I'm not seeing the benefit myself and Id have to disagree with running circles. From a performance standpoint, you'd need to still add a RSB to give the fit a more neutral standpoint for handling. Also, you'll need to add more to the front fascia; you'll need to add another $300 for the Fogs (or else you'll have a few holes in the bumper). That narrows the gap down by another $400-$450. You can't get a decent set of wheels & tires for $350-$400 as you'd have to spend 2.5x - 3x for that and at that point, you'll probably be at an un-noticeably better performing standpoint. (having paid $400+ more than a sport)

Plus, you are still missing: Key-less Entry With Alarm, Cruise Control, Tweeters, USB, plus a few other things.

Financed over 60 months at a standard rate of 5.9% and you are paying $350 more than the $1500 Difference in price but this is still less than if you bought the parts and wheels separately... but you still end up with less.

And none of the above would be included in the warranty.

If you didn't want the body kit you might be ahead by a couple hundred bucks but again, none of it is warrantied.

~SB

 

Looks good to me. I sorta did the same thing..bought a base and customizing it the way I want. I do that with all my cars, and in the end, have what I consider to be a better looking final package.

 

First just want to clarify that I think the Fit Sport is a really nice looking car. Having said that....
Sorry, what is RSB?

The "running circles" was a bit tongue-in-cheek...but, seriously, if you swap Enkei RPF1s and light weight tires in place of the Sport wheels you can reduce weight by ~11 lbs at each corner. 11 x 4 = 44 lbs of unsprung weight savings. I've seen some use a (unvalidated) conversion factor of 1:10 (i.e. every pound of unsprung weight shed = 10 lbs of sprung weight). So, 44 lbs of unsprung weight per this logic = 440 lbs of savings.

Kind of ridiculous number I know, but I bet this would result in a significant performance (handling, acceleration, MPG) improvement nonetheless. And BTW, Enkei's WITH tires is around $1050 new.

Regarding the holes in the bumper...it's better than holes in the fogs.
The bumper foglights (on the majority of late model Hondas) are notorious for getting cracked from highway debris. I'd rather put some black mesh behind the panels...or maybe some sturdier fogs of my choosing ($30 bucks at AutoZone!!!).

You mean dead weight
I don't really care for any of that stuff (maybe cruise control)...and it is these types of options that allow the Stealership to bend you over the hood. Funny how Honda packages all these high-priced goodies together under the moniker "sport."

If anything, the stripped-down base model should be the sport. Similar to how Nissan offers a stripped-down track model of the 350z.

You can't just apply the accrued interest to the listed options...you have to apply it to the total price of the car (including destination/handling) because this total value is what is accruing interest.

Why do I need a warranty on a spoiler or side skirts?

See above reply.


Simple fact is the base Fit rolls off the factory lot weighing less than the luxury model (erm...sport model). I believe the difference is more than the 15 lbs listed on the spec sheet but I can't prove this.
I plan to get my car weighed eventually...before and after weight reduction.

Again, this is just my 2 cents. The Luxury (sorry...Sport) Fit is selling like hotcakes so there are plenty of competing opinions.

 

^^^

I agree that the Sport is more luxury than sport but that's where I stop agreeing. I think the Sport is a screaming great deal in both added goodies and looks, IMHO. But I can dig the minimalist, give me the money and let me customize it approach you are going for. Nothing wrong with that at all. Enjoy!

 

LOL...maybe I'm just jealous deep down.

 

I think it's Rear Stabilizer Bar a.k.a. anti-roll bar

BTW, those are only $130

 

Na! You are enjoying doing your thing and that's cool.

 

How much do you weigh? I bet that I weigh less driving around in my sport, than you do in your base. JDM body-mass-index weight-reduction for this dumb argument. If you diarrhea, piss and vomit before stepping into your base model then you could increase the difference from 15 lbs, to 30, woah! That is a mega gaping huge inconceivably ginormous performance benefit over any stupid Sport model huh? 15 lbs is epic! Like if you have a newborn child in the car with you, you're screwed base models will by flying past you on the freeway and you'll never merge and your life will be over.

Then its 15 lbs, stfu!

 

ooh ooh... I love Devil's advocate... not picking, just clarifying - many people would have been pissed off by now

While I agree that one of the best things you can do is reduce unsprung weight, you aren't going to see a 11lb difference at each wheel. you aren't even going to see a 6lb difference. The Enkei's weigh in at just under 14lbs and the Stock Sport are just over 19 so you can figure about 1/2 of what the initial estimate was. Granted however, you will have a nice set of wheels.

Where are you seeing the enkei's with tires at that price? (are they 16" wheels?) I'm seeing $1150 not including shipping (or Tax)

Ouch... you threw in the "A" word. That's like saying you'll get your stereo at Wal-Mart. Personally, I've never had an issue with fogs in bumper locations on my Prelude, Civic, or my Integra GS-R, let alone the fit. ( Windshields on the other hand.... I won't go there.) I think we hear about the broken fog lights because that's what alot of people think a forum is for, venting. I can't remember the last time I heard, "Hey, My fog lights are fine" as a forum topic.
The majority of the extras weigh next to nothing. the ones I listed are probably 10lbs combined (If that) but the value is definitely there, especially if it's just a few hundred dollars. heck people pay good money to add iPod Connectivity to their cars. same with the Tweeters and keyless entry. the alarm however might be useless.
I'm not fond of Nissan's way of thinking on this one. Our altima was the 3.5SE and that had the sport suspension and it was only available on that car. couldn't get a 2.5SE, couldn't get a 3.5SL with sport suspension, you had to tack on Thousands of dollars to get the sportiness of the SE and the luxury of the SL. The difference was springs, 1" larger wheels, and a thicker Rear Sway Bar (RSB - answers the above Q)
Sure can. it's basic math. For example. 5.9% financing on $125 is the same as (5.9% on $100 + 5.9% on $25) so 5.9% on the sport is the same as 5.9% on the base Fit + 5.9% on the difference between the Base & Sport. The difference is roughly $1550 so the finance charges of that portion is about $350 over 60 months.

