Kens Honda Fit Blog

[kenchan]

besides all these new toy talk...

been motoring my FitS pretty spiritedly and it's a fun car to motor in
especially with my setup car feels like a sportscoupe. car handles
wet roads beautifully too.
but there is one issue i run into some times... gear grinds...

not all the time but when im pushing the car from a low RPM for
the selected gear to wot and roll off and shift, GRIND! doesn't
matter the gear, it can happen 3-4-5. seems like drive-by-wire
has something to do with it as it tries to burn-off the last mist of
fuel before letting the engine spool down. i clutch-in all the way
to the floor.

i dont remember the last time i grinded my other 2 MT cars that
ive had for a while (4 and 5 yrs) or previous cars for that matter.
with the FitS i grind almost once or twice a month and it's kinda
annoying . im a avid MT driver with no issue doing seamless shifts,
heel and toe, etc. i might have to start doing double clutch
shift up for those occasions where i pull the gear from low rpm...
but i shouldn't have to do that.

[GAFIT]

I have never grinded the Fit...it's so much easier than a lot of cars that I've owned. Not a compliment to the Fit as much as a slam on some of the others.

That being said, my wife grew up on a farm and has driven every type of manual you can think of. She has troubles with the Fit once in a while. Not sure why. My best guess is that she doesn't account for the throttle delay.

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by GAFIT

I have never grinded the Fit...it's so much easier than a lot of cars that I've owned. Not a compliment to the Fit as much as a slam on some of the others.

That being said, my wife grew up on a farm and has driven every type of manual you can think of. She has troubles with the Fit once in a while. Not sure why. My best guess is that she doesn't account for the throttle delay.

i too think it's the throttle-off delay that's contributing to the problem.
and it's not consistent either cause it doesnt do it all the time.

but each time it grinds i think back wat i was doing and it all relates
to pulling a gear from lower rpm (slighly out of torque band) all the way
to high rpm and shift up. usually other gearboxes locks-out while you
gently push the gear into the gate (there's resistance so you wait),
but this gearbox no resistance just GRIND! to let you know it's not
ready for the next gate yet.

[kenchan]

haven't done much updating for a while... but the last update i have is
that i broke 40mpg driving with 35psi, a/c-on, and driving pretty normal
on 99% surface streets.

actually 42mpg was my best out of 3 tank full.

the trick for me was to keep the revs higher but under 3300rpm.
say i was cruising at 2100rpm (5th) going about 40+mph... i would
instead use 4th and run 2800rpm+. what that does is keeps the
momentum of the flywheel resisting to slight hill climbs (not many
hills around here, btw ) and a/c cracking on/off without much
burden to the engine.

i didn't drive like a grandma either... actually i wot to redline a
couple of times.

was able to pump over 9.5gallons during my last fill...that was kinda
scary to drive with the fuel light on 'E' and needle kinda pinned to
the left.

[kenchan]

this is obvious already from other's testimonials, but the cargo space
on the Fit is amazing. i've been going back and forth a few times since
last week moving around wheelsets for my other car while the 60 side
of the 40/60 rear seats were still upright. no issue watsoever and
still had room to spare. the 2nd clicking tilt on the rear seat is
a nice touch. that extra 2-3" of extra cargo space is very useful.


and the last couple of times i was wearing some crappy work shoes while
driving the MT, but no issue getting a silky smooth shift. this car is such
a 'darling' (i know, kinda corny) in a way it handles utility so damn well.

everyone should have at least one Fit in their family.

[kenchan]

just a follow up...

that steering wheel cover has been great. it's not a hassle putting it
on/off, and it keeps the steering wheel nice and cool under the hot
summer sun. highly recommend if you dont use those window
shades on the windshield.


with the added heat my tire psi's been getting a tad higher so i think
im going to drop them back down to 33psi this weekend. the ride
has been kinda firm with the ziex912's.

1psi change for ever 10F ambient temp change.

[kenchan]

my car's parked outdoors 24/7 and im kinda wondering how well the
matte black paint on the front and rear window frame is going to hold
up to the UV. im not talking about the seals, im talking about the
b-pillar frame and the metal frame on the rear window.

it hasn't faded yet or anything, but i think im going to wax that area
just in case later on today once it gets in the shade of the house.

