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I decided to start a build thread partially to help me keep things going forward and straight, but also for the entertainment value. Hope you enjoy following along. For the tl/dr folks, feel free to scan through for bullet points if you’re just curious what’s been done to the car.
Backstory:
Despite my pleas to buy a WRX, my Wife picked out a new 5-speed manual Silver Storm Metallic 2008 Honda Fit Sport as her daily commuter. She had wanted a Fit ever since her Dad showed her pictures of them from his trips to Japan (he's now retired from Honda) and she was NOT going to be denied!
She was much smarter than I. The Fit has seen no less than 6 cars come and go during its stay with us, but we've just never had a compelling reason to move on from it. It has been used for numerous mountain blasts through Tail of the Dragon, Blood Mountain, Richard Russel Pkwy, etc, been used to cart the wife back and forth to work from 3 different jobs, been on countless 10 hour car rides to visit both sides of the family, and even had a baby seat added to it back in 2010. In short, it's part of the family!
In the 190,000 miles over the past 10 years, the Fit has left us stranded exactly once. The fuel pump died on my wife on her way home from work about a year ago. Other than that, the car has just had the routine maintenance including 50k valve adjustments, plugs, brakes, tires, fluids, etc.
I suspect that we would have seen just how far the little thing could go, but a few things made my Wife change direction a bit. For one, she is having back and neck problems and the Dr.’s recommended switching to an automatic transmission. For two, she took an internship that locks her into making an 80 mile round trip commute 5 days a week for a minimum of 4 years. For three, modern times have caught up with her and she’s tired of watching me ride around in comfort while playing with all of the modern infotainment options, speaking through the Bluetooth, while having my butt cooled/heated and hands warmed.
So, about 6 weeks ago, we bought her a new commuter and retired the Fit from daily use.
Back to the reason for the thread. Mods! The first round of modifications were done with the intent of simply making the Fit more comfortable, drive better and to make it more personal. The list below was done within the first year of ownership or so and gives a good picture of where the car is at currently.
Build 1 (in no particular order):
- Honda all weather floor mats, rear cargo cover, rear cargo mat – these came home with the car
- Zeta dead pedal – I had never owned a car without a dead pedal and insisted on this mod. Wife quickly fell in love with it as well.
- Zeta hood deflector – has caught a lot of bugs and rocks through the years and still going strong
- LED interior lights – I found the stock bulbs to be very dim. This was an easy solution
- HID headlights & fog lights – maybe the only mod that didn’t go the distance. Removed and replaced with quality Halogen bulbs, but sure miss the ability to actually see at night. The stock lighting is not sufficient for night time mountain driving, but the car will not be used at night much going forward
- Fog light re-wire – wired to work independently
- Spoon magnetic oil and transmission drain plugs – helps me sleep at night
- K&N air filter – saved a bunch of money through the years compared with buying disposable filters
- Mugen Shifter – huge improvement in feel and shift throw
- Custom billet shift knob – made by a friend out of a hunk of aluminum. He made two. One for his Fit and one for ours.
- Mugen air deflectors (vent visors) – look good and allow the windows to be left down on hot days in parking lots
- Mugen door sill plates – just because they are funny!
- Progress rear sway bar – single largest improvement to the way the car drives. Made the car actually track straight at high speeds and helped greatly with the wander from wind, ruts, etc.
- Panducky hardware – wish these guys were still around! Made install of RSB a breeze and no rust thanks to quality stainless
- HFP axle back – just for better looks and sound. Is sadly starting to show some rust despite being stainless and no rust anywhere else on car
- Denso IK22 plugs – one heat range colder. Actually, noticed a slight performance improvement.
- ATE Super Blue brake fluid – swapped to this after brake fade severe enough to turn the pedal to mush. Super blue no longer made so been using TYP200 which is same minus blue tint.
- EBC USR rotors – noisier than stock, but see above for reason for switch.
- Hawk HP pads – dusty, but effective
- JDM center console with armrest – Once again, I had never had a car without an armrest. This was a mandatory change and really improved comfort
- Solar Guard tint – has held up well, but is starting to lighten with age. Will likely be redone during the 2.0 build
- Rota RB 16x7 +40 Gunmetal wheels – Just for looks. Slight rub in rear. Have switched back and forth from these and stock sport wheels over the past 10 years. Stock ones ride better, the 16’s look much better
- McGard spline drive nuts – gotta hold the wheels on with something.
Now that you have a picture of where the car is today, it’s time to discuss the future! It’s time for the GD Fit to evolve into something more. The goal is simply to make the car more fun. For us that means more power, more handling, more braking, and probably more modern electronics with interior refreshing.
Build 2 (in no particular order):
- Top Fuel Turbo Kit – through eBay I was able to purchase a “new” Top Fuel Turbo kit from a seller in Australia. It was sold as a new item that was used for store display (See post below for more details)
- Hondata Flash Pro - not purchased yet. Looking for best way/place to purchase from
- Quaife Differential – thanks to a fellow Fit Freak, I was able to pick one up for a great price on eBay.
