille cross pieces.

Shift early, keep the rpm low, use neutral whenever you're not actually needing power like on downhills. (but careful to avoid over-speeding) With the gear ratios the way they are, high speed means high rpm, so slow down if it's reasonable to do so.

No, I haven't. What I need to do is reseal the block I do have, except it still works great and I have no incentive to dig around reinforcing it and retaping it. I'll take a look at the dam when I do that.

PaleMelanesian's pic of the hay bale helped my wife think the Fit was a good move.

I saw what you did there.

Has nobody figured out a 5th gear swap for the car yet?

:D
I build a plywood crate to fit in the back to help contain it and any mess. I now have a trailer and a hitch.

If you could swap the cr-z's final drive and 6th gear instead of our 5th, it would lower the 60 mph rpm from 2800 to about 2500. That's not enough to be worth the hassle, especially not knowing if it'll actually fit. If it would drop it to 2000 rpm I'd be interested.

Now that I have 5 posts, I can add some photos and links: :D

1 day after picked it up - I call it "The Fit Smurf" because of the colour, but I would like to give it a girl/woman's name. Any suggestions?

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-an...04156198-n.jpg

I've had some people commenting that it's a girly colour, or that I let my girlfriend pick the colour, but whatever. I'm happy and to each their own. At least I never have to search forever for a grey sedan in a "sea" of grey sedans in parking lots.

Here's a pic of it's back-side, with the arm for HELLoween:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-an...-helloween.jpg

The Fit actually has a fairly long nose, so it already scrapes sometimes in stock form. I don't want to go any lower. The JDM model had a shorter nose but it wouldn't pass US crash tests so they made it longer.

The 2015 new model has the same short nose worldwide.

That's quite the collection of "GO AROUND ME" messaging on the back of your car, Andrei.

Damn, Charlie, you made it so slick I didn't even notice it there. :thumbup:
I just thought the second pic was with different angle/lighting and more shade over the radiator.
So how did you insert it? Did you have to remove the top plastic cover by the hood latch?

Also does anyone with a Honda Fit 2nd gen know why the underside of the hood has that plastic duct for directing air from the upper grille to the battery, brake fluid and clutch fluid containers? I think the engine fuse-box is around that location too.

For starters I would like to do it easy and just block from behind the grille. Also since I jumped from an 18 year-old car to a 2 year old car that still looks like new, I want to keep its OEM looks for a few years at least.

Unfortunately I don't have the possibility of using a block heater, either at home or at work. It's something I would definitely get if I had a plug available.

Thanks a lot PaleMelanesian.
I too really like its colour, especially since it's not very common on cars. I went over my budget by 40% to get this particular Fit, but all the other ones with manual/stick-shift I saw had ridiculous mileage and full of little bumps, dents, scratches and small rust spots; or lacking cruse-control.

I usually shift up around 2,500-3,000 rpm. Is that early enough, or I should try even earlier?


You all probably know how often you get aggressive a**-riders when you're driving at speed limit on the hwy. This way, they usually smile and will change lanes. But as far as I'm concerned, only 2 are for "GO AROUND ME". The others are just for fun - the 3 screaming heads are from an awesome electronic music festival in Ontario (Harvest Festival @ Midloathian Castle in Burk's Falls, Ontario), 3 years and hope for many more.

I think you're running a little high on your shifts. I do it in the 2000-2500 area instead.

Smurfette. :)

SmurFitte. ;)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-pa...gauge-dash.jpg

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-pa...gauge-side.jpg

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-pa...ille-block.jpg

I like that - I think I will change my car's name now. Thanks for the help guys, and for the pics PaleMelanesian. I hadn't considered that back part of the steering column, only the mid-part which didn't work too well for me because it blocks the view of the car's trip computer display.

At the end of November, on my way home from work one Friday evening, a buck jumped in front of me all of a sudden and I hit him briefly. This was only about 5-6 weeks after getting SmurFitte :D
Luckily there were no casualties and I'm really glad it wasn't all that bad. I have a dash-cam and here's the video - it was getting dark though, so quality isn't the best:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5UopO8qKGk

https://youtu.be/r5UopO8qKGk

And some pictures:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-an...1-10-10-43.jpg

Front view:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-an...1-10-11-09.jpg

And the best pic - a little souvenir - which apparently is the best thing to happen in these cases - proof of deer accident so your insurance rates don't go up next year:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-an...1-10-14-56.jpg

I'm with Belairdirect and everything went very smooth. I'm not considered at fault, they covered the repair and cost of a rental car for about 2 weeks while it was at the car-shop. Had the pay the deductible, but still glad I didn't get hurt or wreak my new car.

Boo! :( Sorry to hear that. Glad you're ok. Glad it looks like the repair will go smoothly.

I have a question on blocking the lower grille intake of the Fit:
* Would duct-tape work for this purpose?

Since I previously went through the trouble of installing Gutter Guard plastic mesh on the inside part of the lower grille opening and zip-tying it to the vertical and horizontal grille bars (so it's pretty well attached), I was thinking the easiest and cheapest option would be just applying duct-tape from the exterior.

The plastic mesh holes are only about 1/2" tall x 1" wide at the most, so I don't imagine the duct-tape could break off and enter the radiator / engine compartment area.

http://www.oystermesh.com/images/pro...uard-mesh2.jpg

I recall seeing others using duct tape, but I don't remember if it was only a short-term temporary/testing option, or if it would last as a more permanent solution.

Thanks,

I think it would work. You could use the black version so it's stealthy.

But what about in the summer when you need more airflow? You want something that's easily reversible, and I'm not sure duct tape is it.

Then again ... Canada. Summer. Not the same thing as Texas. And the reverse is true for winter.

Duct tape will work, but it'll leave adhesive residue behind if it's left on for a long time.

