I have been wondering the same thing. My original tires are getting a bit worn, so I'm not sure that I'll have a good idea of how it really handle in the snow.
That being said, I have my 4WD Element ready to go for the winter...the Blizzaks go on next week. There's no stopping the Element with Blizzaks on it.
I figure there is no sense puttting new tires on the Fit to get through winter, when I can just drive the Element when the weather is bad. I'll wait to run the rest of the tread off of the original Fit tires in decent weather and then replace them.
The Fit should be fine in the snow. My 97 del Sol VTEC was my daily driver for 3 years and then spent two more years as my winter car when I had my S2000. It was simply amazing how well the del Sol did in the snow...I would think the Fit would be even better.
I suppose my Fit has one advantage over yours in the snow. Mine is black!
Im running on the stock sport rims+tires, car is performing quite well, we got a load of snow the last few days...
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Vancouver's expected to get snow this weekend - any tips on driving in snow vs driving in (heavy) rain? I have no idea what to expect. My Fit got hit once already, to the tune of $2000 in damages. Will like to avoid a 2nd accident, before my first one even gets fixed.
It has snowed twice here in the past month and I have not changed how I drive (I am not a crazy driver but it is hard not to push the Fit to its limits sometimes). It does amazing on snow and ice but I came from driving a huge 87 Crown Victoria to this. The Crown Vic. slid on anything and was a bitch to get going or to stop without sliding. The Fit feels very nimble in comparison
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Nothing special, just make sure you take your time. If you are driving MT, 2nd gear starts would be recommended if it is really slippery out there. Make sure you leave a good gap between you and the people you are following as usual, but keep an eye out on your rear view mirror for anyone who might have been following too close or came in too hot and might skid into your car...the usual stuff...
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I turned in the all season tires that came on my Sport and picked up some Toyo Garrit KX's (195's) and slapped them on my stock alloys. Unfortunately, I have nothing to compare to as I didn't drive on the all season's in the snow. Comparing the Fit to a lot of other new cars I am very impressed. I rented once a week for the past 3 years and nothing has handled as well as my fit with the winter tires. The worst..... a Mazda 3, so much understeer on a icy corner, just plowed in a straight line. Not so with the fit, I was able to give it some gas and have it pull around the turns
In loose fresh snow the toyo tires do not have a super aggressive tread,and get 'clogged' but still handle a bit better than all seasons. But this is where the compromise was going to be on a performance winter tire.
On packed snow I am very impressed with the braking, these tires grip enough that under hard braking the antilock is barely engaged. In turns they hook up quite nicely.
On ice there is a little slip and side pull if I start in 1st, but if I just back off these tires perform well and while the guy beside me is spinning, i'm halfway through the intersection.
Overall, I am impressed with the winter handling of the Fit with these tires, biggest problem........$$. 160 Can, I worked it into the final price and got a little back from the stock tires.
Vancouver's expected to get snow this weekend - any tips on driving in snow vs driving in (heavy) rain? I have no idea what to expect. My Fit got hit once already, to the tune of $2000 in damages. Will like to avoid a 2nd accident, before my first one even gets fixed.
In Vancouver, all you need is a set of snow tires and you will do fine. A good set should last you 2 - 3 winters before they become ineffective in snow.
With my snows on my Integra, I was able to go uphill (Johnson in Coquitlam) while passing all the AWD vehicles. I'd think the FIT can do better because it doesn't have too much torque. I found that if your car starts to slip at the start, just put it in the next gear up and you'll instantly get a grip back (for a MT)
From past experience, I would recommend snow tires to anyone living in an area that will see regular snowfall. I think of it as extra insurance. You will notice a difference between even a good set of all seasons.
From past experience, I would recommend snow tires to anyone living in an area that will see regular snowfall. I think of it as extra insurance. You will notice a difference between even a good set of all seasons.
A blanket answer such as this can't hope to cover all of NA. There are areas that get hardly any snow like Van. and here in the west the roads are 75% dry with lots of snowfall.
Each driver will have to decide if they, depending also on their Fit, will need snow tires. I have already driven on slippery ice-covered roads and my Fit tracked and did not surprise me one bit. Of course with hilly country, etc. this would change.
