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Honda Fit Bad Weather Handling
it finally snowed last night, so it was my fit's first time on the road under slick conditions.
it handles really well... almost reminds me of driving my old VW bug in the snow. i used the paddle shifters to downshift on the slick spots and everything.
but... i slammed on the brakes several times, just to see if i slid, and how far. every time i did, there was a popping/grinding sensation, almost if the whole wheel well where full of big rocks. it stopped just fine... but the sound was disconcerting. i could feel the force of the popping through the brake pedal.
when i put the car in the garage last night, the roads were dry, so there isn't a chance that any water splashed up in there and froze.
so, i guess my question is: is this normal? if not, what action should i take?
i thank you in advance for your response!
it handles really well... almost reminds me of driving my old VW bug in the snow. i used the paddle shifters to downshift on the slick spots and everything.
but... i slammed on the brakes several times, just to see if i slid, and how far. every time i did, there was a popping/grinding sensation, almost if the whole wheel well where full of big rocks. it stopped just fine... but the sound was disconcerting. i could feel the force of the popping through the brake pedal.
when i put the car in the garage last night, the roads were dry, so there isn't a chance that any water splashed up in there and froze.
so, i guess my question is: is this normal? if not, what action should i take?
i thank you in advance for your response!
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when i put the car in the garage last night, the roads were dry, so there isn't a chance that any water splashed up in there and froze.
so, i guess my question is: is this normal? if not, what action should i take?
Yes, it is normal. Did you ever own a car with ABS before the Fit? I suspect you did not. That's the ABS doing its job, and although there is some variance in the way it sounds, ABS gives you all the sound and sensation that you describe when it is in operation. It is working. Your action now is to get used to the way it works, so that you can take advantage of ABS when you really need it.
but you're right! i've never had a car with ABS before. sadly, my last car was an 87 nissan pickup... quite a change between that and the fit.
thanks for the reply!
Oh, and careful with that snow!
We are not getting such good gas mileage in the winter. I'm not sure if it's because the new tires are heavier and softer - or because we are idling the car more in the sub-zero weather.
As an aside, I wish that I could vent cold air onto my face while still keeping the car warm. My Dad had a 1966 Rover and a 1992 Nissan Maxima with this feature. It kept the kids nice and warm - and still kept the driver fresh and alert on long drives. I just love driving with cold air in my face.
Has anyone installed driving lights on their Fit? What kind? And where did you install them? (There's not much room to install them.)
That would be the case, for example, if you only added ww antifreeze solution after the freezing weather arrived.
So far this winter we've had no problems with our Sport in weather as cool as -28C. We use ww antifreeze good to -40 C (=-40F) because driving lowers temperature of windshield.
Of course, if it doesn't work in warm weather you either have a leak or an empty ww fluid tank. I don't know the Fit design details, but if you didn't protect it before the first freeze, the expansion of water into ice could have split the feed tube or the tank.
Enjoy your Fit.
I would think that as long as your son knows the correct way to drive in snowy/icy weather, he should be fine.
Although I think the Fit will do, the CRV would definitely better handle the snow since its an AWD 4x4 vehicle.
1. How does you car handle in the rain? With only 15" wheels and 2400lbs I am worried about it tracking and hydroplaning all over the place. we currently own a AWD WRX and a Mazda 3 HB that feel pretty secure
2. Does the car get the willies on the highway when passing/being passed by trucks? Are crosswinds an issue?
3. We do a lot of long distance driving (300, 500+ mile trips) With an A/T cruising along at 75mph is the noise unbearable or annoying in the cabin? I test drove one several times and at 75mph I seem to recall the RPM's were near 4k?!
Hope this helps.
_nate
In my case, I drove a 93 civic with 106 HP for 14 years and I worked that car pretty hard. Never towed boats with it like the GM truck commercials, but it wasn't scared of any road from shore to mountain and neither is my Fit.
The driving experience in the Fit IS different. A different engine than what I'm used to, a different shape of car and I'm convinced that the electronic throttle control produces a somewhat artificial or controlled engine response compared to plain old analog engines. I'm still getting a comfort level with it, mostly because I drove the same thing for so long.
But generally,
When I am not in a rush and enjoying the ride, I purposely keep the car under 3500 RPM to slow down, enjoy the ride and save gas. When I want to have some fun or get there faster, I let her rev up and while not as fast as a car with 50 more HP, she gets going and cruises very comfortably.
