Took the Fit on a quick early-morning trip to Huntington Beach (about 40 miles from my home) this weekend. The 405 freeway was relatively empty, so I was able to experience the Fit at a higher speed than I usually do on my 7-mile stop-and-go commute. I noticed that the 2,500-pound hatchback can feel pretty squirrelly at higher speeds (which isn't so surprising for a subcompact), and more than once the freeway's rain grooves caused the Bridgestone Turanza EL470 all-season tires to hunt rather fiercely (which, combined with the squirrelliness, can make the experience even more disquieting).
Most of the driving I'd do if I owned the Fit would be on city streets at a slower pace, so it wouldn't be an issue most of the time, and maybe I'd have the luxury of owning a heavier car that was more suitable for road trips and highway travel. But for Fit owners with more modest budgets, the occasional, slightly disconcerting freeway wiggle will have to suffice.
Bryn MacKinnon, Senior Editor, Edmunds.com @ 9,058 miles
carlisimo says:
04:24 PM, 07/20/09
You can enhance the effect by aligning your front toe to 0, if you like a responsive car. Otherwise, set some toe-in.
firstwagon says:
04:32 PM, 07/20/09
What's the purpose of the rain grooves? We don't have in Vancouver where it rains pretty much all the time for more then half the year.
I didn't know it ever rained in LA.
caheew says:
04:35 PM, 07/20/09
How fast were you going? I wonder how that ride would be in a Yaris? I like this car a lot, though. Love it.
carlisimo says:
05:53 PM, 07/20/09
firstwagon, when it rains hard in LA it's utter chaos - the freeways don't drain well so the rooster tails and general spray are tremendous. And since it doesn't rain often, there's always a ton of grime coming up and making things extra slick.
mustang5507 says:
06:01 PM, 07/20/09
I cannot stand the front seats in the fit. The lower back juts out way too far. Is there adjustable support on the passenger seat? If anyone knows, that would be great to know before I set foot in that car again =]
bc1960 says:
06:58 PM, 07/20/09
20 years ago an Accord or Mazda 626 weighed 2500 lb, and I don't recall ever feeling unsafe driving on highways. Maybe this issue is more related to the Fit's suspension tuning than its curb weight.
hondacura4 says:
07:30 PM, 07/20/09
"You can enhance the effect by aligning your front toe to 0, if you like a responsive car. Otherwise, set some toe-in."
Carl, I was going to suggest that its more than likely the suspensions settings that are the cause of the "squirrelly" experience. I don't think weight has anything to do with it, at least in this application.
The odd thing is that out of all the road tests Ive read and watched from various publications, this is the first I've heard of the car feeling unstable in this manner.
mjp16 says:
07:51 PM, 07/20/09
My friend's got an '09 Fit--it's a little twitchy, but no more than my '98 Civic. I don't think it's totally related to weight--my MINI feels planted on the highway. I just have to correct more often in the Fit, and fighting crosswinds is a bit more work.
aloysius_vampa says:
08:09 PM, 07/20/09
"The odd thing is that out of all the road tests Ive read and watched from various publications, this is the first I've heard of the car feeling unstable in this manner."
I have a 2007 Fit, and I experience the same thing. It doesn't actually bother me too much. More bothersome is the engine speed at such speeds.
ktinsd says:
11:07 PM, 07/20/09
Most if not all of your problem is the 405. I had to commute from San Diego to El Segundo on that miserable hunk of concrete for over 3 years. Depending on the tread pattern of your tires you will tramline all over the place, and the road noise can drive you crazy. Sometimes I took the 73 tollroad (which is asphalt) just for some relief!
johnnyr3 says:
04:17 AM, 07/21/09
"...Bridgestone Turanza EL470 all-season tires..."
If I lived in L.A. I would be hard pressed to see the point of all-season tires. I don't know what the weather is like in the winter over there (60 degress and rainy?), but I KNOW it isn't like it is out east.
roar02ram says:
10:06 AM, 07/21/09
johnny - you're right, but mundane cars are still delivered with them. The difference is that tire shops more frequently stock mundane summer replacement tires.
vvk says:
11:38 AM, 07/21/09
I am not so sure it has to do with vehicle weight. There are plenty of tiny, light cars that feel very stable at high speed.
crystalfivemt says:
01:36 PM, 07/21/09
This squirrely trait comes and goes. I'd say most of the time it's absent, but when it is squirrely, it's not bad, you get used to it. It doesn't feel as if something is wrong with the car, it's just the combo of tall body, narrow tires and stupid rain grooves.
BTW, I never find any of the roads in LA slick when it starts to rain. I'm from NY and I find the most hazardous thing on the road when it "rains" are the stupid drivers who don't know how to drive in it.
They should remove those grooves as it doesn't rain in L.A.
eric19446 says:
12:00 AM, 07/23/09
I drive my 09 Fit Sport at 75 on the PA Turnpike without a worry every day. You do have to remember this is an economy car that your driving and not a BMW M5.
The handling is stable and predictable in my experience at both highway and secondary road speeds.