2010 Honda Fit Sport terrible in the snow
Member
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 850
From: The 603
p nut- City driving, especially in a big city with major resources, is not extreme. They got overwhelmed this month, yes, but the trains not being able to run is an aberration, not a normal winter. Nobody says I need a facemask, snowshoes, chains and a block heater because I live in Boston, they just say Wicked bahd stahms this yeah. Nobody's going to open an Arctic Cat dealer on Boylston any time soon.
15 years ago when I was working in Vermont I'd get passed by rednecks playing on their snow machines on the interstate at night. And it wasn't extreme enough for my little POS to need snows. Now over here north of Boston I see all the big, tough Jeeps and whatnot treading carefully at 40 through the wild blizzards on the 65 mph highway as I cheerfully go past them in my fit. On OE Dunlops with 24k on them. It's snowing, but it's not extreme.
15 years ago when I was working in Vermont I'd get passed by rednecks playing on their snow machines on the interstate at night. And it wasn't extreme enough for my little POS to need snows. Now over here north of Boston I see all the big, tough Jeeps and whatnot treading carefully at 40 through the wild blizzards on the 65 mph highway as I cheerfully go past them in my fit. On OE Dunlops with 24k on them. It's snowing, but it's not extreme.
Member
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 798
From: Wisconsin
Drove to work this morning on snow covered roads, and as usual the Fit handled it like a champ, even with the OEM tires. The only issue is your gas mileage does take a hit.
Last edited by GoBucky; Feb 26, 2015 at 07:30 AM.
Snow driving in my GD3 is one of my favorite hobbies.
The stock OEM Dunlop had terrible snow traction. IMO it was just a bad tire. LRR is terrible, why would you sacrifice braking performance, wet and snow traction, ride quality and handling to squeeze out a few MPG? Most consumers are idiots!
I have the General G-Max it has surprisingly good snow traction for a AS.
The clearance is the main problem, that and getting stuck going up hill. Remember to engine brake whenever possible.
The stock OEM Dunlop had terrible snow traction. IMO it was just a bad tire. LRR is terrible, why would you sacrifice braking performance, wet and snow traction, ride quality and handling to squeeze out a few MPG? Most consumers are idiots!
I have the General G-Max it has surprisingly good snow traction for a AS.
The clearance is the main problem, that and getting stuck going up hill. Remember to engine brake whenever possible.
Member
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 850
From: The 603
Performance is performance. Why would you sacrifice great mileage just to shave a tenth off your 1/4 mile time? Because that's the type of performance you're looking for.
I'm not defending the OE Dunlops at all, they're not anything to write home about and when I need new tires (pathetically soon) I'm changing. But the only times they've lost traction in the snow have been when I've been playing. Mpg is fun, but so is snow driving- it's one of my favorite hobbies too!
I'm not defending the OE Dunlops at all, they're not anything to write home about and when I need new tires (pathetically soon) I'm changing. But the only times they've lost traction in the snow have been when I've been playing. Mpg is fun, but so is snow driving- it's one of my favorite hobbies too!
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 77
From: Savannah GA
Snow driving in my GD3 is one of my favorite hobbies.
The stock OEM Dunlop had terrible snow traction. IMO it was just a bad tire. LRR is terrible, why would you sacrifice braking performance, wet and snow traction, ride quality and handling to squeeze out a few MPG? Most consumers are idiots!
I have the General G-Max it has surprisingly good snow traction for a AS.
The clearance is the main problem, that and getting stuck going up hill. Remember to engine brake whenever possible.
The stock OEM Dunlop had terrible snow traction. IMO it was just a bad tire. LRR is terrible, why would you sacrifice braking performance, wet and snow traction, ride quality and handling to squeeze out a few MPG? Most consumers are idiots!
I have the General G-Max it has surprisingly good snow traction for a AS.
The clearance is the main problem, that and getting stuck going up hill. Remember to engine brake whenever possible.
^ Agreed. You should check your tires since they're 4 years old and might be worn out leading to you having these problems.
Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 370
From: SLC
p nut- City driving, especially in a big city with major resources, is not extreme. They got overwhelmed this month, yes, but the trains not being able to run is an aberration, not a normal winter. Nobody says I need a facemask, snowshoes, chains and a block heater because I live in Boston, they just say Wicked bahd stahms this yeah. Nobody's going to open an Arctic Cat dealer on Boylston any time soon.
