Hi everyone,

I changed the MTF on my fit yesterday and while jacking the rear end up to level the car, noticed that the rear shocks are both leaking oil:





At 104355 miles, I'm not surprised, especially with the hauling I've subjected the little Fit to:


(longblock from my STi, not shown - the 4 wheels with tires mounted, 4 unmounted tires, FMIC core and piping from my STi, and 3 boxes of misc. parts)

I had already been eyeballing the Koni STR.T Orange shocks/struts, but realized they sell a kit complete with springs (seems like they will be Eibach, not H&R):
Koni 1125-1029: Honda Fit STR.T Kit; 2009-2013; Kit

There is also currently a $50 mail-in-rebate on this kit ($30 MIR for 4 Koni STR.T shocks/struts alone).

Does anyone have experience with this kit? The drop isn't as low as the Eibach sportline kit, so I'm wondering if the springs are made specifically for Koni and to their specs.

Initially I was going to get the STR.T dampers and Swift springs, but this kit, especially with the rebate, is tempting. My Fit is my DD so comfort is king but I welcome the other benefits as well.

Thanks!

 

Pulled the trigger on the Koni 1125 1029 STR.T Suspension Kit. Will update this thread when it arrives and when I install.

 

Finally installed the Konis last weekend. The car is much lower than I expected but it actually rides great (compared to my STi on coilovers anyhow), better than I expected after seeing how much lower the car is. The hardest part of the whole process was getting the bottom nut on the OE struts broken free which wasn't bad after a buddy brought his electric impact over.

Not pictured, but I ended up installing camber bolts up front, dialed in -1.5* I swapped the dust covers over from the stock rear shocks and am not getting any noise as I found some people mention on here. I did trim 15mm off the bump stops all around as directed by Eibach for the springs.

Stock vs Koni/Eibach combo:


Front, minus camber bolt in top hole:


Rear:


Overall I'm very happy with the way the car feels, especially after the alignment. Turn-in is exponentially better, it doesn't understeer as badly. I may look into trying to stiffen up the rear to further reduce understeer. It still has quite a bit of body roll compared to the STi but it's much better than before. The 205/50's on the stock wheels aren't helping with that. I'm thinking about picking up a set of 16x7 RPF1's or Slipstreams/Regemasters/SW338's to square up the sidewalls a bit more.

 

Nice work! I'm in the middle of doing the same. But, hey, EJ257 motor in the back of a Fit, thats versatility!

 

I agree! It's hauled the ol' EJ more than once:

 

do check into the progress rsb.

looking good

 

Thanks, the Progress RSB is definitely on the list.

After 7ish months, I'm still glad I went for the Konis but the car still has a "floaty" feeling about it. It's very noticeable on the highway but is still there at lower speeds on surface streets.

 

Thanks for posting this up Kyle, I think you've helped me with my decision on kyb excel-g vs koni orange. Right now I'm on stock struts and D2 springs. The ride is rather bouncey/jumpy for my tastes, and I was expecting better results from the springs on my "spirited commute" to work, esp on those on ramp's where I usually take it at 50-70mph in my 04 wrx or lexus ct200h. I know cheap tires are a limiting factor.... but point is .... I want more comfort and some better handling.




side note ...fb reminded me today, 7 yrs ago ... I once owned an 05 sti.

 

Nice man! I now also fall into the category of "used to own an 05 STi" as I sold mine last November. Have some other goals to pursue and the car was a distraction. Still rocking the Fit though, I'll drive this thing into the ground.

The harsh ride is from the springs I'd think. 2 years into the Koni/Eibach setup I am very disappointed with the ride quality. Maybe I'm just getting old or removing the STi on coilovers as a reference point is skewing my opinion, but it's pretty harsh. It's the springs though, not the struts and the issue is mostly the rear. If I put about 150+lbs lbs in the back it rides great. I'm wondering if the Eibach springs were consolidated for the Fit and the CR-Z, since the CR-z would have the extra battery weight.

I'd be curious to see if a better springs (Swifts) would ride better.