Winter seems far off now, but I'm hoping to get the following questions answered in plenty of time...

...and please, not to be rude, but I'm not looking for any "this should work", "sounds about right" or other speculative answers, just the cold hard facts/official Honda recommendation please.

I want to get a set of inexpensive steel wheels and winter tires for winter use (I don't want to run the pretty alloys in the muck and winter tires are simply better in the winter) BUT I have yet to find an online site (e.g. tirerack.com) that can provide the proper fitment info, or better yet offer a winter wheel/tire package for purchase.

1. Why is this info hard to find (e.g. why can't tirerack.com provide the fitment info)?

2. What is the official Honda recommendation for the 09 Fit Sport (i.e. run steel 15s and run narrower winter tires with a higher sidewall OR run steel 16s and winter tires that are the same size as the all season tires that came with the car)?

3. What are the specs for the recommended wheels and tires so 09 Fit Sport owners can shop around?

If nobody knows, or if there simply is no official Honda recommendation, I will be unpleasantly surprised and will get on the phone with Honda Canada and pass along any information they give me.

Come on Fit community, dazzle me with your technical knowledge! Thanks in advance.

 

I purchased 4 steel rims from the dealer parts dept. Size 15x5.5" and are the correct ones for the Fit. There are 6" wide ones for the Civic and are a bit cheaper but I wanted the exact proper spec for the Fit so I went with the 5.5" width.

I also got 4 Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 winter tires. Size is 175/65R15 and is the exact size on the base model and is a bit narrower than the Sport model tires. Narrower is better in snow.


Not inexpensive but they are the recommended correct size.

Here's a pic:

 

Thank you for your excellent post Virtual. "Add to Virtual's reputation" deservedly clicked.

I guess now my follow up question is...

...can I just go buy some 15" x 5.5" steel wheels at Canadian Tire to save some money, or are there other fitment details (offset?) that require that I buy Honda steel wheels from a Honda dealer to be on spec? As you can see I don't know much about this stuff.

Thanks again for your excellent post Virtual, hopefully you or someone else will be kind enough to answer this follow up question.

 

I tried other places than the dealer last fall. Nobody else had the 5.5 width rims. Many tire shops had 6" wide Civic ones and other members on this forum use them. I'm a bit of nitpicker when it comes to sizes. I go out of my way to get the exact spec.

The tires of that size were difficult to get too. I had to wait about 2 months before stock was available.

It might be different now since the Fit 09 has been around longer. Try Canadian Tire or other tire shops and see what they have.

Note about the picture above: The center cap is from my old 88 Civic and so are the chrome lug nuts and McGard wheel lock.

 

First, the info is not hard to find. Well, OK, some of it isn't.
The Fit wheel must have a bolt pattern of 4x100 mm bolt circle with an offset 45 to 53 mm, and a centerbore of 56.1 to 58 mm. Thats the easy part. THEN you have to see if tghe wheel 'dish' will clear the calipers, drums, and suspension links over the full range of wheel angles. Sellers depend mostly on manufacturer's indicated proper fitment but sometimes (often) they are not correct. The overall tire diameter needs tio be within the stock tire diameter range. For 09's its 24". If you are lowered its less, as much as down to 23" diameter.
For lowered cars the application becomes more rigorous; most advisories on wheel and tire sizes include requirements to 'roll' the fender, grind off ribs, or change camber. there are a number of Civic and Fit wheels in the 15x5 to 6" size that are reasonable cost and fit well. Check offset. Many posters here have good sources, including junk yards. So far no one we know has found a 16" wheel anywhere near as cheap as 15" and tire selection is a bit more difficult.
We have found, as most tire manufacturers testing that when water and snow are encountered a slightly larger tire diameter is better than a lesser one, that a slightly narrower tire section is better than a wider one, tread patterns and tread compound being equal. And within limits.
For our area for those who venture into the snowy mountains, a 175/65x15 tire is preferrable as long as it has good snow and rain performance. A narrower tire has less resistance to pushing thru rain or snow ahead and the larger diameter reduces the 'ramp' that the tire must 'climb' as it encounters undisturbed snow or puddles ahead. Not discounted is the effectiveness of tread patterns and tread compounds, which are of equal value. So:
Performance is compared using TireRack's excellent performance ratings: when you choose a tire consulting TireRack's buyer responses and their tests are invaluable. Pick whichever characteristics you find more useful (snow, wet, dry, slalom, tread wear, cost, etc) and go accordingly.
Hope that helps.
Good luck.

 

Thanks for the info mahout.

At this point I'm planning to run a setup like the one described in Virtual's excellent posts as I too am nitpicky about being on spec.

As for finding the steelies somewhere other than Honda (to save money) or finding a wheel/tire package online and having them delivered mounted, balanced and inflated I will post any info I find in case others might find it useful.

We still have some time before the snow comes where I'm at so hopefully things will become more clear sooner rather than later.