Hi all, I have a 2010 Fit Sport and I'm looking at picking up some snow tires. I got a line on someone with a 2013 fit selling their snowtires and rims.

Their tires are a 175/65 R 16, on steel rims. Checking online fit guides I think these wheels and tires will fit my 2010 Sport, but I wanted a second opinion.

Cheers!

 

Yes. Those are the stock sizes.

 

My new ones just arrived today.

 

Thanks, wasn't sure as they are a different size than my 3-season tires and the underbody stuff on the Sport vs a basic Fit.

 

Stock tires on the 2010 Sport are 185/55-16

 

Yup, I know. That is why I was checking to see if these 175/65 15s would fit.

 

There are numerous tire size calculators on line:




The 175/65-15 looks close in size. What about load carrying ability?

 

The Fit is a light car. Most any tire will have sufficient carrying capacity plus a bunch to spare (which is why the proper inflation pressure is well under the tire's maximum stated on the sidewall).

In theory the proper inflation pressure might change slightly with a different tire size. In this case, the tires are so close in size that the same pressures will work perfectly well.

 

Yes & No. "Door Jamb" sticker says 33 psi but if I run my 205/50-16 at that it is too much: bouncy, while sitting still, I can turn steering wheel with my pinky finger, minimal contact patch, the steering will "follow" every contour in the road surface - feels out of control. I settled on 29 psi. That 33 psi was fine with the original Dunlop 185/55-16. I suspect that these 175/65-15 replacements might need to be higher than 33 psi but some testing would be in order because sidewall stiffness has a dog in this fight too, so once you feel it you'll know you are in the right pressure range.

The other thing that I deal with in early winter (Pennsylvania) is temp drop and TPMS warning lights. 29 psi in August on my 205/50-16 may end up at 24-25 psi in December as temperatures drop and the 16" wheel TMPS set to go off at 27 psi (15" wheel TPMS trips at 25 psi). Happens every year but when I top them off when outside temps are in the 40s-30s, then I'm good for the rest of the winter into summer where I need to leave out some air.

All this air pressure stuff will be simpler if the 175/65-15 are only used in winter but if these are fitted with TMPS, you'll still have to reprogram the car's ECM when changing back & forth or buy clone TPMS and copy over the IDs from the summer tires. Once cloned, the car won't know the difference between sets of tires.

I know TMPS is a safety feature but it is a costly pain when not working right and it doesn't prevent irresponsible behavior as in the case of my wife. 2009 CIVIC with TMPS and luckily I had just fitted her car with the Bridgstone Run-Flat tires, which are supposed to be good for 50 miles at 50 mph so you can address the flat and hopefully continue to use that tire. She was on interstate talking away with her high school friend as they came into the lower end of Virginia. Approximately 300 miles later at 70 mph, she's home and two days later, she says that there was this dashboard light that came on in VA. I looked and the rear is almost on the rim. Holds air for a couple of hours but goes flat. The garage put on a new one at 70% cost because they said that the insides were blistered and they could tell she didn't follow the "rules". Also, she needs the car, I'm in good clothes, the garage doesn't have a lift open that day but can do it if off of the car and I had 2 hrs open before needing to get back to work. This whole thing is seared into my memory bank.

I guess this story represents a full-throated endorsement of those run-flat tires if you have a driver that is oblivious or just doesn't care. They will get them home for a scolding: Why didn't you stop? Those lights mean something and the manual will tell you. Why didn't you call, I could have told you what to do?

 

Ha, the Canadian fit sport didn't have tpms, in addition to missing out on some other features.

 

As a economy car, a FIT, even the Sport, is already pretty spartan, what else didn't it have that the US model did?

 

Navi, paddle shifters, radio controls on the wheel, etc. if the US Sport came with floor matts, we didn't get those in Canada either!

 

They must have skipped that on my car: No Navi, no radio controls on the wheel, I do have paddle-shifters with the AT but not sure what they are good for since it automatically downshifts if in any gear but 1st. Trying to paddle-shift while turning the steering wheel is nearly impossible. The only thing the AT is good for is eating french fries while driving