Disregarding the creature comfort amenities the Sport offers over the Basic, is the ride quality significantly improved due to the bigger 15" tires? I test drove a basic and was reasonably impressed. It did take the back road bumps a bit hard but probably no worse then my current 2002 Saturn SL1 so I'm not wicked picky.

Also in the Boston, MA greater north area (say Burlington to the NH border), is it possible to find an in stock Fit that is selling at MSRP without adding a bunch of fluff packages that jacks up the price? The closest dealer which I would prefer offers an $800 package that only includes floor mats and a few other fluff items. Another dealer wants $1600 more for Lojack and symanized paint jobs. Says the cars get stolen a lot, is this true?

 

same shocks same springs so shouldn't be that different. only the wheel and tire size
which you can always change later.

 

The tires & wheels make a difference and small bumps are softer in the Base with equal pressures. We have one of each, but putting 38 psi in the Base is about equal feel to the factory recommended 32 psi of the Sport. The Base tires will howl a bit cornering at 7/10's+, where the Sport's just hang on and go. I miss the cruise control and key fob the most in the base, otherwise the driving experience is about the same. The "carpeting" in the base model is particularly pathetic looking, otherwise the interior is about the same too.

The 14" base tires are generally cheaper and in greater selection than the 15 inchers. The 195/55-15 size is perhaps only used by Honda ('99-'00 Civic Si had these also). I put 14" snows on the Sport over the winter for this reason.

 

no. the sport wheels tho, but I think it was mostly Cali owners. last month trucks kept hitting fits.

welcome to fitfreak!

 

From what I know it is pretty much cosmetic changes. What sold me on the sport rather than base was the better stock sound system keyless entry and the better looks.

 

FWIW keyless entry can be added to the base for about $100 and 20 min of your time.

 

Ride will always suffer when you go with bigger wheels due to having shorter side walls. I have the HPF 16" and even though it was a big improvement over the 15" handling wise but defiantly more jarring over bumps. So it is a give an take. Handleing over bumpyness.

 

is the harshness like super bad? i have lowering springs with stock wheels and plan on getting 16's.

 

A lowered FIT will be more harsh than the wheel change. So if the car is fine after being lowered you may not even notice the wheel change.

It really depends on where you live and what your road conditions are like.

 

My carpet in my base is exactly the same as the carpet in my fiance's sport.

 

not necessarily. ive had 205/50/16's go stiffer than 215/45/17's.

it also depends on the type of tire you use.

 

my lowered FitS is softer riding than the DF210's ive had in the past
with the same wheels/tires at the same heights.

it's how you setup the car. you can make your 16" setup ride
comfortably with the right spring rate, damp rate, and suspension travel
or make it stiff given the setup and parts you chose.

there's really no generic answer to suspension setup as there
are many other parameters that contribute to the final ride.

 

Are you trying to tell us that your lowered FIT has a better ride than a stock height FIT?

All I said was if he can handle a lowered FIT the wheel change will not be worse. The change is minor in comparison.

I am on my 7th Honda. I have driving Honda's dropped on everything from Tien to cheapo ebay springs. Drop is drop controlling the damping is great but it is never as smooth as stock height.

Anyone who's butt can handle a drop can handle moving to 16's.


Again it depends on the person and the environment that they drive in. What is smooth for you can be another persons nightmare.

 

Thanks for the comments. I ended up buying a base blue Fit today although I did let them suck me into including an after market remote keyless entry/security system.

Rather then start a new thread, another question I have is how long will the exhaust system last, do you think? I asked the sales guy if it was stainless steel and he said not all of it. One redeeming quality of my troublesome Saturn is that in six years I never had to replace anything on the exhaust.

Also does Honda have a reputation for installing long lasting brakes?

 

congrats on the buy! hope you enjoy it ;] i dont think any of the US fit owners have had a problem yet but they havent been out too long(about the exhaust).

 

yep.

7th honda... let's see how many honda's and cars i have. i buy a new
car every year and mod them... hummmm...

 

Thanks. I know I'll like it. I almost got a standard as I know it would be more fun to drive but I remember the dead leg I used to get with my last standard as I face stop and go traffic during my commute.

About the exhaust and brakes, I know it hasn't been out here long enough to get a feel but was wondering if knowledgeable members knew the composition of the exhaust and could make a prediction.

 

Tons of years and previous hondas have seemed to tell me that exhaust systems last to about 120k miles in a salt state and cv joints last till 140k.

As for brakes, I drive pretty spirited most of the time and at 70k miles, the front pads look brand new and the drums always outlast the pads. This is a huge contrast to my previous mitsu evo with pads going every 20k miles, and brembos aren't cheap.

 

The brake pads on Honda's seem to last a really long time. Light car equals long lasting brakes.

The exhaust system on our last Honda, a 1995 Civic lx, lasted about 9 years and 120,000 miles. Then it rusted apart. It was originaly an Ohio car. I replaced it with a stainless Dynomax kit and was very pleased with the sound/looks.

Periodic washing of the under carriage during winter months will help a lot at deterring corrosion.

 

Thanks guys, that's reassuring to know. One reason for getting a Honda is that unlike some cars I've bought, hopefully any major repairs will not be necessary until the loan is paid off.

Any question, the key I noticed gets slightly warm. Are there electronics present in the key and hence current flowing thru it? The dealer did say it'd be a hundred dollars to replace it, two hundred if I lost the bar code.