Hello all,

I own a 2007 Honda Fit Sport. I've had it since '08 and it has been the most wonderful little (using the term loosely since I was able to move 200+ miles with ONE car load!) car I could have ever asked for. I was rear ended this March at 60 miles an hour when I was nearly at a stop. My mother and father were in the car and we sustained no injuries. My little car held up awesome! We had to replace the hatch, the bumper and some of the floor. (Which cost a pretty penny - exactly half of what it was worth but thankfully I was not at fault.)

Anyways - the only complaint I have is that my Fit has never done well in winter. I lived in norther Iowa (3 minutes from the MN boarder) and we have pretty severe winters. I always slid and had terrible traction but I made it through. Now I'm being told (when I had my oil changed last) that I will need tires before winter. I have read so much information on what to get that I am going cross-eyed.

Here's my situation. I have since moved to Kansas City, Missouri. They still get lots of snow and ice here and I drive 20 minutes to work (without inclement weather) on both city and highway roads. I really don't think it's in my budget to get winter and summer tires. I will need an all season tire. I've been told it's just the back two that really need changing. Does this mean I can change just the back two? If they are going to be different than what I have on the front, that would cause problems, right?

Anyways, I've looked at the Goodyear Assurance Comfortred Touring because I saw that mentioned some (and Tirerack had it listed as the best for the "size" of my tires, which I just googled " '07 Honda Fit Tire Size " and came up with 175/65/14) but I see a million different ones talked about. I am so confused!

I'm looking for a little insight as I'm officially on my own and don't have good ol' pop to talk to about this stuff anymore. I'd like to be as educated as possible when I go to talk to someone about buying them so I'm not just the naive girl in over her head and getting talked into something that doesn't suit what I need.

If anyone could give me an idea about whether I need to change all four or just the back ones and what would be a good tired for me, I would so appreciate it!

- Bethanie

 

You have a Sport model so you need to buy 195-55-15" tires... All season tires grip the road better in freezing weather where a high performance tire loses traction on a dry surface at 40 degrees... When you are looking for tires online if you haven't read the reviews from people that own the tire you are considering you are just getting sales hype and ratings.... The most popular all season tire I have heard about here on Fit Freak Continental Conti Extreme Contact.. It is a high performance tire and does very well when the car is driven in an aggressive manner year round... If you aren't going to be cornering at speeds above the posted limit you can get by with a less costly tire.. I haven't driven my Fit in snow so I can't speak from experience about any tire for use in snow.. Anything other than a true winter tire is a compromise but if you look at the ratings that tell how well a tire does under different conditions and surfaces and the reviews you will have a lot of information... You could always do a search here for "winter tires" and see what comes up.... I know all of the guys up north are already changing over to winter tires or parking their car and driving a winter beater or all wheel drive car or truck....Good luck on finding what tire you need..

 

Well that's part of the getting educated portion. You'll find as many opinions here as well. But the more informed you are, hopefully will result in better decision-making. The choices are as many because it boils down to prioritizing what you think is best for your situation (what's important to you) - budget, handling, climate, tread wear, traction, etc.

My guess is you were told the back two because they're the most worn out (physically). Personally I don't like mixing tires/tread patterns. I go for a set (4). Mixing can present handling issues. Tirerack has good info on deciphering all the tire info you might need - sizes, sidewall info, performance, etc.

When changing just 2 tires. It's preferred that the new ones be placed in the rear - for handling and safety considerations. The other side of this is if you have bald tires in the front, then you don't have as much traction for grip, turning and braking. The Fit is FWD.

If your '07 Fit is a Sport model then your tires should be 195/55-15. The base Fit comes with 175/65-14. You can verify this by looking at the sticker as you open your driver side door. The sticker should be on the pillar.

As far as choices go, TC already mentioned that all-season tires is a compromise compared to dedicated summer/winter tires. Just read the different write-ups. Consumer Report had an article a while back on all season tires (09). Best all around was the Falken Ziex 912 and 2nd was the Nitto Neo Gen ZR. Best for winter traction was Continental ContiExtreme and Sumitomo HTR was 2nd. Ultimately, its about your preference, budget, size availability, driving environment, etc. Good luck!

 

I also have a 07 sport. I live in the interior of AK and run bridgestone Blizzaks in the same size as the oe's. Great traction on snow and ice, handles well too.

 

Forgot to mention, I run them year round, no tire wear to mention.

