Reasons for picking the Base over Sport... am I crazy?
#81
12-10-2011, 06:23 PM
Is it obvious where the sway bar goes? Did you need to get new bolts (I read that somewhere)? I'm wondering if it affects warranty in any way?
Did the TPMS or the odometer have to be reconfigured?
Sorry for all these questions!
And one more----what exactly does a sway bar do?
Thanks!
Did the TPMS or the odometer have to be reconfigured?
Sorry for all these questions!
And one more----what exactly does a sway bar do?
Thanks!
#82
12-10-2011, 06:41 PM
If you're not sure what it's for, I'm gonna say that your fit will be just fine without it. 
#83
12-10-2011, 06:51 PM
it helps you get your sway on.
kidding.
It's really an anti-roll-bar aka anti-sway bar. It's to reduce rolling from side to side as you corner. It accomplishes this by resisting upward movement of one wheel in conjunction with downward movement in the opposite wheel, while not resisting upward/downward movement of both in the same direction, and to a lesser extent upward/downward movement of one (with no corresponding downward movement of the other).
All Fits (all cars?) come with a front anti-roll bar. Our Fits have rear torsion beam suspension (not as complex and well engineered as independent rear suspension (IRS)) that also resists rolling. Sport models have an extra stiff rear torsion beam. After-market anti-roll bars stiffen this even more on either the Sport or the Base.
On cars with IRS (and on the front of our Fits) the anti-roll bar is jointed and attaches to the frame with rods that attach to the wheel mounts. The whole thing rotates along its axis when both wheels move up and down at the same time. Independent up and down motion of opposite wheels twist the anti-roll bar (a torsion bar itself) resisting this motion.
The downside is that an anti-roll bar will reduce some play in the suspension making the ride a bit rougher. A good suspension with anti-roll bars front and back makes the car feel like "it corners on rails." This inspires turning confidence. I'm not sure how much it actually improves handling in terms of track speeds. Depends on the car and driver. There is some discussion that it may increase the tendency of the inside wheel in turns to lift off the ground and decrease traction.
kidding.
It's really an anti-roll-bar aka anti-sway bar. It's to reduce rolling from side to side as you corner. It accomplishes this by resisting upward movement of one wheel in conjunction with downward movement in the opposite wheel, while not resisting upward/downward movement of both in the same direction, and to a lesser extent upward/downward movement of one (with no corresponding downward movement of the other).
All Fits (all cars?) come with a front anti-roll bar. Our Fits have rear torsion beam suspension (not as complex and well engineered as independent rear suspension (IRS)) that also resists rolling. Sport models have an extra stiff rear torsion beam. After-market anti-roll bars stiffen this even more on either the Sport or the Base.
On cars with IRS (and on the front of our Fits) the anti-roll bar is jointed and attaches to the frame with rods that attach to the wheel mounts. The whole thing rotates along its axis when both wheels move up and down at the same time. Independent up and down motion of opposite wheels twist the anti-roll bar (a torsion bar itself) resisting this motion.
The downside is that an anti-roll bar will reduce some play in the suspension making the ride a bit rougher. A good suspension with anti-roll bars front and back makes the car feel like "it corners on rails." This inspires turning confidence. I'm not sure how much it actually improves handling in terms of track speeds. Depends on the car and driver. There is some discussion that it may increase the tendency of the inside wheel in turns to lift off the ground and decrease traction.
#84
12-10-2011, 07:31 PM
Dear Little Black:
No I didn't have any recalibration of the speedo or odometer - it is off by less than 2%. The TPMS gizmos were put on the new, aftermarket wheels, all manufacturers have kits for this. I got my wheels & tires at Discount Tire.
You seem to know very little about rear sway bars., that's OK, we all start from the same place. But it is time for you to learn how to self feed! To start your education, please read all the posts in this thread. Then do a google search for posts on installing rear sway bar on honda fit. You will find a bunch of them with photos showing you how to step by step.
It is really quite easy to install the RSB on the Fit, but for someone with little experience or confidence taking to a mechanic is a good idea. The labor with a skilled mechanic should only be about 1/2 hour. If you want flat cornering, it is worth the cost whether you DIY or pay some one. Best wishes!
No I didn't have any recalibration of the speedo or odometer - it is off by less than 2%. The TPMS gizmos were put on the new, aftermarket wheels, all manufacturers have kits for this. I got my wheels & tires at Discount Tire.
You seem to know very little about rear sway bars., that's OK, we all start from the same place. But it is time for you to learn how to self feed! To start your education, please read all the posts in this thread. Then do a google search for posts on installing rear sway bar on honda fit. You will find a bunch of them with photos showing you how to step by step.
It is really quite easy to install the RSB on the Fit, but for someone with little experience or confidence taking to a mechanic is a good idea. The labor with a skilled mechanic should only be about 1/2 hour. If you want flat cornering, it is worth the cost whether you DIY or pay some one. Best wishes!
#85
12-10-2011, 08:09 PM
Cool about the sway bar. I was wondering if the wheels/tires affected the odometer etc.
#86
12-10-2011, 08:11 PM
it helps you get your sway on.
kidding.
It's really an anti-roll-bar aka anti-sway bar. It's to reduce rolling from side to side as you corner. It accomplishes this by resisting upward movement of one wheel in conjunction with downward movement in the opposite wheel, while not resisting upward/downward movement of both in the same direction, and to a lesser extent upward/downward movement of one (with no corresponding downward movement of the other).
All Fits (all cars?) come with a front anti-roll bar. Our Fits have rear torsion beam suspension (not as complex and well engineered as independent rear suspension (IRS)) that also resists rolling. Sport models have an extra stiff rear torsion beam. After-market anti-roll bars stiffen this even more on either the Sport or the Base.
On cars with IRS (and on the front of our Fits) the anti-roll bar is jointed and attaches to the frame with rods that attach to the wheel mounts. The whole thing rotates along its axis when both wheels move up and down at the same time. Independent up and down motion of opposite wheels twist the anti-roll bar (a torsion bar itself) resisting this motion.
The downside is that an anti-roll bar will reduce some play in the suspension making the ride a bit rougher. A good suspension with anti-roll bars front and back makes the car feel like "it corners on rails." This inspires turning confidence. I'm not sure how much it actually improves handling in terms of track speeds. Depends on the car and driver. There is some discussion that it may increase the tendency of the inside wheel in turns to lift off the ground and decrease traction.
kidding.
It's really an anti-roll-bar aka anti-sway bar. It's to reduce rolling from side to side as you corner. It accomplishes this by resisting upward movement of one wheel in conjunction with downward movement in the opposite wheel, while not resisting upward/downward movement of both in the same direction, and to a lesser extent upward/downward movement of one (with no corresponding downward movement of the other).
All Fits (all cars?) come with a front anti-roll bar. Our Fits have rear torsion beam suspension (not as complex and well engineered as independent rear suspension (IRS)) that also resists rolling. Sport models have an extra stiff rear torsion beam. After-market anti-roll bars stiffen this even more on either the Sport or the Base.
On cars with IRS (and on the front of our Fits) the anti-roll bar is jointed and attaches to the frame with rods that attach to the wheel mounts. The whole thing rotates along its axis when both wheels move up and down at the same time. Independent up and down motion of opposite wheels twist the anti-roll bar (a torsion bar itself) resisting this motion.
The downside is that an anti-roll bar will reduce some play in the suspension making the ride a bit rougher. A good suspension with anti-roll bars front and back makes the car feel like "it corners on rails." This inspires turning confidence. I'm not sure how much it actually improves handling in terms of track speeds. Depends on the car and driver. There is some discussion that it may increase the tendency of the inside wheel in turns to lift off the ground and decrease traction.
#87
12-10-2011, 08:12 PM
Dear Little Black:
No I didn't have any recalibration of the speedo or odometer - it is off by less than 2%. The TPMS gizmos were put on the new, aftermarket wheels, all manufacturers have kits for this. I got my wheels & tires at Discount Tire.
You seem to know very little about rear sway bars., that's OK, we all start from the same place. But it is time for you to learn how to self feed! To start your education, please read all the posts in this thread. Then do a google search for posts on installing rear sway bar on honda fit. You will find a bunch of them with photos showing you how to step by step.
It is really quite easy to install the RSB on the Fit, but for someone with little experience or confidence taking to a mechanic is a good idea. The labor with a skilled mechanic should only be about 1/2 hour. If you want flat cornering, it is worth the cost whether you DIY or pay some one. Best wishes!
