I remember reading one of the Fit reviews that mentioned it needed to be handled gingerly in the 70-80 MPH range. Can any of our already Fitted members comment on this? Is this the case of a suspension whose straight-line stability is somewhat sacrificed for the sake of more nimble handling?

 

I thought it was good at high speeds. In C&D they did say yaris somewhat loses control at high speeds, but i think fit is fine at fast speeds.

 

After 15 days and 650K I think I know what they are referring to. My input
is biased because I was driving a 1985 Olds Delta 88. I find the steering wheel great, smaller and more sensitive than the Olds. At 100K/62M I found if I watched something pass by or fiddled with the rear view mirrors that my actions had made my driving hand veer a little off track.
Just takes unlearning the old habits.

Sort of like tensing when you do something and the almost sport steering felt overcorrected. I love the tight turning radius, with the right hand at 2 o'clock, a left turn was done with the rt. hand ending on 10 o'clock.

 

From the Car and Driver article, the problem was that the power steering that was so great for urban driving has too much boost for high-speed driving--in short, it's not a speed-sensitive variable-boost unit.

 

I wonder what it is like in strong cross winds if it has such fast steering at speed.

Any experiences yet?

 

To help put things in perspective, consider the 06 Lancer Evolution 9 MR's steering ratio is 13:1 @ 2.1 turns lock-to-lock, while the Fit's is 12.8:1 @ 2.41 turns. That's very similar. The Evo is considered to have exceptionally quick steering, and most people say it's a car you have to pay close attention to when driving on the highway as it's easy to go off track quickly if you get distracted. The Fit is probably similar, though a bit less so I'd imagine since the lock-to-lock distance is a bit longer. From a safety standpoint I'd rather have the quicker steering anyday in order to better avoid hazards, etc.

 

Surprising stable in crosswinds. No issues well past 100MPH. The car is of course not as solid as a large Mercedes saloon that weighs 5 times more but that is naturally expected. Its a lot more stable than an A class merc at high speed and in crosswinds. It would pass the infamous moose test.

 

I have Honda Fit and I drove at top speed (168km/h) CVT version 1.3 L i-DSI , we have to remember that is a small car, in spite off that drives well, I have felt steering a litle nervius. nothing more.

 

Holy @#$!, I didn't know the Fit was under 2.5 turns lock-to-lock.

That's fantastic, now I really want to drive one. I love the Evo's steering.

As for high-speed stability, nothing could be worse than my old Subaru. High off the ground for gravel/dirt duty and about as aerodynamic as a Rubik's Cube. That thing was all over the place even just at 80mph.

I imagine that a slight drop will help the Fit's high-speed stability, if it needs helping. Any word on how functional the aero parts are? I know on some cars (i.e. STi vs. base WRX or 360 Challenge Stradale vs. base 360) it makes an enormous difference.

 

Given that the wheels are aligned and balanced, the stock FIT is so stable that if you're alone in the highway, you'll be surprised that you're going over 70 MPH because it feels like 40 MPH.