Socialvegetable's GE8 Fit DD, a slow-going work-in-progress

[Socialvegetable]

I've got an '09 Fit that was going to be my no-frills DD while I put my '96 Firebird into project mode...but then I moved to a place without a garage and realized I was having more fun with the Fit, so now I modify it here and there to eke out a little more performance when I can. So, now the Firebird's on the chopping block and the Fit is my WIP car. I want to get out to some autocross events next season, so I hope to have the chassis a little tighter by then, and hopefully will have some nice tires for the first time.

I'm torn between the potential of a turbo build in the future or keeping it all motor. I haven't seen many L15A motor builds, but I'm hoping that'll change by the time I've got the means to get serious.

Modifications so far are all pretty simple bolt-ons, until the car's paid off and I can have a little more fun with it.

As of 11/10/11:

- Konig Retrack Wheels (15x7 40mm)
- JDP Engineering CF front lip and rear wing
- PRM Racing intake
- HKS Hi-Power axleback
- Tanabe DF210 springs
- Progress Rear Sway Bar
- Tiger Tuning/KMR Front Lower Tie Bar
- Lamin-X yellow foglight tint and Nokya 2500K bulbs
- Sylvania Silverstar Ultra Headlight bulbs
- JDM Type-R Honda emblems on the front and rear
- Reproduction Type-R emblems for the steering wheel and keyfob
- JDM RS badge (from JDM Fit RS)
- Rear wiper/motor and front little wiper deleted

And I have a lightweight motorcycle/ATV battery hooked up to my battery tender at home, to swap in when I can get out to kill some cones.

Here's a picture of the car on the day I bought it in September '09:
[IMG]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PL8lW7vOTTM/TlzsbDGd9vI/AAAAAAAABxo/RHyV4yqILIM/s800/IM000089.JPG
[/IMG]

And with my '96 and '87 F-bodies, and one of my dad's '55 Bel Airs:


After a few months, I got the itch to start playing with it. It was still a brand-new chassis, so the aftermarket scene was just getting started and parts were expensive. My wife bought me the HKS axle-back for Christmas, and I saved my pennies for my intake shortly thereafter. For Valentine's Day, my wife bought me the front and rear emblems (OEM EP3 and DC5 Type R) and a JDM Fit RS badge, and those were my first exterior mods.

I bought and played around with an electronic throttle controller, but all it did was make the throttle more sensitive to input, so to "floor it" you didn't have to press the pedal as much. I sold it after a few months to put the money towards something more worthwhile.

I ordered the lowering springs a few months later (June, I think). I still want to get some proper adjustable coilovers, but it'll be a while.

This pic is from after I installed the springs:


I clumsily scraped the front bumper on a parking lot curb, so again, I saved up and bought a carbon fibre front lip from JDP Engineering, to cover the scrape and add that aggressive flair.









I wasn't into CF before, but seeing the lip in place, I decided I had to get JDP's CF rear wing to balance it out. So, a few months later, I did. At the same time, I got a Progress RSB to tighten up the rear suspension, which got me hooked on chassis bracing.





I also got bored one night and decided to delete the rear wiper and motor, since it only collected dirt.



Finding the right makeshift cap took a few trips to Lowe's, Home Depot, and finally Ace Hardware, but I got something that works and is pretty inconspicuous.



That brings us to 2011...

[Socialvegetable]

OEM window visors and a set of unpainted mirror caps (from the base model, as opposed to my painted white ones) were next, and that was pretty much it for a few months, except for stickers and such.

In April 2011, my pregnant wife and I were involved in a hit-and-run on 309 in Quakertown. An unlicensed driver in an EG Civic Sedan rear-ended a black GE8 Fit in the northbound lanes, then pulled a fast U-turn to flee that accident and t-boned me in the southbound lane. I caught a glimpse of him coming and tried to get out of the way. Instead of hitting my door, he hit the rear door and fender and spun me 180-degrees. My wife and I were fine, and my first instinct was to turn the car around and chase him, but the fender tore my tire open, and my thoughts quickly turned to my wife.

Some good samaritans chased the guy long enough to get his plate number, and his front bumper was on the ground next to my car. The police tracked it to his aunt, and her insurance covered my repairs. Her nephew, a recent immigrant, was on the run, and I don't know if he ever got caught.







After that, the Fit was in and out of the body shop for a month. The shop was Faulkner Collision, and they are the saddest bunch of hacks in the world. To this day, my Fit still bears the marks of their F-ups.

They repaired the original damages competently enough...on the surface. I got my car back with two chipped pieces of glass, blue paint scuffs on the front bumper and driver's side wheel, and a door ding on the passenger side. I am pretty OCD about my car, and even did a thorough walk-around after the accident to assess the damage, panel by panel, so I was 100% certain that these all occurred in their shop.

