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Hi all, I joined a few weeks ago and got a lot of advice and read the articles on hypermiling, improving mpg, etc. I have a 2008 honda fit automatic. Before joining I was averaging 28-29 mpg, I was astounded reading about people here who could pass 40 mpg. I have been changing my driving habits, especially slowing down and coasting, and I have increased the tire pressure from 32 to 45. I've also been aware of long stops and cut my car off if it looks like we will be stopped more than a minute. With all of that I am getting around 32-33 mpg. Personally I am disappointed- I was hoping for closer to the 40 mpg mark. When I bought the car I was considering between this and the Corolla (the yaris didn't have ABS or cruise control at the time), I know several people with automatic corollas who routinely beat 40 mpg. I just recently had it in the dealership and they checked it over, nothing wrong (and they reset my tire pressure to 32 GRRRRRRR).

Any thoughts? I have a 49 mile each way commute daily, I am thinking if I can't get any better out of this car that I will trade it in next year.
thanks in advance

With a 49 mile one way commute, I'm guessing you have a fair bit of highway driving. How fast do you drive? Although your gearing is better than on a manual transmission, your rpms are probably still somewhat high in highway driving. Also, the Fit isn't the most aerodynamic car out there. Slowing down further will probably help on both accounts (of course there's always the balance of fuel economy vs commuting time). What kind of terrain do you have to deal with? How about traffic? Tell us a bit more about your driving and commute. We'll see what we can do.

Good job on the improvements so far. That's not bad for just a few weeks of hypermiling.

Edit: Oh, and welcome to the site!

welcome to the site...:Banane19: if you're new to HM, it will take some time until you get a good understanding of the techniques, so don't worry about your "lower" mpgs and be pacient, sooner or later it will come...

I've been lerking on this site for a few weeks now and have significatly improved my mpg from 33 mpg upwards to 41 mpg, it's all about understanding what makes it better or worst. A scan gauge is a great tool to see the effects of highway speeds, hills and following a truck, car, or SUV (at least 2 seconds behind). I've also been playing around how I go to work, the shortest may not be the best!
Make it a game, it adds interest to my trips to and from work and on the weekend the kids are getting into the game.
Mike

It will get better once it's broken in a bit. Around the first oil change. You don't have to go crazy to get better mileage, just slow down. The speed limit is a good place to start.

+1 on going less than speed limit.

You're off to a good start. Simply by slowing down, not accelerating too quickly, and timing lights you should be near 40 MPG. It takes a while to get used to the drive-by-wire system as well... it's a bit touchy. I would really recommend a ScanGauge. I delayed getting one for some time... but eventually I got one. It has helped beyond belief: instant feedback = instant lessons learned. :)

Good luck! I can't wait to hear about your FE improvements in the near future. :Banane07:

I drive about 75% highway, I go the speedlimit (before I was about 10 miles over the speedlimit). There is usually a slowdown at one of the tunnels I have to go through but that usually is only for 2-3 miles and lasts usually 10 minutes. The car has 13,000 miles and has been broken in (2 oil changes so far). The terrain is basically flat.
At 55 mph the RPM are just under 2000, at 60 they are at about 2200.
I drove a prius before and was pretty good at the gliding and pulse driving, I was getting close to 60 mpg in that with little effort. The prius was just expensive to insure and pay taxes on for the amount of miles I put on cars (about 50,000 a year) so I thought I would get a smaller commuter car.
I also increased the tires to 47 psi yesterday, they are rated for 51.
Please help- I can't see spending the money on a scan gauge for such little improvement. Is there anything mechanically I should be looking at? My sister drives like a maniac and gets 40 mpg in her 2007 corolla. If this is really due to aerodynamics I am going to start saving to trade this car in.
thanks for your help

Edit:I forgot to mention the commuters here are crazy, I am scared to go below the speed limit. I commute in Hampton Roads VA through the hampton roads bridge tunnel.

Go 50-55 mph on the freeway and accelerate slowly under all conditions.

I don't know what the speed limit is on your commute, but keeping it to 55 will help if you're not already. Do you have to brake much in traffic? Every time you brake, it's equivalent to throwing away the fuel that you used to speed up in the first place. Try scanning the road further ahead to anticipate slowdowns. You can coast earlier instead of braking later. If your work times are flexible, try adjusting them a bit so you're driving in less traffic.

Do you always fill up at the same pump? It could be miscalibrated.

Another idea would be to swap cars with your sister for a tank. This would give you an idea of what you could expect with a Corolla. It would also show what your Fit will do with her driving "like a maniac".

Edit:I forgot to mention the commuters here are crazy, I am scared to go below the speed limit. I commute in Hampton Roads VA through the hampton roads bridge tunnel.

I'm very familiar with that area. I used to live near Mercury Blvd in Hampton (near the old mall) and take the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel into Portsmouth for work. It's two lanes each way in the tunnel. Trust me, though, you'll be fine doing 50 MPH through there. :cool:

I kind of wish I still lived in Virginia... I like that place. Much more skilled drivers than here in SC. :eek:

My guess is the gearing difference between the corolla and Fit. Though the Fit doesn't seem to bad. I am guessing acceleration is killing your mpg as others have stated. The Fits tranny is not geared for mpg but for performance. 5th gear in the AT may be ok but getting there is what is killing your mpg. The drive by wire may be another factor to get use to since there is a the lack of resistance unlike the cable throttle.

Honestly, a SG may be a waste of money if you can manage to try some of these techniques. Not to mention you have this site for information which I have leached off of since April and I do not have a SG, though one should be at the house when I get home. :p

An update- I have managed to break 36 mpg. I am not sure if this was due to as little acceleration as possible (I am making sure the RPMs do not break 2500 while accelerating) or from purchasing non ethanol gas. I had to go back to a tank of ethanol based gas this fill up so I will let you all know :)
thanks again for the help and advice

36 seems about right given the cooler weather and the limitations of heavy traffic.

When in lighter traffic, P&G can get you over 40, but I don't see folks with really big mpg driving the automatic. Our gear ratios are better than theirs for steady state cruising, but their FAS P&G beats us. We AT Fits can FAS, but having to key start is a drag.

Good luck.

An update- I have managed to break 36 mpg. I am not sure if this was due to as little acceleration as possible (I am making sure the RPMs do not break 2500 while accelerating) or from purchasing non ethanol gas. I had to go back to a tank of ethanol based gas this fill up so I will let you all know :)
thanks again for the help and advice

Try to keep it closer to 2000.

Larry