DIY lower your GE8 Fit

[Lek]

the front end was stiff no bounce at all. the car was sitting on the bump stops.
after i cut 40mm off the car got lower and the suspension was back to normal.
again my car was lowered on RS*S the front a 39mm drop and the back was a 32mm drop.

I talked to my mechanic about this problem again as it's a well debated topic.

He showed me a new Fit bump stop and pointed out how soft it is on the botton of the stop, but gets harder on the solid section. this is where the bump stop kicks in on the rebound.

I also talked to him about your RS*R 40mm drop and he said they need cutting about 20 mm or so, but Tanabe NF 210 20mm drop don't really need to be cut.

Finally, he said either way it shoudn't be a big problem.

I have been trying to clear up the great debate about whether to cut bump stops or not with Tanabe NF 210 springs.

I decided to do a survey by e-mailing this question to 10 suppliers including Tanabe's head office.

All suppliers and intallation garages said NO. They all gave me a quick positive response. But the last one to reply was Tanabe's head office and they said YES, 30%.

I drove two 2009 fits with Tanabe NF 210 springs fitted. One with bumps stops cut and another uncut. I couldn't tell the differance running over varied road conditions and speeds.

I think bump stops only come into action if you go over lots of speed ramps very hard to stop the car bottoming out on the rebound, but could be a different story if you lower more than 30mm without stiffening the stuts.

One thing my mechanic did say was Tanabe springs are just a bit too soft and make the car bounce and roll a little. They feel OK to me.

And the debate goes on

[Benggolf]

Originally Posted by Lek

One thing my mechanic did say was Tanabe springs are just a bit too soft and make the car bounce and roll a little. They feel OK to me. And the debate goes on

I can tell you that the ride on DF210s is still quite comfortable and the car rolls a bit more compared to the Eibach Pro-Kit.

Have no complaints on the DF210 whatsoever.

[Lek]

I hve just had an interesting chat with the guys from Honda's technical R&D center in Auttaya, Thailand.

They said that Honda make the Rear of the new Fit/Jazz 25mm higher than the front to allow for the physics of better handling, not just for carring loads.

They new about Tanabe's soft springs and how on some cars these springs lower the rear a little more than the front. When lowering a slightly stiffer spring is needed. Like 2.5k on the front.

Using these springs they recommended lifting the rear an extra 5mm or 10mm with a spacer on fitting. This will improve handling and reduce body roll a lot. A full tank of petrol lowers the rear 5mm alone without passengers.

The engine is also heavier than the old model and that's why they recommend 33psi in the front tires.

[Malice101]

Are the rear bump stops part of the shock assembly? And does the shock need to be removed in order to even see them? I just returned from having an Eiback pro kit installed and while the car was on the rack both myself and the tech couldn't see them. He cut the fronts...while it may not be absolutely needed in the rear I'd still like to know where the heck the little boogers are located and pull the shock assy myself and take care of it if needed.

[Lek]

They are inside the sleeve which says pry this part off. They are very hard to see.

Sorry this pic is from the Yaris, but the same thing.

[Malice101]

Thanks Lek...still a bit confused If I remove the shock will it make it self evident (on the shock body)? Or is it up in a chassis cavity that's accessible after the shock is removed?

Here is the exploded view of our Honda fit shock:

[Lek]

It's hard to see because it's inside of the plastic sleeve where the red circle is marked.

Must take the shock out. The pic you see is from the Yaris, but same thing.

[Malice101]

Thanks again Lek...I pulled the shock and figured it out. What a royal pain. Now I know why Niko was frustrated. A solid bushing of the same length that simply slides over the threads would do the same damned thing. Why they made it a spilt unit and crimped it is beyond me.

I took a couple of pictures and I'll post them in the morning....

[Lek]

So, How much did you cut off the bump stops.

How does the ride feel before and after cutting the bump stops in the way of body roll, sway, bumpy ride etc and is the car sitting equal on all 4 corners.

[09 Fit]

All of this debate seems pointless. Bump stops are not in play for normal driving and will not affect ride in any way.

The bump stops only purpose is to keep the axel (front suspension) from slamming into the frame when you hit a hard bump. The rubber stop simply absorbs some of the impact so that you don't feel like your teeth are being knocked loose when you bottom out.

When you put a shorter traveling shock and or spring you need to cut some off so that you don't hit the bump stop on smaller bumps. Off road people raise their vehicles with longer shocks and springs and also have to put in bump stop spacers or new spacers. We lower our cars so we need shorter bump stops.

Bump stop height depends on how far up and down the suspension is allowed to travel in respect to the frame. Pretty simple. Follow the manufactures instructions they have done the testing for you.

[niko3257]

Originally Posted by Malice101

Thanks Lek...still a bit confused If I remove the shock will it make it self evident (on the shock body)? Or is it up in a chassis cavity that's accessible after the shock is removed?

Here is the exploded view of our Honda fit shock:

yes its the first part going down after the 2nd # 6.

Originally Posted by Malice101

Thanks again Lek...I pulled the shock and figured it out. What a royal pain. Now I know why Niko was frustrated. A solid bushing of the same length that simply slides over the threads would do the same damned thing. Why they made it a spilt unit and crimped it is beyond me.

I took a couple of pictures and I'll post them in the morning....

yes it was a pain in the but. glad i don't have to do it again.

Originally Posted by 09 Fit

All of this debate seems pointless. Bump stops are not in play for normal driving and will not affect ride in any way.

