Question for Honda

I noticed rear spring and F/R shock part numbers have beenupdated from that on 2015 Fit. Has spring rate and shock valving been revisedfor 2017? If so would replacing these parts on 2015 model help alleviate poorhanding characteristics ?
My 2015 was check at the dealer and determined to be out ofspec for rear alignment. Rear beam was replaced and handling improved. The caris still very unstable over bumps.
I have owned Hondas since I learned to drive, six total. Thefit concept is fantastic, small , lots of room, great mileage, low cost tomaintain BUT it is the worst handling car I have ever driven, what happened?.
I will be test driving a 2017 to see if this is just my car
Struggling to stay loyal to the brand

 

Consider a rear sway bar: Megan racing or the other more common one; I forgot how it's called. Search forum, there's a lot of posts about them. 2015 fit handling is good in stock form IMO. I am coming from a 2012 civic known for it's crappy body-roll prone suspension set-up.

 

Excited to hear the results of your test drive. I drove a brand new 2017 over the weekend and it drove amazing compared to my well taken care of 2015 with 35,000 miles.

I do have a lot of time driving mine with it loaded. I've always thought that when loaded with cargo it drove fantastic, almost like it was meant to be loaded. Equivalent to 4 people.

 

Progress is the more common one.

I don't find my 2015 as a bad handling car. Adding the Progress RSB definitely made it handle better. I'll be replacing the tires soon and I'm sure that will help a lot too. The instability over bumps might be because this is a very short wheel base vehicle, if this is your first Fit. I guess to me it's not bad as I ride motorbikes and this is my first Fit.

 

Maybe I'm not as demanding, but I've not seen any deficiencies in the handling of my '15 Fit. I think it drives as well as, or a bit better than my '09 Fit Sport.

Then again, I'm not running the Carrera Panamerica with the car, either.

 

Depends on what one wants.....I find our '15 LX with the Progress RSB handles quite well ... well worth the $$$. If the Fit is the worst handling car you've driven, you either haven't driven many different cars, or have led a privileged life of luxury performance cars ... mine handles way better than would be expected

Yes to the Progress RSB (easy install too!!) ....new fatter tires are in my future, as we bought our '15 CPO and previous owner had replaced the tires soon before he traded it in...this car is an absolute hoot to drive, at least with the manual transmission

 

I read the OP with comfort in mind and overlooked the part about "worst handling car."

Considering the factory tires on the EX's and LX's, I think the car handles great and I've owned everything from a 3/4 diesel truck, 94 SS Impala, Camaro, Neon, etc... My only handling complaint is caused by the solid rear end. One bump to only one rear wheel can make the car feel a little drifty in the rear, and the feeling is magnified on slick surfaces.

My previous comments about driving a 2017 really had to do more with comfort. The 2017, when going over a speed bumps and the small bumps in and out of the dealership, the car seemed like more like a higher end car. Mine feels more like a car feels on a set of performance springs.

 

Fuelish - In my mind the swaybar would really help force the rear wheels to act more 'together' for lack of a better term. That would probably reduce the 'rear steer' that I feel. Do you have any familiarity with the 'rear steer' feeling, prior to your sway bar? Now I'm super interested in this since I hadn't considered it before. Thanks!

 

Hmmmm.....depends on yer definition of "rear steer," I guess....are you talking about oversteer???...or cars with passive or active rear steering??? The Progress RSB on my LX has reduced the understeer (inherent, unfortunately, in most FWD vehicles) greatly, and tightened up the rear in terms of body roll in quick transitions (slalom like maneuvers) IIRC, Honda used RSBs on previous generation Fits, but felt that, with the additional chassis stiffening, the GK didn't need one. Doesn't "need" one, but I'm glad I installed one, it makes a fun car even more fun......but, it depends on what one wants and can feel. Neither my wife nor son feel any difference driving the car....driven sedately, you'll likely not notice it. We have a lot of mountain and back country twisties 'round here, and I enjoy driving for pleasure....the Progress RSB is worth the $$$ to me. YMMV. Super easy install (simple bolt on, no modifications needed), and well under $200

 

Handling is alright in the New fit. My Old 1st gen Neon was wayyy better IMO.

 

My complaints are very old-man type complaints. Really nothing to do with over or under steer, and nothing performance related. I'm actually very content with the car on the twisty roads. What I've noticed is caused by the fact these cars have a solid rear axle that is only mounted at two points. It's really only noticeable in a straight line at interstate speeds. If you go over a high spot in the road (common in Indiana where we don't just have holes... we can have small rises too) or a dip in the road... Then if suspension compresses heavily on one side, there is no way for the rear wheels to still face in a perfectly straight line. They can only face perfectly straight down the road if they both move up at the same time. This is what leads me to think a swaybar would be awesome! If one wheel does something, the sway bar would do it's best to make sure the other wheel does the exact same.

Previous 1st Gen owner myself... There aren't too many vehicles in this price point that will compare to one of the most winning SCCA cars of all time.