When i think of "Modding", i think of cars that should be modded. not cars that "ooo! i got this car, i wanna treat it like a ferrari even though its a 1994 Civic Sedan!"

I think cars that were meant to be modded, should be modded. Cars that are meant for economics, should stay economical.

While the Honda Fit is a very awesome and practical car. it is an economic car. It has a 30/40 MPG, 100HP, and overall just not enough to take to the track.

Now... if you want the fit to be a "Moddable car" (which i plan to do) this is the list:

First thing you absolutely must do, and cannot get around. Engine. Get rid of that 1.5 Economic engine. Modding an economic engine is like giving your grandma steroids and telling her to bench press. The K20A Engine is a beautiful one. For this car it is a must if you want to mod, otherwise all you are going to have is an econo-box with flashy rims.

Second thing is Suspension, Brakes, Tires. The stock set up is pretty nice, but with the new engine (100+ HP and +Weight) you will want to change a few things around. I hate kids who put 5,000 dollars into their horsepower and 0 into their braking/handeling power. If you have a monster, you must control it.

Third thing that really doesn't need to be done to this car is Weight Reduction. You have a 5 Door, you already know that it'll be alittle heavy. You have comfortable seats, you already knew when you bought the car that you would be carrying a number of people. So don't go striping out your car, leaving only one seat. the weight savings that you gain is not worth the impractical and uncomfortable modification. Light-weight battery, carbon fiber products, light-weight wheels/tires, and going on the tred-mil will help you in this section without making your friends saying "why did you do that!?"

That is my "Step-By-Step" guide on how one should mod a Fit, hell, for any car. Just know what your cars weaknesses and strengths before you start modding. Make your weaknesses your strengths, and your strengths even stronger.

 

There is nothing wrong with the Fits L15A motor. Do you even have a Fit yet? If not you wouldnt understand or you wouldnt underestimate the motors capabilites. As far as the suspension is concerned, it handles very well for what it is. My car being lowered and me having a couple of suspension bars, have pulled away from a buddys S2000 on a couple of on-ramps in more than one occasion.

 

You're new here, so I'll bite my tongue. This post rubs me wrong in so many ways I couldn't even address them all in one sitting. Suffice it to say, "Thanks for the advice, and Have a Nice Day!"

 

Getting my own in about 1 month, getting my K20 in 2. Test drove one, When i stepped on the gas the car didn't move. My friend owns one and i drive as the Designate Driver all the time. So i believe i have a valid perspective
It's a 1.5 SOHC, if you want to have a fun "Sporty Car" you gotta have a good Power/Weight ratio. Turbo to a engine like the fits isn't going to give you alot of power, all its gonna do is lower your MPG.

On ramps can be fun, you're right. But an on ramp isn't the same as Auto-X or a Track. The reason i said the suspension had to be redone is because of the weight addition you are going to get with the extra .5 liters from the K20A.

I'm not trying to piss anyone off. I am just stating my opinion that if you want your Fit to be a good Auto-X/Track/Daily Driver. The perfect way is to take a K20A and throw it in there. you don't even have a need for modifications after that (except for the usual Intake/Header/Exhaust just to make it breathing well and balanced).

The stock K20A would add over 100 Horsepower to our cars and still keep it RELIABLE. Turbo and Super Charging is a nice boost of HP. But unless it is done right, maintained, it can be a pain in the butt. and even then you will still lose to a K20A Fit. 100 Horsepower would be a pain to get out of the 1.5 and you'd sacrifice a lot of things like catalytic converters, MPG, reliability.

 

I don't appreciate the new Civic SI's. Civics were meant to be hatch-backs. i don't know what the U.S. Honda company is doing, but their pretty stupid about how they practice their business. The amount of money that their company has to spend to make a new chasis, crash test, aerodynamics is amazing. when a simple shipping fee from the factory in japan would be so much cheaper.

The reason why i want a K20 Fit is mainly due to the fact that i love how it looks, the economics of it all, and the fact that it is a 5-door. I am tired of sporty cars, I want a nice balanced car. Balanced in the car aspect and balanced in the life aspect. A K20 engine would be a modification to the fit that wouldn't be too expensive, and it wouldn't kill the car. the K20's get about 5-15 MPG less than the 1.5 and it would add 100 HP. I don't want some ungodly amount of horsepower from this car, nor do i want it to be a full out race car. i want a balanced 5 door hatch with a decent amount of power.

Um... my mom drives a Toyota Matrix...? I currently drive the new Mazda Miata (2006). 2 seats and no luggage space sucks.

 

i think the purpose of the Fit is still to be a gas miser. If you do a swap, the mpg's will drop. Not only that, in most states there's smog laws and especially here in So Cal if you get stopped, it's gonna cost you. In NM where you are I think you don't have that. Additionally there's the costs involved in doing doing a swap and tuning it properly. Not sure where prices are now but to have it done should cost at least $5k with parts and labor. I would think you would also put an LSD too. Now you void your warranty on the powertrain. Honda could try to void the entire car saying more stress on the car than the regular powertrain. It just opens a can of worms that many would want to do.

With that in mind, you should consider a Civic SI sedan since the K20 is in there and do all the mods you suggest in #2 and #3 or in fact just pick up the Mugen limited production of the SI. That car has most of the things you pointed out that would be mods you would do. Oh you don't like the Civic never mind....

 

that's not as simple as you think. The reason for Honda to make these decisions are marketability and profitibility of the vehicle that is in that particular country. Any business wants to make money as we would want to as an individual. It's not as plain as paying for shipping because that car would still have to go through extensive crash tests for the NTSA. Look what Motorex was supposed to do when bringing in Skylines. Also they're right hand drive cars. That won't wash for the average driver that most companies are targeting. Of course you and I would love to be different and get those babies here

Another example would be the Honda Accord in Europe. It's not the same car as it is here. It's actually an Acura TSX. Why? marketing and profits.

 

Most people are talking about money and gas mileage. Let me say this. Money is no problem and neither is MPG. i once owned a Civic SI (the hatchback 2004) That K20 was awesome on gas, and after Intake/Header/Exhaust, it was even better. Especially on highway. A car is meant to use gas, it can't be helped.

Warranties... Well i don't really care that much about them. I work on my own cars anyways. I can't stand the idea of someone else doing my oil changes, even if it's Honda.

Swapping Tuning. A group of my friends are very good mechanics, and for a little cash they will help me with the swap. so it's not that expensive.

Overall. Don't care about the price (the fit only costs around 15,000!). Don't care for warranties because they are basically useless once the dealership notices "hey! thats an aftermarket part!". Emissions... yeah i live in NM, they don't have Emission testing. But just in case i moved back to Virginia... as long as there is a Catalytic Converter, a quiet exhaust, and not too low to the ground, i can pretty much do whatever i want.

But this thread has gotten off topic, and i'm starting to sound like a dick. I want to know more about your ideas. with the power of the K20, you don't need engine enhancers. So tell me some ideas about Suspension, Braking, Wheels, CF Products

 

well with your last points, then you're guide is for people who have a decent size wallet and are basically do it yourself mechanics and know what they're doing and have buddies who can help.

Anyhow your "guide" is to a niche group in which it's a very small minority. People won't do what you do. Not even 1%.

Dealers cannot legally void a warranty with valid reasons. A full swap vs. an intake isn't the same thing.

Btw I had a 2002 SI myself. I've owned 22 cars in my life so I'm mr. mod crazy too.

happy new year!

 

Finally! a positive remark! I agree, not many people can do what i'm going to do. but i still say to everyone out there, Money isn't a problem that you should worry about in life. You can buy the world if you just finance it right, have a good job, work hard, and learn about what you're doing.

I'll PM you my AIM so we can talk later.

 

the other posters weren't really negative. it's just the way you wrote things as a newbie looks like you're a troll looking for trouble.

Also as you agreed with me that this type of modding isn't for everyone even though you typed it in a way that it would work for the general public.

oh your last statements are going to open up another can of worms. Money isn't everything but it is necessary to some extent. Financing isn't a good thing to do unless it's a home which has tax benefits and obviously long term benefits as well. But yes working hard is important but people do lose their jobs unfortunately.

 

i use L15A motors with turbo and its produces 210 hp (157kw) more power than integra type R / S.. n i beat stock WRX even s15 silvia.... my friend has k20a fit.. he can even use the aircon due not enough space.. -.- n in aus is like 40C heat in summer.. u'll die in summer

 

I agree

My thoughts exactly!!

I too believe in the potential of the fit with the k20 as well as a few others on the board. I wish you all the luck with your project!

 

So have you actually researched to see how much a K20 is going to cost for an install? Because no one has released any mounts for the car, you are going to need someone to fabricate a new steering rack because the car has electric power steering, you are going to need custom axles because the Fits stock axles wouldnt be able to handle that power, and you are going to need someone to fabricate a shift linkage because the K series shift linkage will not work. So you just spent $15000 on a Fit, and now you are getting ready to dump another $15000 in a motor swap, you should have bought a Civic.

 

I tell ya what, if I had that kind of money to just sling around...I sure wouldnt be driving a Honda Fit.

 

Have you guys heard of the new spoon k20 engine? It was featured in vtec club vol 4. Here's a link from HT Spoon K20A/F20C Road Racing motor info This would ba a great engine for the fit.

 

This all sounds fine and dandy. I would love an 200+hp fit. but what your talking about is very unpractical. Why would you waste so much money? Why not buy a totaled car and build it?

Also when your doing this extensive of modification then your going to lose some(or alot depending on how well its built) of the car's reliability. The only reason I bring this up is because the car is going to be a DD also.

At the end of the day I just cant see buying a new car (no matter the initial cost) and cutting it all up.

 

If you are serious about autocrossing I don't know that the K20 is the best choice simply due to the extra weight of the engine and the affect it will have on the balance of the car. I remember reading that when spoon built there K20 fit they said that it compromised the handling to the point it was almost undrivable in a race situation. You car your cash just pointing out there may be better answers to the power you are trying to gain than an engine swap.

 

here's something for michael

2007 Honda Fit - B Segment - Sport Compact Car - Super Street

 

Awesome! nice link