My 08 Fit Sport can feel every single bump.
Has anyone had the front shocks and struts replaced?

(Alignment, balance and shop checked it..) nothing loose. It's continuing to bounce even with new tires... The shocks seem strong, yet on small bumps you can feel like a bounce in the front tires....
Thanks.

Note: old tires had cupping on the Rear wheels. Front did not.

 

Valving inside of shocks and struts ain't all one piece. They can fail at absorbing small bumps properly and still work on big ones, or so claims KYB in a general explanatory video.

My rear shocks were failing at 40k miles. No leaks or nothin'! Align-tech noticed, I verified and went and bought a spring compressor. Did fronts and rears.
The KYB Excel Gs are still running good at 100k miles.
I'm in a 2012 GE, but.. struts are struts.

 

Aren't these Fits generally a bumpy ride? I got my '09 last year and while the shocks don't seem to do much absorbing it's what I expected from reviews.

 

Its a fairly stiff stock ride. Based on the descrip I think OP is talking rebound issues. Springs and struts take the punch, struts lower you back down smoothly. Shouldn't bounce at all. With shocks, I think the spring takes much more of the impact due to the shock's removal from the structure of the assembly.. kinda burnt out/not explaining great.
Cupping of the rear tires is a definite indication of component failure..since the rear doesn't get aligned, so that leaves wheel bearings n shocks (assuming the lug nuts are tight.) wheel bearings would prolly have other symptoms, like noise.. but regardless, its super easy to diagnose em.

 

JW, I have a similar problem with a 2011 Honda Fit I just purchased. It has app 92.5K. I noticed just pulling up on our sidewalk....app 3/4" rise from a standstill, I heard a seemingly loud "thunk"...not the usual soft dampened tire sound when hitting bumps. It's also just on the right hand side and not the left. Different sounds. And of course I hear it on ALL small bumps, large rocks...anywhere there's a small "ledge" for the tire to crawl over. The steering, sway bars, etc all feel tight and there's absolutely NO swaying or "free-play" in the steering at ANY speed while driving slow or fast. I let my Bil mechanic look at it and he's saying (without "racking" it) it's the struts. Not a cheap fix. I'm curious too if others have heard of this. Maybe it's because it's a 2011 and the "rubber" is hardening on suspension parts? In all my 45 yrs of driving, never lost a "strut"!

 

That's struts.
After my suspension replacement I started thinking about all the cars I'd driven and if their suspension was also blown but went unnoticed.
It was on most of the ones we've owned. They'd creak over bumps, or just bounce. Hit a pothole on the freeway and they'd bump steer a little, but the Tacomas, T100s, 4runners, Previas and Siennas (guess my father was a Toyota guy) all had slop in the steering or a lift on them, and the Del Sol didn't have power steering.

The fit's tight as a tendon. For myself anyways, I can't avoid noticing when something's not right with it, steering, suspension, brakes, idle and acceleration, start-up and gear change.

 

Yeah...I knew it would be too good to be true to be sway bars or something cheaper (shocks, etc). Oh well. Have you had it done to get an app cost? Looks like the covering at the top of the hood will have to be removed to get to the top of them and I think the windshield wiper motor etc...not a small job from what I'm seeing. As you say AND as my Bil said, it's VERY tight and nothing else wrong and it wouldnt hurt to drive it like that for now. It's a "3rd" vehicle for driving around town and I'm not sure I'm going to have it fixed at this time....so what other damage could it cause? It's not bad enough to affect the braking, steering at this point I wouldnt think. Not sure many people would have caught it because of the "rougher/noisier" ride it presents being a small vehicle. Just wish I'd caught it before I bought it for sure.

EDIT 7-16-21 I spoke with my Bro-in-law on the phone last night. He actually works for a auto shop (not a dealer) here in town. He didnt rack the car but drove it. The cost to replace the two front struts? $1100! I asked him "how long do I have? and will it hurt to drive it?". He told me that for a 3rd vehicle around town (wife driving mostly), and with the suspension, steering and no other apparent issues from a strut- such as bouncing, nose-diving, leaking, etc- he would drive it! He said I may never have to have it fixed. NOW, he said IF it starts bumping more and rattling, leaking- the usual "worse-case" scenarios, then we'd need to have it fixed. (I do appreciate your input Pyts as I see you already stated your opinion on costs, driveability etc.)

Any opinions on this? FWIW- NO visual unusual tire wear, no bouncing, swaying, dipping in turns etc. Just a "thump" on some bumps.

 

This job doesn't have to be a bank or heart breaker, I'd do it at cost for a neighbor or friend on a sunny afternoon.
It's about 4 or 5 hours of labor for me in a driveway or parking lot.
Option A: Parts come in at ~$340.00 from rockauto. That's front struts, mounts, and rear shocks. KYB (suspension component manufacturer) parts

​​​​​​Option B: You could save labor costs by purchasing strut/ coil spring/ mount assemblies as a unit. They cost $113 a piece for the fronts, rears are still $45 a piece (accounted for in option A). That's assuming again that you get KYB parts, which come highly recommended.

With the full assemblies the mechanic wouldn't have to remove the springs/need a spring compressor, or do any measuring to get the springs "pre-loaded," but I've heard and do believe that aftermarket springs are often stiffer than the original ones from Honda. It would shave off, jeez, two hours? Someone who's familiar and well-equipped could likely do all it an an hour or one and a half.

All that said, I'd put the value of the full job at $600. If you're so inclined, talk to a local private mechanic and see if you can get an estimate for it with your providing the components. I could send you links to the parts and you could purchase them when able.

Having failing/failed struts on your car is more of a drivability issue than a hazard. I suppose it allows for more transfer of road impacts to other suspension components, which *could* lead to premature wear, but I wouldn't actually worry. This could be addressed next year if need be.