First time driving my 2011 Fit on snow today and I was impressed! The traction control worked wonderfully keeping the car straight on uncleaned roads. My only problem is going up hill. But I guess all FWD/RWD cars will have trouble with that today!

 

Right? I was worried at first, since the Fit is way lighter than my old Grand Am, that it'd positively suck in the snow. I was quite tickled when I passed a Porche 911 Turbo stuck in an inch and a half of snow on the Interstate while I chugged along without a problem prior to Christmas.

For hills, don't forget to put it in 1st if you have troubles getting up or sliding back, and take it nice and slow. I've also found that putting weight in the boot/trunk area helps with traction and control on snowy roads.

 

I was worried too! I just picked up my Fit today and I used to drive an SUV with incredible 4x4 in the snow. But the Fit handled pretty good!

 

I'm happy with my Michelin Xice 2 tyres. Very grippy. That being said, I tried to go up a 30% incline that was uncleared with some gear in the back and it was just a no go. Tried second gear, even tacking, just wouldn't do it.

 

I was trying to gain some speed before climbing hill. But everytime when I was ready to go, there are jerks (Prius, Mini, Mazda etc) that cut in front of me and ended up spinning their wheels and not able to go up. I just U turned and re-route.

 

So I was not happy with my 2009 fit sport in the snow at all. I don't have snow tires, but I haven't had snow tires on any of my other cars either (tercel, corolla , cressida).

I did like the sport mode so that i could sort of use it like a manual transmission and that was nice.

In addition to the poor handling (I was fishtailing all over the place and it was a couple inches of snow) the low clearance is a nightmare.

I still love the fit, but it is not a winter weather car.

I hate to have to buy snow tires for the amount of times I have to drive in the snow (NY city - a couple snowstorms a year) but I do have to get to work when it snows. I have a small rental apartment, so I couldn't store snow tires - so it they would have to be on all year.

Also I HATE the honda dealership and it seems that when you replace the tires the TPMS goes on and I don't want to have to go to the dealership.

all of you who like the fit in the snow - what are you doing differently

 

I got a base model manual transmission specifically to make snow driving easier -- it's a way of life up here for a few months. The tires on the base are 3/8 inch narrower (1 cm) which makes just a little difference. When wider tires would float a little on snow the narrower tires sink a bit more which helps directional control.

I do use snow tires, Nokian, no studs. There are also some Nokian all-season radials that have very good snow ratings. I have kept Nokian snow tires on a car all year round for about 7 or 8 years for the set, but I use motorcycles most of the time in warmer weather. I may sound like a Nokian advert and I won't apologize.

The ground clearance IS a bit low. Most of the places I go are OK, but I've scraped in my own (long) driveway. What ARE those pieces of steel sticking straight down from the rear axle?

Other posters mention hills. There are a few people I visit with long, steep, icy driveways. I go up the icy hills backwards. Probably not recommended for public roads. The weight shift of the hill helps instead of hindering.

My fuel economy goes down with snow for a variety of reasons. I must admit that I don't help because I find the Fit to be a fun car to drive on snow. Practice with dodgy traction helps deal with dodgy traction.

 

You did not state what kind and brand of tires you are running. It is kind of hard to make a front wheel drive car fishtail. My daughter drives an 09 Fit and lives in "Snow City" Indiana. She drives daily to "Snow City" Michigan to work and back again. They get lake effect snow so often that the National Weather Guessing Service does not usually bother to predict it most of the time which is a couple of times a week. DOT shut down the Interstate for 20 hours two days ago due to a 46 car and truck pile up. She still made it to work and back on time. She starts at 6AM.

In 2012 we put on a set of Yokohama Avid Ascend tires. They are not snow tires but performed much better than expected in snow. She did miss one day of work due to snow. The police stopped her about 3 miles from home and told her to go back home because the city had shut down all of the streets. Only emergency vehicles were allowed.

Quality tires will make a big difference.

Yes, if the snow gets too deep, probably about 6", you will high center a Fit easily. There is not much you can do about that other than get your new "tax the rich" mayor to plow your streets more often.

 

I bought the car second hand recently and I don't even know what kind of tires I have - I will check and I wil check out the tires yu recommend.

Fishtail may be the wrong work - I was skidding all over the place though.

What I don't understand is that I didn't really have this problem with my other cars, and my 97 tercel wasn't exactly an off-road car.

 

If you are sliding all over th place then either you have a lot of icy streets or poor tires. You will get a lot of ice if your city salts the roads and then the temperature drops. Another thing that ices them up at intersections are people spinning tires trying to get going again. I was no suggesting that you get snow tires for the couple of months that you will have snow. It is kind of a waste for the other 9 or 10 months a year or you have to swap them out in March. If it is ice that you are contending with there is not much you can do other than studs. You definitely do not want studded tires in NYC. I'm rural and I've had then in the past. The county does not salt the roads other than an occasional intersection if there is a problem. I would not use studs here as they are noisy, only legal a few months out of the year.

Some people do sipe tires to give them better winter traction. I have never done it.

