engine HONDA FIT 2007 1.G Owner's Manual

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
manual and automatic transmissions.
It also includes important
information on parking your vehicle
and the braking system.........................
Driving Guidelines .146
....................
Preparing to Drive .147
.......................
Starting the Engine .148
...................
Manual Transmission .149
..............
Automatic Transmission .151
Driving with the Paddle
.................
Shif ters (Sport only) .156
...........................................
Parking .160
.............................
Braking System .161
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) .162
...........................
Towing a Trailer .164
Driving
Driving
145

Make sure all windows, mirrors,
and outside lights are clean and
unobstructed. Remove frost, snow,
or ice.
Check that the hood is fully closed. Check
the seat adjustment (see
page ).
Check the adjustment of the
inside and outside mirrors (see
page ).
Check the steering wheel
ad justment (see page ).
Fasten your seat belt. Check that
your passengers have fastened
their seat belts (see page ).
Wh en you start the engine, check
the gauges and indicato rs in the
instrument panel (see page ).
Check
that any items you may be
carrying are stored properly or
fastened down securely.
Vi
sually check the tires. If a tire
looks low, use a gauge to check its
pressure (see page ).
Youshoulddothefollowingchecks
and adjustments bef ore you drive
your vehicle.
Make sure the doors and the
tailgate are securely closed and
locked.
1.
2.
10.14
3.
4. 5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
85
94 74
60
197
Driving Guidelines
Preparing to Drive
Driving
147

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn off all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery. Without
touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in the START (III)
position for more than 15 seconds
at a time. If the engine does not
start right away, pause for at least
10 seconds before trying again.
Make sure the shift lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
Press
the clutch pedal down all the
way. The START (III) position
does not function unless the clutch
pedal is pressed.
If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed halfway
down. If the engine starts, release
pressu re on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race. If
the engine fails to start, press
the accelerator pedal all the way
down, and hold it there while
starting to clear flooding. If the
engine still does not start, return
to step 5.
1.
2.
3. 4.
5.6.
Manual
transmission:
Automatic transmission:
Starting theEngine
148
The immobilizer system protects your
vehicle f rom thef t. If an improperly-
coded key (or other device) is used, the
engine’s f uel system is disabled. For
more inf ormation, see page . The engine is harder to start in cold
weather. Also, the thinner air f ound at
altitudes above 8,000 f eet (2,400
meters) adds to this problem.
76

Come to a full stop before you shift
into reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shif t into
reverse with the vehicle moving.
Push down the clutch pedal, and
pause f or a f ew seconds bef ore
shif ting into reverse, or shif t into one
of the f orward gears f or a moment.
This stops the gears so they won’t
‘‘grind.’’
The manual transmission is
synchronized in all f orward gears f or
smooth operation. It has a lockout so
you cannot shift directly from fifth to
reverse. When shif ting up or down,
make sure you push the clutch pedal
down all the way, shift to the next
gear, and let the pedal up gradually.
When you are not shif ting, do not
rest your f oot on the clutch pedal.
This can cause the clutch to wear out
f aster. When slowing down, you can get
extra braking f rom the engine by
shifting to a lower gear. This extra
braking can help you maintain a safe
speed and prevent your brakes f rom
overheating while going down a
steep hill. Bef ore downshif ting,
make sure the engine speed will not
go into the tachometer’s red zone in
the lower gear.
Manual T ransmission
Driving
149
Rapid slowing or speeding-up
can cause loss of control on
slippery surfaces. If you crash,
you can be injured.
Use extra care when driving on
slippery surfaces.

If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
rpm below the red zone.
Drive in the highest gear that lets
the engine run and accelerate
smoothly. This will give you good
f uel economy and ef f ective
emissions control. The f ollowing
shif t points are recommended:
Shif t up
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th The engine speed limiter only works
when you upshif t; engine speed is
not limited during downshif ts.
Bef ore downshif ting, make sure the
engine will not go into the
tachometer’s red zone.
Normal acceleration
15 mph (24 km/h)
27 mph (43 km/h)
39 mph (62 km/h)
53 mph (85 km/h)
Recommended Shif t Points Engine Speed L imiter
Manual T ransmission
150

