You don't.

 

I'll never understand why people give dsm so much flack for stating the simple truth. Let's be real. As the autox guys say, it's 70% driver, 20% tires, 10% car.

If you are having trouble driving, you should worry about the other 90% of the equation. Frankly the fit has been a blast in the snow ever since I learned the old two foot. 1 foot on the brake, 1 foot in the gas. Rear tires to rotate you, front tires to claw your way through the turn. It's an elegant thing.

Having driven a 4000 lb sled in the snow, my 97 rwd tbird, I can say the fit is wonderful. Thank god that tbird had high profile tires that literally bounce off the curb when you slide into it. Saved my ass many a time.

 

pretty much the point i was trying to make. thanks dsm man. if he wanted to tear arse down the highway in the snow and sleet he should have gotten an evo or scooby.

 

I love this thread.

 

thats not true... yeah 120km/h is normal highway driving in the US, but A LOT of people go 80mph which is like 130km/h.. and some go like 90. which is like 145km/h

everyone acts like the Autobahn is so glamorous with there maximum recommended speed of 130km/h (or 81mp/h) ... we hit those speeds all the time in the US... i don't see the big deal... i wish there was a way we could bring foreigners to the US and see what real highway driving is like in our 26 lane super highways with a 130km/h speed limit.

 

I thought sections of the Autobahn had no speed limits. Hence the love of achieving nearly 200 mph in the exotic cars. Or at least 100+ mph in more common coupes and sedans. MPH, not KPH.

Edit: the recommended speed limit does not mean you have to drive less than that. German cops don't care if you can blow past that 'limit.' it only comes into effect if you're involved in and accident. If you were going faster than the recommended speed and get into an accident, you are basically classified as driving recklessly.

I know that in most, if not all states, there is a simple rule that automatically overrules any posted speed limit... drive reasonably for the road conditions. They don't care if the speed limit is 60 mph, and you were only going 40 mph, if that 40 mph was too much for you and your car to handle the road.

 

I had to drive my Fit in two snow storms with bald nexen n2000's in autumn... and the car felt great, i was nervous it would struggle, but it turned out that it was a lot more capable than most cars on the highway...

Now i have Michelin X-Ice XI2 which i've been using since the first gen got out, and they are amazing! I always felt confident with my car!

I HAVE DROVE THROUGH LOTS OF SNOW STORMS WITH MY FIT! AND IT'S AN EXTREMELY CAPABLE CAR IN ANY THOUGH SITUATIONS!

God i hate when people don't pay attention

 

lol sorry... this thread is starting to piss me off... most people on this forum wonder if they'll even put snow tires on they're cars... here in quebec it's a law!

@Fits_of_fury : where do you live if you have such terrible winters?

 

What kind of responce did you expect? your on fitfreak, OP
"D'OH!, that's right!, what was I think'n?"

 

I don't think it's the car that's the problem. I think it's the driver. Learn how to drive properly buddy.

 

Heh.

 

To All: I really don't care what you say. Yes of course, I'm a horrible driver. Just believe what you want to believe, this thread was a long time in coming. The criticisms I've made are reproducible. Go ahead and take your fit onto a gravel road and see for yourself. note: that's not a dirt road.

If I drove like a grandma I wouldn't notice a problem either.

 

Yep you are infallible and there is no amount of schooling or experience that might make you a better driver.

Every time I go to any track I have come away knowing more than I did going in. Be it the quarter-mile or a road course, like Road America. You can apply what you learn to street driving in any conditions.

You don't have to be a horrible driver to improve in some capacity. I never actually called you a horrible driver, the term I used was "driver mod."

There are some cars that are ACTUALLY challenging to drive, even when you are on dry tarmac. Like an AMG Black Series or 997 GT2 with the TCS off and the boost turned up. Or a TT LS7.. or a Viper.

The Fit is not so tough.

On gravel at high speed you just have to basically throw the cars mass where you want it to go. Ask the Scandinavians how they do it

 

I agree. The more track experience you get, the better driver you become. You should try a road course. You'll learn even more.

 

The Fit doesn't handle that bad, even when on 3 wheels

 

The OP in his original post admits that he is comparing the Fits handling to that of Preludes he has driven in the past.

Well, I've never driven a Prelude, but every vehicle has a different feel and different strengths and weaknesses under different conditions. It comes down to the conditions you are driving in. In this case the OP admits he is talking about Ice/Snow or Gravel with cross winds...I'd define those as extreme conditions.

I think you're perfectly free to compare The Fit in those conditions to vehicles you have driven in the past, or even currently do drive and say, "The Fit isn't as good". But it's your characterization that the Fit's handling characteristics are "crap" or "like a crazed Mule" that will put people on the defensive.

For me? In the conditions I'm most likely to encounter, in comparison to most of the vehicles I've driven over my lifetime? While in specific situations I had vehicles designed to handle specific conditions "better", overall I would rank The Fit as one of the better handling vehicles I have owned.

Basically no vehicle in the Fits class is going to handle particularly well in snow/ice and gravel with cross winds...but under "less severe" conditions than described I enjoy the handling abilities of The Fit...it's almost like a railed go-kart...

So it's all up to the OP. If you are convinced it's not Tires, Alignment...and/or your personal driving style..and the feedback you receive from driving your Fit is that disturbing, and you are not willing to adapt your driving style...then I guess you are forced to make a decision. Give up on this daily driver you say is irreplaceable in terms of economy and cargo space, or simply live with what the vehicle is, in relationship to the conditions you seem to be driving it in, coupled with your driving skills and style.

You are in a rather unique enviroment. For me, when the snow or ice get's too deep, I simply do not drive The Fit, but not because I don't think I or The Fit could handle it..but in the suburbs of a city where people only occasionally see snow and ice...it's everyone around me that makes me leave it parked.

Yeah, you want crappy in snow or ice with cross winds? Try a 67 Mustang.

 

The only thing I regret is that we can't tripod around corners in quite the same way the Civic Type R hatches could. Even though having that 4th contact patch on the ground can be helpful

 

I could almost say the Fit is like a sail in high wind, but I wouldn't come close to saying it handles terribly.

 

wow someone's being hostile. anyways. your fit must suck then. i'm running my fit with bridgestone blizzaks WS60. We just got another foot of snow here in minnesota and my fit handles it better then most cars during the white out conditions. then again this is on ice and snow covered ASPHALT. i'm not trying to rally the fit down dirt and gravel roads like you guys do in canada, cause you guys don't have real paved roads right? lol i kid, i kid.

 

Putting a sway bar and lowering springs helped a lot as for winter driveability, this and good winter tires...

Maybe you could try improving the handling...