I you want the front strut bar, I have it for sell. I have not installed mine yet. I am rather go with Cusco or other brand with OEM quality. Please PM me if you're interested.

 

All -

So today I went to get my windows tinted but prior and after I pushed the Fit pretty hard. I have to tell you that with the combination of bigger tires, Swift springs, the Progress RSB, and the five KMR bars I put on transformed the car into what I consider a top handler equivelent to my 2002.5 MSP or 2001 Acura Integra Type-R.

Quite impressed. And regarding the product being inferior to other "better engineered" products. I have to tell you that I'm not really dissappointed in any of the products for the price. I would not have spent any more money for any of the other products as I don't care how much money you spend on a product, there usually is some adjustment that needs to be done no matter what.

Anyhow, thumbs up at this point.

Anyone buy the ladder brace and retained the plastic fuel tank cover (i.e. maybe using metal spacers?

BTW - Go here to see the latest pix of my ride:

Brian's Cars

 

So far I've only installed the C pillar and rear strut brace bars.. If I get the same results from the other parts I need to install I am going to be very very happy...

 

The size spacers you would need to retain the fuel tank cover probably will put the ladder brace in danger of scraping high spots, or the apex of some bumps depending on the situation (driveway aprons, etc.). The plastic cover creates a pretty large bulge that you have to overcome, and longer bolts/spacers might compromise the ladder braces' intent. It prevents longitudinal twist in the "frame" as we know it, which places a shearing stress on the connection points. If you extend those bolts away from the frame, you're re-introducing the flex component to a brace that's trying to eliminate it.

Look back at my earlier post photos to see what's placed around the fuel tank. Unless you live/drive in an area with bad roads (potholes, gravel, etc.) or have a full-on winter season where the city uses salt on the roads, the fuel tank cover isn't much more than a deflector/splash shield protecting the pump connections/electronics, or rather keeping that stuff clean from road crud. Sure, it provides impact protection for the tank, but it wasn't a concern for me, and there still is an aluminum heat shield that acts like a deflector on the leading edge of the fuel tank. Where I live, we have excellent roads and no winter season to speak of. So I'm only "exposing" the tank and the stuff around it to water/grit/grease/oil that ends up coating everything under your car from normal driving anyway. I really wouldn't worry all that much about removing that splash guard unless you're regularly driving over crap that you're afraid would puncture the fuel tank, and if that's true, I'm going to ask you why you're not driving a truck or SUV...

 

I suppose that if you drive in an area where you are likely to bottom out and scrape the under side of your car it would be a good idea to not drop the suspension so low that that the problem existed The resonator on my Megan B pipe had to be tweaked upward to clear speed bumps in one parking lot and the only other part that makes contact is the front lip.. The ridiculously long USDM bumper is what causes the front lip to get banged up due to it arriving at the driveway entrance ore road surface when exiting a driveway so far ahead of the wheels compared to Fits sold elsewhere on the the world market.

 

My windshield cracked today as I was getting ready to wash my car. The car wasn't hot - I had just backed it out of the garage. The water wasn't cold since our tap water this time of year is almost lukewarm. Hell, the water was hot if anything from the hose baking in the sun.

Anyway, I turned around to get a bucket and heard a loud pop. It kind of sounded like it was far away, or overhead. Maybe a firecracker, but nothing else followed so I didn't think anything of it. As I was washing the roof and the top of the windshield, I thought it felt uneven. I rinsed it off and shure as shit, a crack started at the top middle, split into 2 pairs of cracks that swooped around the rear view mirror mount and joined further down in the mid-top center of the windshield. It looks just like the layers of an onion! I was pretty bummed to say the least.

So there you have it! Washing the Fit should be avoided unless you want a cracked windshield!

I think we can file all this "cracked windshield root cause analysis" in the shit happens category and call it a day.









7/5 update - I'm out of warranty by about 1,500 miles. Dammit! My dealer is going to submit a "goodwill" request for replacement, but it can take 6-8 weeks for approval. Screw that. I'm so afraid to touch the frickin mirror that I'm not going to wait. I know it will get bumped and pop a hole in the glass because that's the way things like this go for me. I called my insurance agent and got a list of three installers. The best value quote I got (warranty & price) also happened to be the fastest turn-around. They're going to replace the glass in my work parking lot tomorrow. It's ONLY going to cost me about $460...

 

Two things.

Thanks for the info on large bump area to cover the fuel tank. I live in Chicagoland and winters here suck. So, I'll probably not do that brace - I've done everything else though.