µ This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning off or
starting the engine. To shift out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your foot off the
accelerator pedal. Press the release
buttononthefrontoftheshiftlever
to move it.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page .
To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop bef ore shif ting
into Park. You must also press the
release button to shift into Park. The
shif t lever must be in Park bef ore
you can remove the key f rom the
ignition switch. 155
Do this:
Press the brake pedal, and
press the shift lever release
button.
Press the shift lever release
button.
Move the shift lever. To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR DtoS
StoD
DtoN
NtoD RtoN Do this:
Press the brake pedal, and
press the shift lever release
button.
Press the shift lever release
button.
Move the shift lever.
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR
Dto2 2to1
1to2
2toD
DtoD DtoN
DtoD NtoDRtoN
3
3
3
3
All models except Sport Sport modelPark (P)
Shif t L ock Release
Automatic Transmission
152

µ
µ µ
µ µ
CONT INUED
Press the brake
pedal and press the release button
on the f ront of the shif t lever to shif t
f rom Park to reverse. To shif t f rom
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.Press
the release button bef ore shif ting
into reverse f rom neutral.
Use neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from neutral to
another gear. Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear (1 through 5) f or your
speed and acceleration. You may
notice the transmission shif ting up at
higher engine speeds when the
engine is cold. This helps the engine
warm up f aster.
This position is similar
to D, except only the first three
gears are selected. Use D to provide
engine braking when going down a
steep hill. D can also keep the
transmission f rom cycling between
third and f ourth gears in stop-and-go
driving. To shif t to second,
pressthereleasebuttononthefront
of the shif t lever. This position locks
the transmission in second gear. It
does not downshif t to f irst gear
when you come to a stop.
Use second gear: For more power when climbing.
To increase engine braking when
going down steep hills.
For starting out on a slippery
surf ace or in deep snow.
To help reduce wheel spin.
3
3
All models except Sport All models except Sport
Automatic Transmission
Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Drive (D)
Drive (D )Second (2)
3Driving
153

µ
µ To shift into the S
position, press the release button on
the front of the shift lever, and move
the lever to S. This position is similar
to D, except only gears from first to
fourth are selected. S position keep
the transmission from cycling
between fourth and fifth gears in
stop-and-go driving.
To
shift from second to
first, press the release button on the
front of the shift lever. This position
locks the transmission in first gear.
By upshifting and downshifting
through 1, 2, D , and D, you can
operate the transmission much like a
manual transmission without a
clutch pedal.
With the shift lever in D or S, you
canalsouse thepaddleshiftersto
shift the transmission up or down.
With the paddle shifters, you can
operate the transmission much like a
manual transmission without a
clutch pedal. For more inf ormation
of driving with the paddle shif ters,
see page . If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
rpm below the red zone.
156
3
All models except Sport On Sport model
S position (S)
First (1) Engine Speed L imiter
Automatic Transmission
154

This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release
button does not work.Set the parking brake.
Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
Push down on the key while you
pressthereleasebuttononthe
shif t lever and move the shif t lever
out of Park to neutral. Insert the key in the shift lock
release slot.Remove the key from the shift
lock release slot, then reinstall the
cover. Make sure the notch on the
cover is on the lef t side. Press the
brake pedal, and restart the engine.
If you need to use the shif t lock
release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have it
checked by your dealer.
Putaclothonthenotchof the
shif t lock release slot cover. Using
a small f lat-tipped screwdriver or a
metal f ingernail f ile, caref ully pry
on the notch of the cover to
remove it.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.6.
Shif t L ock Release
Automatic Transmission
Driving
155
COVER
RELEASE
BUTTON
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT
NOTCH

´
µ
´
µ
CONT INUED
Each time you pull the (right), the
transmission shif ts to a higher gear.
Pull the (lef t) to downshif t. You
will see the selected gear number on
the instrument panel. Downshif ting with the paddle shif ter allows you to increase the engine
braking when going down steep or
long hills, and provides more power
when climbing uphills. You can
upshif t the transmission manually to
reduce the rpm. Driving in the
higher gear helps f uel economy. When the transmission returns to
drive mode (D), the displayed gear
number goes out.
When you pull either paddle shif ter,
the gear position indicator shows you
the selected gear number.
When you are driving in D position,
you can shif t the transmission up or
down manually with the paddle
shif ters.
To shif t up or down, use the
(right) or (lef t) paddle shif ter on
each side of the steering wheel.
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters (Sport only)
Using the Paddle Shif ters in D
position (D-Paddle Shif t Mode)
156
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR