How does this car handle in crosswinds?
 

Just curious. When I see people complain about this car in crosswinds it's always 1st or 2nd gen. Don't hear much from people who own a 3rd gen. I'm in Florida and everything is flat so I wonder how it will handle.

I haven't had any problems so far. I've been in a few thunderstorms on the interstate and the Fit was pretty steady. My old Toyota Tacoma has more wind sway on the road than my Fit has, believe it or not.

Interesting, thanks for the comments. I do worry about it a little since we have hurricanes here, but I have another car.

You're not planning to drive in a hurricane are you? :D

HAHA I hope not!

I concur. :nod:

I think the Fit handles fine in crosswinds. I've seen it said otherwise on the forum and I think the claims are a bit exaggerated. It drives as well as any small car would.

i owned all 3 gens and they all get handled by crosswind.

if you want a stable hatch that has very little effect by crosswinds get a GTI/GolfR

The crosswind issue comes more into play at higher speeds where there's open clearings. You have neither in Dade County.

My Mom has mostly owned trucks and muscle cars and finds her 2011 Fit Sport just fine for traveling up and down I-95 in Palm Beach County where they have clearer roads and run higher speeds.

That being said, it is a small/light car. The Fit weighs 2400-2600 lbs depending on year and model. A heavier car will be less effected by crosswinds. Even the diminutive Golf is 400-500 lbs heavier.

It's horrible in crosswinds.

It's a tall narrow car, sort of like driving a airplane tail fin. Part of my daily commute to work is about 25 miles of 70mph highway in the corn belt. Basically driving through large open fields. On a calm day just getting around trucks at 70-75mph the car is moved around by the wind from trucks. Add a small crosswind at that speed and it's a battle to keep in in the lane. I've grown accustomed to it. I can guarantee if my wife ever drove the car in those conditions, she'd never drive it again.

For me this is the difference between a 15 minute test drive and actually living with a car on a daily basis. It's taught me a valuable lesson. Next car I buy I'm going to insist that I get to take it home overnight so I can replicate my commute and general driving where I live. Not drive it a couple blocks in the city and base my decision off that. The car gets good gas millage, best I've ever had. Seems practical in regard to storage. Other than that, it's pretty miserable for my needs.

It's fine in crosswinds. I've driven all over the country no problem.

It's about the same and the Jeep Wrangler I've owned. You notice it, but not hard to overcome...66,000 miles so far.. so I've seen a lot of conditions

We have been on the Interstate (I-10) with 45mph winds. Both full frontal and cross winds.
The FIT did move around a bit but nothing scary. Head winds will kill the MPG though.

...in 3 tropical storms in Florida and Georgia, and a high crosswind area in Wyoming.

Our Fit with 190,000 miles has been up and down the Eastern coast numerous times and has been at top speed (possibly over some posted speed limits) numerous times.

I'm wondering if those that complain about side winds don't have a rear sway bar or are not on Sport sized wheels/tires. Ours honestly isn't that bad and that's coming from someone that daily's a 4400 lb Lincoln.

I suspect that, if you're driving around on 175 width tires, that may be more of the problem than the actual car.

I used to commute over the Altamont in California Bay Area. The car handled like an arrodynamic brick in those high crosswinds. Was scared to take it over sixty, even though I have a sway bar on it. Might do a little better lowered.

Tire size doesn't make a difference in regard to crosswinds.

I have three sets of wheels and tires for my car. Stock 185/60R15 on a 6.5" wide wheel. A set of 195 wide snow tires on a 6" wide wheel and a set of 205/50R16 Bridgestone RE-71R on 16X7" wheels.

I bought and sold two cars before I even 16. In the 30 years that I've owned cars or had been given a car to use as a perk of my job the total is 87 cars,SUV or pickup trucks in my possession. Make it 88 if you count the 2002 Ford Focus ZX2 that I just picked up for my 16 year old son. Anyway the Fit ranks as one of the worst in wind.

Seriously, at 75mph with a crosswind in open corn field country, around semi trucks the car bounces around like in car footage from a NASCAR restrictor plate race.

Sorry, this just isn't true.

Maybe it's point of reference or specific to certain configurations of Fits?

Our GD Sport's straight line, high speed stability was greatly improved with the Progress RSB and we've never run smaller than 195 series tires.

Regarding point of reference, I can say that S10/15 GM Blazers, Jeep Liberty's, first Gen Explorers, first and second gen CR-V's, and Toyota Minivans were worse than our Fit. I can list tons that were better. That being said, I never felt unsafe in any of them. Maybe I'm just not as sensitive as others when it comes to correcting for wind and road irregularities.

Speaking of road irregularities, the RSB helped with those quite a bit as well.

Don't get me wrong, the Fit does get blown around a bit. It is, after all, a 2500 lb car that is relatively high profile for it's weight. You can't completely ignore the physics of how a light/tall vehicle will drive compared to a heavy/low vehicle.

Not to argue with you, but yes it is. I drive the same 75mph 25 mile stretch of highway two times a day.

Yes, I read your hurricane and Wyoming story. Hurricanes aren't a daily thing, and I assume you don't drive to Wyoming daily? Whether or not what you, I or the OP think is acceptable in a crosswind is a separate issue.