It’s cool they have coil overs for GD these days. back 10 yrs ago i was like the only one of a handful of people in the usa with coilovers for the GD.

 

There was some rub.
But, I expected there would be.

Even though I used H&R Triple-c camber bolts and the BC's upper slotted hole maxed out, still rub. And at only -2.5 degrees camber, it wasn't enough.

So, I did what had to be done....


Oh ya, StopTech SS lines and Castrol React SRF racing brake fluid snuck in there while it was on stands too, whoops.

This combined with relocating the front fender liner over its tabs pretty much solved the front rub. And cambering the fronts to -3.2 took care of the rest.




Now for the rear.... Oh lord, the rear

I knew the rear would require more work. Since I had some brake work to perform and really needed the camber.... It was time to install these bad boys!





cool little bits... Thanks Tyler








What a royal pain to install!




All because of this little bugger.


So, the way I see it these stupid screws are used only to hold the spindles onto the beam while it travels through the assembly process awaiting the drum brake baking plates to be installed. Once the 4 large bolts are installed and torqued its rendered useless. The spindles centered by a large alignment pin that interference fits into a hole in the beam. So, what I'm saying is these countersunk screw went in the trash and I am not replacing them.

Not having that screw makes it so much easier to loosen the 4 bolts and wiggle the spindle out just enough. So you can alter the rear alignment with shims or whatever trick you prefer without actually removing anything other than the wheels and drums!


After this I removed the rear springs and moved the tires through the range of compression and rolled or removed any material that was in the way.


This was the finished product.




And current numbers are... ready for the track.

 

Also, while the Fit was on stands, I decided to install the brake upgrades I selected. Not doing big brakes or upgraded disks or calipers at this time. The Fit brakes have great feel and bite; just need to handle track heat better.

So, in addition to the SS Stop Tech lines, good fluid, and a set of centric premium blank rotors and drums. I installed Hawk Street/Track pads (similar to DTC-30 except with tapered edges to decrease squeal). I special ordered a set of Porterfield R4-s rear shoes from Zeckhausen Racing. They can put just about any compound onto brake shoes. The R4-s is a street/sport compound that has a similar feel and friction coefficient to the stock but just adds consistency and heat tolerance to the mix. The fits rear drums work great and are not overloaded at my stock power levels. So, this should work fine and likely never need replacing,

sneak peak of some garage improvements..

 

Great pics and details! Thanks!

I'm in the middle of collecting a whole bunch of parts for ours and BC Racing DS series are on my list. Ton's of other items checked off, but not that one yet.

The simple thing for clearance if not going full bore is to limit wheel width to 7" and have more than +40 offset. 205/45-16's are on ours and fit without rubbing. Beyond that requires more drastic measures as you've found. For mountain use, the 205's are enough. I'd probably want more for the track though.

Wish I raced ours so I could take advantage of that incredible BC deal!!!

 

Nice, looking forward to seeing how it goes. Keep us updated.
Some awesome photos on your first thread.

 

Great stuff, Matt -- I've been to Deal's Gap, so I'm envious of your local terrain!

As for the Fit, and its Fitness for go-fast, I sold a Corvette ('96 coupe) before I bought my '08 Fit Sport -- and I have to say, for real-world use, the Fit is much more fun! And on anything but the smoothest pavement, it handles much better than the Vette (the C4's had some chassis issues that they never really got sorted out -- those cars would get squirrelly on any kind of rough pavement at all, going around a corner)....

Urb

 

Hey guys!
The Fit and I made it to Mid-Ohio for GridLife round 1 and back home without issue.



It was my first time to Mid-Ohio and despite poor weather I had a blast on track and off. It was great to meet some of the other #SpecFit dudes, lay down some laps, and enjoy some camping.

I will have a full report with video coming shortly.

Since returning... Me and the wife have been a little busy!

 

cute baby! congrats!

 

Congrat's! Very cute!

I was just reading over the B-spec rules wondering if I should go that route with our Fit, but saw some strange stuff that I'm curious about.

First thing I see is that the GD Fit isn't even listed as allowed. Next thing I see is that the maximum wheel width is 7". I see that the Progress rear bar is allowed, but it doesn't list BC or any other coilover as allowed. Only some Bilstein kit.

I'm so confused! Here's what I'm looking at starting on page 656.

https://www.scca.com/downloads/40868-gcr-may-2018

Is there a different rule book or class? The series looks like a lot of fun.

 

You are correct!

B-Spec was created to get new manufacturers involved in a racing series comprised of economy cars that would run on the same weekends of the GT and ST classes and benefit from the TV time.

In order to compete in B-spec teams had to choose a chassis from a manufacturer that provided the "performance package" directly (or through a contracted third party) to the team in order to keep variables and performance in check. The only way to get manufacturers involved is to promote motorsports (and sales) with current model year cars found at the dealership.

