Hey guys,

A few days ago we traded in my car for an SUV which is now my wife's. I, in turn got my hands on her '08 Fit! It is all stock, but hopefully not for long

You guys know best, what should I mod first, and what should I go with?

Please be as specific as you can. I need all the help I can get

Thanks!!!

Omar

 

What do you want out of the car?

There are many things you can do.

Personally I always lower the car and then buy wheels + tires

Those two things completely change the look.

 

Hey Mike!

What I really want is for the car to look awesome! It already has tinted windows and so adding new wheels/tires seemed like a logical next step. I don't need/want to enhance its performance necessarily. I don't usually have passengers in it so lowering would be an option for me -how difficult/expensive is it?

Have you done anything with the head/brake lights? Have you seen any cool grilles? I'm basically open to anything that will make the car look cool

Thanks again!

 

vague post is vague

i usually mod the driver first; find out what its strengths and weaknesses are then adjust. best part is that these mods are generally free, lol. once i learned my driving style and what i wanted from the car i knew exactly what direction i needed to work toward.

[edit]
i post too slow... smh
if looking cool is your direction i suggest scrolling through the image galleries. check out all the "Official (factory color)" threads and pick which parts appeal to you most.

 

Lowering car can range from cheap to expensive:
-Springs will only be about 2-300 and will lower you mildly, keeping a comfy ride
-Coilovers are closer to $1000 but lower you more, give you a firmer ride and give you adjustability

The car in my sig is on Skunk2 springs with 15x7 Enkei RPF1.

Lowering a car isn't crazy difficult, its something you can do yourself as long as you have tools and some mechanical ability

Wheels are also key, they can range from ~600/set for Kosei's up to ~2000/set for Volks

There are also used wheels which drop in price accordingly. Avoid Rota, Drag, Konig whenever possible.

I recommend something along the lines of 15x7 +40

 

Start with wheels and tires, the items that make the most difference. Then suspension. And then cosmetics, which make the least.
Be aware that suspension mods will affect your Fit's trade-in value so if possible make them reversible..

 

Hello and welcome!

The first thing I would recommend doing is making the car comfortable for you if it will be your daily driver from now on. So maybe things like a Zeta Dead Pedal, window visors if you drive with the windows down or have them cracked open often, maybe even the JDM center console with the armrest. Then once you have everything setup to your liking, do whatever you feel that you want to do. Whether it would be lowering, wheels/tires, a lip kit, exhaust, etc.

Since it was mentioned though, lowering and getting another set of wheels (and tires) are two of the easiest ways to change the look of your Fit as well as improve its handling.

Lowering springs are the most cost affective and fairly easy way to lower the car, but one of the down sides is that the OEM shocks will wear out faster due to not being valved to work with the lowered height. One spring does work with our OEM shocks without hindering its duty cycle made by Swift. Once the OEM shocks are gone, you could get adjustable shocks that you can change the valving to your liking as well as should last longer than the OEMs with lowering springs if it is valved correctly. Below this paragraph is a chart listing the majority of the springs available for the GD chassis, in order from the softest ride (at the top) to the stiffest ride (at the bottom).



NOTE: If you do decide to lower, I highly recommend getting your alignment checked out afterwards to be on the safe side of things.

Coil-overs are another way of lowering the car. With them you can raise or lower the car to your desired ride height as well as adjust the damper's (shock's) valving just like with adjustable shocks. The down sides with them is that they are a bit on the pricey side of things and usually make for a stiff ride.

Wheels can both give you the look you are looking for as well as can improve your car's handling, braking, and even acceleration. If you get a wheel with a lower offset (sticks out, away from the car's centerline) than the factory/current wheel then your car's track width will be increased, giving it a wider stance which will help with cornering. In addition to that the lighter the wheel (tires included), the less effort the car needs to make to get that wheel to rotate or stop rotating.

 

I don't want to sound cruel and keeping in mind I love our Fit, I'm reminded of a saying that got popular back during the political competition for the presidency. You can put lipstick on a pig and you still have a pig. If you have nothing else in your life that requires attention (buying a house, etc.) then it's o.k. to squander your money. But on a Fit??

 

Worthless post is worthless.

 

You're absolutely right. I apologize to the OP.

 

Hey guys, I want to thank you so very much for your replies. I am new at forums, but you guys have taught me a lot already!

One thing that I have already realized is that perhaps I need to be more specific, and that way your expertise will be put to better use.

Since we have already talked about the wheels/tires, what is the widest, and biggest size that I can go with without having rubbing issues? Somewhere here I read 205/40/17. Is 215/35/18 too big??

What type of headlights do you prefer? Xenon or HID? Is eBay the best place to get them? Is there a different option to LED brake lights?

Sorry to ask so many questions! I really appreciate your help!

 

I believe 215 tires usually run into shock rubbing issues.

 

18's will look bad. And the ride will be terrible. I've only seen 17's be pulled off well on a GD3 one time.

 

Dump it for sure. 18s are too big. 215s will rub. For headlights retro fit hid projectors only. Not ebay hids. For taillights jdm leds or depo leds are only ones acceptable. Ebay junk is just that. Junk. They do sell good stuff, but you must search. Stay on this forum, do your reserch and you will be fine. For sale section is very helpful as well for great deals.

Welcome to our club.

Remember this: this is your car, so do as you please. Not what everyone says do. I hate ebay junk, however I love rota wheels so many people have many opinions.

Do you

 

OK. Sounds like 205/40/17 might be the way to go then.

I have also been searching around for the JDM center console. Unfortunately, a reputable site that was recommended by a friend has them out of stock, and they will not be getting any more. Do you guys know of a reputable site where I can get it? How hard is it to install? I've seen it for as low as $269 up to $319... Any words of wisdom?

 

Did you try College Hills Honda? They have it on clearance right now listed at $242.50.

2007-2008 Honda Fit Imported Accessories

 

The site gives me an error when I try to add the item to a cart. The console also shows under "Interior" but in there it shows as sold out. They show it in stock under "Imports" but am unable to purchase

 

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you with your fit. I just finally bought my own car a couple weeks ago, and I want to do things with it but have no idea where to start. I've been reading FitFreak everyday and picking up new ideas.

So I'll probably be following this thread too.

 

BEST advise I can give you is DON'T RUSH IT. Rushing leads to crappy parts, wasted money and bad work. Plan things out and take your time. The obvious things you can do right away are lower it and buy rims. The BEST mods you can ever do to a car is good suspension, light wheels, and good tires. The fact that you're wanting to go with 17 or 18" rims I don't know if handling on twisty roads is your thing, but it sure is fun.

I've had my car for 4 years and started modding it 2 months ago. I have a good list of things done and am already torn. I love my car and love the way it's turning out, but the more I mod it the more I want to sell it and buy something more performance oriented.

 

Definitely. I'm actually holding off on larger mods. I'm just going to buy smaller things for convenience. Here is my list for now:

Done: internal LED lights, DIY 51R battery mod, mugen pedals, DIY JMD wiper mod

Next: center console w/ armrest, dead pedal, rain guards, mirrored passenger sunvisor, weathertech as floor mats and cargo cover, maybe a new shift knob. Most of these were already mentioned in this thread.

I guess I'll start looking into springs and wheels now that everyone has mentioned them.