hi y'all,
i went to have a flat fixed on my rear driver side tire and the tech told me both my rear tires had uneven wear he described as feathering. he recommended i replace the shocks before replacing the tires. i went to autozone and other places to buy new shocks, and couldn't find any. i checked the forums here, and found some. before i go through with this replacement, i wanted to ask if this repair made sense to other fit owners? i replaced all four tires on the car in dec 2019, and they've only accrued about 15k miles on them since them. i thought it could be an alignment issue, but looking through forums here, i have also seen that it's common for fits to be out of rear alignment, and that many don't align the rear, only the front. just looking for some other opinions from fit drivers. thanks,
maggie

 

As far as I know it is not "common" for Fits to be out of rear alignment, but it does occasionally happen. The rear axle cannot be adjusted so Honda's normal solution is to simply replace it. I believe that adding shims to correct the alignment is a non-dealer option. Have you actually looked at the tires yourself to verify the uneven wear and see how bad it is?

 

The "feathering" described can indeed result from bad shocks. Have you ever seen a car going down the road where one or more tires looks like a bouncing basketball? You would think it would be obvious from inside the car, but it must not be because I see it at least once a week. Note that if this is your issue it is potentially dangerous. When your tires are not on the road, they are not doing their job.

If you are concerned with the diagnosis of bad rear shocks, there are a few tests you can do. If my descriptions don't make sense or you want additional instruction refer to Youtube.
1) observation - have you looked at your rear shocks? Bad shocks often leak fluid (until all the fluid is gone). It would be worth your time to take a good look at the condition of your shocks.
2) rocking/bouncing test - if you get your car rocking up and down a functional shock should stop the up/down motion very quickly once you remove the rocking force. If you stop rocking/bouncing the rear and it cycles up and down several additional times your shocks are bad.
3) outside observation - have a friend follow you down a moderately bumpy road, or have your friend drive your car while you follow in a different vehicle. As described above, if one or both of your rear tires looks like a dribbling basketball you have bad shocks.

There are many posts here about the limited options for rear alignment of the Fit, but you can certainly get your alignment checked to see if that is your problem.

 

thanks for the information. i have definitely checked the tires and i would describe the surface as wavy or bumpy, definitely not the way the front two tires feel.

 

Thanks for this information. I have done #2, and found that the car bounces/rocks for a few cycles afterward. I will try #1 and #3, but it seems pretty likely the shocks need replacing. Is there a reason it's so difficult to find replacement shocks for the fit at places like Autozone? Can anyone recommend replacements aside from these (Orange Shocks 8050-1131) found on another thread? Thanks again.

 

What year is your Fit?
As an example, I have a 2010 Honda Fit Sport.
Autozone.com shows four rear shocks for my car from $40 - $92 each.
For a cheaper option, rockauto.com shows seven rear shocks ranging from $23 - $53.
I don't know which is best, but you can definitely find opinions here. Regardless, there should be multiple options for your Fit.

 

Hi, I have a 2015 fit. My Autozone shows only struts. The only shock they have available is not designated front or rear, and is not available at my store or to order to home.

 

Your 2015 FIT is the same generation as those from 2015-2020.
As a result, I'd recommend going with a provider that gives you options.
Some mentioned RockAuto, and if you are on a budget, I'd agree.
Aside from that, there's a dizzying amount of options for the FIT.
Everything from stock to racing and everything in between.