The bump stops only purpose is to keep the axel (front suspension) from slamming into the frame when you hit a hard bump. The rubber stop simply absorbs some of the impact so that you don't feel like your teeth are being knocked loose when you bottom out.

When you put a shorter traveling shock and or spring you need to cut some off so that you don't hit the bump stop on smaller bumps. Off road people raise their vehicles with longer shocks and springs and also have to put in bump stop spacers or new spacers. We lower our cars so we need shorter bump stops.

Bump stop height depends on how far up and down the suspension is allowed to travel in respect to the frame. Pretty simple. Follow the manufactures instructions they have done the testing for you.

you do make a good point. so we can just say however much your drop is
suppose to be thats how much bump stop you cut off.
my drop is 1.5 and 1.2
i cut 1.5 both front and back so it pretty much matches up.
it's a good rule to go by.
+rep sir

[Malice101]

Here's a pic of the sleeve/bushing and the seam you need to split/spread in order to slide it over the threaded end. Also attached is the actual bump stop before cutting (which is cut quite easily with a utility knife).

Niko, if you wouldn't mind, feel free to insert these images upstream so folks don't have to read through four pages of posts Thanks for a great write up by the way. I took the easy way out and paid to have it done.

[niko3257]

Originally Posted by Malice101

Here's a pic of the sleeve/bushing and the seam you need to split/spread in order to slide it over the threaded end. Also attached is the actual bump stop before cutting (which is cut quite easily with a utility knife).

Niko, if you wouldn't mind, feel free to insert these images upstream so folks don't have to read through four pages of posts Thanks for a great write up by the way. I took the easy way out and paid to have it done.

pain in the ass LOL
thanks for the pics
i will squeeze them in
+rep

[fp5_dr0p]

i currently just bought the eibach pro-kits, and i have been wanting to get my car lowered. my question is, is it really that hard to install the springs? because i would love to do a DIY so i could really get to know the car and all, and atop of that i wouldn't have to pay someone for the service.


but on the other hand, if the installation of the springs would require the help of a professional, where would i try to find a shop to lower my car? would i just go to the run-of-the-mill gas station or mechanic? or to some performance shop to get my springs installed?

[Malice101]

Originally Posted by fp5_dr0p

i currently just bought the eibach pro-kits, and i have been wanting to get my car lowered. my question is, is it really that hard to install the springs? because i would love to do a DIY so i could really get to know the car and all, and atop of that i wouldn't have to pay someone for the service.


but on the other hand, if the installation of the springs would require the help of a professional, where would i try to find a shop to lower my car? would i just go to the run-of-the-mill gas station or mechanic? or to some performance shop to get my springs installed?

Really depends on how mechanically inclined you are. If you have the hand tools and jack stands all you need to do is rent a spring compressor and follow the instructions layed out by Niko...whether or not you want to remove all the plastic/shrouds is optional as others have stated.

For me it was worth it to have someone do it in a couple of hours and be done with it. While I was waiting I got to check out alot of wheels and BS with other customers. Paid $450.00 total for the springs (Eibach Pro Kit), installation and alignment. Of course I did end up having to cut my own bump stops in the rear but it was no big deal...

Call around and get some pricing from reputable shops that have done lowering before and preferably experienced with Fits. I got mine done at
Discount Tire Center (not to be confused with Discount Tire Direct/America's Tire).

[Lek]

I have found out that Honda do not supply rear replacement bump stops only the front ones. They told me I must buy the whole unit.

Be carefull when cutting bump stops if you think you might need to go back to stock for some reason!!!

[JFit317]

I just installed D2 full coils on my GE... besides all the nonsense of snaps and cover parts I had a real problem. My front driver axel came disconnected. I managed to pivot the axel back but I was wondering if this has happened to anyone with full coils???

[Lek]

I just installed D2 full coils on my GE... besides all the nonsense of snaps and cover parts I had a real problem. My front driver axel came disconnected. I managed to pivot the axel back but I was wondering if this has happened to anyone with full coils???

I have BC Coilovers and I never had any problems installing them. If you didn't put axel stands to support everything during installation leads to big problems.

The only problem I had was setting them up correctly to the correct height. I have them set on front 5 and rear 6. This is out of the 30 settings.

Now they feel a little firmer than stock, but with reduced body roll. 100% better than my Tanabe NF 210 springs. They have turned this into a different car, driving with ease, stability and a pleasure to drive.

[Contrabida Face]

someone should've sticky'd this by now.

[Lek]

I don't want this to be too off putting, but after installing my Tanabe NF 210 springs and 205\50\16" wheels I had problems with too much body roll compared to stock..

To prove this I went back to narrow stock wheels and tires first, guess what, reduced body roll. I then installed my stock springs, the car height looked ugly but more stable than with Tanabe springs. why, I don't know.

I then fitted my BC coilovers in with my 205\50\16" wheels and tires and it's a different car. I also tried it with the narrow stock tires and it was even better. Again, Why I don't know.

I have talked to many people about this and they put it down to the wider tires with softer walls which in return gives body roll. The more road grip with a wider tire equals more body roll. Then you must install sway bars at an added cost.

Let the modding problem begin and it will never end.

Update:

I have been driving with my BC coilovers for 2 weeks now and they have settled down with no problems at all. I am running on Front 5 and Rear 6 out of 30 settings. I think the F 4k/R 5k springs are just right. Infact the car feels so good, I just drive it. It's awsome!!