- Clutch Masters Kit – purchased directly from Clutch Masters their FX350 kit that includes a 212mm upgraded clutch and aluminum flywheel.
- Upgraded Brakes – upsizing the front to Mini Cooper sized rotors and converting the rear from drum to Integra sized rotors (see post below for details)
- BC Racing DR Series Coilovers – not purchased yet, but these are the leading candidate for suspension. New bushings will be included with install.
- Electronics and Interior refresh – not sure yet what this will encompass. Have black Ultrasuede for the headliner and will change the plastics from the beltline up to black. Will pick a modern double din size head unit with Bluetooth, apple car play, etc and upgrade the speakers. Nothing crazy, just looking to modernize
Once here and unpacked, I can see that the kit does appear new, but there are two issues. First is miner…it’s missing the oil feed line. Second is more serious…the kit’s Garrett turbo has been replaced with some no name Chinese looking knock off. I do not know if the original turbo was a ball bearing unit, but this one is definitely not. It also has a different discharge outlet, so the seller cut off the 3 bolt flange on the original cast piping and welded the cast piping straight to the outlet. Needless to say, they did not weld it in the correct position so it’s clocked wrong.
I talked myself out of piecing together my own kit and purchasing this one for two reasons. One, I liked the OEM style cast pieces. The exhaust outlet is a nice cast piece that bolts to the turbo and connects in the stock location. All of the piping is cast aluminum for a nice OEM look and less potential leaks. The exhaust manifold is cast for a greatly reduced possibility of leaks due to cracked welds, etc. Two, I liked the idea of buying a pre-sorted kit to save me time and hassle.
That being said, it was a poor decision. I spent too much money to end up with a junk turbo and I don’t like the restrictive cast piping. It appears that Top Fuel went for ease of install/clearance at the expense of decent sized piping. The inlet piping literally necks down to about a 1” passage. I can’t see that as ever a good way to feed air into a turbo.
Notice I have not mentioned an intercooler? The Top Fuel Kit does not come with one. For many that would be a deal breaker, but I’m ok with that part. At the boost levels I’m initially planning (8 lbs or so), I don’t think the added weight of the intercooler and piping make a lot of sense. I will of course watch the IAT’s and address if needed. I’m thinking that a water/meth kit may make more sense than an intercooler if needed. Keep in mind that this car will not be sitting in traffic getting heat soaked. I’m keeping an open mind here though and may add an intercooler at some point as well.
Things to do related to the turbo install:
- Test fit the kit
- Measure and order parts for oil send line
- Figure out plan for discharge pipe – thinking I may cut off the elbow they cut and welded on and replace with a 2” silicone hose elbow. Would then match diameter of turbo outlet and piping to throttle body
- Measure throttle body and order coupler from piping to throttle body
- Figure out a plan for the IAT sensor. No provision in the supplied cast pipe
- Find shop and send off the exhaust manifold and exhaust outlet section to be ceramic coated
- Order turbo blanket
- Order oil pan gaskets (did I mention the kit comes with a new oil pan with return fitting welded in place?)
- Order exhaust manifold gasket
- Order Megan downpipe
- Pick and order fuel injectors - anyone have suggestions? From what I gather 310's are about what I need, but Acura 410's are reported to have a better spray pattern. How are the 410's for idle quality?
Once complete, I will have Integra Type R spec'd front brakes and Integra GSR spec'd rear brakes. Nothing special or earth shattering, but should bring it up to where it probably should have been when it left the factory.
To that end, I have started picking up parts here and there as I catch them on clearance or discount. I am trying to not brake the bank (pun intended).
So far, I have purchased:
- Scarebird adapters
- EBC USR 280mm Mini Cooper front rotors
- Acura Legend parking brake cables
- New replacement master cylinder - Accord MC with 1" piston
- FastBrakes stainless lines
Still need to purchase:
---- FastBrakes rear parking brake brackets for RSX calipers
- EBC USR rear integra rotors
- OEM ITR front calipers
- OEM RSX rear calipers
- Front TSX pads - debating between Hawk, EBC, and StopTechs (may go with StopTech Sports to start just because they are half the price)
- Rear RSX pads - same note as above
- Misc. fasteners - have cart built on hondapartsnow.com that includes all parts needed as well as stuff for turbo and differential install
- Type 200 fluid
I'm also debating about what to do for tires and wheels. The Rota RB's are 16x7, +40mm offset, and are reported to weigh 16.25 lbs. They do rub a bit in the rear. The wife picked these wheels, but she's willing to change if we can find something lighter that still looks good, with more offset, but isn't crazy expensive.
She's not digging the looks of the Enkei RPF1's, so those would be a tough sell.
The Fit needs new tires, so that has me exploring all options.
Glad to have you here following along and appreciate the suggestion! Unfortunately, I don't think any of the Konig flow formed wheels come in a 15x7 or 16x7 in a +45ish offset. Too bad, because I like them.