in case they break? JK, but honestly, I think most would like a warranty on the suspension and wheels and hey... warranty on everything isn't a bad thing.
Honda's site says the Fit 5mt is 2489 and the sport is 2520 so the difference is 31lbs... That's less than my Before/after wedding weight (I weigh less now )
~SB

 

I am LOL'ing at this outta control thread.

Too much to respond to...but I will answer the question regarding the Enkei's.

Enkei RPF1
15 x 7 = 9.5 lbs

General Exclaim UHP
195/50/15 = 15.2 lbs (THESE ARE THE LIGHTEST HIGH PERFORMANCE TIRES I COULD FIND ON THE MARKET)
195/55/15 = 16.1 lbs

9.5 lbs + 15.2 lbs = 24.7 lbs
I've seen on numerous threads that the fit wheels and tires weigh 35 lbs. Can you provide a link to where you find the weight of the wheel is 19 lbs? The OEM tire will easily weigh 20 lbs (probably closer to 30 lbs). So, using your 19 lbs wheel + 20 lbs tire = 39 lbs...that is at least 15 lbs more per corner (possibly 25 lbs per corner with a 30 lb tire).

Some will say 15" is too small for the fit...but 15s look REALLY good on the Honda Tuning Fit...

 

People pay $600+ dollars for a carbon fiber hood to save 30 lbs. Just saying...

The comparison of the Sport options (cruise, fogs, etc.) to "dead weight" was figurative, not literal...

Your other points are valid...that's why I'm not responding to each directly.

 

While some may not agree with buying a base and doing your own thing with it, there is a certain amount of satisfaction in doing it, that may off-set any dollar difference.
Beside, it may, and here in AZ, is damn near impossible to find a Fit Sport that is not loaded to the brim with everything the factory has, plus dealer add ons on top of that. The only alternative is to buy a base and do it yourself.

 

I can agree with a DIY giving you a large amount of satisfaction. In this post, what I didn't agree with was the value factor since the previous poster was talking about adding alot of the sport accessories to a base to save money. I didn't see the value.

As for the RFP1's, the ones I've seen in 15" size have offsets that really are too low to run on a fit. 41 is MIGHTY tight, especially if you run a wider tire (like 205. Might get away with 195) while 35 is unusable. There's a post here with lightweight wheels that will fit and the consensus is that 45 i the best offset to run while 42/43 is very tight, especially if dropped or hard cornering.

I also found the post about the Stock wheel weight. there are two statements, one from CHH saying 19+ the other from Maku (member here) saying 17.3-17.6
Here's the link: https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...ort-wheel.html
The thing about the stock wheels is that they are narrow which will save some weight.

Our local Dealer here has 5 FITs. all are sport, 2 5MT, 2 5AT, and one not listed. They have no FIT Base which is surprising. All however are dark colors.

~SB

 

This is not surprising...the $tealership makes a larger profit selling a loaded car vs. a base model.

Where exactly does rubbing occur with lower offset wheels (i.e. 41 mm)? The inner fender well? or at the fender itself? I still don't completely understand "offset" and the relationship to "rubbing."

 

When we bought ours, there were a dozen base models (right before C4C) and a half dozen Sports. We had ours shipped in from 170 miles away because I wanted a White Sport 5MT. There were 9 of them to pick from and 5 of the orange 5MT in the area.

Rubbing can occur on the inside or outside and often happens during hard cornering, sudden hard bumps, or when lowered. The inside side or edge of the tread can rub against the inner portion of the wheel well, ( or many inboard components) if the offset is too High. If the offset is too low, the wheel can rub on the outer fender (some people will have their fenders rolled if this happens). The offset will determine how centered the wheel and tire is in the wheel well. In short, the lower the offset, the further out your wheel will be. Remember, this is also compounded by a wider tire. this is why some people run a wide wheel and "stretch" a narrower tire, it helps with rubbing.

Here's a link to a BMW site where an owner has an issue with inboard rubbing - this would be due to a High offset: inside rubbing/offset issues - bimmerfest - BMW Forums

Photo of inboard Rubbing:

Outboard rubbing due to a low offset (or combination of lower offset and wider tires):

 

Awesome info. Thanks for the detailed explanation.

I'm not gonna slam the car (max 1-1.5" drop), so I hope to be fine with the 41 mm offset and a 195 tire. I've read others have run this combo with no problems.

 

Too bad you don't live closer, you could buy my stock tires/wheels and make yur base even more of a sport

Congrats on the new ride, I see you've done HIDS, what temp are they?

 

Welcome to FF! and I think the mismatch is kinda cool. I used to live in DB, but still work around. I will keep my eyes open for a base with a spoiler =]

 

Awesome!! That's what I'm gonna do. Besides it costs more on my insurance for the sport so screw that I can build my own! Lol

 

lollll for the same sport kit order that cost to me 1500 in quebec XD lucky guys !