I finally ordered Swift springs (part 4H916) for my 2015 Fit. I will keep you posted on how the ride is compared to stock and if I encounter issues with the modified tire/wheel combination.
It will take a while because they have to travel from the USA to Canada first and then the install and alignment.

I'm hoping they will attenuate the body roll somewhat and increase road feel.

I chose Swift after reading countless reviews online and direct comparisons to other very well regarded brands.

 

I got the Swift springs installed on my gk5. An alignment was done as well but no camber adjustment. I haven't driven a lot with them yet as they are just done but I've noticed a few things already: under hard acceleration the front end would go up somewhat with every gear change and that has diminished substantially. Body roll is more controlled. This change is very noticeable too. I was expecting a harsher ride than stock but so far, I have hardly noticed any difference at all in overall comfort level. No rubbing with my aftermarket wheels and tires that I noticed.

It's too early to do a full review on the springs at this time. The preceding paragraph is an early impression only.

I am posting a few pics. Swift says a 1 inch drop on all corners and that seems to be what I am seeing live and in this direct comparison picture. If you can view both pictures alternatively you will clearly notice the lowered stance. I have not posted pictures from the back but there is a more noticeable negative camber on the rear end wheels. I expected this. I don't think it's any cause for concern at this time but I expect the tires to wear out a little faster. The camber is far from being dramatic. It's just there and it can be seen.

So that's it for now. I hope to do more stuff on my Fit but maybe not this year. I feel choices for aftermarket parts are rather limited at this time.

PS: For reference the only aftermarket springs I had before these were Tein S-Tech's on a Toyota Echo hatch. Compared to the Swift's the Tein's were more aggressive in their lowering and the ride was definitely harsher.

 

Looks good. What's the spring rates?

 

Thanks. Spring rates can be found here:

Swift Springs USA

 

Nice 140 and 156! Explains part of the nice ride, good for daily driving!

 

What size wheels and tires? Looks really good.

 

- camber really won't change with lowering a torsion beam. It's probably in the -1.6 range ( alignment sheet will state it) and that's about what it was stock.

Car looks good. That's a good amount while still maintaining practicality of the car.

 

Thanks jhn. I was only going by what I was seeing from the back. It seems like there is more negative camber than before the springs. Maybe I'm dreaming. I know there is some negative camber that is easily seen but I guess it's like that stock.

I essentially wanted a slight change in the behavior of the stock suspension which was too soft, too wobbly for me and I also wanted a lowered stance that was not extreme. What I didn't want was rubbing or scraping of any kind. For now I can say mission accomplished.

 

Thanks marcn24. The wheels are 16 X 7 with an offset of 45. They were available with an offset of 35 as well but I wanted to avoid rubbing like the plague so I played it safe. The tires are 195/55 R16. They replace the stock steel wheels and 185/60 R15 tires I had before.

 

Came out nicely. Congrats.

 

Thanks WagovanMan.

 

After about 3 weeks with the springs on, my initial impressions were true and I'm very happy with my purchase. I estimate body roll to have diminished by 30-40%. I cannot measure this scientifically. it's just a gut feel when negotiating steep curves. No more up and down movement of the chassis when accelerating hard through the gears. No rubbing whatsoever. Comfort level is very good although not quite what it used to be when stock (that was to be expected).

The springs do exactly what I wanted them to do. Better looks, better handling and minimal impact on comfort levels.

 

After months of driving with the Swift springs I'm still very satisfied with the ride. I must admit the suspension hit the bump stops on about 2 or 3 occasions since I've had the springs installed. This will happen on big dips in the road. It never happened on speed bumps. I thought I'd mention this because I initially thought the car on Swifts would be immune to this (based on what I read). Still, I wouldn't go back to the original springs.

Try to avoid dips/depression in the roads at moderate/high speeds and everything should be fine.

I'm also very satisfied with the General AS-03 tires. I had absolutely zero experience with General but they far exceed what I was expecting out of a 3 season performance tire. Wet and dry traction are top notch and they seem to be durable (almost no tread wear so far).

 

Really looks good… I'd so love to do this, but our rural Illinois roads stay severely potholed most of the time, and I already kiss the fenders on bad spots with stock springs (I have aftermarket wheels with the same specs as you).

When I rebuilt the whole undercarriage of my '00 New Beetle, I used Shine Racing springs, which actually gave my about ˝" *more* ground clearance. While it handled 200% better than before (had over 200K miles on it), it ended up being a lot harsher ride than I expected.

At any rate, I'm keeping my eye out for springs that either keep the stock ride height, or only have like a 10mm drop total.

es

 

Stembridge, I live in Quebec Canada and we must have the worst roads up North. It's ridiculous. When I said "dips" in the road I didn't mean potholes. It's where the asphalt has a depression in it and then it goes up on both sides. It's kind of hard to explain. It's just an asphalt portion that is not level but sinks because it has been badly finished or overused. Like I said, it happened 2-3 times in almost a year so it's not really an issue.

The Swifts provide a small drop of about an inch on all corners. The ride quality is almost as comfortable as stock and much less harsh than the Tein S-Techs I had on another car. I'm not sure what would be the point in putting springs that keep the stock ride height. I believe they would not be very profitable for any manufacturer to make.

 

Know exactly what you mean - we have those here, too. It's almost like a sinkhole under the asphalt.

Agree that most folks want "lower and stiffer," and that's where most of the aftermarket goes. But there are cases where "same and stiffer" are beneficial. I don't have high hopes anyone will do that for the Fit, though. I lucked out with my New Beetle in that regard.

es

 

The Swifts are not that stiff if stiff means uncomfortable. They stiffen the ride when needed (mainly in curves). What they do very well is tame some of the body roll and that is instantly perceivable. There is one well known company that offer springs that drop the car about 0.2 inch on all corners but unfortunately I don't remember the name at this time. If I remember I'll let you know.

 

Thanks... from some of the reading I've been doing, it sounds like going a bit stiffer on the rears only would move the car more towards an oversteer profile. If I suddenly come into some money (!), Spoon's rear spacers (which apparently only work with their JDM rear disc brake kit) would also allow for the rear alignment change recommended at the linked site.

Like I mentioned with my New Beetle, the suspension work I did on it made it handle like it was on rails, but killed the ride quality. I'd like to tighten up the Fit (with a neutral-to-slight understeer setup), and keep close to stock ride height and ride quality if possible. My wider wheels/tires and the rear sway bar have definitely moved the needle, but there's more room to go.

Oh well, the car works fine right now… I need to finish installing my other mods before I go buying more!

es

 

So im wanting to pick these up, just a couple question.
You have these mounted on Stock Shock right?
and if so easy install by yourself?
I know someone mention there is very little force on the springs from stock so you don't need a spring compressor to do the job.

 

Yes, mounted on stock shocks. I can't comment on how easy it is to install. I don't have the equipment (tools, hydraulic lift, etc.) and skills to do it myself properly. Even if you do it yourself, an alignment is a must after a modification like this. In my case the alignment fixed a problem I had before the springs were even installed !

I don't know if you need a spring compressor or not. Maybe somebody else can chip in here.