Well, sounds like the car will do fine in the snow as is, with a little cation. Next winter will see some snow tires.

Barb

 

Well, sounds like the car will do fine in the snow as is, with a little cation. Next winter will see some snow tires.

Barb

 

lol. I looked at some of these posts in disbelief. We just had about 6in of wet nasty snow and I rode in the middle of the storm and I though the FiT was a damn 4x4. I mean I've never driven a vehicle so easy to drive in the snow. Point the wheels in the direction you want to go, start in 2nd gear if its real slick. and drive. So easy! no steering into skids and trying to stop 4000lbs of mass like my previous rwd vehicles. It was so easy I even practiced a few jturns in a large empty paring lot. Lots of fun! All you have to do is drive according to conditions.

 

FYI: I have a Fit Sport, which is 100% stock. IMO, the FIt handles snow really well. A week or so ago, my area (Philly) was hit with ~23" of snow. When there was ~5 to 6" on the ground, I started a trip to central New Jersey (I know, that was stupid, but I had to attend a party). I went about 40 mph on I-95 for most of the way, and the Fit really didn't slip or slide much. The car handled really well, even in significant snow.

The anti-lock brakes sound really loud, but generally keep the car in a straight line. As long as you go relatively slow and are aware of your surroundings, I would recommend the Fit in snow.

 

In days gone by, I never bothered with winters and used summer Michelin Xs; very few problems on a VW Scirocco. Being older and wiser, winters are a cheap investment, especially if you buy rims when the car is new. The longer you wait, and the more mounts/dismounts you pay for, the less the advantage.
I think the Fit does well in the snow, as long as it isn't too deep. Got home in a bitch of a late season snow (8", wet and greasy) that I doubt I could have managed on summers.
Check the Tire Rack; winters are now available in several Blizzak varieties.
Is AWD drive better? My bride's Quattro is a wonder in the snow, but it doesn't get 35mpg or cost $16K. In really deep snow, the Jeep is the deal; buck thru' about anything.
Moon

 

What I think is funny, is since buying my Fit in August, I haven't seen many other Fits on the road. Maybe 1 or 2 per day. But then one day last week it snowed pretty good and I must have seen 15 or so Fits running around! Maybe they're built for the snow and we just don't know it yet?

 

Winter tires are awesome! I haven't tried the A/S on the 16's, but considering the A/S on my old bug wouldn't pull me away from the curb, when the winter tires would hook up. I have driven many cars with and without, so it was a natural choice, as it is my wife that drives it 90% of the time. You will also notice that all of my posts are winter tire/ rim info related. Don't mess around, winter is nasty!

 

it was surprisingly good. i drove it through some snowy mountain passes to get it home when i bought it and i was impressed.

 

been snowing a lot here in massachussetts, i drive all day long, theres no one on the roads, i feel very safe in my fit sport, as long as im driving a reasonable speed its very well behaved

 

Just came to work in some snow for the past couple days and it handles pretty good. No snow tires, but pretty new tires (March). Hubby will be getting an all wheel drive vehicle.

 

OK, had a couple of chances to drive the Fit in light snow. Feels very sure footed and the ABS does not seem obtrusive. In fact, so far I've had to really stab the breaks to get it activated. Still waiting to see what it's like in deep snow or slush. In fact, I can wait quite happily till next winter, or even the winter after that.

Barb

 

I've driven in Upstate New York for 40 years and have driven front wheel drive in the winter for 30 years. I haven't bothered with snow tires since '92. The roads are plowed pretty well here, most of the time. If conditions are so bad that snow tires would be needed, I try to stay home, as I'm more worried about the "other guy" when the going gets rough. The Fit drives in winter as well as any car I've owned and better than most.

 

I must say I am also impressed with the snow handling of my car, a Fit base A/T. We have had about 24 inches of snow in the area since Christmas and I haven't had a problem yet.
That said I do drive very slowly and with extreme caution in bad weather. This area has some of the worst-reputed drivers in the country and when the weather deteriorates the driving skills also ratchet down accordingly. In other words, the Fit trundles along fine in the snow - it is the other drivers I worry about.

 

I'm with Uncle Gary, watch out for the other guy. I've driven front drives since 1978. Snow tires were the norm where I grew up, southern Georgian Bay, as it snows pretty much every day through the winter.

Seems the consensus is that the Fit is very capable in the snow, even more so with snow tires.