15 years ago when I was working in Vermont I'd get passed by rednecks playing on their snow machines on the interstate at night. And it wasn't extreme enough for my little POS to need snows. Now over here north of Boston I see all the big, tough Jeeps and whatnot treading carefully at 40 through the wild blizzards on the 65 mph highway as I cheerfully go past them in my fit. On OE Dunlops with 24k on them. It's snowing, but it's not extreme.
15 years ago when I was working in Vermont I'd get passed by rednecks playing on their snow machines on the interstate at night. And it wasn't extreme enough for my little POS to need snows. Now over here north of Boston I see all the big, tough Jeeps and whatnot treading carefully at 40 through the wild blizzards on the 65 mph highway as I cheerfully go past them in my fit. On OE Dunlops with 24k on them. It's snowing, but it's not extreme.
You rode by those Jeeps, because you took the bigger risk. Plain and simple, has nothing to do with the capabilities of the vehicle. If you swapped cars, result would have been almost identical.
So I hope you're not saying that the Fit is somehow more capable in inclement weather than a proper 4x4 (of which I've also had many), because that is truly delusional. Reminds me of all those ricers back in the day that used to fly by me on the freeway, probably thinking they beat a "Type R, y0!".
Member
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 850
From: The 603
A state of emergency has more to do with budgeting and who pays for the overtime than anything else.
Georgia had one last week:
Snow in metro Atlanta: Gov. Deal declares state of emergency at 2 p.m. Wednesday
A possible 2 to 4 inches while staying above freezing is enough for some states to lose their shit entirely. But don't call it extreme, even if they need a state of emergency. If I had been there, I would have done my thing and been well within my car's (and tires') capabilities. I probably would have passed even more "proper" 4x4s than I usually do. I spent a winter in Virginia once- it was hilarious. I didn't take any risks, I just drove to work and tried not to laugh too loudly.
Georgia had one last week:
Snow in metro Atlanta: Gov. Deal declares state of emergency at 2 p.m. Wednesday
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency for 50 counties that will begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday. “With forecasts showing we could see accumulation by 4 p.m., I want to make sure we get as many commuters home before then as possible,” Deal said in a statement Tuesday night. “While current models show that temperatures will remain above freezing, we don’t want to run the risk of having normal rush hour traffic volume if there’s snow or ice on the highways.” The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for metro Atlanta and north Georgia beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday. There is a potential for 2 to 4 inches of snowfall in the Atlanta area. Despite the delay in the start of the state of the emergency, Deal said all available resources were in place Tuesday night in advance of the storm’s arrival.
Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 370
From: SLC
A state of emergency has more to do with budgeting and who pays for the overtime than anything else.
Georgia had one last week:
Snow in metro Atlanta: Gov. Deal declares state of emergency at 2 p.m. Wednesday
A possible 2 to 4 inches while staying above freezing is enough for some states to lose their shit entirely. But don't call it extreme, even if they need a state of emergency. If I had been there, I would have done my thing and been well within my car's (and tires') capabilities. I probably would have passed even more "proper" 4x4s than I usually do. I spent a winter in Virginia once- it was hilarious. I didn't take any risks, I just drove to work and tried not to laugh too loudly.
Georgia had one last week:
Snow in metro Atlanta: Gov. Deal declares state of emergency at 2 p.m. Wednesday
A possible 2 to 4 inches while staying above freezing is enough for some states to lose their shit entirely. But don't call it extreme, even if they need a state of emergency. If I had been there, I would have done my thing and been well within my car's (and tires') capabilities. I probably would have passed even more "proper" 4x4s than I usually do. I spent a winter in Virginia once- it was hilarious. I didn't take any risks, I just drove to work and tried not to laugh too loudly.
Just remember that the very definition of "extreme" is something farthest away from the norm. GA's extreme conditions will differ greatly to someone up in Nova Scotia. It's all relative. Still doesn't take away from the "extreme"-ness.
Back to Fit talk: Having said all that, 3-4" of (slushy) snow this morning, and the Fit handled it like a champ. Snow tires rocked it.
Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 53
From: PNW
Agree with you totally! IMO, there are two things an AWD SUV will do better in the snow compared to an FWD sedan/hatch/whatever:
1. climb a steeper hill (and they aren't steep enough around here to make AWD necessary)
2. deal with really deep snow better due to its increased ground clearance
For everything else, especially stopping & turning, give me the lighter-weight 2WD machine on winter tires that will stop & turn better than even the AWD version of the same vehicle, also on winter tires. If one searches Car and Driver's web site, there's an instrumented test they performed years ago which returned exactly these results.