And regarding the windshield crack, check the box for another Fit owner experiencing this issue. After all the BS I went through, your post made me giggle a little bit.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

 

>>
It's ONLY going to cost me about $460...
<<

What insurance do you have? I have State Farm, $100 collision and comprehensive is "$ 0" deductible.

Ouch.

 

Depends on the insurance company and state. Georgia doesn't have a mandatory windshield rider, so it depends on your personal coverage limits. I'm sure if I wanted to pay a monthly fee for a windshield replacement coverage or a lower deductible (I have them set at $500) Traveler's would gladly take my money. Yes, the $460 blows, but I know I have saved far more than the windshield cost in the long run by not having the windshield rider or lower deductibles...

 

Anybody get their GE rear sway installed yet? Any pics.

 

I think someone did, I recall seeing someone talking about how it made no sense to use regular hex bolts instead of round top carriage bolts...

 

Have you not installed yours yet Java?

 

Not yet, ive been unbelievably busy and haven't had a single minute to really do any work on my car hence the lack of pictures and updates in a while. I have so many parts waiting to be installed haha.

 

I should be getting mine on Friday. I got my A'PEXi coilovers waiting for me at home right now.

Gonna be a busy weekend.

P.S. you think about removing the link to this gb from your sig? =P

 

Hahaha, good call, doing it now lol

 

Just got all my stuff installed yesterday along with the Apexi coilovers. I have to agree, the rear sway really should have used rounded off carriage bolts instead of the regular ones so that the rubber mount thingie would sit better. The only thing I can think of is that the regular hex bolts can be tightened down better since you can get a wrench around them as opposed to carriage bolts? Just my shot in the dark... Otherwise I like the feel and newfound handling ability that everything provided (granted that much of it is also due to new coilovers). The body does feel stiffer and has less of that weird wobbly feel (? dunno how else to describe it) when taking a fast corner. Road vibrations seem a little more prevalent than before, but again stiffer springs on the coilovers add to that. All this makes me realize how bad the stock tires are though and I'm too cheap to replace the tires until they're worn... I guess that means I just have to drive more!

 

the only reason i can see for hex bolts is that the head is stronger than socket head screws... not a big deal...

 

Regarding carriage bolts vs. hex on the rear sway bar, the point about not being able to tighten them properly is certainly valid. Perhaps socket button head bolts would be a good solution.

I've been driving w/the rear sway for a few days of commuting w/squeamish wife (to be fair, she's pregnant & has 1st trimester nausea) and baby as passengers so haven't been able to fully-exploit the potential. That said, handling feels tighter, flatter and more responsive to turn-in, is more adjustable mid-corner and quite nice overall. Wife says she thinks she feels more bumps from the back seat. I can't confirm or deny that. Makes sense that certain bumps that twist the now stiffer beam would be more easily felt. From the driver's seat, things feel pretty good.

 

Hi.

I thought I'd provide an update on my ride.

So far the new windshield is holding up just fine. Especially with the third point brace.

A few weeks back, prior to lowering my car, I purchased four new 205x55x16 inch General Tire Altimax RT tires (that's all they had in stock and the treat pattern looked really cool and the reviews were phenomenal). I was EXTREMELY pleased with how the car handled, especially with some of my suspensions pieces on. However, after lowering my ride and and adding the final suspension pieces on the car, the car handled even better and was quite impressed. The only problem was that the occasion was to frequent when I kept scraping the front left tire. I tried everything with no go.

Long story short, I swapped out all my new tires with another set of new tires that were Discount Tire's Yokahama's YK520's in 205x50x16. I have to tell you, after initially driving out the parking lot, that I could tell the tires were different. Obviously, they were performance tires and not that of the touring (i.e. should I say it, maybe a little too much air or mush) General Tires brand. Again, two different types of tires. Anyhow, I took the car on a very long drive on the highway and everywhere else I would scrape and no longer have issues. On top of that, I took some pretty brave measures and pushed my car to the limits and that of the new suspension in turns. All I gotta say is with all the suspension components and these tires, the car is more agile and when I turn into corners, it feels more 'sporty' than the 'aim and point' approach with the other tires. I dunno, it's going to take me some time for me to get used to the new tires as I can definitely feel more bumps, but that's the trade off so that I don't scrape. My car with tires are now at a two finger gap, versus a 1 finger or less gap.

So, in summary, all the suspension components installed are still a very good choice.

Here's a pic of my ride now:

 

quick question. the front lower tie bar...is it a simple install. as in, jack up, unbolt, hold up lower tie bar, and then bolt back up? or do i need extra jacks to support anything down there? i know of possible fitment issues. im just worried that if i do unbolt the two, everything will come apart. sorry for lack of knowledge...and proper grammar. lol.