18 Fit weak AC
 

I can attest to this. Especially on hotter days, I need to make sure I have the fan blowing on 2 at the minimum to get some cooling going. I read that its due to the undersized cooling system in our cars. Oh and I have a new '17 EX-L in black, which probably doesn't help with the heat here in Vegas.

sounds like honda ignored the complaints yet again on the 18’s.

Make sure you are not in eco mode, that throttles back the AC.

The Fit has a small engine with not a lot of power to spare for air conditioning. If they tried to put a bigger A/C system in that would affect the Fit's acceleration and fuel economy. There's no way Honda is going to do that.

I love my Fit, but the AC is its worst feature. My friend's 100 hp Scion iA freezes you out immediately with no effect on its admittedly meager performance, so I don't think it's the size or power of the engine.

My 18 cools fine, better than I expected actually. And its been miserable here in Atlanta so far.

Mine as well, though it could be out slightly better, it is adequate for me in Florida. 18 Fit

I bought my Fit back in December and I just learned of this short coming yesterday. 85+ and humid, car sitting in the sun. On full blast I could tell when the compressor was cycling. I actually ended up just leaving the blower on "2" so the air stayed the coldest. Definitely weak compared to my 2006 TSX and even by 1993 Civic Hatch (previous cars).

Like others have said.. it's sufficient, it's just not great. I stumbled across someone modding the compressor cycling but only a mention of it -- i couldn't find the actual thread.

I know little about AC systems. For people who live in hot climates, is it possible or affordable to transplant a more capable compressor into the Fit?

That's why I try to park in the shade and use a sun shade for the windshield. That way the Fit doesn't have to fight back the heat as much initially. With the huge front windshield, a lot of sun comes in and heats the dashboard. Guess where the venting is located? So now the AC is pushing cold air through hot ducting, wasting efficiency to cool the cabin. If you can keep the dashboard cooler, then it should cool the car down faster. Just my experience.

Sun shade As you can see I'm parked away from the building, but in the shade. Car isn't as hot when I get into it, and the AC cools it down further pretty quickly.

In the hotter parts of the world, Fit owners have removed the cabin filter to achieve more airflow.

on my 14 GK

1st I select both dashboard and foot vent .. the cool air is very weak ..

then I try all 3 settings one by one, seems the foot vent blowing on something warm under the dashboard.. it take quite a while to stop blowing out warm air.. and began to blowing not so cool air

if switch to dashboard only , may be the path is shorter .. the wind is more powerful and things getting better.. the vent next to the wheel point to me .. then the rest point to the back seat is way cooler then the other setting..

My 09 Sport used to blow out very cold air immediately. My 18 LX blows out sorta cold air immediately, takes longer to cool the cabin.

For some added input: my '17 LX blows like winter is coming through the vents in 98 degree whether. Dispersion of air with the vent selection can be tricky, but if patience is applied, all the comfort zones can be coveres.

The term I most often hear in realtionship to Honda Fit air conditioning is "adequate".
And yes, I'm going to continue on with the definition. I live in the Pacific Northwest, a cooler climate. But we do have a stretch of HOT summer. When those days hit? Full blast use of the AC, leaves me "adequately" cooled.
I still consider my vehicle relatively new, so I do wonder how Air Conditioning efficiency will age. I suspect not so well. But for now...it's...drum roll....adequate.

I think Honda should investigate improvement in this area. It should be possible.
I'm glad I live in a cooler climate, because if I was in Florida or some similarly hotter spot? I'd think it would be problematic. I know I'd be blasting the air conditioning a LOT more.

The funny thing is, that when I removed the center dash vent covering and turned on A/C while standing still, it was much colder than with it covered.. I was working on the sound system.

yea, i park my '19 in the shade at work , the AC's not so great . at first i thought maybe it was the darker color ( modern metal ) , i miss not having a moon roof , that did alot for cooling
in my si , even with the AC off