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DOn't lower your Fit if you want to drive in snow

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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 06:27 AM
  #1  
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DOn't lower your Fit if you want to drive in snow

We had 3-4 inches by yesterday morning then rain on top of it. So the streets had deep ruts of slush. I was glad I did not have my Taffy lowered as I was scraping sometimes as it was.

If you lower it you are either not going to drive it in the winter or you will be repairing a lot of damage.

Oh and snow tires. Yea!! It is first time I have had a car with 4 snow tires. What an improvement. Bring on the snow!

Oh remember to slow down that first day of winter driving and get the hang of it again. Go practice in a parking lot.
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 06:41 AM
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danm i just lowerd my car too lol but the snow dosent get that bad here in jersey.. canada is alot colder
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 10:15 AM
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im out in Toronto and lowered on Eibach. It's not SOOO bad its just slush. Not much damage will be done. It's the mini Ice bergs u gotta watch out for
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 10:21 AM
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I think the best quote I have read so far in the newspaper about people forgetting how to drive in snow has got to be "Four-wheel drive does not mean four-wheel stop"

Besides your mini-icebergs in Canada, us people in Chicago have to watch out for the Grand Canyon-sized potholes that will start showing up now too. Those will easily ruin your day.
Lowered Fit + Expensive Wheels + pothole = lots of
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 11:43 AM
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we got over a foot of snow here and my fit is lowered on s-coils. I didn't have a problem. Roads get plowwed and driveway gets shoveled. If your city takes care of the roads you'll rarely have to actually have your tires in deep snow. If it gets into something that deep i doubt you'll even be able to move. Its not bottoming out you're hearing its just slush shooting up and echoing all over hell under the car. Only thing you really need to watch out for in winter is when big chunks of ice clots break off from behind other cars wheels and come flying towards your front bumper.
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 11:57 AM
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Originally Posted by doctor1foot
we got over a foot of snow here and my fit is lowered on s-coils. I didn't have a problem. Roads get plowwed and driveway gets shoveled. If your city takes care of the roads you'll rarely have to actually have your tires in deep snow. If it gets into something that deep i doubt you'll even be able to move. Its not bottoming out you're hearing its just slush shooting up and echoing all over hell under the car. Only thing you really need to watch out for in winter is when big chunks of ice clots break off from behind other cars wheels and come flying towards your front bumper.
Our streets are done same day and I blow out the drive but yesterday I had to go out before the streets were done. I was bottoming out. It was not slush shooting up. Anyhow I will be much more relaxed not lowered.

Today was out on some slippery streets. I was impressed with braking. From around 35-40 mph it stopped nice and straight and reasonable distance.

After 50+ years of winter driving I find common sense the best winter driving aid.
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 12:04 PM
  #7  
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Get air ride...problem solved...lol
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 12:55 PM
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wimp.
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 01:14 PM
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Yeah I'm in Edmonton and I'm not lowered and when it snowed like mad last week I cringed as the bottom of my car was scraping a lot of the snow.....I can just imagine how much worse it would be if I was lowered even an inch!
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by doctor1foot
If your city takes care of the roads you'll rarely have to actually have your tires in deep snow.
If only Lansing, MI didn't cut back their snow removal budget year after year...I swear, when I was a kid they always cleared the roads here promptly. Now, they have strict rules about when they do and do not clear side streets, when they salt, and they apparently won't allow overtime for drivers starting this winter, so if there's a big storm and they don't get it all cleared in a normal shift, tough.
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted by huisj
If only Lansing, MI didn't cut back their snow removal budget year after year...I swear, when I was a kid they always cleared the roads here promptly. Now, they have strict rules about when they do and do not clear side streets, when they salt, and they apparently won't allow overtime for drivers starting this winter, so if there's a big storm and they don't get it all cleared in a normal shift, tough.
wow that really does suck. They salt and plow so much in northern il, that by end of january the news will all start talking about a salt shortage. Or when it doesn't snow, the news will talk about how bored the plow drivers are getting. Yea...our news is boring.
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 04:13 PM
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I'm lowered and had no problem all last winter. One thing I did do was put clear bra (3M) on my lower air diffuser so any ice/snow won't damage my lower lip.
Only when it was 6+ inches I had a problem but by that point everyone was snowed in
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 04:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Black3sr
Our streets are done same day and I blow out the drive but yesterday I had to go out before the streets were done. I was bottoming out. It was not slush shooting up. Anyhow I will be much more relaxed not lowered.

Today was out on some slippery streets. I was impressed with braking. From around 35-40 mph it stopped nice and straight and reasonable distance.

After 50+ years of winter driving I find common sense the best winter driving aid.
Thats the nice thing about the Fit...no weight. Its stops really easy in the snow. 10x better than my 3600lbs Acura did.
 
Old Dec 10, 2009 | 06:12 PM
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you can make a business of it...

become this guy:
 
Old Dec 11, 2009 | 08:58 AM
  #15  
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Lowered on Eiback spring but using a taller winter tire 185-65- 15 gives me a 1.5" clearance.
 
Old Dec 11, 2009 | 10:20 AM
  #16  
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I'm glad to see that nobody seems to feel that the drum rear brakes lead to any problems stopping in the snow. I confess, no snow here in South Carolina, but plenty of wet road conditions. The only negative I have regarding the Fit is those drum rear brakes.
 
Old Dec 11, 2009 | 11:27 AM
  #17  
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Originally Posted by Committobefit08
I'm lowered and had no problem all last winter. One thing I did do was put clear bra (3M) on my lower air diffuser so any ice/snow won't damage my lower lip.
Only when it was 6+ inches I had a problem but by that point everyone was snowed in
I wish 6 inches would be "snowed in" here. Seems to take more than that to shut things down in Michigan.
 
Old Dec 11, 2009 | 11:33 AM
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Yea farther north you go the better snow removal states have.
Its funny if you go to Kentucky and they get over 3" they freak out.
 
Old Dec 11, 2009 | 04:43 PM
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Originally Posted by jelliotlevy
I'm glad to see that nobody seems to feel that the drum rear brakes lead to any problems stopping in the snow. I confess, no snow here in South Carolina, but plenty of wet road conditions. The only negative I have regarding the Fit is those drum rear brakes.
'cause 720 lbs is alot of weight for the rear to stop. (70/30 balance) then when we consider that weight has a natural tendency to shift forward butting breaking...

My last car had 4 wheel disc breaks but it weighed 4200 lbs.
 
Old Dec 11, 2009 | 04:59 PM
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Am I the only one who remembers the 68 GTO and 67 Mustangs having four wheel drum brakes? Imagine driving a 4100lbs car at 60mph with drum brakes on all four corners. You were lucky to stop before 250ft.

Even muscle cars with four wheel disc brakes today don't stop any sooner then us with only two disk brakes. So I don't see why to complain about drums.

2009 Dodge Challenger for example
Braking, 60-0 mph 135 ft
2009 Dodge Challenger R/T Arrival - Motor Trend
 

Last edited by Committobefit08; Dec 11, 2009 at 06:20 PM.
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