Woops- ciburri WAS busy, replying at the same time as me!

 

ok, cool. been modding cars for a while myself and thought that
seemed kinda odd if we're talking about increase in spring rate if
the bar just moved up and down freely in parallel while going
straight. hahaha.

but then again, this is my first car with a torsion beam sus so
just checkin'.

 

Guys,
I just got a call from Dave from Eibach! Interesting info!
Get a load of this:

Eibach Pro kit
Front, linear 159 lbs/ft
Rear, progressive from 85-182 lbs/ft

Eibach Sport
Front, progressive from 114-182 lbs/ft
Rear, progressive from 74-205 lbs/ft


It was very nice from them to actually provide me with a range for their progressive springs and not just stiffest end like everybody else! If other's springs are indeed progressive as they claim!
Props to Eibach!

With Eibach's global experience in all fields of motorsport on 4 wheels, I find it intriguing that fronts on Pro Kit are linear and not progressive!
Driving wise I am perfectly content with front end - not to harsh or bouncy! It must be the fact that gas tank added to the front end load beside engine, tranny and a driver. Our little pigs are nose heavier than other vehicles thanks to rear "magic seats". That light back end has rates for golf carts almost! LOL! That must created some tough time for manufacturers since progressive rear springs have ridiculously wide rate range!
I get the point of Sport kit front end being progressive since it is up to 182 lbs/ft!
Looking at the numbers alone of manufacturers that have both Medium and Sport kit you can actually tell that Medium kits are dialed with more overall oversteer to help them rotate at slower speeds (AutoX-perfect & spirited daily use) than Sport Kits which are naturally stiffer for smoother track conditions and slightly less oversteer due to higher speeds they are intended for! Rear springs on Sport's have softer lower rate than Medium Kit to minimize inner rear wheel lift under extreme cornering speeds!
Good stuff!

This Eibach info is pure gold!

Ivan

 

score! i like those #'s on the prokit. looks like thats what i'm looking for. as light as the fit is at the rear, i would think one would want the rears to be softer for more neutral handling. i can't imagine what it would be like having stiff rear springs + a big rear sway bar on the fit and have it be semi-comfortable. might be fun in an autocross though.

i wish we could test the rates on the stock springs for comparison...

 

good luck with the comparo. just to throw in my 2 cents -

i'm surprised you didn't include the swift springs in that #4 bullet. those are the only linear springs in that range. i personally wouldn't go with a progressive spring for track work, but that's just me.

while #5 is generally agreeable, it just really highlights the stock dampers. i wouldnt be surprised if the hot setup of this group is the progress with the rear sway bar assuming stock dampers.

 

kennef,
I agree with you for the most part!
ANY spring rate on the Fit would benefit from better dampers, including stock! We are set to evaluate ride quality and daily driveability, not track handling. No doubt that with a stock damper the softest spring ratio over OEM will handle the best. Rear sway bar can only help handling since it bumps rate during cornering without adding any rates in straight line absorption of the road irregularities.
Linear vs. progressive rates can be argued based on individual preferences, which you acknowledged by saying it would be your preference and I agree with you since most tracks are nice and smooth.

As far as drive evaluation goes, take the results from it with a grain of salt once we post them! Very few of us have track experience and qualifications to evaluate them and we will note any individuals experience in our profiles. Combined point evaluation might end up entirely opposite from what spring rate chart displays!
Best would be to match yourself as close as you can with one of our profiles and use that persons impressions the most. We would love to have as many members participate in the driving evaluation since greater numbers gets us more accurate data, in theory at least. There is that lack of track experience that will surface at some point. Then again, very few members will ever track their Fit. Most lower it for looks and to eliminate body roll and squatting. That is why we will conduct our testing on public roads and not a track.
Any track evaluation would be pointless without better experiment control dampers. That would require a whole bunch of Fits with same aftermarket damper (preferably adjustable) and different springs or full crew to keep swapping springs on the same car.

Ivan

 

P.s. We have a set of Swift springs that is owned by one of our members who will attend this meet. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that he will have the springs installed by the time of this meet.

 

i hope that he gets the chance to get them on. swift springs have done really well in a lot of high end sports cars but since they are linear, they probably will not make many friends for day to day driving. plus the progressive springs will, and i'm guessing, be better matched to the stock dampers on initial compression and small rebounds.

 

I just looked back at that post and thought it said forgEt the s techs! That makes more sense now

 

Installed my Progress springs last night. And yes the driver side axle fell out, so that was a pain. So far so good. I seem to rub a bit on my 16's. Haven't done the alignment yet so I pray that will fix it. Will update after they break in.