I just had the hood open yesterday and saw that little panel. That's the one, and the retainers come out prety easily without destroying them.

Non-residue duct tape. I've been using this stuff for a few years. Label says no residue if you leave it on for 6 months. YMMV; and check the label to make sure I'm remembering it correctly.

http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Tough-Residue-1-88-Inch-25-Yard/dp/B0013AZ4W0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453309153&sr=8-1&keywords=on+residue+duct+tape

I used to get it at hardware stores and Home Depot. Supply in those places has become inconsistent at best, so Amazon is now my supplier of choice.

Thanks for the advices guys - greatly appreciated - this definitely gave me more food for thought. :thumbup:

Thanks brucepick for the suggestion to use non-residue duct tape, I didn't know it even existed. I've checked HomeDepot and they don't seem to carry it in Canada, and to get it from Amazon would come to about $20 CAD after shipping and all. Pretty pricey for some duct tape - but I'll keep the option in mind.

I already had 3 colours of regular duct tape (grey, red, blue) so I wanted to use something I already have, instead of spending $$.
But at the same time, I obviously want to avoid duct tape residue.

Maybe I will try to apply the duct tape I already have only to the plastic mesh parts for now, since it's very cold up here (around -10C feeling like -20C, so about 10F feeling like 0F with the wind-chill factor). And then as soon as spring comes, I will remove the tape and probably try one of the blocking approaches that Fat Charlie and PaleMelanesian did.

I went to Home Depot today looking for supplies to block the lower grille opening, but only found pipe insulation. I couldn't find anything else to use, so I was happy to come across the pipe insulation @ only $3 for a 6ft tube.

I basically just cut the 6 ft tube in two 3 ft pieces and nudged them in between the horizontal grille bars and pushed both ends through the last left & right openings. The foam tube ends extend maybe 6" inside the bumper but do not touch the radiator. They seem pretty well FITted in place; test-drove 10 min at high speed and they didn't move at all. Didn't use any glue, tape or zip-ties since they appear to stay in place without.

Here's a front shot:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-an...-152502648.jpg


And a close-up:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-an...527311-hdr.jpg

Can you guys think of any potential concerns with my installation? Do I really need to glue, tape or zip-tie them?

There's a small area below the license plate where the foam allows some air, so approximately 90% of the lower grille opening is blocked.

It looks like compression will hold them in pretty well, but I'd use a zip tie in the center to hold it in place against the plastic vanes. One in the center or two offset to the sides wouldn't look bad or be difficult (or expensive) and would make the block a part of the vehicle instead of just something jammed into a hole.

Nice job- how are you liking the warmup time now? :)

Edit: maybe "weaving" it into place by passing it behind one of the vanes would work. It'd probably be way more work and look less smooth than a zip tie, though.

Hey, that looks like it'll work. I expect they'll only last one season but for that price, who cares? Easy to install and remove if needed, all or half.

I had a highway trip last week and had to remove mine to avoid overheating. That's something any block design needs to consider.

Thanks guys.
I can add a zip-tie in the middle (just for extra piece of mind). I like the analogy of having the tubes part of the bumper and not just something jammed in a hole. :D

I can't comment on the warm-up time, as I'm not yet using my SGII and Honda cheaped out on a coolant temp guage. I'm expecting below freezing weather all the way into April so I'm not yet worried about high engine/coolant temperatures.

I've filled up my tank right after the grille block and so far I've noticed a decent increase in mpg. My avg was around 35mpg before and after the block it's been 40mpg, but I've only had it since yesterday and only made 2 short trips (10 min and 15 min, so time will tell.

Why do you think the foam tubes will only last one season?
Will the foam disintegrate from weather elements (UV rays, temperature, road-salt and grime)?

And another question for all the Honda Fit (2nd gen) owners:
Would blocking the upper grille be worth-while for mpg increase during winter, or would it cause heating issues to other components?
* The upper grille has a "honeycomb" type plastic grille insert with approx half of the holes filled-in and only half are open. The hood has a plastic duct that seems to take the air from the upper grille and directs it to the right-side at the back of the engine-bay. It appears to cool the battery, brake and clutch fluid containers and the engine-fuse-box (or some "black-box").

I never thought the upper grille had enough of an opening to be worth the effort of blocking it. But during the winter, I don't think blocking it would raise temps too high (as long as you're watching it).

I've noticed that old pipe insulation, even under a house, gets brittle and stiff with age. Out in the elements I expect that will accelerate. I don't know, so you can find out for us.

confused
 

Something a bit weird has happened after the lower grille block I did 3 weeks ago.

The car's trip computer fuel display was showing me some pretty good results. The first tank showed 6.2 L/100km (38 mpg) in about 60/40 city/hwy driving, but I couldn't confirm it since my step dad took my car for a spin and filled the tank. I didn't want to ask him for the receipt to calculate my actual fuel mileage, but he's a believer of premium gas always and in all cars so I know he put premium inside - about 3/4 of the tank, the other 1/4 being regular. Today I filled up again after driving almost the same 60/40 city/hwy and the car's computer said 6.4 L/100 km (about 36 mpg) but when I calculated the actual consumption based on distance and volume it came to a shocking 8.2 L/100 km (28.7 mpg) - worst mileage since I got the car. :eek:
I know there's nothing scientific about any of the above numbers, and there's variability at the pump, but I always fill up at the same station and same pump for consistency and haven't seen that big of the difference between the Honda trip computer and the actual calculated fuel consumption.

Could it be that Honda Fit doesn't like premium gas?

My guess is your step dad didn't completely top off the tank. Nice of him to help out, but that's going to mess with your numbers.

I guess the best thing to do faced with the 'problem' of someone putting fuel in is to immediately make sure it's topped right up and start fresh.

It just doesn't like bad record keeping.