1. climb a steeper hill (and they aren't steep enough around here to make AWD necessary)
2. deal with really deep snow better due to its increased ground clearance
For everything else, especially stopping & turning, give me the lighter-weight 2WD machine on winter tires that will stop & turn better than even the AWD version of the same vehicle, also on winter tires. If one searches Car and Driver's web site, there's an instrumented test they performed years ago which returned exactly these results.
Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,371
From: NC USA
This is only my second winter with my fit and it's been a terrible one at that but I have to say that this is the absolute worst car I have ever owned when it comes to feeling safe while driving in snowy conditions. With even the slightest bit of snow on the ground it slips and slides and I feel like it's going to spin out of control at any moment. I can;t drive faster than 40 miles per hour on the highway when it's snowing because I can feel it moving underneath me. I have new tires on it and everything...it's just so light it doesn't stick to the ground. I love my fit but I'm going to have to get rid of it after this winter because its just not safe. Has anyone else had this issue? Is there anything that might help? I assume I can throw some weight in it but I'd need at least 500 lbs and I don't even know what to use to get that much weight (or where to put it).
1, buy tires recommended by consumer reports; they compare different tires on the same car against such things as how far up an incline the tiRes will make it.
based on the cadre of Fits here we can agree that CR is right about Michelins , cONTIS AND SOME OTHERS BUT YHEY ACTUALLY TEST AND THATS WHAT COUNTS.
NATURALLY, WHEEL ALIGHMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP THEM AIMED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
btw ADDING WEIGHT WON'T HELP MUCH; GENERALLY THE ADDED WEIGHT JUST MAKES IT HARDER TO TURN.
sorry about caps didn't know it was on. good luck.
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 77
From: Savannah GA
tirerack
what new tires did you mount? how about alignmeNt? almost always thedrivers who get in winter trouble missed those 2 issues.
1, buy tires recommended by consumer reports; they compare different tires on the same car against such things as how far up an incline the tiRes will make it.
based on the cadre of Fits here we can agree that CR is right about Michelins , cONTIS AND SOME OTHERS BUT YHEY ACTUALLY TEST AND THATS WHAT COUNTS.
NATURALLY, WHEEL ALIGHMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP THEM AIMED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
btw ADDING WEIGHT WON'T HELP MUCH; GENERALLY THE ADDED WEIGHT JUST MAKES IT HARDER TO TURN.
sorry about caps didn't know it was on. good luck.
1, buy tires recommended by consumer reports; they compare different tires on the same car against such things as how far up an incline the tiRes will make it.
based on the cadre of Fits here we can agree that CR is right about Michelins , cONTIS AND SOME OTHERS BUT YHEY ACTUALLY TEST AND THATS WHAT COUNTS.
NATURALLY, WHEEL ALIGHMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP THEM AIMED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
btw ADDING WEIGHT WON'T HELP MUCH; GENERALLY THE ADDED WEIGHT JUST MAKES IT HARDER TO TURN.
sorry about caps didn't know it was on. good luck.
Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,779
From: edmonton, canada
Having VSA and abs on really help with driving on ice and deep snow. Also I know some of you guys do t need winter tires, but over the stock tires, my xice 3s were night and day. Still need to move gradually and gently for any change in direction or speed, but I drive through the Canadian Rockies from Edmonton to Vancouver and back (1200km) every year and have been just fine *knock on wood*. I have experienced driving for hours in 1 foot deep snow and white out conditions with wet ice, and the fit did okay though it was still scary sometimes.
Slow and gentle is key to snow/winter driving
Slow and gentle is key to snow/winter driving
Member
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 38
From: British Columbia
FWIW, here are the current top-rated winter tires from Consumer Reports, in order:
Michelin X-Ice Xi3
Michelin X-Ice Xi2
Hankook i*cept evo
Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero Serie II
Uniroyal Tiger Paw Ice & Snow II
Bridgestone Blizzak WS70
Blizzaks are by no means the only way to go, so look around and see what's available in one of these that'll fit your car.
Michelin X-Ice Xi3
Michelin X-Ice Xi2
Hankook i*cept evo
Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero Serie II
Uniroyal Tiger Paw Ice & Snow II
Bridgestone Blizzak WS70
Blizzaks are by no means the only way to go, so look around and see what's available in one of these that'll fit your car.
Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 60
From: USA
I have the 2008 Sport in Vermont. The stock Dunlops are terrible in snow. I got thinner tires (195/55R15) with steel wheels (not for stability but so the tires fit) from Tire Rack. I look at the tread and find ones with wide grooves with exit channels. Now I can drive in a blizzard with no problems.
