I live in North Jersey, and I was not happy with the performance last winter. I am considering getting snow tires for this vehicle. Has anybody put snow tires on this car? How does the car perform with snow tires? If so, what kind of snow tires would you put on it?

 

Hakkapeliitta snow tires can't be beat. Blizzaks are a good choice as well. My Fit runs on Hakkapeliitta 5 studded tires and I handle better than 4WD trucks and SUVs.

 

Just get a north Korean Car, it gets great mileage, and goes over all terrain, no to mention you can take it in doors too! As we see this lot full of affordable North Korean Cars, truely this is a sign of hard economic times for North Korea.

 

Anybody else have any snow tire thoughts to share?

 

My first comment is that they should be called winter tires, as not many tires perform/grip well in snowy conditions, even with an aggressive tread design. Icy/slippery conditions exist more often and should be a greater concern for most drivers.

My second comment would be that you should get the best quality tires from a reputable manufacturer that you can reasonably afford. You get what you pay for when it comes to tires, and compromise can mean the difference between control and skidding. Always install four - anything less and you are asking for trouble.

My third comment is that no matter how 'good' your tires are rated, your driving skills play a big factor as well. Slow down and adjust your driving to match conditions.

 

Since my Fit came with the 16” accessory wheels, I still had the stock 15” aluminum sport wheels. I put on Nokian Hakkapeliitta RSi 195/55R15XL on the rims and just love them. They are not studded but handle fantastic.

 

I had Michelin X-Ice put onto mine just before the big snow here. Performs nicely so far, but as DeeZeex notes, no consumer vehicle winter tire will grip well on snow. I've already drifted a few times coming out of a turn onto slushy patches, and the anti-lock brakes have come on even at low speed, so I need to be driving slower and allow more braking distance.

There's a small decrease in fuel efficiency with the winters on; they're the exact same dimensions as my regular all-seasons (P175/65R14), but at the VTEC threshold (3400 RPM for M/T) I'm going about 5 km/h slower, even on dry road. I don't think it's the winter fuel mix; the winters were put on with 3/4 of a tank and I noticed the change immediately.

 

Hakkapeliitta 5 studded tires. All four wheels.
Keep the highway speed down so as not to spin the studs out over time.

 

DeeZeex's post is well said. And with that in mind, you should visit Tire Rack and choose wisely. I have Pirelli Winter Carving Edge on my Fit. Since, we're within the Tri-State area, there hasn't been any snowfall yet - so I can't comment on it's ability in the snow. However, these are not just "snow" tires. They are winter tires and we'll encounter frigid temperatures and ice more than snow around here. I chose & value it's ability/rating in ice & frigid temps more than it's snow capabilities because in our region we get snow but not alot and not that often.

 

blizzaks ws60....u get what u pay for and i think they r the most expensive
(non studded)
i have gone over 100mph on snow with these on....the other cars on the highway seemed stationary
warning do not attempt

 

Firestone Winterforce tires on sale at the Tirerack for $43 each! You will not find a better tire for the money! I went with 195-60-15's and they fit fine and drive better! Very little road noise and you do not feel every crack in the road

By the way! This is my 200 post!

 

i would get the 14" winter wheel/tire set from tirerack and save your money. get
the narrowest ones recommended for your car too. they look like spare tires but
digs into snow/ice better.

for us though in IL there are times when it snows so bad my car drives like crap,
but its not all the time so not worth getting any more than a/s tires. just slow
down, take it easy, and things are usually ok.

if you think about it im sure over 90% of cars out there are running a/s tires in
the snow...not to forget being under inflated, near balding, etc. and yet they still
manage to get from A to B. well, sometimes with waypoints with a tree, but that's
not just the tire's fault.

 

Yabut here's the thing; A/S tires are a compromise in winter AND summer. Some of them are better in summer, some are better in winter. But none are as good as a true winter tire in winter. So if you are going to use up two sets of tires on your car over its lifetime anyway, why not get winter tires and be much, much safer in winter?

 

Yep! To me it is worth spending the extra $200 to keep the family (and myself) safe. After driving in chicago winters all my life, then driving with snow tires, I will never again do another winter without them.

It is like life insurance! You only use it one time, but it is nice to have!

 

Pirelli Winter Carving studded tires (if legal) will handle anything.

 

I have General Arctimax winter treads and steel wheels on my 08 Fit. I got them from Tirerack for about $400. For whatever reason if you key in the Fit you get different, more expensive choices than a Honda Civic. I tried the "14" s that I got for my daughters "14s" 2000 Civic and they fit like a glove so I bought an identical set for my Fit. I also have Blizzac ws60s (very good) on my Grand Caravan and Pirelli Scorpions (not so good) on my Yukon XL. Out of all of them I like the Generals the best. Good grip in slick weather - and we've had weeks of that in Wisconsin. Fairly quiet on dry roads which I can't say for the Pirellis. My mileage has suffered by a lot - about 5 mpg loss. The steel wheels do not have the tps so the light stays on, no biggy.

Overall I give them an 8 out of 10. Great value.

 

I bought a set of these - went with some 175/65-14's, on clearance for $37 each. A little smaller than the stock diameter, but for the price I wasn't going to argue with a tiny difference like that. They were so cheap I could even afford a new set of 14" alloys - it came to a total of $517 shipped, and it's hard to argue with that. And I actually really like the rims . . .



I agree that they're a great tire for the money, but they're not as good as the Blizzak's & Hakkapelitta's that I've used in the past - especially on ice. But that said, for the amount of weather one might see in Jersey, the more expensive tires are overkill.

I just bought the car, so I don't know how much mpg suffered with these tires - but as a data point I still get 34 & 35mpg strictly highway (cruise control set @ 70 for 3 hours straight), and 30mpg in my daily commute (pretty much just stoplight to stoplight 4-8 miles a day). Manual transmission, if anyone's curious.

 

I had Hankook Winter I-Pike directional winter tires on my 07 in a 195/60/15 size as discount tire had them on ebay for $200 for 4 with free shipping.
They are studdable, so I had them do that for an additional $12 a tire (although studs are illegal in Illinois, nobody bothered me).
Awesome tire, better than Blizzaks and Dunlaps I have had in the past.
And last winter I towed my snowmobile all over the lake Superior snow belt!!
It was awesome, even my buddies with tricked out 4 wheel drive pick-ups were very impressed.

 

As of yesterday, that looks exactly like my car, with the same tires, and similar rims. Took me about 40 minutes to swap wheels in my garage.

 

Yup, being able to swap on your winter tires the night before the first snowstorm (no appointment or $$ needed) is VERY nice.

What I want to know is: Where did Tirerack get those nifty rear disc brakes?