So everyone has their favorite exit ramp. I see how fast I can get around it trying to produce that squeek from the tires. Well yesterday a xA was behind me on the interstate and tailing me kind of close. I saw that he was getting off at the same exit as me so I thought I would put some distance between us. To my surprise he didn't leave my back bumper the whole time! When he came around he looked completely stock. Was I wrong for assuming a Fit handled that much better than the Scion?

 

Is your Fit stock?
The Scion im sure had a RSB and probaly springs you just couldnt tell.

Tyler

 

Yup. Grassroots Motorsports tested a Yaris sedan in their Family Haulers edition of their magazine. (A Yaris and Xa share the same underpinnings) The Yaris lapped the Ocala GP track faster than the Honda Fit. Both cars a pretty equally matched stock for stock.

 

Your trying to say a xA will out handle a Fit?!? NO WAY!:p

Tyler

 

While I dont think the xA is superior, I do think it is very close to the fit. My girlfriend drives an xA and they handle very well. The suspension feels fairly tight in corners. But my Fit is still better.

 

My Fit is stock and this guys looked like your typical family car. I guess I just underestimated its handling:confused:

 

I think that driving feel vs. actual handling (i.e. skid pad numbers, speed around a closed course) is very subjective. I test drove a Yaris and found the driving feel of the car to be very numb and boring. Where as the Fit felt more fun to drive. A quicker car could be a very boring car to drive.

 

hmmm...i dunno about this.

Most test that have pitted the Yaris against the fit usually fall in favor of the fit. The numbers on Car and driver and edmunds support this as well.

He could have stuck to his rear bumper, but who knows if his tires were howling or if he was having difficulty doing so.

And who knows if he was stock. If he wasn't, i would AT LEAST expect it to keep up with the fit.

Most scions i see either have skinny little tires with hubs or huge grippy 18's so that may have been a factor as well.

But again, most if not all tests put braking,slalom, lane change and grip numbers in favor of the fit. (as they do the steering feel. :) )

 

well, how is our fit anything but a small family car too? The fit caters to the same niche, it just does it A LOT better than both the xa Or Yaris do. And it looks more expensive than both.


He may have had mods. But xa's are no slouch even if they don't match the fits numbers. Again, he could have REALLY been pushing it.

Its funny, there is like an unspoken war amongst the drivers of subcompacts. I'll always get the evil eye from an xa,xd,xb or yaris owner. :confused:


BYAAAHAAAHAA! little do they know.....:D


oh and gettin fit, thanks for noting that you were STOCK. Do you have a sport or base fit?

 

Tires are not to be overlooked they can make such a huge difference its not even funny.

One must not overlook the skill of the driver, he may have been very adept at cornering or maybe he was really just hanging on... by a thread

I have spanked up and down the street old and new Minis around corners and on/off ramps with my 01 Civic coupe because A. I was more willing to push the limits of my car B. had more inherent skill (better angle and throttle control) C. had better tires....HAHAAAAAHAA NOT!.

We all know the 01 Civic was not the best in the handling department either...economy suspension not performance.

There is a HUGE difference in going fast...squealing/squeeking the tires...screeching em...and pouring smoke.
I at times subscribe to the smoke variety.

Many times the cars limits are further away than you think (some cars its much closer...YIKES!)
When cars are tested they often push many times harder on them than the casual spirited or even determined excurison.

Its true many of the handling tests are subjective, but even if not many times a car that performs a bit better has little decernable difference on "regular roads". Its also true that the "numbers" dont necessarily match the feeling... going actually fast but smooth can feel slow.... going ballz out can feel fast but be slow...

 

Its a Sport and the tires have less than 10K tread wear.

 

[QUOTE=Snap Fit;214898]
There is a HUGE difference in going fast...squealing/squeeking the tires...screeching em...and pouring smoke.
I at times subscribe to the smoke variety.

I have always equated squealing/squeeking with your about to lose traction. I have pushed too far before and while I am not a professional driver I have taken this exit many times.

 

[quote=gettin~Fit;215143]I see what you meant by that now. However my old civic with stock tires would squeal at 15 mph around a corner (moderately hard or sharply) but I could easily go 25 mph with out experiencing front wash. My moms Nissan Quest squeals and actually screetches at 10mph and sometimes less, very non spirited driving (and I'm not talking about slick parking garages either).
Road and weather (typically heat or lack thereof) make a huge difference in audible traction.
Last night I finally let loose on the fit shifted practically at redline through first and second...and not even a squeek...just a grumble when the tires were lit, and they were pretty lit and lit again into second.(I am around 1300 miles now and I am ok with throwing it a bit more around now) Still cant do to much as my back and chest still hurt but I can get spirited sometimes now. Later that night I took a moderately tight turn at about 25 and the Fit chirped and screeched all through it...I was going somewhat fast for the size of the turn but I was really planted! Much more so then when I was @ WOT and redlining earlier through the gears.

Onramps and offramps are notoriously slick but also banked so it can go either way... better than a slick off camber turn YIKES!
It depends on the surface...believe it or not indulging in a small snag of the e-brake can sometimes tell you if you are even remotely near any kind of wash with regards to weight attitude/balance and traction.

be safe and enjoy:cool:

 

HAHAAAAHAAHaaa since you posted your message within my quote, it looks like I just quoted myself....HAAAHAAAAHAAAAA

I was severely confused when I saw it!!! HAHAAAAAaa!!!:confused:

 

shoot my "midterm*" car was a 97 maxima and it screamed around every turn even soooo slooow, it was embarrassing
(midterm*= car i bought from my dad and gave it back to him when i got my fit)

sooo glad i havent heard the fit squeak once around a turn and i have been taking turn pretty spirited = i love how this car handles on turns!

 

yeah I messed up by erasing the quote sign :confused:

 

I was pretty impressed as well, but I always try to get just a little noise!

 

I'm already looking into new rubber, just wondering if I should go ahead and get new wheels too.

 

o ya.. about that scion.... what punks

 

....speaking from experience I like the handling of the Xa alot better then the fit in the corners. It's a personal preference but then again I had tien springs versus my Fit with Tanabes. I had the xa for little over a year, and the fit for 4 months. Both are nice cars but the fit has more utility then the xa as I can't fit a 40" LCD tv with box upright in a Xa... :)