alright folks, I am now the happy owner of a Rostra precision cruise kit for the Fit Base model. I bought the kit this week and installed it. I am going to cover the installation process and my impressions. I will be adding pictures/content/etc over time so check back often


user 'rushlow' has a variation of this kit for his '07 fit, but the new version is far more easy to install for the average DIY'r


Overview
i own a 2008 NHBP base model MT. i drive 120 miles per day for work, and a couple hundred more on random weekends visiting family. needless to say, cruise is a necessity. at this point, as far as i know, this kit ONLY applies to '07/08 years. i have no idea if/when a kit will be available for '09s. check with rostra.


Purchasing
I did some searching and decided to purchase the rostra kit (part 250-1896) from www.thecruisecontrolstore.com. It's about $300, and it's required/recommended that you get a $35 clutch safety switch as well. with tax and shipping it was under $400 for the kit.

I recieved the kit next day (i'm located in the same state) and was thoroughly impressed with it. the vehicle specific communication controller is OEM quality and is a plug/play interface with the throttle pedal. much better than the previous kit which required you to CUT the wires for the throttle pedal. with the new kit, you do not cut ANY of the OEM harness, only use 3M t-taps to "tap" into the wires you need to.


Installation
there are literally 6 wires to splice into. ignition 12v+, ground, brake +, brake - and VSS (sixth is NSS, but i'll cover that later). the instuctions were incorrect for the clutch switch and it caused me to have to spend several days troubleshooting and calling rostra to get it figured out.

the issue is that the instructions say to wire the clutch switch using the brake - as the source and the other end to the NSS/violet wire on the harness. this is wrong. the clutch switch should be wired in-series with the brake- wire directly from the brake switch. the idea is that if either the brake or clutch is pressed, the ground signal is interrupted to brake - and cruise disengages.

however, other than the clutch switch issue, the instructions are very clear and it is a breeze. there are actual pictures of a Fit in the manual which was definitely very helpful for the install. the VSS wire is a pain as you have to run it thru the firewall and down to the back of the tranny. you have to remove the battery.

i will follow up in the next few days with pics.


it took me approx 2hrs to complete the install.


Function
it's cruise control. what can i say? it works as well as any OEM cruise i have used.

the control panel is illuminated and the buttons are intuitive. i would have preferred the RF/wireless switch to be able to mount on the steering wheel, but apparently it's not compatible.



Bottom line
it is totally worth the cost. michael at www.thecruisecontrolstore.com (M&R electronics) is TOP NOTCH and even sent me a second cruise kit to troubleshoot my problems with... no questions asked!! when it came time to troubleshoot the install, michael immediately provided me with the tech support number at rostra. Thomas at Rostra was very helpful and responded to my calls within minutes.

time will tell how the kit holds up, and i'll update this thread accordingly. I expect to keep my Fit forever now that it has all the features i need. i hope the cruise kit lasts that long, too.

 

can't wait to see some step-by-step pics.

+1

 

Sounds awesome. I'm looking forward to reading your updates. I have a 2008 Base AT, I'm assuming it works for AT too? Also, do you know if this voids any warranties?

 

no, it has no affect on warranty.

all modifications (unless specifically excluded in the warranty documentation ) will NOT void the warranty.

yes, it works for both MT and AT

 

cool. thanks. i'll probably be doing this soon.

 

since u have experience with working on the cruise control
ca u help me trouble
shoot why my OEM cruise control turns on but doesn't set the speed!!

 

no, i can't

take it to a dealer

 

Great. Many base owners will be helped by your installation. Rostra is just down the road from us and we have had conversations more than once.

 

Thanks for the review. I'm looking at the same kit myself.

Pics would be great if you have time to add some.

Here is a PDF copy of the manual in case anybody else wants to look through it: http://rapidshare.com/files/156111369/1896Fit.pdf.html

The only part I don't like is going through the firewall to tap into the NSS. I was thinking of either ignoring it, or looking for an alternate wire located in the cabin itself.

 

i've been simply much too busy with full-time work and finishing up my degree.

yep, that's the manual exactly.

i too would have preferred to keep all the wiring in the cabin, but whatever. i wasn't about to go on a wire probing chase trying to figure out which pin the VSS signal was at the ECU

just note my comment on the NSS/clutch switch for MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS above. the instructions are WRONG. the clutch switch must be wired INLINE with the brake negative (cold) side.

 

i fully understand that you're probably busy, as am I. I was just wondering if you had any pics of the install? No hurry.

 

my apologies. i simply have too many other things going on.

the manual linked above is all you really need. it's very straightforward.

 

i looked through it, it doesn't look too bad. it seems that you have to pull out the glove box. and maybe under the dash on the driver's side? Do you need to pull a lot of panels out, or is it all pretty accessible?

 

if AT, you need to get to the ECU for VSS and NSS

it's quite easy. if you can wire up a stereo, you can do this.

 

thanks. I have a friend who installs stereos so i might have him help me if i can't figure it out.

 

I just added cruise to my base Fit.

I previously tried an ExpressKit version, with little luck (never could figure out why it wouldn't work).

Today I tried the Rostra kit.

Impression: Much better kit. The accelerator pedal connection uses factory connectors, versus cutting/splicing wires for the ExpressKit. It also uses a factory-style clutch-switch versus a funky smaller switch with the ExpressKit.

Most the installation is the same. You have to tap into the brake wires (both + and -), power, ground, VSS; hook into the accelerator pedal; and mount some sort of switch.

Gotcha: The earlier post is correct in that the clutch switch wiring is incorrect. I had figured out the same problem and solution, but was Googling to verify when I hit this thread.

Helpful hints:
Tie into VSS at the ECM. I believe it's pin 18, green-and-white wire, of one of the connectors near the back. Yes, it's a pain to get to, but do-able.

Use the same ground as the keyless entry kit. If you don't have that, get it -- it's easier and worth $100.

None of the wires (except the accelerator) are really the right length, at least for where I put the boxes. Mine is messy, and I'll clean it up when I have more daylight time.

Overall: The little control panel is kinda hokey looking, but not bad. I couldn't bring myself to drill the dash yet, so mine is just double-stick taped on for now. I like the Rostra switch that came on my Scion XB better, so I'm going to see if that switch will work with this kit. Or maybe I'll even see if I can find the Sport control panel. Someday........

Performance: Works well. I was surprised that the gas pedal even works while in cruise.

Difficulty: Medium. Twice as hard as keyless entry. Maybe more like a stereo install. Would be easy if you were the size of a 12 year old with double elbows and eyes on stalks with integrated lighting.

 

+1 for good info, plus it made me laugh. I thought the same thing when I was trying to squeeze my hand behind the stereo to get to the cd changer port.

 

I have installed the Rostra unit on my base 2008 Fit. It works fine except I'm not clear about the correct way to wire the clutch switch. Can someone please tell me what two wires I need to connect the two purple wires from the clutch switch to. The original post concerning this said to wire them "in series" with the brake- wire. I am evidently not understanding what that means because the clutch switch is not working. HELP PLEASE! I would like to get this done today. Thanks!

 

I found out the answer from the vendor I purchased the unit from. For future reference: One purple clutch switch wire attaches to the white/black wire on the brake switch. The other purple wire attaches to the brown/white wire on the control harness. (The instructions say the brown/white wire attaches to the white/black brake switch wire - this is wrong)

 

sorry, i don't get here often

your description sounds accurate