i have a 2009 Honda fit sport FWD with 144,000 miles on it. my shocks and struts are starting to go out. i don't race, but i do love the drive and speed on the road. mostly to my three jobs. i'm debating on coil over or standard shock and struts. i'm not to worry about how low i want my car. what bugs me is cause the car is already low it keep getting caught on the parking lot curb. i have done most of my research and i'm still confuse on what to buy. is it worth upgrading for coil over or should i stay with the basic?

1. should i stay with the basic OEM shock and struts
2. suggestion on OEM
or
3. should i do coil over? and which ones? TEIN Street Basis Z coilover Honda Fit (2009-2014) GSB80-81AS2 OR GodSpeed Coilovers Honda Fit [MonoSS] (2009-2014) MSS0330?

 

1. when you say OEM, I assume you mean OEM equivalent such as quick strut or something similar? Sure that's fine since it's just a daily.

2. any upgrade would be Koni yellow or orange. Not sure what's available? Another option would be Bilstein if available. Stock springs or some quality aftermarket such as H&R or maybe Eibach springs wouldn't be bad. Many amateur weekend racers who autocross run similar setups.

3. Unless you're just going for looks by adjusting the ride height, the brands of coil overs are junk. Too much cross talk or 30 position adjustments that do little to nothing. Real coil overs are $2K-12K. Some quality budget coil overs are KW or Feal 441. Not sure if available for your car? I'm told by someone who I respect their opinion that Fortune 500 coil overs are decent for the cost, but don't have any experience with them.

If you're up for some reading about shocks:

Autocross to Win (DGs Autocross Secrets) - Buying Shocks

 

op- maybe you can find someone here selling a low milage used factory set at a great deal to replace yours. you already seem to be a super busy guy... keep things simple.

 

Stay away from coilovers for a street car. Trust me.

I'd just upgrade my shocks to Koni, and keep the ride at stock height.

 

coilovers done correctly with the right choice of spring and damp rates will work very well on street.. ive done it many times.

but it will be way over his budget probably.

 

^^ Pretty much hits on everything I was about to mention.

As for struts/shocks... What are you looking to get out of them?

A simple replacement just to go A to B and get the car drivable? Then for sure OEM or a stock equivalent strut/shock will do fine.

Want a shock that is a little more aggressively valved or adjustable? Like mentioned, Koni STRT (Orange) or Koni Sport (Yellow... which are adjustable). You should be able to use your current springs to retain the stock/pre-existing ride height of course.

Want coilovers? Ok, like mentioned its more of a pay to play ordeal. Sure you can go with an entry level/cheaper coilover kit BUT you get what you pay for in terms of build and ride quality.

Godspeed, I haven't heard much about other than that they are pretty cheap in terms of cost (not sure of ride quality).

I've installed a set a Tein coilovers on a friend's GE8 and was pleased with the ride quality of them. Not sure of what brand exact model those coilovers were but so far after at least 4 years and 45 miles on them and no issues as of yet aside from not having to transfer dust boots from the stock suspension to the Teins.

BC Racing coilovers are a popular opinion with Fit owners who do see autocross and road race. They offer custom spring rates and I believe may valve the shocks according to your spring rates as an option. If not, Red Shift Motorsports may be able to assist with that.

Red Shift also carries both of the Koni shocks mentioned above along with offers coilovers by BC Racing (with valved Bilsteins as an option), Motion Control Suspension, as well as KW.

09+/15+ Fit

 

I've had many cars with coilovers.
My last WRX wagon was "done right." It had custom H&R/Bilstein coilovers, and specialized pillowball mounts made specifically for the vehicle. "Budget" wasn't even a consideration. I wanted the best crap I could strap to my Subie. I was stubborn.

The car was corner weighted, and SHREDDED on the track. You could take 90° turns like the car was on rails. It was very fun on a track, and hard to keep up with in anything less than a GTR or Evo, etc. Easily outcornered my old Vette.

But driving it 1400 miles to Texas was a different story.

It rode like crap through all but the smoothest highway. Even on moderately soft settings vs stiff, you almost wanted to get out of the car and push it after about 8 hours of "sportiness."

My cars spend 99.5% of their time on interstates or on streets in a coastal region (bumpy as f roads). A good set of shocks, some stiffer sways, and some decent bushings are far better on the street, and still extremely track-worthy for the 1% of the time or less my car leaves the real world to go play racecar.

Honestly, the ONLY coilovers I ever used that worked "ok" on the highway were Megan Racing, also installed on a WRX wagon...go figure. They were under $400, and rode like a decent set of lowering springs and shocks. It took weeks to get them dialed-in, but they were "tolerable" on 12 hour trips.

The $1500+ H&R setup was an utter waste of money for a street car. It absolutely killed my back and made driving less fun. I wished I had purchased more Megans, or even a simple set of springs and some Konis.

My '11 fit came with D2s. They s u c k e d.

I installed lowering springs and shocks, and it handled like a madman. Even better, I could drive it for days and no loose fittings in my teeth, or sprained lumbar.

Stick with good shocks. A set of new KYB or konis, and if you must, some German springs. (Cheaper than Japanese, oddly, and usually as good or better.)