It depends. If you are really pushing your Honda Fit to the limit on dry road, then a summer performance tire would be safer and your thesis would be validated.

Around here, we have 4 seasons, there are lots of potholes and traffic is stop and go where its not really possible to take the Fit to the limit. I can picture the Ascend being better fitted for the wet and snow season then the Avid. I can also picture the Ascend being a more comfortable quieter tire. It might not accel at being an all out summer or track tire, but its probably good at everything else.

There is no one size fits all tire. For example, snow tires do real well in the snow, but dont do well with anything else. Summer tires with lots of grip are usually noisy, have a stiff sidewall, dont wear well, suck in the snow or wet, however, they do really well on dry pavement. All-Season tires try to be everything, but they are not great at any one thing. They are a compromise tire.

 

Wasn't very well explained. My bad.

The first dealer repaired the flat but left the goo inside the tire. The goo is supposed to be cleaned out after a repair. The dealer left it there.

I took it on the highway 5 days later. A rarity for me as I live in downtown Montreal proper.

The car started shaking like crazy past 105km/hr or so. I knew what the problem was already. But I had a few doubts. Maybe a lead weight had come off on the bad roads? I didn't trust the original dealer. So I went to the other one.

I told them my suspicions. They found it in 1 min flat. The goo was still there. They fixed my tire. Balanced them. Wash my car and sent me on my way. All for free!

They will have my business from now on.

And it probably didn't hurt either that all the mechs came over to see my Fit and complemented me on my modest mods. They were really interested in the Shark Fin and the Rear Wiper Mod. I showed them how to disconnect the Air Conditioning from auto on when in defrost. One of them picked up on the K&N filter as I pulled in the service bay. Another was convinced I had HIDs until I told him I had the Sylvania Ultras. They look very white.

I had the TC set to normal for my service appointment. The mech doing my test drive after the repair asked me if he could give it a go. I said sure. I put it in sport mode 5 for him. He was impressed!!!! As am I everytime i use it. Usually in sport mode 7.

They want to see it again when I put the JDM Red H emblems front and back with an RS emblem in the back. I have a cheapy SPORT emblem on the right side opposite the Fit emblem right now. That's coming off.

I might try to paint the SPORT logo emblem the same red as the JDM Red H emblems and clear coat the snot out of it to see if I can't make it look good. Maybe put it back on instead of the RS emblem?

Meh!

Lowering springs next.

Sorry rambling. At work. Blah!!!!

 

And your choice of tire is? You know what's helped me more than just the tires I think- traction control and vehicle assist. I didn't have them on the 09, obviously. But now- they have already helped a great deal. Those features alone have been worth the upgrade for me.

 

Haven't replaced my tires yet, but since I live in California I can get away with summer tires all year. I got a 2010 instead of an 11 because I didn't want traction control, The system in my old G8 was fantastic but in my 4Runner it was horrifically intrusive. First thing I do in rental cars is turn off the TC.

 

I keep it on full time in the Fit. Love it. It's never been intrusive and when either TC or VAC kicked in, I needed it. In your own words-

That doesn't just apply to tires.

 

I trust my skills more than an electric nanny that steps on the brakes...

 

Maybe you ought to look up the traction ratings and reviews of the two tires BEFORE you make you comments.

 

Before I buy any tire I look them up on Consumer Reports and get the best one listed in their reports. You know they will be putting the tires through a thorough "real world" driving test. However, the Fit has a limited selection of tires and sometimes test data isnt always available for the tires which are available. A few more brands have been placed on the TireRack site in the last few months though.

I know for a fact the stock tires...the Dunlops...will not last you very long if you are an aggressive driver. The Dunlops have a stiff sidewall which you feel all bumps. They do have great steering feedback...so good that you cant be on a cellphone while you are driving or else one wrong slip of the wheel and you are going into the divider.

The Yoko Avids seem to have a little bit of a softer ride and the steering isnt as sensitive with them. Its a more comfortable tire and the noise is certainly reduced. Traction during snow, as posted by myself in a Youtube video, seems excellent. Traction on dry road is excellent too and I noticed I can go deep into turns without the usual squealing that the Dunlops make.

I have not seen any test data on the Ascends, but I can imagine when compared with the AVIDS its more of a "touring" tire then a "performance" tire. I can imagine the ride is a bit softer and the steering input dulled a bit more. The noise would even be more reduced. So that tire will probably change the performance character of the car. I can imagine it being better in wet and slippery conditions.

The tire you get depends upon where you drive it. If you live in say upstate New York or out in Michigan then the Ascends are a better tire for you. You can only drive so much over potholes and ruts before you go totally crazy. When the snow or wet season comes then you will certainly appreciate a tire which performs better in those conditions. Highway driving on the Ascends would be more appreciated then on performance tires. Listening to tire noise is never all that fun. Finally, changing the tires at 50,000 miles rather then 25000 miles is always appreciated. A new set of tires runs about $400 and then when they go to install it there is the alignment and maybe they might have to replace the tire rod ends. You might end up spending close to a grand when it comes to replace those things.