I'm also debating about what to do for tires and wheels. The Rota RB's are 16x7, +40mm offset, and are reported to weigh 16.25 lbs. They do rub a bit in the rear. The wife picked these wheels, but she's willing to change if we can find something lighter that still looks good, with more offset, but isn't crazy expensive.
15x7 TR Motorsport C1 are fairly light with a +42mm offset.
Looks like you're off to a good start. My recommendations are to add replacement/upgraded suspension bushings (all around) to your list and consider the Wilwood DPHA front calipers. Your stock rubbers should be at the end of their life and the cost/benefit of a DPHA conversion makes it a highly attractive and simplistic alternative to the piece-meal BBK you're planning.
Looks like you're off to a good start. My recommendations are to add replacement/upgraded suspension bushings (all around) to your list and consider the Wilwood DPHA front calipers. Your stock rubbers should be at the end of their life and the cost/benefit of a DPHA conversion makes it a highly attractive and simplistic alternative to the piece-meal BBK you're planning.
Thanks for the suggestions! A friend of mine is a Wilwood dealer so I looked into the options, but I don't think the DPHA calipers can be used with the larger rotors.
I believe the options are...
1" larger rotors with stock ITR calipers - ~$220 for rotors, calipers, pads
DPHA calipers with stock sized rotors - ~$500 for rcp
Wilwood BBK - ~$600 for rcp
My favorite of those options is the full 12.2" BBK kit and the price is reasonable for what you receive. I'm not sure the calipers alone are a good route since they aren't cheap and you still have stock sized rotors.
Basically I wanted the BBK, but cheaped out and went the Mini/ITR route. I also have experience with the EBC USR/Hawk HPS combo and know that I will like it. A friend had Dynalite's on his car and we were never able to get them to not squeak/squeal. They worked great, but always made noise.
Thanks for the heads up on the bushings. You are completely right. I have plans to, at bare minimum, change the strut/shock bushings when I do the coilovers. Need to take a good look at the rest and see how they are doing. I suspect that replacement will be necessary for the others as well.
Thanks for the suggestions! A friend of mine is a Wilwood dealer so I looked into the options, but I don't think the DPHA calipers can be used with the larger rotors.
I believe the options are...
1" larger rotors with stock ITR calipers - ~$220 for rotors, calipers, pads
DPHA calipers with stock sized rotors - ~$500 for rcp
Wilwood BBK - ~$600 for rcp
My favorite of those options is the full 12.2" BBK kit and the price is reasonable for what you receive. I'm not sure the calipers alone are a good route since they aren't cheap and you still have stock sized rotors.
Basically I wanted the BBK, but cheaped out and went the Mini/ITR route. I also have experience with the EBC USR/Hawk HPS combo and know that I will like it. A friend had Dynalite's on his car and we were never able to get them to not squeak/squeal. They worked great, but always made noise.
Thanks for the heads up on the bushings. You are completely right. I have plans to, at bare minimum, change the strut/shock bushings when I do the coilovers. Need to take a good look at the rest and see how they are doing. I suspect that replacement will be necessary for the others as well.
You *could* use the DPHA's with the Mini rotors via an adapter, but why? In all reality, what are you hoping to gain with the slight diameter up-size (regardless of caliper choice)? If it's the look, sure, the discussion ends here. But if it's performance there are more questions to ask and things to consider. Are you looking for better initial bite and emergency stop performance, are you wanting better longevity, are you only going to be doing spirited driving, are there track aspirations/goals (auto-x? fast circuit?), is there a cost difference and pad compound availability difference between options, is a increase/decrease in un-sprung weight a concern? Lots to consider. Given the Fit's relatively low weight and weight bias, 99% of us will most likely stand to gain more bang/buck with better tires, better dampers, and a pad/fluid change. The 10.3" front rotor diameter won't become a factor until you're going fast around Road Atlanta, and even then there are options to be exhausted (chyro'd & slotted rotors, brake cooling ducts, brake bias, weight reduction, etc).
For me, I chose the DPHA's because of performance value and pad availability, with future power upgrades in mind as well as what my given auto-x club allowed in class. Them plus SS lines, chyro'd rotors, and better fluid came to ~$540. Not bad. Pad swaps are very quick and easy, caliper servicing is simple with readily available parts, 10.3" chryo'd rotors are dirt cheap, track pads start at ~$50, and they look cool (especially on a GD ). Pretty hard to beat in the long game. As for the noise, use a quality ceramic brake grease. Mine haven't uttered a peep over the past 5k miles. And if there's ever a time that I've outgrown them, resale should be easy. Anyhow...
As for the bushings, take a look at my Sloppy Seconds build thread on here. I've replaced/upgraded everything on my GD and have taken a bit of the headache out of it all. Parts sourcing was the most difficult thing (lmk if you have any questions). And if you liked the feel of adding the RSB, just wait until after new beam bushings are in.
10-20-2017, 08:59 AM
). Pretty hard to beat in the long game. As for the noise, use a quality ceramic brake grease. Mine haven't uttered a peep over the past 5k miles. And if there's ever a time that I've outgrown them, resale should be easy. Anyhow...