No I didn't have any recalibration of the speedo or odometer - it is off by less than 2%. The TPMS gizmos were put on the new, aftermarket wheels, all manufacturers have kits for this. I got my wheels & tires at Discount Tire.
You seem to know very little about rear sway bars., that's OK, we all start from the same place. But it is time for you to learn how to self feed! To start your education, please read all the posts in this thread. Then do a google search for posts on installing rear sway bar on honda fit. You will find a bunch of them with photos showing you how to step by step.
It is really quite easy to install the RSB on the Fit, but for someone with little experience or confidence taking to a mechanic is a good idea. The labor with a skilled mechanic should only be about 1/2 hour. If you want flat cornering, it is worth the cost whether you DIY or pay some one. Best wishes!
#88
12-12-2011, 12:14 AM
Why is this thread still being commented upon? The original post was in 2008. Drive a base and a Sport. If the difference in handling is not important, buy the base model. If the ride quality is better in the base than the Sport, buy the base. If you want to go around a corner at the highest possible speed, buy the Sport.
#89
12-12-2011, 08:48 AM
Why is this thread still being commented upon? The original post was in 2008. Drive a base and a Sport. If the difference in handling is not important, buy the base model. If the ride quality is better in the base than the Sport, buy the base. If you want to go around a corner at the highest possible speed, buy the Sport.
Welcome to fitfreak! This is a great community with a lot of helpful and interesting information.
As for this thread---Perhaps some members didn't see it in 2008? Perhaps some of us are still interested?
#91
12-12-2011, 01:52 PM
Why is this thread still being commented upon? The original post was in 2008. Drive a base and a Sport. If the difference in handling is not important, buy the base model. If the ride quality is better in the base than the Sport, buy the base. If you want to go around a corner at the highest possible speed, buy the Sport.
#93
12-14-2011, 02:30 AM
As far as base vs sport the gap is really closing now. I always buy wheels for a car so that wasn't a factor and I don't really like add-on ground effect kits on anything.......Except an Omni...
To me a base Fit plus this seat for the same price as a sport is a no-brainer.
and like I said I don't care for the ground effects and like to ad my own wheels. Base Fit for me
.
#94
12-14-2011, 09:23 AM
Ha ha...that's what made me re-evaluate my base vs a newer base. When the big recall came out I saw the new alabaster silver and that the base had cruise so I just traded my old one in on it.
As far as base vs sport the gap is really closing now. I always buy wheels for a car so that wasn't a factor and I don't really like add-on ground effect kits on anything.......Except an Omni...
To me a base Fit plus this seat for the same price as a sport is a no-brainer.
and like I said I don't care for the ground effects and like to ad my own wheels. Base Fit for me.
As far as base vs sport the gap is really closing now. I always buy wheels for a car so that wasn't a factor and I don't really like add-on ground effect kits on anything.......Except an Omni...
To me a base Fit plus this seat for the same price as a sport is a no-brainer.
and like I said I don't care for the ground effects and like to ad my own wheels. Base Fit for me
.
#95
12-14-2011, 10:09 AM
Here is some info on the rear sway bar for you.
progress rear sway bar install | Honda Fit DIY
#96
12-14-2011, 05:13 PM
I got the Base model because it was much cheaper first off. However, it does have a softer ride which is still sporty. If I got the Sport, then I would have had to live with a harsher ride and I didnt want to do that. Also, in snow and rain steel wheels are better than alloys.
#98
12-14-2011, 06:14 PM
Things I dislike on the sport:
- Wheels
- Bodykit
- Spoiler
Things I didn't need or want on this particular purchase:
- Any automatic transmission
- Cruise control
- Navigation
- Any form of traction control or vehicle stability system
- USB connectivity
- If I could have opted out on the TPMS I would have
Base was made for me!
The only difference I wish I had is the RSB.
- Wheels
- Bodykit
- Spoiler
Things I didn't need or want on this particular purchase:
- Any automatic transmission
- Cruise control
- Navigation
- Any form of traction control or vehicle stability system
- USB connectivity
- If I could have opted out on the TPMS I would have
Base was made for me!
The only difference I wish I had is the RSB.
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