I e-mailed tirerack about steel wheels for the 09 Fit and the response I got back was that there are no steel wheels available for the 09 model year. Is this accurate and if so, do you know if there are any plans for steel wheels? I can't picture too many people buying alloys just for snow tires.

~SB

 

Bueller? Bueller?

It's been almost a month... any word?

~SB

 

you could get the base steelies that are 15's and it should be just fine for winter wheels

 

i'm thinking about going with the TireRack 14" steel rims with 185/70R14s to throw on my 09. Not sure I'm comfortable with tall rubber though..
I know the 14"s will fit because I have a set from an 08 I recently sold, the tire diameter's to small though.. BTW They're for sale (185/65R14)

 

I ordered some 14 x 6 two winters ago shod with 175/65 General Altimax. Speedo runs fast by about 5 mph at 65 mph. They work great, but the rims look totally uncool. Found a guy with some less-than-horrible silver wheel covers for $50 that made some minor improvement. Love the tires, though--absolutely unstoppable in snow the first year. This winter, I only got to enjoy them for two days, since everyone in the Midwest had the most freakishly mild winter in, like, ever. I can probably get one more winter out of the Generals, especially since this winter was 99% on dry pavement. I'll get some snows mounted on the OEM rims next time around, then some 18s with summer rubber for good weather driving.

 

wow... Back from the Dead.

TR never responded I see but at this point, there's been plenty of threads on this.

I went the CraigsList route and picked up 15" Integra Mesh alloy wheels for $50 + trade (of unused 98 civic Strut Tower Brace) for my Snows (General Altimax Arctic in 185/65/15 size). Lifted me by about 1/4" which in the winter is handy.

~SB

 

Good thinking going with 15s. The 14s, as I hinted in my post, look like skateboard wheels. No lift, of course--which would be nice--but also slightly less unsprung weight.

How do you like the Altimax Arctics? I'd give them a B+ overall. Excellent in snow, pretty good on ice, and decent in the wet. If they didn't look so dumb, I'd just run them year-round until they wore out, since I'm thoroughly disappointed in the OEM rubber. By the end of summer, they'll be pretty much toast, but I can't justify the expense of new shoes now, since I just bought the wife a low mileage '08 CR-V EX.

How are you getting such great mpg? Over 2.5 years now, I'm consistently at 33 mpg in somewhat spirited city driving. I've never gotten better than 37 highway. I just got back today after a 300 mile drive in beautiful, virtually windless conditions, and I averaged 35.5. Perhaps it's a fuel issue. Since it was new, I've only put in 10% ethanol--the cheapest fuel around here.

I've made absolutely zero mods thus far. I'm definitely a car guy, but this is, after all, a Honda Fit. It's a fantastic car, but it has some significant built-in limitations (like rear drums and torsion beams, to name just a couple) that aren't worth spending a mint to make just make some minimal compensation. I'm too sane for street racing, and I'm not going to take a Fit to an autocross event. Even the Civic Si has been neutered considerably by Honda over the years. If I want a REALLY fun car, I'll put my cash toward an S2000.

In the meantime, I'll enjoy the snot out of my MT Fit. Excellent mileage and versatility in a car that's even somewhat fun to drive is more than enough for me. I've driven the auto version, and there's no way I could make that sacrifice.