Siping (rubber) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

It wasn't ice - it was new fallen snow
It could certainly be the tires

 

Which snow fall are you referring to?
I'm in NYC also with an 09, but mine has the VSA (Navi version)...
The light snow we got on Saturday was a breeze to drive thru... even the heavier snow fall we got earlier this week wasn't too bad (a lot of snow, but drier/lighter). I also have Continental DWS tires with over 30K miles on them (so they're not new tires), and they handle great... even with 30K+ on them they handle better than the crappy OEM tires. On my Conti DWS', I haven't even thought about buying snow tires... it's not worth it in NYC for the handful of snow storms we get annually. Quite a few Fit owners are on DWS's, they handle very well in moderate snow, great in the rain & dry.

It sounds like your tires are probably worn out... even if they're not, and they're the OEM's you might want to look at replacing them for a better, grippier, longer lasting tire.



The "fishtailing"(?)/slipping could be because you're punching the gas too much? Not sure...




I wouldn't recommend going to the Honda dealership to get new tires... I would recommend going to a good, reputable tire shop, having them install good tires, balance, and while your there do an alignment... you'll get better tires, and pay quite a bit less than your local dealer.
Also, there's no reason the TPMS light should be on after you get your tires changed (tires only, not rims), unless the technician broke a sensor (or more).


Hopefully that helps... google the penny method to measure tire tread, that will give you an approximate indication of how worn the tires are.... although if they're the OEM Bridgestone/Dunlops it might not matter, because many were not happy with the handling on them.

 

Thanks - I wasnt really fishtailing - I shouldn't have said that, but skidding. I can't imagine that I am using the gas too much because I never had this problem in over 10 years with my other compact and subcompact cars. And I have also lived in scandanavian countries, and not had this problem. The tires are not worn out, though they are the OEM tires that came with the car.

I was referring to the snow on Weds (not the light snow on sat). But when I was driving was before it had gotten to 6-8 inches - there was about 2-3 inches.

 

The snow earlier in the week was that dry snow.. and it was freezing so it wasn't wet/melting... from my experience the wetter type gives a slight bit better traction (as long as the temps are above freezing and it doesn't ice up), but not much... More than 4"+ can be a bit tricky.. and ice... forget about it, even an inch is slip and sliding (on my DWS').

I remember the first year I had my car I was on the OEM Bridgestones, and the car handled horribly in the snow (also the rain & dry.. lol), plus they kept getting sidewall bubbles... I'm sooooo much happier with the Conti's, no more sidewall bulges & great traction. Personally I couldn't stand them (OEM Bridgestones)... and I've driven many cars with crappy tires in snow over the years.


With your experiences in other regions & cars, the solution might be as simple as changing the tires. Check out some of the other threads on here about driving in the snow... most are actually surprised at how well the Fit handles, I wonder how many of them are still on OEM tires? Probably not many, but double check those threads, and ask questions if you have to.

 

The Fit has rather tight steering compared to say, a corolla so it's probably much easier to get the Fit to slide. A car that drives like a boat is probably going to be about the same on snow but the Fit with its light curb weight and decent torque output is easy to spin out on snow if you aren't careful with the accelerator.

I'm a huge fan of winter tyres. I have mine on a used set of Integra rims I bought for 200$ for all 4. I switch my whole wheels when i need to. I get optimum traction on snow, and then optimum traction on Wet or dry pavement with summer performance tyres. I also get double the life of my tires since they are on only half the year. Most places in Montreal will store your 4 tires/rims for under 50$ the whole winter season.

That being said, winter tyres are probably overkill for your needs so a good all season tyre that has good fuel economy looks like the best compromise between $$$, practicality and driveability. However, remember the Fit has very nimble steering; try and take your turns as wide as possible and really slow down before you start turning the wheel. I think the Fit is at least on par with your corolla but it think it's psychological; we get so used to the Fit being able to stop and turn on a dime that we expect the same response on snow. Ain't gonna happen (unless you have quality winter tires )

 

I had an 09 Fit without traction control or VSA and it was not nearly as stable to drive. However, I made it through unplowed roads that other vehicles did not. That was back when I went to work regardless of snow conditions. I no longer do that with my 2012 Fit. Driving on the stock Dun tires, I have found traction control helps big time when accelerating compared to not having it. I also really like VSA in snow, and rain too. I find it helpful when it kicks in, not intrusive at all. But like I said, I no longer risk my safety or my car by just going blindly to work regardless. I'll go in if it's up to 3" but anything more I wait till the roads are plowed. I've gone through 8" of unplowed roads with my Fit in the past and like I said, I made it when other cars and even a PLOW truck did not. But when the snow is too deep the wheels get snow packed and the car gets a nasty shimmy. It just adds up to the reality that you should not be on the roads in those conditions, period. So now when the conditions are bad, my Fit stays safely in the driveway and me watching from the window. Actually, I watch from my security cameras. This was early on during the last storm that amounted to 14". Even better- it was my day off too

 

2010 Fit, M/T (no traction control). I put Bridgestone Blizzaks on. I believe they're worth the money. ANY car will slide a little, it pays to practice on a snowy or iced parking lot to see what the limits are.

 

Haven't had a chance to pick up winters yet. But the fit surprised me. Running stock Dunlop tires. Traction control. 5mt. Drove better than my 2010 si. Smaller tires, just enough power.. and just the right about of weight. Next year with winters on, I'm fairly confident that the car will drive perfectly in the winter. We get enough snow too where I'm from.

 

you wont have that problem with snow tires.

 

Tomorrow morning will really put the Fit to test with snow+ice+sleet..