[kenchan]

i just got back from applying sealant to the matte black window trims.

most DEFINITELY paint seal that trim. the difference in color is night
and day. the paint was starving for a protective coating. the finish
is now semi-gloss (not shiny at all) and looks new again.

i used Griot's Paint Sealant. this polymer is advertised to last a
year. i use it every 6months and periodic sealant enhancer called
Prima Hydro. it's a wax-as-you-dry spray wax.

before you apply the sealant on the matte black painted window
trims (again, not the rubber seals), make sure you mask off the window
with some painter's blue tape. you dont want to get sealant on your
glass as it can sometimes smear and it will take more work to remove it.

Paint Sealant - Waxes & Sealants - Waxing - Car Care - Griot's Garage

[kenchan]

no updates as far as mod parts directly for the FitS, but i will be
getting 3 new torque wrenches (1/4" 3/8" 1/2" with wide range)
from SnapOn along with a crowfoot set and hex set later on
this month.


been long overdue since my last nice torque wrench took
a dive from my tool case...


probably ordering more tools from SK...they have this cool reversable
ratchet offset box wrench set.

[kenchan]

oh yah, i need to order a service manual too pretty soon for the Fit.
i doubt ill be letting the dealer do any maintenance work on this car
while i own it.

[TOOL]

Originally Posted by kenchan

i just got back from applying sealant to the matte black window trims.

most DEFINITELY paint seal that trim. the difference in color is night
and day. the paint was starving for a protective coating. the finish
is now semi-gloss (not shiny at all) and looks new again.

i used Griot's Paint Sealant. this polymer is advertised to last a
year. i use it every 6months and periodic sealant enhancer called
Prima Hydro. it's a wax-as-you-dry spray wax.

before you apply the sealant on the matte black painted window
trims (again, not the rubber seals), make sure you mask off the window
with some painter's blue tape. you dont want to get sealant on your
glass as it can sometimes smear and it will take more work to remove it.

Paint Sealant - Waxes & Sealants - Waxing - Car Care - Griot's Garage

Nice man.
Very intresting.

Any pics since you did this?

Tyler

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by TOOL

Nice man.
Very intresting.

Any pics since you did this?

Tyler

no i didn't take any picts but even if you used off-the-shelf consumer
polymers like NXT2 or even Ice, i think you'll get similar results.
(just doesnt last as long).

[kenchan]

was at the airport yesterday and the parking lot was PACKED. there
was one spot where some SUV did a shabby parking job 0n an angle so
car in front of me knew the spot was open but too narrow for them.

i slid my Fit in.

i was on a short 1 day biztrip to canada so i took the chance that
both cars on either side would still be there when i return. there
was a new benz suv on the other side of the shabby parking job suv,
so parked it closer on that side. needless to say, i came home with
no dings.

[kenchan]

Got my snap-on torque wrenches coming in... got 3 yesterday but
one of them looked used with a calibration certificate from 2006.
wtf... of all tool manufacturers i wasn't expecting this
shit from snap-on.


called up customer service (their e-business folks are nice), and they're
sending me a replacement. i hope to get it today. going to test
the torques against my other old torque wrenches to verify tonight.

[TOOL]

Originally Posted by kenchan

was at the airport yesterday and the parking lot was PACKED. there
was one spot where some SUV did a shabby parking job 0n an angle so
car in front of me knew the spot was open but too narrow for them.

i slid my Fit in.

i was on a short 1 day biztrip to canada so i took the chance that
both cars on either side would still be there when i return. there
was a new benz suv on the other side of the shabby parking job suv,
so parked it closer on that side. needless to say, i came home with
no dings.

Wow dude!
Super lucky!!!
Id be worried all trip, thinking about if those SUVs dinged me lol. Although i dont have two, even better more exspensive toys in my garage lol.

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by TOOL

Wow dude!
Super lucky!!!
Id be worried all trip, thinking about if those SUVs dinged me lol. Although i dont have two, even better more exspensive toys in my garage lol.

yah, i was kinda 'hummmmm...' for like 5seconds, but it just felt
'right' that i wouldn't get dinged for some reason. but yah,
i wouldn't do that at a supermarket (aka ding city ).




damn it, where is my other torque wrench?!!