I think you and many other people may notice engine rev noise at 4PM or greater because it is a fair amount of noise -- not a lot, but noticeably more than the extremely quiet operation at less than 3000 rpm.
After 14 years in another Honda that was very comfortable, you'd think I'd have found a few things to dislike simply because they're different from what I'm used to. But honestly, I'm really happy to own a Fit, still having Fun driving it and still finding new things to like about it.
Hope this helps.
FWIW Tom
i ask because at 80mph you should not be above 3k rpm. I've only ever gotten to 4k accelerating onto the highway.
sport AT as well.
Test drove one at length yesterday and it definitely revs lower than the MT. At ~70mph it looked like it was hovering around 3k RPM's if memory serves me right. Did not seem as loud in the cabin as the MT did at 80mph. That MT was sweet though...very easy to shift unlike my WRX.
Am I the only one though that felt a little awkward cutting my carpet and insulation to install mats?...that was a new experience to me...didnt bother cutting the back ones since no one really sits back there and they are so wedged in I cant imagine them sliding anywhere. Nice car overall and Honda reliability...well, nuff said there!
I haven't had a chance to drive in snow yet, but it does move around a bit with a crosswind. Still loving it though.
It did a nice job. Felt the ABS kick in once on a stop, and I was careful, slow and 2d gear, going down the steep hills on the way to town. Wasn't careful enough to start out from a stop slowly enough a couple of times and could feel the wheels spin, but when I laid off the gas they caught. Wondered about coming home since on the way out I could see where a car had been unable to make the steepest hill on the dirt road. Kept it in 2d gear slow and steady and the Fit went up the hill without missing a beat. Very acceptable for a front-wheel drive light car IMO.
The car have very good driving in snow and ice road. It not a CRV and it not possible to drive if the snow on the road is to high. But I drive a Chevelle 65, a Citation 79 with a V6, a Cavalier Z24, a Montana 2000 and many other car, only the Montana was better in high snow because it is more heavy and have bigger clearance to the road.
The only thing, I dont like it the defrost because the air conditioning run all time when I use the defrost. With american car, I use the heater/defrost all time in winter. With the Fit, I use the heater/defrost only when the windsheild frost.
We are in Minnesota, by the way.
Japan is very mountaneous (70% of the country is considered mountains), and yet it is full of Fits, many of which actually come with smaller engines (1.3 L) than we get in North America (1.5 L). People there don't complain about the Fit's ability to hill-climb.
In terms of cargo capacity, we have carried anything from a recliner, love seat, bicycles, to dogs and cats. It is amazing how much you can carry in a Fit. We also have a Subaru Forester, and I think that the Fit can carry more than the Forester, primarily because of the clever seats and the height of the cargo room.
The one catch is that the 2008 and later new cars all have the TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System). So unless you pay to have 4 TPMS sensors installed on your winter wheels, which is some ridiculous price like an extra $300, your TPMS system indicator will constantly stay on on the instrument panel of the Fit. You can always put a little piece of electrical or masking tape on the spot of the plastic cover of the instrument panel to block that warning light (obviously your TPMS system is no longer functional, but it seems people lived without it on vehicles for about 100 years or more before the manufacturers were required to put it on U.S. cars.
That $348 price was for the Winterforce brand winter tires, which are OK, but for Maine I'd get something a little better, such as the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 for $68 each tire, or an additional $80 for the package, total $428 plus shipping. However if you're really on a budget, the Winterforce winter tire is studdable, so you could take them to a local tire store and have them stud the tires (don't know how much that costs for 4 tires).
Anything beyond these conditions are not something where typical road-going vehicles - short of a Range Rover or Land Cruiser shod with winter tires with studs/chains and such - can comfortably navigate.
Bottomline, the Fit - with winter tires - works just fine in pretty much all normal winter conditions that one can expect to encounter in a suburban environment. Anything that is beyond the capabilities of a Fit with winter tires, is a situation where one should simply not venture out - whether one has AWD or not.
PS: Note that the narrow tires of the Fit is a big advantage in wintry conditions, unlike the wider tires that sports-cars come with. The wider tires are great in summer but are a serious hindrance in winter in deep snow.