Here's a Fit with a V6 installed. Interesting.

V6 Honda Fit Build - Honda-Tech

 

That is an amazing build, and it sure does not sound like a Fit.

He is a very gifted builder. The Youtube vids are excellent.

 

But what about the MPG?

 

You can find a thread here on the same build, in the 2nd Generation forum...

 

funny how the ff thread has been here for months...

 

Neat, but...WHY?

 

Once upon a time Honda had a great small, light car that guys could mod. It then received bigger and better engines, making them a lot of fun to drive. This was the Civic.

Now that the Civic is a big fat blob that weighs a ton the guys are longingly looking back to the age when they really liked the lightness of their beloved Civic. That platform today would be the Fit. However, Honda has not provided an upgrade path with a new engine.

You have to admit that the Fit with a 289 hp engine 6MT would be a lot of fun to drive, fuel economy be damned.

 

It was done for the same reason that all hot rods and street machines have been done since the late 1940s ... because it can. The first one I saw circa 1958 was a 1950 Chevy Fleetside (?). 1958 Chevy small block, 2 4 bbl carbs, looked like the engine was factory installed. The English would have called it a Q-Ship. Nothing on the outside indicated its potential.

Then there was the fellow installed a small block in a bug eyed Sprite.

The little 1500 cc Fit has a lot of potential without going to the extreme of an Accord V6. Some of the hottest Civics had a sohc 4 of about the same displacement. Then came the Si Preludes and Civics. Game change. There is no reason a talented tuner cannot produce a 175 hp "stock" naturally aspirated Fit. I ain't that tuner nor can I afford one. Just do something about the gear spacing on the 6 speed.

 

Yeah, I would be more interested in the project if the guy transplanted a hybrid system in his Fit.

 

Crazy build. Has he taken it down the track yet?

 

death of gasoline motorsports

Just kidding (sort of).

10 years ago I would have called your statement blasphemy. But I guess hybrid systems are what the general public is interested in nowadays. They do have a place in the performance world and I'm looking forward to this evolution now.

 

Yes it would. And for the fun of it, if I had unlimited amounts of money, as a weekend toy, it would be fun. (My Why? was not meant to be a serious disagreement with the project) Might be the only way to get a sporty Honda anymore. I can't understand why the dinguses at Honda have gone 100% granny. An Si engine in a Fit would be a blast.

 

Very limited market. If they don't sell in huge numbers, they don't make money.

 

You've got it right, Silver. If it cannot sell in a niche at a reasonable price/profit margin, then Honda or anyone else will make it.

The Fit ia a good platform and the current (Gen 3) engine is a good starting point. New cams with different profiles, better spacing on the six speed, slightly different trim and a Fit Si could be placed between the EX and the EX-L.
Price wise there is a gap between the EX/6spd and the full boat EX-LN of about $3-4k. The latest "basic" Civic Si is about $22k. A Fit Si would be about right at $20ik.

Good tires, wink mirrors, a little work on the rear suspension and maybe discs at all 4 corners.

Stingray seems to have a problem with the economics of engineering, building, marketing, and selling a car. What he seems to want is his namesake at Fit prices. Ain't going to happen, no way, no how.

 

I think we're in a wait and see pattern for the aftermarket support of the new Civic turbo engine. If that engine takes mods well and the internals in both engines are similar, I could see a lot of turbo swaps plus upgrades happening on our fits.

I've seen very little ECU cracking support on the new Fits and perhaps the demand for Civic mods will carry over to our little Earth Dreams engine.

 

Note: Civics have always weighed a ton (2000 lbs.) Yes, in its 10 generation, it has grown. That's the nature of things. The original Civic tuners have grown older, got families, and they remained loyal to Honda, buying either Civics or Accords.

There is so much similarity between the earlier Civics and the 3rd Gen Fits, engine displacement and all. The current engine is going to be harder to work on because of EPA regulations and the electronics involved, but I'd guess 175 hp is not unreasonable.

"I've seen very little ECU cracking support" ... It took a little time for ECU cracking when the tuners started on the legendary Civic B engine and the Fit's ECU has got to be a lot more complex than 20 years ago. And then there's increasing EPA regulations. After VW, things will tighten up.

 

To hell with the EPA!

 

That was apparently VW's attitude. See where it got them and we are the collateral damage! Modifying any fuel, exhaust, or ECU will be outlawed and stringently punished. How's that for hope and change.

 

I'm surprised by the whole scandal. I've driven a couple of the MKVI TDI in wagon and hatch form. SO MUCH TORQUE! They were so fun! Torque = fun! EPA = ruin fun.

 

EPA = ruin smog, acid rain, asthma . . .