I just finished swapping in my winter wheel and tires on my '09 Fit Sport. Some tips that might help someone else.

Factory lug nut size is 19mm.

Factory torque spec is 80 lb/ft. A basic Craftsman 1/2" beam torque wrench and 19mm deep socket from Northern Tool worked well.

The cheapest 15" Sport Edition alloys from Tire Rack seem to be of fine quality. And not much more money than buying compatible steel wheels and hubcaps. Steel wheels seem to be rusty after a year here, so alloys should be less maintenance. I've had 21 year old alloys with no rust previously.

The toolkit jack system is very basic, not too impressive, so consider a floor jack if you do this often! The Bilstein jack with our VW is so much better.

 

hyperfit,

this is good info for a newb, like myself. Really saves me the time of looking this stuff up...what size/brand tire did you go with for the winter set up?

Darren

 

this may be of help - maybe not... but I can confirm that 14" steelies from Gen1 easily clear the rotors of a GE08 Sport... scored mine of Craigslist over the summer for $120/4

I went with 175/70 r14 Yokohama iceGuard20 from Discount Tire as I could not find my first choice (Dunlop Graspic Ds-2 which were incredible on my previous ride)... I thjink the 14" black steel wheels with all of that sidewall make my Black Pearl Sport look like a no-nonsense military-issue stealth fighter

These iceGuards are mucho-squirmy on grooved surfaces... don't recall my Graspics doing that in my old Protege5, but those were 50-series, may have been less-prone

good luck!

 

Hey guys, these are great tips. Thank you from this thread lurker.

Also, Pennstater, I've always strongly assumed that 14's would fit no problem because that is the standard size on the base models in Japan for the GEs, but I've never seen an actual pic of what it looks like. Your stealth fighter comment got me thinking about it again--would you mind posting a pic or two of the 14's mounted so I can get a real look at how deliciously tiny they really are? Unrelated, but I'd like to get some lightweight 14s someday for fun. Just because. Thanks man!

 

Did you have new TPMS sensors installed? Or are you just letting the light come on?

 

If you mount your own tires the hardest part is breaking the bead from the rim.
Spraying the tire bead with spray silicone lubricant eases mounting and keeps the bead from sticking to the rim when it is time to unmount them.

 

I went with 175/65R-15 Michelin X-Ice Xi2 - it has very high ratings.

I did not have TPMS sensors installed, so the TPMS light is on all the time. I got used to it pretty quick. Having to buy a tool or visit a shop to reprogram the sensors is a no go for me.

 

Ah, one nice thing about our Canadian FITs - no TPMS. It sure makes switching over to winter wheels easier. Although we do get screwed out of the VSA.

 

How long before your light came on? It took me about 25+ miles of city driving.

 

25 miles sounds about right before the light appeared.

 

OK, I thought it might be more useful as a safety item if it was a bit quicker. I guess it is designed for those that never check their tire pressure.

 

I found that the brand of snow tires really doesn't matter. I've had Blizzaks, Hakka's, Dunlops, etc. My last set, I bought some cheap Hankook's and they perform just as well. Make sure you get the skinniest you can (175-xx-xx would be best). And remember to practice in the parking lot.

Other tips: Leave enough space in front of you so if you see another car behind you sliding towards you, you can scoot up. Leave plenty of room to brake. And use your noggin.

 

Quick question...

I was ordering a set of tires for my 09 fit sport with 16" rims & went with the 15" steelie rims... had the 175 tires all ready to go but they had an ordering mix up & ran out...

Now they are trying to get me to buy 185/60/15s on 15" steel rims...

Will they work fine or should I insist on the 175s to get up a pretty steep & often very icy road?

Heres the info on the Yokohama iceGUARD

Yokohama Tire

 

The 185s will work but the 175s would be better. If I were in your position, I would insist on the 175s but that's just me. The choice is yours.

 

The most significant differences are

.3" more tread width

Rim width goes from 5" to 5.5" measured although they give approximate widths of 5.0 to 6.0 for the 175s... 5.0 to 6.5 for the 185s

Will you really feel those differences in handling?

 

Handling will be 6's. The main point of going with a narrower tire is that it cuts through the crud (ice, slush, snow) a LOT better than a wider tire. Granted, it's not that big of a difference and you *should* be fine, but I am very anal when it comes to snow tires and will only get tires that I WANT. I will never settle for tires, period.

If you're ordering both rims and tires, how about just going with tirerack.com? They're usually cheaper. Just a thought. If you want to go local, Discount Tire (if you have one there) is usually the best in my area.

 

Swapping a set of Blizzaks from my Sentra onto a set of 15x6 steelies I found at a local friends shop. Used Blizzaks on my 95 DX Coupe and never had and issue. My Spec V with factory LSD was unstoppable with Blizzaks. Biggest thing about driving in the winter is always double or tripple your projected stopping distances. Be careful, and if you drive stick - use your gears to your advantage.

Wish I could have gone with 14" snows, but had a set of barely used 15" WS50s sitting around.

Anyone try putting ballast in the back of these things to help balance the car in the snow?

 

Hyperfit, I got the same set-up for my wife's base GE: Sport Editions carrying Michelin X-Ice Xi2s. Those wheels look like they are at the hairy edge of being too wide for 175s, but so far the tires are staying on!

It took a few trips around town before the TPMS light came on. I've got electrical tape at the ready, but wifey says the dash light is no bother.

Just yesterday received my $70 rebate from Michelin!

 

FogyinFit, no rebate here yet! But, I'm glad you received yours.

No problems with my tires staying on either. :-) I did retorque the lug nuts after driving on them a bit, as recommended with alloys. A few nuts had loosened slightly.

 

For those who are using both stock and aftermarket wheels, chances are that you will need new lugnuts. Most aftermarket wheels use a cone taper lugnut, while the OEM wheels use a ball seat.