Here's what I have planned for my Fit:
Overall goal
I want a car that is primarily a comfortable and fun car to run around in. This car is reasonably priced and I am not looking to plunk down the cash to do an engine swap or go turbo. I want to keep the car reliable, serviceable and completely useable. What I don't want is a car that is impossible to live with.
With all that being said, I plan to add simple bolt ons to improve on the performance of this fun little vehicle.
Engine
I plan to add a simple combination - HKS drop-in filter and a Megan Racing axleback exhaust. Keeping the stock airbox will aid in response, but not overall horsepower. Response to me is more important. I have looked over many exhausts available, including custom, but I have decided on the Megan Racing because I want something that looks and sounds more mature than the N1 style setups. I have had experience with the A'PEXi N1 exhaust and it was fun as a teenager, but not so much as an adult. I am looking for something to give it a nice tone when you give it the beans, but no drone on long trips. This setup delivers what I am looking for.
Stereo
The stock stereo is ok, but I would like something with some more depth. I chose to install a JVC double-din stereo with a Metra install kit. I like the double-din because it looks more complete than having a pocket underneath the stereo. Especially so when the stereo is mounted so high up on the console, as it is here. The Metra kit is a pretty good one to use, it comes dang near close to perfect fitment - the only issue I had was the top corner on the passenger side has a small gap. This head unit is very nice and looks great as part of the dash. I matched the colors on the head unit to the gauge colors to create a more cohesive appearance to the interior.
For speakers, I am going with the Polk Audio db651s speakers front and rear. These are nice 2 ways that you can get for a very good value if you scout them out.
Amp-wise, I am looking at a Jensen 5 channel amp. The model I am eyeing has 70W RMS x 4 and 200W RMS x 1.
To match up to the amp and give the system the bass boost it needs, I have chosen a Bazooka 10" DVC bass tube. This will work great in the Fit for a number of reasons. It can be easily removed if more cargo space is needed and is designed to work best in small areas - hmmmm, that sounds familiar.
Exterior
I plan to complete revamp the lame duck base exterior with a few mods that will make a huge difference. First off will be the Sport model lip kit all around and the Sport spoiler out back. I will also get the fog lights and keep the housings black to give the front bumper a more unique look. 35% tint will be done to not only increase street cred, but also to keep the occupants from baking in those large windows in the summer. The JDM style LED smoked tail lights will be next. A 6000k Philips HID bixenon kit will be added for the headlights and an H11 HID kit will be added for the fog lights. The fogs and headlights will match - white with a tint of blue. I'm not into the yellow fogs...
This is the basis for the exterior, but a few things might change later down the road. I am considering the Black OEM headlights to replace the body colored ones on there now. Possibly looking at a Spoon carbon fiber spoiler in the back. I know, I know, its front wheel drive and doesnt need a spoiler, but that this is the bees knees and hard to pass up.
Interior
Like I said before, I am a big fan of the Fit interior and I will not mess with it too much. I will probably only add a RAZO auto shift knob. I'm not a huge fan of the one that came stock.
Wheels
It feels good to get a great deal, doesnt it? I managed to find a sweet set of rims from a guy 4 hours away for a steal. They are 18 x 7.5" Ace Alloy mesh style wheels. These are going to make a huge attitude adjustment from those piddly 14 x 5" stock steelies. Mesh style wheels are my favorite, they never seem to go out of style, look great on everything and give a luxury/sport look to every ride that rocks them.
To wrap these babies, I am scoping out a set of 215/35-18 Nitto NeoGen's. I plan to do a bit of suspension work to the car and these seem to be the most cost effective option for what I need. These tires have a unique design that counteracts camber wear (common on lowered vehicles) and will help me get more mileage out of this set.
Suspension
This is where I plan to do most of the modding on my car. The phrase "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies here, but I am doing my best to ignore it. I want to improve on that sharpness that you get a taste of everytime you drive these cars. I don't want to go overboard and ruin the balance, but instead want to give the car just a little more edge. I have purchased Tein S-Tech springs which give a sweet drop of 1.8" in the front and about 1.2" in the rear. There is a larger fender gap in the rear, but that will help when carrying a full car of people or lugging around heavy items. A lot of guys cut one coil off the back to eliminate this gap, but we will cross that bridge when we get there, I'm not certain I will go this route.
The other item I have purchased so far is the Progress rear sway bar. This bar links the two ends of the rear suspension and provides more stiffness where it was needed. I expect better turn in and sharpness and added stability.
From what I have read online, most Fit owners that lower their car keep the stock struts and shocks. I plan to do this for a while as well, but eventually upgrade to T1R sport dampers. This is a sweet set that allows compression dampening at all for corners, each with 15 settings. This will allow me to fine tune the ride and handling balance at each corner.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Initial impressions - stock
The Fit does a lot of things well, but has a few areas in need of improvement.
