Does anyone have experience with the Fit in snowy and/or windy conditions? Considering buying one in the North Country.

 

Working pretty well so far. I feel confident driving it in snow and it seems to hold up pretty well in the wind we have been having; the Fit get blown around a little but not as much as I thought.

 

the fit with the right tires would crawl up a tree if you wanted.
its a good winter vehicle.

 

We've only had snow for the past week, and not a whole lot of it, but thus far it's been fairly good (with the all season stock wheels) so no complaints yet. On a snowed road I might start to drift for a split second, but it catches on really quick once you press on the acceleration.

 

A big factor is tires. Doesn't matter what kind of a car it is--FWD, RWD, AWD, 4WD. You NEED the right tires. If you're in snow country, I highly recommend snow tires. I've had expensive Blizzaks, studded Nokians and cheapo Hankook's. In reality, they were all about the same in traction, except the Nokians with the studs had an edge. But if the other tires were to be studded, I'd assume that they would do just fine.

I had a E30 325is BMW (RWD) with the cheap Hankook's and did just fine. Even went up to the ski resort in the middle of a blizzard and made it up the canyon (would not recommend this, though! There were some iffy moments ). Also had an Integra with studded Nokians that did very well in snow.



Also remember that in snow, getting going is not a big problem but stopping is where you get into trouble, which is where the snow tires shine. GET SNOW TIRES!

 

Last year one of our trips to the mountains of NC involved some traveling in enough snow to require careful driving. We had zero problems getting anywhere on some really crooked backwoods roads. Did have to help a BMW that got stuck trying to keep up.
As long as you have good tires the Fit will get by as well as any non 4 wheel drive car and probably better than the heavy 4WD trucks and SUV's on curves..

 

so far so good. snowed a few inches up here in Minneapolis over the last week or so and I've been having no problems starting and stopping on the stock (Dunlop) tires.

 

yesterday was nearly an inch. flat roads are great, going off from the lights/accelerating was great. going up/down the hill was great. highway was great. stock wheels btw ;] but... hill+turn ...egh... i was pulling out from autozone, and the exit is uphill and i had to turn left, i eased on the gas and she started going, i had to push a lil more to get it going over the little hill while turning. i think this is because it is hard to direct the motion on a hill. i had to turn on another hill, a steep one. did mighty damn good going up on the hill, was impressed actually. but, then i had to turn right going up the hill, it felt like she stalled but no she lost traction, like i said, the motion cant be directed on up-hills. i would still ride her on stocks, just slower on the hill-turns.

 

In my gd3..first winter in ND with it n we just got our first real snow. I was looking to get blizzaks but the stock dunlops have done fine so far. Just gotta slow yer role n take a little extra time cause stopping isn't all that great on slick powder or ice lol.

 

Much of the loss in cornering uphill is the loss of power to the outside tire from 'spinning' inside wheel. Only limited slip differentials cure than.

 

It's my impression that the rear brakes are a little grabby, so I'll have to be especially gentle on the pedal in the snow.
I put the LM25 Blizzaks on mine; they are speed rated and seem to handle just fine; I have the LM60s on my wife's VW, and they are better on ice but feel mooshy on dry road.
Preliminary eval of the defroster is that it keeps the big glass clear; I did replace the stock BIG wiper with a Bosch Icon; not only are they great wipers, but they are also great WINTER wipers.
I persuaded mine to start on a snowy/icy hill using the 2nd gear start in Sport.
Moon

 

I put Blizzaks on my 09 too. I am very pleased with the handling, but I don't know anything about 'speed ratings.' Can you explain anything about that? Thanks. I'm a former SUV driver and haven't had to deal with snow tires. Thanks.

 

There is a letter code reflecting the sustained speed rating, ranging from M/81mph to Y/186mph. The LM-25 Blizzaks are T/118 mph.
Speed ratings are likely less important in this country than they are in Europe, but also be apprised that some winters don't handle as well on dry pavement. As noted, the 'ice' Blizzaks (LM60 series) have less adept handling dry handling, but work better on ice.
You also need to know that the ice Blizzaks wear much faster on dry (and especially WARM) roads.
The LM-25s are currently available to fit the Fit, and the LM-60s either are or will be available soon. Presume you have the LM-25s, Freakette?
Moon

 

It handles fine up here in Fairbanks, with stock tires(Still new car, have not put on studded tires yet.) Just have to take it easy on braking, and especially cornering. Up hill is fine, down hill still can be scary, as you can still slide forward... But overall great in snow.

 

Mine is good in snow but I feel it's too lightweight to get traction. I've got Yokohama AVS winter tires on stock rims and I find myself starting from a stop sign or a light in second gear most of the times!

 

you should be heh, you shoudn't be peeling off in the snow if thats what your trying to do

 

get this!!!!

 

oooh thats one of the lightest super cars, tell me, is it heavy enough to get traction at least?

 

prolly not...lol

 

One of the oldest urban legends is the weight = traction one.
In truth the lighter the vehicle weight and the smaller the tread contact area the better traction. My Geo Metro, all 1600 lb of it with my good snow tires would get to work on ice or snow slick roads better than anything else, proven on many mornings. Could pass the strugglers at will.
Less vehicle weight is easier to move and stop and the secret to traction is to increase the pressure between tire tread and ice/snow surface with good tread design. Not tire pressure. Its why snow shoes cover lots of area but very thin ribs to get maximum traction but little actual weight applied.

Starting in second lowers the torque applied to the tires so they won't spin as easy. gentle application always wins in low traction situations.