Sold the F-150, bought an '07 Honda Fit

[justjohn]

I guess I can settle with that for now, but there's no reason to make it sound impossible I don't think.

In fact, I'm pretty sure I could code it myself, but I doubt they're going to give some random member the power to change their code around.

[Bill in Houston]

Nice. I thought I was going to end up with a Fit myself, but didn't.

When you get ready, it looks like that Sport body kit will make for lots of good attachment points for the belly pan and front/rear undertrays.

[Dunkler]

Hey guys, thanks for all the positive responses. I was against going with an Auto at first, but they had such a good price and after researching the auto vs. manual mpgs on the Fit, I determined that with the kind of driving I do (all hwy 55mph constant, barely any city if any) that I could pull the desired 40mpg from it. So far I have traveled around 223 miles and have burned right at a half a tank. The car has a 10.9 gallon tank according to the interwebs so I figure that at around 5.45 gallons burned which nets me 40.917 mpg this far. I will of course do another check at fill up vs. mileage. So far I am really pleased with the car. I feel like I got a pretty good deal on it, and comparing it to my F150 I will be saving more money than the actual car payment, so I can double up and pay off in half the time, the good Lord willing.

If I have time today I will start a backlog of all my mileage on the F150. I kept records of MPGs for weeks on that thing.

[SentraSE-R]

The Fit is a win-win. With your commute, you should easily get low-40s mpg, and possibly mid-40s, without mods.

[PaleMelanesian]

Nice! I like the color, too!

One good thing about the automatic is the gear ratios. Running lower rpm will help your mileage in semi-steady speed compared to the high-revving manual. Barring Pulse and Glide, it's just a massive drain on your mpg. With a drive as long as yours, you don't want to be pulsing and gliding the whole distance.

[vskid3]

I was really looking into getting a Fit when I was car shopping (same color, too). There is probably a 90% chance that I will get one when my Civic gives up the ghost. I test drove one with an automatic and the paddle shifters. Felt just like my Civic except a bit taller. If I got one with an auto, I would accelerate using the paddle shifters to speed through the gears, but slow down with it in auto-mode (except engine braking down hills). The lack of neutral/a clutch makes coasting and normal deceleration in manual-mode feel really weird, I would only use it during canyon carving.

[Dunkler]

Thanks guys. Does pulse and glide wear on your transmission pretty badly? I have been known to slap it in neutral when going down a steep hill or coming to a stop light.

[PaleMelanesian]

I use Neutral all the time in my 04 Odyssey (auto).
I use N all the time in my Civic, but it's a manual.

I think the main issue would be how smooth is the reengagement. If you can rev-match and it goes back into top gear smoothly, go ahead. You'll save gas letting the engine idle instead of running 2500+ rpm, as well as removing the engine-braking drag on your momentum.

[wdb]

Originally Posted by Dunkler

So far I have traveled around 223 miles and have burned right at a half a tank. The car has a 10.9 gallon tank according to the interwebs so I figure that at around 5.45 gallons burned which nets me 40.917 mpg this far. I will of course do another check at fill up vs. mileage.

You'll definitely want to use fillup data rather than gauge position - the Fit gas gauge is infamous for staying above 1/2 tank seemingly forever, then falling like stone once it gets below 1/2.

Also, although the book says 10.9 gallons, the tank actually holds more like 12 or 13 gallons. I personally have put 11.9 gallons in mine. The tank's unusual location - under the front seats - is what I believe is at issue; the filler pipe probably has to go down before it can go back up. Plenty of people "hyperfill" Fits by adding fuel very slowly after the pump clicks off. I routinely add 2 gallons after the pump clicks off.

With a "hyperfilled" tank my gas gauge stays above 1/2 for ~300 miles, if I'm averaging ~40MPG. Then it falls off a cliff!

[PaleMelanesian]

Take notes of miles and mpg (and calculated gallons) at the different marks on the gauge. All the variation in fills happens above F. Once you're down to F the gallons are consistent to the other marks. It's a good early indicator of how much gas went in.

My tank is not like yours, but has the common first-half-is-bigger setup. 4.8 gallons from F to 1/2 but only 3.9 gal from 1/2 to E. I can get up to 3.8 gallons above F, or 1.8 past first click.