Exterior
The Fit in base trim is pretty humble. It's basically a little egg on PlaySkool looking "wheels". The Sport lip kit, spoiler, and fog lights do wonders for this car. I plan to add these to mine as well to convert it from the homely stock setup.
Without the kit, the rear glass makes the rear look extremely tall and each of the bumpers look like they are missing a key element.
Interior
It may not knock your socks off, but I love the interior of the Fit. It is amazing that Honda managed to create so much space in such a small amount of real estate. They also made the Fit extremely versatile with the Magic Seats that lay down and move in several different arrangements. We have moved the seats into several different arrangements to carry people, bikes, and our dogs. We haven't run into a reasonable situation where we have run out of space.
From the driver's seat it is all business. The interior is mostly black and dark gray - there are no bright colors in the car. To balance all this out are the enormous windows on all sides. This gives the car a very airy feel and heightens the sense that this car is larger than it appears. The steering wheel is great. In the base model there are no buttons and I like this more than the cluttered look of the Sport wheel. Its clean and simple.
Stereo
In the base model, there isn't much to write home about. There is not an auxiliary input in the base model and you get 4 speakers instead of the Sport model's 6.
Engine
The 1.5 liter L15A engine will surprise you. 109 horsepower only has to move 2500 lbs. Paired with the close ratio 5-speed automatic, the Fit has no problem getting up and going. The Fit also uses a Drive-by-Wire accelerator that gives extremely good response. The engine revs to 6,500 rpms (I thought low for an engine this size, but I'm sure it is for reliability's sake) and makes a pretty good noise doing it.
Suspension
The suspension on this car is really the selling point here. Its setup is a MacPherson strut up front and rear uses a combination of Torsion bar, spring and shock. There is a front swaybar, but no rear swaybar. The limiting factor is the skinny tires - 175/60-14.
Overall
There are some pros and cons here, but the Fit has a lot to offer. All the negatives go away behind the wheel. This car is such a blast to drive right out of the box, not in a V8 Mustang kinda way, but rather in a less-is-more, bare bones experience. The car sticks to the road like glue and the controls seem to be telepathic, it all comes together very well on the road. Whether you are looking for the perfect road or just running home from work, this car is fun all the way around.
Exterior
The Fit in base trim is pretty humble. It's basically a little egg on PlaySkool looking "wheels". The Sport lip kit, spoiler, and fog lights do wonders for this car. I plan to add these to mine as well to convert it from the homely stock setup.
Without the kit, the rear glass makes the rear look extremely tall and each of the bumpers look like they are missing a key element.
Interior
It may not knock your socks off, but I love the interior of the Fit. It is amazing that Honda managed to create so much space in such a small amount of real estate. They also made the Fit extremely versatile with the Magic Seats that lay down and move in several different arrangements. We have moved the seats into several different arrangements to carry people, bikes, and our dogs. We haven't run into a reasonable situation where we have run out of space.
From the driver's seat it is all business. The interior is mostly black and dark gray - there are no bright colors in the car. To balance all this out are the enormous windows on all sides. This gives the car a very airy feel and heightens the sense that this car is larger than it appears. The steering wheel is great. In the base model there are no buttons and I like this more than the cluttered look of the Sport wheel. Its clean and simple.
Stereo
In the base model, there isn't much to write home about. There is not an auxiliary input in the base model and you get 4 speakers instead of the Sport model's 6.
Engine
The 1.5 liter L15A engine will surprise you. 109 horsepower only has to move 2500 lbs. Paired with the close ratio 5-speed automatic, the Fit has no problem getting up and going. The Fit also uses a Drive-by-Wire accelerator that gives extremely good response. The engine revs to 6,500 rpms (I thought low for an engine this size, but I'm sure it is for reliability's sake) and makes a pretty good noise doing it.
Suspension
The suspension on this car is really the selling point here. Its setup is a MacPherson strut up front and rear uses a combination of Torsion bar, spring and shock. There is a front swaybar, but no rear swaybar. The limiting factor is the skinny tires - 175/60-14.
Overall
There are some pros and cons here, but the Fit has a lot to offer. All the negatives go away behind the wheel. This car is such a blast to drive right out of the box, not in a V8 Mustang kinda way, but rather in a less-is-more, bare bones experience. The car sticks to the road like glue and the controls seem to be telepathic, it all comes together very well on the road. Whether you are looking for the perfect road or just running home from work, this car is fun all the way around.
The story on my Fit....
In March of 2008, my then fiance needed a new car for school. After searching for a car, the Fit ended up being the car she chose. It is an automatic base model in Storm Silver Metallic. After a few years we bought a replacement car to be our daily driver - a 2010 Honda Element. Since then I have been amassing parts to turn our little silver egg into something even more fun to drive.
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