2013 HONDA FIT Fuel

153
Driving
This chapter discusses driving, refueling, and information on items such as accessories.
Before Driving Driving Preparation .......................... 154
Maximum Load Limit........................ 157
Towing a Trailer Towing Your Vehicle ........................ 159
When Driving
Starting the Engine .......................... 161
Precautions While Driving................. 163
Automatic Transmission ................... 164
Shifting ............................................ 165
Shifting ............................................ 167
Models with 7 positions AT
Models with 5 positions AT
Shifting ............................................ 171
Cruise Control *
............................... 173
VSA® (Vehicle Stability Assist), aka ESC
(Electronic Stability Control), System ...... 176
TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) .. 178
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) -
Required Federal Explanation ......... 179
Braking
Brake System ................................... 181
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) ........... 183
Brake Assist System.......................... 184
Manual transmission modelsParking Your VehicleWhen Stopped ................................ 185
Refueling
Fuel Information .............................. 186
How to Refuel ................................. 187
Fuel Economy .................................... 189
Improving Fuel Economy .................. 189
Accessories and Modifications
Accessories ...................................... 190
Modifications................................... 190
* Not available on all models
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uuWhen DrivinguStarting the Engine
162
Driving
3. Turn the ignition switch to START (e
without depressing the accelerator pedal.
1. Keeping your right foot on the brake pedal, release the parking brake. Check that
the brake system indicator has gone off.
2 Parking Brake P. 181
2. Put the shift lever in
(D . Select (R when reversing.
3. Gradually release the brake pedal and gently depress the accelerator pedal to pull away.
1Starting the Engine
Do not hold the key in START
(e for more than 15
seconds.
• If the engine does not start right away, wait for at least 10 seconds before trying again.
• If the engine starts, but then immediately stops,
wait at least 10 seconds before repeating step 3
while gently depressing the acce lerator pedal.
Release the accelerator pedal once the engine
starts.
The immobilizer system protects your vehicle from
theft. If an improperly coded device is used, the
engine’s fuel system is disabled. 2 Immobilizer System P. 90
■Starting to Drive
Automatic transmission models
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uuWhen DrivinguShifting
166
Driving
■Shift Lever Operation1Shift Lever Operation
NOTICE
When you change the shift lever from (D to (R and
vice versa, come to a complete stop and keep the brake pedal depressed.
Operating the shift lever before the vehicle has come
to a complete standstill can damage the transmission.
Use the shift lever position indicator to check the
lever position before pulling away.
Whichever position the shift lever is in when driving,
a blinking
(D indicator indicates a transmission
problem.
Avoid sudden acceleration and have the transmission
checked by a dealer as soon as possible.
The fuel supply may be cut off if you drive at engine
speeds in or over the tachometer red zone (engine
speed limit). If this happens, you may experience a
slight jolt.
It may not be possible to operate the shift lever if the
brake pedal is applied while the shift lever release
button is held down. Depress the brake pedal first.
Shift Lever Position Indicator
Tachometer’s red zone
Depress the brake pedal and press
the shift lever release button to shift. Shift without pressing the shift lever release button.
Press the shift lever release button and shift.
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uuWhen DrivinguShifting
168
Driving
■Shift Lever Operation1Shift Lever Operation
NOTICE
When you change the shift lever from (D to (R and
vice versa, come to a complete stop and keep the brake pedal depressed.
Operating the shift lever before the vehicle has come
to a complete standstill can damage the transmission.
Use the shift lever position indicator to check the
lever position before pulling away.
Whichever position the shift lever is in when driving,
a blinking
(D indicator indicates a transmission
problem.
Avoid sudden acceleration and have the transmission
checked by a dealer as soon as possible.
The fuel supply may be cut off if you drive at engine
speeds in or over the tachometer red zone (engine
speed limit). If this happens, you may experience a
slight jolt.
It may not be possible to operate the shift lever if the
brake pedal is applied while the shift lever release
button is pressed. Depress the brake pedal first.M (Sequential Sh ift Mode) Indicator/
Gear position Indicator
Tachometer’s red zone
Depress the brake pedal and press
the shift lever release button to shift. Shift without pressing the shift lever
release button.
Press the shift lever release button and shift.
