Thanks, I think you are right. Think on the Accord Sport I'll just do a window tint and and call it good. :-)

 

Also, unless you do all sorts of maths and make sure everything is properly set up...the car won't handle any better.

Just hard core placebo effect.

 

I hear ya. Not worth messing with... maybe new rims though?

 

Not unless you're lowered.

Cars look goofy with more aggressive wheels and OE ride height.

(this is all my opinion)

 

Yeah, guess you're right again. Prolly best to not even go down that foxhole.

 

No, not all coilovers will ultimately reduce ride quality. It depends on how the entire stock suspension feels, the engineering in the coilovers, and about the driver. That's without saying the Fit's stock suspension does have quite a bit of rebound. Now, saying that the more tuneable is a suspension the crappier the damping, is an understatement. It will ultimately depends on how they're made, even though there is a slight relationship because of smaller parts working under pressure.


Although I agree you will never get your money back from a part out and modding a Fit is expensive versus performance gains, I think it's unfair to tell him that, as we have all (most likely) modded our cars (any car) without someone telling us it's not worth it.


Just my 5 cents.


:P

 

I was told by all my car friends (and regular friends/family) that modifying my Fit was not worth it.

Many of them were once active on this very site as some of the first to modify the Fit in the US.

Ultimately, they were right.

And yes, all coilovers sacrifice ride quality vs. stock. Stock suspension tries to strike a balance between comfort, durability and some semblance of handling. Coilovers remove comfort (and durability to a large extent) as qualifiers...instead placing in stiff ride and going low.

 

That's really a sweeping overgeneralization there. Coilovers do what the buyer wants them to (assuming they know what they're doing). If you want a ride that's fairly close to stock, you can get that done with the correct coilover combination, and get the slight drop that the OP wanted. If you get crap coilovers, you get a crap ride (Raceland, for example), but the opposite is not always true. Talk to Fortune Auto or any other assembler that will allow for customization, and it's possible.

 

What is right and wrong?
one thing can be right for one person,
same thing can be wrong for another person.

if you feel happy and satisfy after you spent the money to mod your Honda Fit, then it is right for you. might be wrong for others, but who cares?

I install Bilstein Coil Over on my Honda Fit,
when I first install it without the front spoon sway bar,
the ride was as comfortable as stock (heck I think it is even more comfortable than stock),
actually it feels more like BMW/European car comfort and much more stable than the standard Honda suspension.

but after I added front spoon sway bar and then rear Progress bar,
the ride quality degrade and harder than stock suspension,
but since I like sporty ride then I am ok with this.

Here is my complete review after installing the Bilstein:
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...version-6.html

so if you like to have a comfortable ride similar to stocks,
just get a good Coilover like Bilstein that you can buy for good price
at TireRack
or
from what other had experience here,
this one is a good alternatives too:
Koni custom modified by Chris (Redshift)
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...-interest.html
just make sure with the Koni you specify to Chris to make one for you with the lower spring rate (comfort).

you will surely enjoy it!

at this time, I could drive at 90mph on bumpy Southern California freeway, and my car feel planted to the ground and feel like it is gliding...
very comfortable, my Bilstein coilover is very good at absorbing big bumps at high speed that there is no way a stock suspension can do the same without bottoming...
the coil over really improve the safety by much much better handling compare to stock.

and is it worth it? maybe not for others, but for me it is,
plus I think my Bilstein (with it's larger diameter and higher quality parts/material both outside and inside)
would outlast and be more durable than stock suspension too.

 

I agree that modifying a 1st Gen/2nd Gen Honda Fit is not very cost-effective, if your plan is to track it or race it. However, that's ultimately the decision of an individual.

As for the coilover part. That's an extreme generalization, and it would be true if auto engineers only aim for comfort. Depending on the car, whether it's a sports car or a sedan, engineers will go more of one side than the other.

I will use the Honda s2000 as an example. I own 3 of them right now: One CR & two ap1.

The stock suspension setup of the CR is more track oriented, while the ap1 is an even mix of comfort and stability. I am not a big fan of Megan Racing parts. However, their coilovers are something else. I love em. Both my ap1 have Megan coilovers, the 2001 have the RS version (pink) and the 2002 have the EZ (blue).

The RS are track oriented, and no matter how you adjust them, comfort is something that you'll never get from them. Even with .5" lower than stock, and 6 levels of damping, they feel close to the CR suspension. The EZ's, on the other hand, can be adjusted from stock height to about 2 1/4" lower. The EZ's on the lowest damping actually feels more comfortable than the stock suspension, but doesn't feel right when going downhill.

Now, considering the s2k seats are really low, comfort is something that's hard to come by, so it'll never ride like a sedan, but if a little more comfort is what you're looking for, it can be achieved.

This is just an example. The Honda Fit is a completely different car, and I have never tried coilovers on them. But I can tell you that the stock FIT suspension on 1st/2nd gen are a little more inclined to stability, rather than comfort. That's how they feel to me, at least.

 

Can't go wrong with a well designed, very moderate drop lowering spring unless you have trouble with ground clearance. I have coilovers and would gladly take lowering springs for a daily driver. I made a thread on my friend's swift springs install on his 2015 LX. I just asked him yesterday what his impressions are, he said it feels stock besides feeling much more composed in corners. I would also like to add that under hard braking, the car no longer lurches forward.

I used to think my coilovers with 6k springs front and rear felt good, but I was wrong. My friend's Swift springs on an otherwise completely stock Fit has stroke a great balance for all-around driving. It took out the useless slop that the OEM suspension had, stock feels like ultra soft springs with dampers struggling to control all the movement. Now, his car feels a lot more sorted out, the stock shocks and lowering springs while still not perfectly matched, are a lot more complimentary than how the car came.

 

there is it's call lowering springs

 

Here's the thing about the Fit's stock suspension. It does a good job of giving the impression of handling well around town, but when you get down to doing actual driving, you will get very angry very fast. I think a lot of what gives the gokarty impression is the low steering rack ratio, which is very clever. All reports i've read put the GK's suspension "softer" than the GE, but I have a little bit of a feeling that it's mostly the damper valving, the GE had way too much rebound and (I think) it was annoying and didn't help anything, but it felt "sporty". My GE is way more predictable now that the shocks are almost dead. Go figure. Mid corner bumps can get a little interesting though

If you're going to suck you might at well suck a little less and look a little better.

They keys to dealing with the suspension design are:

1) Don't lower it too much unless you plan on running RCAs. Suspension geometry is bad.
2) Swaybars are your friend, you want to minimize roll for the reason below
3) Don't cheap out on tires, camber curve sucks and you need all the grip you can get out of whatever contact patch remains on the asphalt.

Swift springs + swaybars + good tires if you're going for comfort and a dash of handling. If you have the huevos to take it to the limit you can surprise some people, and it can be a fun and predictable car.

You don't NEED coilovers but they are cool. With the Fit there is no good middle ground IMO. Either you tune for comfort with a little spirit or you tune for track and make the car semi-uncomfortable. It's very easy to make the car uncomfortable since the wheelbase is so short. Discomfort is relative of course.

I still think the Bilsteins are the best compromise, because I trust their damper quality and the springs are progressive, and they are matched.