 

You should change all four, if not you want the new tires in the rear otherwise the car will be unstable and prone to spin-out. But with worn tires in the front you won't have any traction.

You need to check the size on your current tires before ordering anything. The safest thing to do is order the same size tire.

I have the Yokohama Avid Envigors on my Fit and love them, although I already know they aren't real good in snow, but I have snow tires that I use so that is not a big concern, it allows me to put the snows on later and take them off sooner, and gives me a great comfortable tire the rest of the year.
Yokohama AVID ENVigor (H&V)=

The Continentals that are mentioned as great on these boards are the DWS's these tires are great in the snow especially the first year. But these do not come in the size that you need.

Kumho has a new tire out (Ecsta 4X) that is reasonably priced...at $77. each and if you buy 4 you get $50 back by mail making them $64.50 each. They are an Ultra High Performance All-Season tire, and the manufacturer claims they are good in snow.
Kumho Ecsta 4X=

The only tires that are going to be great in the snow are snow tires, but if you can't afford both I would look at these two tires...

Keith S. :{)>

 

I also have the Yokohama Avid Envigors on my Fit. As mentioned above, I have heard they aren't so great in the snow. Luckily I'm in Texas and we don't see more than a light dusting every couple of years. They are an all season tire and have awesome treadwear but if you must go through snow, there are better tires out there.

 

Dear Bethanie.

I would A) when you open your car door look on the inside of the door jam read what the sticker says. That should tell you the factory tire size, speed rating and type of tire.

B) Also double reference with your owner's manual for your size.

C) the "175" is the speed rating so that's roughly the maximum speed the wheel can take. The "65" is the overall profile of the tire, the sidewall height is 65% of the tread and the last number "14" is the size of your tire.

Buy accordingly to what the owner's manual says about the factory size tire any different and it will affect the speedometer. Invest in high end cold resistant/wet traction tires for your severe storms and such. I hope your Honda Fit treats you as well as it does me.

 

The 175 is the width of the tire in millimeters. The speed rating is a letter like S=112 mph, T=118 mph.

Tire Tech Information - How to Read Speed Rating, Load Index & Service Descriptions

 

You are stupid too…175 is NOT the speed rating, it is the width of the tire in millimeters. The speed rating is a letter like “W”.

 

I have driven my Fit through 5 winters up here in Winterpeg. (Winnipeg Jets Country)
I have just under 35,000 Km. and up till now the original Dunlops have seen me through the winters. However, now the tires are wearing to 5/32" and are harder than when new. I slid on snow for the first time while on my way to Can Tire to pick up 2 new Hankook I*Pike winter tires.

Another rating up here is the temperature of 7C just above freezing as the ideal time to switch to winter tires. I heard that the OPP police in Ontario use Hankook so maybe you can check your local Hwy. Patrol and see what kind of tires they use in the winter.
I put a bag of sand in the back to add some weight over the rear wheels besides the usual winter traction grates, etc.

I don't recommend this but I drove my 1982 Chev Celebrity with winter tires on the front only, and never had a problem. I am now testing the Hankook on the front and will see if there are any adverse driving problems.

Our winter tires have a marking on them showing a mountain with snowflake logo.

http://www.apa.ca/tire_wintertireratings.asp

Be safe.

 

if i were you i'd consider buying winter tires on steel rims. winter tires make a world of difference, and you will be able to use them for many winters before they wear out. you may be able to find someone selling a set of winter tires for your fit on craigslist for a good deal.

 

I can't believe anyone can use the OEM Dunlops on any snow... I've never had them hold the track properly at any speed. I eventually went to some inexpensive Sunny(from China) tires on 15" rims purchased at the same time from Tire Country. Beautiful looking rims (better than stock),... and the rims and tires cost me less than $150 each. They work great in all snow conditions and are not too noisy on pavement. I change them out twice a year to and from the winter season. My suggestion is you get a set of dedicated snow tires.

 

Just got a set of Nokian WRG2s with the triple tread for wet/snow/ice similar to Goodyear's amazing tripletreds. So far the Nokian's are significantly better feeling and more confident than my prior Yokohama AVIDs, though dont feel as nice on dry road as my fiance's Goodyear Assurance TripleTreds, but hers are on a '10 Civic so a little different vehicle anyway.

Looking forward to good ole Lake-Effect West-Michigan Winter

 

wouldnt you need a winter tire ?