I've noticed that when the weather is cooler/cold the ride in my 09 Fit Sport is harsher.

It's the same with stock tires or 205's I put on a few months ago, so I'm guessing the tires aren't the problem.

So is it the stock shocks that are the problem? I've got 46k+ miles on the car now and would like to do something about this before it gets cold again in the fall.

Any recommendations for replacements? I'm not looking to lower the car or go racing, it's just a daily driver that I'd like to be a little more comfortable in.

Thanx
Alex

 

The oil in all shocks is temperature dependent; they will be stiffer when at 0 degrees than 100F by enough to notice and there's not much you can do about it. Perhaps a little but not a lot. But thats a tough question for shock builders to answer.

 

Some of that winter harshness is unavoidable. Fluid in the shocks is thicker when cold, rubber bushings are hard when cold, etc. Even plastic interior panels can shrink a tiny bit causing rattles/noises when cold that don't show up when warm.

Neither Gabriel nor Monroe list a shock for the '09+ Fit. At least in the rear, the GD shocks are different from the GE. I assume the fronts are different as well. There may be performance replacements available but they're likely stiffer than stock to accomodate stiffer, shorter springs.

My hope is that Koni or Bilstein or Tokico will eventually offer replacement shocks. These are all well regarded and even though they are often performance oriented, they offer adjustable shocks/struts and have sophisticated valving that can sometimes be both more comfortable and higher performing. Of these, Tokico already shows a couple shock products for the GD, so hopefully it's just a matter of time before they develop ones for the GE, most likely their HP series but I can always hope for some Illumina adjustables.

 

Doh... beat me to it.

 

I've got my fingers crossed for this as well. Hopefully they are in R&D and just haven't been released yet. I imagine that the vast majority of GE drivers haven't worn through their stockers yet (not including those changing to shorter/stiffer springs who make up a very small minority, that is).

 

It is kind of a surprise that the OP is complaining of the performance of his shocks in cold weather.... My gripe is the loss of dampening ability in hot weather... Thinking back, there have been times when it was cold and I felt like the ride was too rough..