Three weeks with the new Fit and it's growing on me.

Barb

 

Just sharing my observations here.
I bought my 2010 Sport MT last week and have been driving in snow the past 2 days now.

Good news: I like the ABS compared to other cars in the price range. Not too loud and so far very effective. My wife's Matrix OTOH, sounds like it going to shake apart whenever the ABS kicks in.

Bad news:
-Low ground clearance.
-Maybe it's the shorter wheelbase, but this car wants to move sideways every time the tires break loose under acceleration. I know it's normal, but my other FWD compacts don't do it nearly as much as the Fit.
-Stock A/S Dunlops. So far I'm not impressed with these tires in the snow. The 70% worn Falken Ziex tires on my Protege were more effective in snow. Adequate, but not great.

Conclusion:
Adequate in the snow, but better tires (snows or better A/S tires even)would make a world of difference. And watch out for big chunks of snow in the road and deep spots unless you want to use your airdam as a snowplow.

Disclaimer: Perhaps I'm a little over-concerned because I bought my first-ever new car in the middle of the snowiest winter we've had in about 20 years. I was hoping not to find any damage when I finally get to wash it for the first time...

 

I find the base Fit surprising surefooted for a tiny little car. I forget how small it is when I'm inside it, though.

I noticed the airdam snowplow thing myself. I misjudged the distance between the nose of the car and one of those enormous parking lot snowpiles the other day and took a huge mouthful of sandy ice chunks.

Hopefully one of these days I'll get to see my brand new car clean.

 

I tried the stock tires on our 09 Fit Sport on barely 1/2" of snow, poor performance. I'm comparing to my old 1999 Civic with Michelin All Season tires, which was a lot better imho.

Now the good news...

Costco just this year (2010) started carrying Bridgestone tires! I called Jan 4th, and they looked it up for me... so they special-ordered the Blizzak W60 Snow tires, in standard rim sizing for 2009/10 Fit Sport (185/55/R16) -- they arrived today. I will have them put on this week when the snow clears a little, and report back.

Price was $125 per tire + tax, everything else included. So $500 out the door + tax.

 

I just could not deal with all the salt on my Fit, so yesterday I filled a bucket and got out my summer gear and gave it a quick wash- just water though and being very careful not to rub the car clean. It felt as good as taking a shower MYSELF! Poor thing was absolutely a mess. Any day you get 32 degrees or above with some sun is a good day to take ten minutes and clean up a bit.

We've had non stop snow and ice and the Fit is doing great, stock tires and all. I've also been watching my mesh screen install in the air damn and it's holding perfectly and not getting clogged. My fogs are fine too but that's pure luck. I haven't done anything for them yet.

Dan

 

I hear ya. Mine was clean for about 10 minutes after I bought it last week. I would kill for a 40* day and a car wash right now.

I will say the Blizzaks are GREAT snow tires. My Miata couldn't even get out of the driveway on it's summer tires several years ago until a borrowed a set of Blizzaks and the thing was unstoppable--and FUN. The MIata is not my DD anymore so I sold the Blizzaks--now I wish I hadn't...

Matt

 

Picked up our 2010 Fit Sport AT Navi/VSA last week. Drove it straight from the dealership to Discount Tire and had a set of Blizzak WS60's waiting for me. Had a chance to test it today in some patented Minnesota heavy snow and ice conditions and...the FIT is a certified snow eater!! Traction control and VSA worked flawlessly. I found that driving in Sport mode and shifting manually worked out the best for me. Starting off in 1st is a exercise in futility even with the snows. Starting in 2nd with a light foot on the gas is the way to go to reduce wheelspin and a short shift to 3rd ASAP to keep it going. This technic worked like a charm. I would highly recommend anyone in snowy climates to throw a set of Blizzak WS60's on their Fit. I can't even imagine driving this car in the winter without snows.

We picked up a 2010 Pilot Touring as well last month and I can honestly say the Fit with the WS60's is much more sure footed cornering and stopping than the 4WD Pilot is on A/S tires. The areas in which the Pilot excells over the Fit are starting from a stop due to the Pilot's 4WD, in deep snow as the lower ride height of the Fit has it's limitations, and the longer wheelbase of the Pilot is advantagous as well. When the A/S tires wear out on the Pilot, it too will have snows.

Long story short: Spend the $$$ on snows tires ya cheap bastards! Guess I should take my own advice on the Pilot, huh? HAHA!