182K miles, time to replace the shocks and struts.
It's painful to drive. The bumps are too harsh. Feels like no suspension at all.

What would be the smoothest riding combo?
I'm ok with getting aftermarket parts.

No lowering
No track driving
Just smooth as possible

 

Probably just switching to an Accord or something tbh. You can get softer suspension, but that doesn't change the fact that the Fit has a short wheelbase and a very stiff chassis

 

Yeah I would consider a different vehicle if I had time and money to look for one, but I don't. Also I like this Fit except for the harsh ride.

I have a 24 hour road trip next month, so wondering how to make this car I have as smooth as it can be.

When I had it aligned they suggested getting new shocks/struts anyway.
So I'm wondering which shocks, struts and springs will provide the smoothest ride.

 

In that case, I've learned from poking around the forum that springs and struts from the 12-13 models ride smoother than 09-11. You might also get a lot of use out of an additional seat cushion and lumbar support pillow, as the Fit seats are known to be pretty garbage.

 

Haha! I did try sitting on a cushion and it helped. Also if I sit straight up and don't let my back touch the seat that helps a lot. LOL. That seat transmits a lot of vibration.

"springs and struts from the 12-13 models ride smoother than 09-11"

Great! Good to know. That could be a winner.
I'm still thinking some aftermarket parts would be even smoother?
Maybe progressive rate springs?

 

I can't really think of any progressive springs for the Fit that aren't lowering springs, and any proper lowering spring will be stiffer than OEM to compensate for lost suspension travel. I'd honestly just stick to OEM suspension from a 12-13 Fit. And even though this does nothing for smoothness of your ride, getting some sound deadening material will surely make your trip a whole lot more comfortable. Not sure exactly what to buy or where to put it, but I can guarentee you that you'll be able to find what you need. Also, rain guards can also help keep wind noise down

 

Higher sidewall tires might also help. So depending on what you have right now, you could go with smaller rims... (you can go down to 14" rims on the Fit)

 

Thanks 904. That's good to know.

I am a very lightweight guy. On my mountain bike the stock front suspension was too hard. I didn't get any travel out of it, and it didn't absorb any bumps. I put in much softer springs and voila! It became super smooth riding for me. I was hoping to do something similar for this car. Sounds like the 2012-2013 suspension is the way to go.

 

Thanks Frenzal.

I've got the 17" sport rims. These babies are BEAUTIFUL and would not swap them out for anything : )
The tires are brand new Barum Bravuris 3HM. 205/55 R16
They have handled excellently in the snow and rain. And were a pretty low price. From the reviews I've seen they get either 4/5 or 5/5 for comfort.

 

Oem wheel are 16” and those tires are tall for a Fit so you’ve already got a mushy sidewall.

They’re not a great tire, but its a sunk cost.

I would just get new Koni orange shock/struts and put the OEM springs on them. See how that all feels.

 

Like Mike said, OEM wheels are 16". Base wheels are 15". And I ran 14" wheels in the winter, so I know they fit.

If you downgrade to 14", it'll be more comfortable, but handling will suffer a bit...

 

As someone who has koni oranges on stock springs, I can tell you it is a def improvement over old stock worn out shocks. However I wouldn’t say it’s all that smooth. No where near as smooth as a newer stock Civic/Accord or similar. I think the only way to get a smooth ride out of the Fit is to go with an air setup and that is $$$.

I’ve tuned motorcycle suspensions before, I totally understand where you’re coming from with the thought about spring rates. Best I can say is that bike geometry and car geometry are totally different beasts. Assuming your springs aren’t shot, you’re not gonna find much of an improvement in comfort there. AFAIK every aftermarket Fit spring is targeted towards a drop in suspension and/or an increase in stiffness to improve handling. They don’t target stiffness based on rider weight like on bikes.

 

WOW. Got a quote from the Dealer to replace all 4 corners' shocks and struts with OEM parts..

$1700 + tax (installed)

Ouch

They quoted $300 to install the two rear struts, which I've seen on YouTube takes all of ten minutes.

 

Yes the rears are super easy if you're replacing with OEM (less so if using the Koni Oranges). But the fronts are a real pain.

Find a shop that isn't the dealer that will let you provide your own parts and get a quote from them. Immediately after replacing ours I took it to a well known tire chain to have new tires and an alignment. While I was waiting the guy there mentioned "Oh you should have just brought us the parts, we would have installed them for the cost of labor". If I had to do it over again I probably would just do that.

 

Even stranger then that they're charging only $50 more to do the fronts.

Good call. I'm looking for a new place now.

Honda wants $1100 just for the parts (2 rear shocks, 2 front struts, no springs)
For a freaking Honda Fit. One of the most 'economy' car on the road.
Isn't that alone highway robbery?

PS: is there an aftermarket brand (like Monroe, etc) that would just be a stock replacement and provide a good ride? (Without lowering it or making it stiffer)?
$1100 for Honda parts seems a bit steep.

Thanks

 

One shop said buy the shocks and struts from OReily's and they would install them. Looks to be about $1000 all up (much more attainable than the dealer's $1800).

Which of brand would be best for ride quality?

KYB Excel-G (Shocks and Struts) no springs
Bilstein B4 OE Replacement (Shocks and Struts) no springs
Monroe OE Spectrum (Shocks and Struts) no springs
KYB Strut Plus (Struts with springs)
Master Pro Struts (with springs)

OR.. it looks like I could order OEM shocks and struts for similar prices from All Discount Parts (.com)

 

The KYB's are supposed to be as close to OEM as possible. I was between the KYB and Koni's as they were about the same msrp. I went with the Koni's only because I happened to find a better deal on them (about $300 shipped for all 4). I would go with whatever you can find for the cheapest. The difference between a busted shock and a new one will be noticeable. The difference between a new KYB and a new Bilstein or Monroe or whatever is probably not going to be noticeable on a daily driver Fit with no other suspension mods. As long as it's a name brand and not some cheap no-name Chinese junk from ebay.

At a 182k, might as well also replace the strut mounts while you're in there. In case the new ones you choose don't come with them, here is the part by itself https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...rut+mount,7600

 

I asked the Honda dealer about this.
He said the part numbers for the 2009 Fit (Regular Model) struts were the same as the 2012 ones.
And the part numbers for the 2009 Fit Sport were different than those.
So I think what you're suggesting would be like actually putting on the (softer) base model 2009 shocks/struts onto the Sport model.

Which would be perfect. Nice sporty looking car with a smoother ride on the highway.

Only catch is the dealer couldn't tell me 100% for sure the Base model parts would fit the Sport model or not.
And of course, if they don't they wouldn't refund me the price for the base model ones if they don't work. : /

Anybody know for sure if they fit?

 

I asked the dealer about this. They said the part numbers for the 2009 Base Model Fit shocks and struts are the same as the 2012 Base Model Fit.
But the 2009 Sport Model Fit the part numbers are different.

So it sounds like what you're suggesting is the same as putting the Base Model shocks and struts (probably softer) onto a Sport Model Fit.

 

Well, thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts on this.

Installed the KYB Excel-G in the rears and Strut-Plus's in the fronts.
Didn't hardly make a damn bit of difference.

Maybe 10-20% improvement over the worn out OEM shocks and struts. If that.

Disappointed.

Definitely not worth anywhere near the $1300 spent.
Except that it might be safer now.