They even have Ice races up here. LOL
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A blanket answer such as this can't hope to cover all of NA. There are areas that get hardly any snow like Van. and here in the west the roads are 75% dry with lots of snowfall.
Each driver will have to decide if they, depending also on their Fit, will need snow tires. I have already driven on slippery ice-covered roads and my Fit tracked and did not surprise me one bit. Of course with hilly country, etc. this would change.
They even have Ice races up here. LOL
It was advice...each person is to take it as they will. My intention was not for everyone to run out and buy snow tires. If you get decent amounts of snowfall, i.e. you have to drive THROUGH snow, then it may be a good idea.
If you get no snow or your roads stay dry, then snow tires would be pretty pointless...this is obvious.
Even your opinion doesn't pertain to all areas, like "hilly country."
Do what you want, but don't nit pick and make an issue out of nothing.
Last edited by actonimpulse; 11-25-2006 at 08:14 PM.
Ditto on the car performing well in the snow on the stock rubber. I'm going to be putting winter shoes on shortly. I just have to pick up some 14"s steelies from a wrecker.
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07 Fit Sport 5M Blk
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So I went up to Mount Seymour yesterday, where it was snowing pretty much the whole way back, including Vancouver. Took most of the tips into mind (stuck with sport mode, held it in 2nd for starts, 3rd gear for cruise downhill). Did not have any issues with handling, but the snow wasn't deep. Will see how it is today instead
He I was wondering how the Fit will handle in the snow. I live in Cleveland and the winters get pretty icey and snowy up here. I was just wondering (since the bace is so empty) if there is any fish tailing or similar problems and if you would recommend putting extra weight in the rear durring the months of heavy snow. Hopefully someone has had the oppertunity to drive the Fit in the snow already and if so, let me know what you think!
Thanks!
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i live in vancouver BC and it's snowing like a mofo right now!!! I've also got a set of 4 Michelin X-Ice's on steelies and i've had absolutely NO problems at all. I'm sliding around a bit but it's my own fault for trying to pretend that i'm a D1 drifter!!!! it's fine. i'm just making sure that i've got a full tank of gas to try and even out the weight of the car.
i'm in Calgary and it's been snowing for the past few days
my fit sport with the stock rims and rubber is handling just as good as my CRX did, and the CRX had winters on it
I've already bought some Dunlop Winter Sport tires and put them on my old Civic 14" alloys. I haven't swapped them on yet, since I should just clear the breaking mileage tomorrow, and I want to have some fun with the sticky 16" tires I have now.
Living in Cleveland also, I can say that all of my previous Hondas with snow tires did great. I expect this car will be no different.
Snowed 4 inches in Port Orchard, Washington. Driving on flat road is fine. However, driving up a snowy driveway from a stopped position with a manual was tough. Sliding around and had to do the e-brake technique to park just right on the hill. About he same as my 99 Civic EX.
I'm a Nokian fan. The Nokian WR's have the "Snowflake" rating meaning that it meets the Rubber Association of Canada severe snow performance requirements and yet it can be driven year round. As far as I know it may be to only tire to do so and I wish Honda Canada would make these the standard tires. I've had these tires on my last 3 cars and am quite happy with them. Occasionally we drive through the Rocky Mountains during the winter with them when the snow is deep enough to scrape the bottom of the car. We didn't experience any fishtailing with any of the cars. Of course for ice, studded tires would be much better - at least until the studs wore down (keep your tires aligned so you can keep your studs). I would have instead gotten studded NOKIAN Hakkapeliitta 4's (and a set of rims) this winter if they were available in Canada last month. Probably the best would be studded NOKIAN Hakkapeliitta 5's but these are only available in Europe and Russia. We have had NOKIAN Hakkapeliitta 2's which were surprisingly good on snow even after most of the studs were gone - but of course ice performance decreased with stud loss.
I'm a newb Fit manual sport driver who lives in Canada. My stock rims are 15" . I was wondering if I should go with 15" steelies or 14" ones. Is there an advantage/disadvantage to have a smaller set of winters?
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