 

how much change in ride height?

(OT, i'm installing springs tomorrow, any tips on what you would do differently to keep the axle from falling out? this is what i found Updated tutorial on installing lowering springs you can just PM if you want)

 

took five of us something like 2 or 3 hours to do mine yesterday. the only snag we hit was getting the cap that snaps on to the dust boot and slides around the top of the spring wouldn't sit flush on the spring with the printed brand label and part numbers right side up. but they went on perfect the other way tho!? for the most part, i mean i'm no engineer, the ends seemed identical anyways. besides that, everything was smooth. and that maybe set us back an hour. the drop on the skunk2 are exactly as stated, noticeably a little lower in front cuz of the extra .5", almost wonder if the megans would look that much cleaner with another .5" drop in back, i just haven't found any numbers on theirs. either way, i'm fine with the little extra room back there, to compensate for eventual sag, especially with passengers in the rear... or anything heavy for that matter. high spring rate on those too, so should be smooth for anyone in back. other than all that, they feel terrific! thinkin of gettin aligned on mon so i can drive it around a few days and make sure every thing's nice and settled into place. any advice on that tip?

 

My ride height went from four finger gap down to two. Should settle after a few days and should drop a tad more. For the axle, keep a jack stand under it. If you have someone else there to help have them keep and eye or a hand on it.

 

i'm going to get a 0/0 toe and get the necessary bolts to add negative camber up front. i'm looking to get around -2.0 degrees.

 

los_ - give it minimim 2 weeks before getting an alignment. that's my
recommendation. unless you wanna get another alignment soon
after. the only thing adjustable is the front toe, pretty much.

 

Guys,
here is the good source for non-OEM part replacement alternatives. Some parts are refurbished making them a lot more affordable if you are finding OEM Honda parts too expensive. It is your call, but on items that are not critical it is worth saving money. If nothing else you can see where the prices are before you head out to your local store (local stores sell same brands!) or a Honda dealer.

Auto Parts Fast at RockAuto

I priced out SPC front and rear camber kit for the Fit at under $37 shipped to my zip code! No tax either since it is out of state sale, too!
I am planing on refinishing my OZ Racing wheels and using them on my Fit beside my CRX. I will have to use camber kit front and rear since it rubs all over. Car is lowered on Eibach Pro's (it is lowered more than claimed 1.6", more like over 2"), wheels are 15x7 with ET38 and tires are 205/50/15 with fat sidewalls Dunlop DZ101 tires. Once tires wear out I will get some other 205's with sidewalls that are less fat!
I purchased parts from Rock Auto before for my other cars and never had an issue. Even refurbished parts. I got refurbished distributor assembly for my friends Accord years ago and it is still ruining perfect at less than half the cost of OEM. They replace all seals, bearings, shafts,..... in inspected housings and re-test everything to OEM or better specification.
I highly recommend them.

To prevent front axles from popping out I use rubber cargo straps with hooks at the end and strap them around the hub and sub frame. They are just strong enough to hold the hub, but give you flexibility to work the damper out of the car.

I hope all this helps to someoune in the future!
Ivan

 

+20 rep points brotha. good site, good tips with the straps, hopefully i'll be able to find some kind of strap in time for tomorrow's install.

but, i can't find the camber kit. could you post the part number or what keyword you used to search under?

 

kennef,
RockAuto is good for wear and tear items: brake pads, rotors, axle boots, electrical parts,.....
Check for "Promotions & rebates" on the top right corner of their web page. From time to time, they have even better deals!
On the top left they have sample savings vs. part stores. It is significant on some stuff. Especially the more expensive the item is, you are saving money on tax vs. shipping cost.

Once you select "Honda", "2007", "Fit", "Suspension", "Alignment Kit", and right below it "Alignment Shim".
Spicer is even cheaper. You can get front kit for $10.78! Read specs on each kit. Most adjust for 1 1/4 (1.25) and there are some that can adjust up to 1 3/4 (1.75)!



For the strap, go to Orchard Supply or Home Depot. Just get basic rubber strap with metal hooks at each end. Mine are about 2 feet in length. I can take a picture and post it if you need it.

Glad it helps at least one member!

Ivan

 

you sir are my hero. i have been looking for those for a while. actually having negative camber FTW in a big way.

 

how much negitive camber are you guys running wiht lower springs after settling and alignment? are the frnt alignment kits necessary?