Basically, at the time B-spec was created, Honda put together a go-fast kit for the current GE model and never looked back. So, the GD was never "packaged" for the series.

That being said, with much less upfront cost you could come throw down in SpecFit to get your feet wet.

 

For once, I was loaded up and ready to hit the road on time!



By the way, this is the GridVan. My trusty old Dodge camper that's been getting me to track events since rescuing it from rotting away in a field a couple years ago. The van was a huge project unto itself; but, thats a story for another time. It has the comforts of home heat/ac/shower/toilet/fridge/stove along with a camed Mopar 360, all-terrains, 3" lift, power-70's interior, and a killer sound system.






Got to the track, slapped on the provided decals, and made it through tech before night fell.



All that was left was to crack open a beverage, grill some brats, and get a good nights rest. Easier said than done! I was nervous. I hadn't even seen the track in daylight let alone driven it. Pretty sure I fell asleep watching Ross Bentleys virtual track walk of Mid-Ohio.

The morning started well enough. Dark clouds were on the horizon but the track was dry for the moment. I was able to catch a ride with a local instructor who showed me the line. Then, it was on track for my first laps. The outcome wasn't stunning; but, was as expected. My qualifying time put me mid-pack in group D (the slowest group).

Then, the skies opened up and it poured for the next few sessions. In fact, the track wouldn't completely dry for the rest of the weekend.





This actually turned out to be an advantage.



By the 4th session I had worked my way up to 3rd position in Group B!


That was higher than me and the little Fit had any right to be and as high as we would make it. The track never completely dried; but, myself and many drivers set their best time in a later session when the racing line was almost dry. Thats when the fast guys came back out.

James Houghton, who took 1st overall in his crazy aero Type R with supercharged K24.


Another FWD in 2nd. Will Au-Yeung with the Vibrant turbo RSX.


Award for best sounding car goes to Logan Carswell and his insane 4-rotor FD. This was literally the shake-down event for this build and it got 2nd place in Unlimited RWD in its first session. I can't wait to see more from this!

Photo cred: Ben Mich @wutangben


My fastest lap of the weekend was a 1:57.235. Thats not breaking any records but I improved with every session and that made me happy. There were a couple other Fit owners there. It was great meeting them and getting to drive a few laps together. With the poor conditions and it being their first time to Mid-Ohio (A track famous for killing cars when wet); they choose not to compete in Time Attack and ran with HPDE for the weekend. Likely a smarter decision than my own; but, we all made it out safe.

For #TrackBattle round 1, I was technically able to "win" SpecFit even with my mediocre performance. We needed at least 4 SpecFits for trophies. I was not able to beat the previous SpecFit lap record set in the dry. However, my efforts did earn a 120 point head start in season standings.

What I am super happy about however... Is just how great this car performed in the pouring rain. Actually securing 16th in Day-1 overall standing on a fully wet track. Click the link for a short recap of day 1. - 2018 TrackBattle Round 1 - MidOhio (DAY 1 RECAP) ? #GRIDLIFE

Here is the video of the on track action!

 

Thank you for the race report!

Is that Mustang spinning out in your rear-shot?

And most importantly, congratulations on the newest addition to the family!

 

CANDYMAN VAN!

that's a nice stance on the GD.

 

The next GridLife event is just a few weeks away.


And I have some work to do.

 

Moderators, would one of you be willing to help me out?

It looks like my intro thread has gone a bit long winded.
If possible, could this thread be moved to the racing forum and be renamed "Matt's #SpecFit Project..."

 

Done!

Awesome updates by the way!

 

Ooooh... What are those?

 

Question about your wheel fit struggles, 15x8 +36 isn't that wild a sizing for Fits, did you not roll the fenders?

 

Hey, really nice thread, congrats on the new fam and all the go fast parts too. I did my first HPDE this past weekend, and it was awesome. Still a student, next go will be in the novice. My instructor was really impressed with my skillset (or he was being nice). I wanted to do a baseline first before going mod crazy (I am a car-mod junkie a bit). I also saw the Maxxis tires on a 15" wheel an noticed how they looked way bigger than two other 205/50/15s I saw on 2 other civics. Definitely want these tires. I am going with the enkei RPF1s since they are 9.5 lbs a piece and under $200 at tirerack. I already put a short ram intake and over the axle exhaust on.

I was wondering if those BC folks have a HPDE set-up for a GK (2017) Fit? I was planning on just getting orange konis and H&Rs, but I love the stance you got. I still daily this thing and it's got full interior. I am planning on continuing to daily drive it, but I am not scared about a rough ride, etc.

Last question, what is in the lower right of that last pic? Cheers, d'Art

 

I'm curious about this as well. I KNOW that the GD can sink in a lot of tire up front with very little modification aside from camber and a fender liner tuck. The rear needs a little more persuasion though.

Judging from picture the car is just too low but should have plenty camber to clear... I'm also curious about spring rate too.