Shift Lever Position Indicator
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uuWhen DrivinguShifting
170
Driving
■ Second gear lock mode
If you pull the
(+ paddle shifter while stopped or driving at 6 mph (10 km/h) or less,
the gear position will be locked in 2nd gear. This makes it easier to pull away on
slippery surfaces such as snow covered roads.
To cancel the 2nd gear lock mode, pull the
(- paddle shifter, or move the shift lever
from
(S to (D.
■Sequential Shift Mode Operation1Sequential Shift Mode Operation
Each paddle shift operation makes a single gear change.
To change gears continuously, release the paddle
shifter before pulling it again for the next gear.
Recommended Shift Points
Use this table as a guideline for efficient fuel
economy and effective emission control. If the gear posit ion indicator blinks when you try to
shift up or down, this means your vehicle speed is not
in its allowa ble gear shifting range.
Slightly accelerate to shift up and decelerate to shift
down while the indicator is blinking. Shift Up Normal Acceleration
1st to 2nd15 mph (24 km/h)
2nd to 3rd 25 mph (40 km/h)
3rd to 4th40 mph (64 km/h)
4th to 5th 47 mph (76 km/h)
Upshifting when pulling the (+ paddle shifter
(Changes to a higher gear)
Downshifting when pulling the (-
paddle shifter
(Changes to a higher gear)
(- Paddle Shifter
(Shift down)(+ Paddle Shifter
(Shift up)
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uuWhen DrivinguShifting
172
Driving
When you are not shifting , do not rest your
foot on the clutch pedal. This can cause your
clutch to wear out faster. 1Shifting Recommended Shift Points
Driving in the highest gear that allows the engine to
run and accelerate smoothly helps to optimize fuel
economy and effective emissions control. The
following shift points are recommended:
If you exceed the maximum speed for the gear you
are in, the engine speed will enter into the
tachometer’s red zone. When this happens, you may
experience a slight jolt. Shift Up Normal Acceleration
1st to 2nd15 mph (24 km/h)
2nd to 3rd 27 mph (44 km/h)
3rd to 4th39 mph (63 km/h)
4th to 5th 53 mph (85 km/h)
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179
uuWhen DrivinguTire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) - Required Federal Explanation
Continued
Driving
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) - Required
Federal Explanation Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inflated to the inflation pressure
recommended by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label.
(If your vehicle has tires of a different size than the size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire inflatio n pressure label, you should
determine the proper tire inflation pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your ve hicle has been equipped with
a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure telltale when one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire fa ilure. Under-inflation also reduces
fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect the vehicle’s
handling and stopping ability.
U.S. models
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186
Driving
Refueling
Fuel Information ■Fuel recommendation
Use of lower octane gasoline can cause a persistent, heavy metallic knocking noise
that can lead to engine damage. ■ Top tier detergent gasoline
Because the level of detergency and additives in gasoline vary in the market, Honda
endorses the use of “TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline” where available to help
maintain the performance and reliability of your vehicle. TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline meets a new gasoline standard jointly established by leading automotive
manufacturers to meet the needs of today’s advanced engines.
Qualifying gasoline retailers will, in most cases, identify their gasoline as having met
“TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline” standards at the retail location. This fuel is
guaranteed to contain the proper level of detergent additives and be free of metallic
additives. The proper level of detergent additives, and absence of harmful metallic
additives in gasoline, help avoid build-up of deposits in your engine and emission
control system.
For further important fuel-related information for your vehicle, or on information on
gasoline that does not contain MMT, visit www.hondacars.com. In Canada, visit
www.honda.ca for additional information on gasoline. For more information on top
tier gasoline, visit www.toptiergas.com .
Unleaded gasoline, pump oc tane number 87 or higher
1Fuel Information
NOTICE
We recommend quality gasoline containing
detergent additives that help prevent fuel system and
engine deposits. In addition, in order to maintain
good performance, fuel economy, and emissions control, we strongly recommend the use of gasoline
that does NOT contain harmful manganese-based
fuel additives such as MMT, if such gasoline is
available.
Use of gasoline with these additives may adversely
affect performance, and cause the malfunction
indicator lamp on your instrument panel to come on.
If this happens, contact a dealer for service.
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