I see a lot of talk/threads about lowering springs etc. I don't understand it, frankly. Could someone explain to the newb what the practical reason for doing this would be? Does it help with fuel economy, performance, lower drag, etc? Or is it just for looks?

 

It looks better. A lot better.

If done properly, it improves performance, cornering and braking, etc. Lowering springs won't improve either of these, but it looks better and that's what is most important for 99% of Fit "enthusiasts."

 

Ok, so cosmetic, then. I encounter 6-10 speed bumps a day just going to and from the office, and my driveway is so slanted even with stock clearance I have to be careful not to bottom out. So, lowering even an inch would be annoying. I was just curious if there was some justifiable reason for me to even consider it.

As far as improving the looks, I vehemently disagree.

 

I think it does make the car look a little better, but where I live, and how the streets are, there's no way I'm lowering it.

 

DD'ing a slammed car is a lifestyle. You either get it or you don't. Now purposely lowering a car for handling/motorsports is something different.

 

There may be a great alternative soon though for those looking for an improved ride/performance WITHOUT lowering! Koni is going to be producing STR.T and possibly Sport shocks for the GE model Fit within a year or so...

For me, "lowering" was ALL for performance. Funny enough, I am actually NOT lowered in the rear any more as I need the height for all possible shock travel. Why add ride height with coilovers? BECAUSE RACECAR

 

It's a big discussion really: suspension geometry, spring rates, tires, chassis, dampers, damper length on and on and on.

Lots of benefits to a lower car, so not just for looks. There are right ways and wrong ways to do it. Lower car does not always equal better handling, it completely depends on the situation, the car, and there's lots of parts that have to work together in unison.

 

It looks dirty, especially if you stance it out a bit. Give the Fit a nice stance in the rear.

Driving a lowered car is a lifestyle and changes your driving style dramatically. You are constantly entering parking lots on a what I like to call "JDM angle". On top of that you must be real careful with potholes and manholes, etc. It does suck when you crack an oil pan. LOL. (past experience). If your area has awful roads, ie Quebec, and Toronto, you do not want a lowered car.

 

+1

I couldn't drive the Fit without springs at least, too much bodyroll and bounce in the suspension

OP you should definitely look into it, you will appreciate the car alot more after

 

looks and improved overall ride if you get the Swifts. my 12 drove like a grandma boat until i got the swifts.

im not sure about the other ones. tanabe springs weren't that great from my experience on the 08.

 

Which Tanabe springs did you have? I've heard they run fine but some people just want a little more drop than these.

 

that was the DF210's on my GD. paint started cracking in 3months in winter too.

 

We lower them to ruin the ride. I am on Swifts and like the look but have lost a few teeth from the rough ride. But then I am in my third childhood.

 

We lowered cars back in the 60's and the rim of choice were barrels. Both our Fit's run stock ride height. Some complain about bouncy suspension! Drive harder.

 

huh, that's odd. the swifts on my '12 is so smooth... even over railroad crossings i dont even slow down. it's borderline too soft for me. but as my dd, it's fine.

 

I will never take railroads at full speed always taken on an angle for me. Buddy learnt lesson real hard over bad train tracks. He took these ones in muskoka at 20km/h not on an angle. Nailed the oil pan and front airbag censors. Car was write off. I don't care about the people honking behind, I slow right down and proceed on an angle

 

I thoroughly enjoy the ride now, stock. As for the looks part of it, well, I understand the look appeals to some, but I'm not one of those. Just like the 1970's era Bonnevilles/Impalas/Cadillacs I see with giant rims, jacked up like bigfoot trucks.




Or, hey, come to think of it, bigfoot trucks. Those are pretty awful too.

I have no problem with other people mangling their vehicles in that way, but I'm not a fan.

 

i think you have much rougher railroad crossings then.

 

I would suggest driving a lowered Fit and then you will see the difference.

But, to each his own. You would have to learn to be more careful when enterring and leaving driveways which for some people is a dealbreaker

 

I've had my GD3 lowered for about 6 years now, and still can't give Mrs. Mac a "practical" reason why I did it I couldn't tell her I spent all that money to make it go "faster," because I inevitably have to drive "slower" to negotiate the unforgiving bumps, tracks, and steep driveways of daily driving.
So, I confessed that I basically did it to make the front end lower than the rear end, and that I did so because I couldn't stand the front gap being larger than the rear. She didn't get it. Believe me, it was impossible to justify spending $2,000+ just to make the front 2" lower, make the ride less comfortable, and make the car less friendly to drive.
I told her it was kinda like her wearing heels. It looks nice, the front is lower than the back, it is less comfortable, and more difficult to get around in.