Their manager apologized and had it all fixed in a few days, so I went by one night to pick my car up after hours. I got home and inspected it under light, and noticed a big black scuff on the brand-new OEM side skirt and a big green circle on the passenger side, where the shop manager circled the ding to be repaired...they repaired the ding, but left the paint pen circle around it!

Things like this kept happening, so I complained to my insurance company and left it at that, I was just happy to have the Fit back. I'd borrowed my dad's 94 Cavalier, and getting my Fit back was like upgrading to an NSX.

Just last month, 6 months after the accident, I found new damages caused by the shop - they broke one of the main mounting tabs on the c-pillar trim and didn't replace it. It's not going anywhere, but one of the corners is loose. Rather than take it back and have them replace the part, I'll buy it and replace it myself. I never want to set foot on that property again.

Aaaanyway, after that there hasn't been much in the way of modifications. I bought some yellow fog light bulbs to compliment my vinyl tinting (which I have removed and replaced numerous times).

My wife bought me a lower tie-end brace for my birthday:



After a few months, it looks like this:


I also purchased my Konigs on Craigslist and fitted them at the same time. Here's a photo of my rear suspension, exhaust, and wheels after I put them on:



And here's how it looks right now:

[Socialvegetable]

The only thing I have planned now, is to get my stock wheels painted and fitted with snow tires for winter duty. I am torn between teal with white pinstripe around the lip and white H on the center caps, similar to these:



or deep bronze, like these:



I also want to get a set of 4 15mm spacers/adapters with studs pressed in, since the stock wheels are such a low offset. I could do 20mm, but if I get 15mm spacers, then I can use them for a more agressive stance on my summer wheels, too. 20mm would be a little too wide on those.

[BlkWhtTSI]

Wow that front lip really looks great on the car.

[Asif22]

I LOVE those fits. They look like they can be such fun cars. Seems like a great car to do some suspension work to. As far as building the stock motor...ehh personally I wouldn't. These things are so awesome with a K swap. I'v seen a JRSC K20 in a fit, its madness lol. They should have offered a Fit Si or something with a K in it lol. I'd def rock one of these as a DD. My s2k has it's disadvantages on the daily driver sometimes

[Socialvegetable]

Originally Posted by BlkWhtTSI

Wow that front lip really looks great on the car.

Thanks, it gets a lot of compliments. JDP Engineering makes great hand-made CF products, and best of all, they're a domestic small business. John, the guy that runs it and makes everything is a nice guy and works with enthusiast communities to design and build the parts that they want for their cars.

[Socialvegetable]

Originally Posted by Asif22

I LOVE those fits. They look like they can be such fun cars. Seems like a great car to do some suspension work to. As far as building the stock motor...ehh personally I wouldn't. These things are so awesome with a K swap. I'v seen a JRSC K20 in a fit, its madness lol. They should have offered a Fit Si or something with a K in it lol. I'd def rock one of these as a DD. My s2k has it's disadvantages on the daily driver sometimes

Thanks! Whenever I get some spare cash, I want to do a little more chassis tuning, bit by bit. Next I want a c-pillar bar, both for looks and to tighten up that tall, cavernous hatch area.

I know K-swaps are the way to go for big power, but I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to engine builds, and I think the L15 hasn't come into its own yet. You'd definitely be able to get more power out of a K20 with less effort, but it's a bigger, heavier motor, and the Fit is already heavy in the nose. I think 200hp to the wheels and a similar torque figure would be ideal to turn the Fit into a quick little hatch, at least as a DD street car. I'm not sure how close you could get to that with an all motor build, but a low-key turbo build on moderate boost could reach those numbers easily.

I was the same way when I was planning a rebuild for my Firebird. I wanted to keep the 3.8, rebuild it, and supercharge it, similar to the Grand Prix GTP's setup, whereas most would drop in an LT1 or an LS-series motor for easy power. It wasn't a TransAm, though, so I wanted to stay true to its roots with a V6 build. I never got the chance to indulge in that project, though, so it's a moot point.

I really, really don't understand why Honda has pretty much ignored the Fit from a performance standpoint. IMO, it's essentially the evolution of the EP Civic (albeit dumbed down to slot in as an econohatch), and a Fit Si with a more aggressive tune, revised intake/exhaust setup and associated tweaks, putting out something like 150 hp would be perfect. There's a Fit Hybrid, Fit Shuttle (stretched wagon version), and a Fit sedan (the Aria) in other markets, but they have completely overlooked the hot hatch potential, and instead have attempted to fill that role with the CR-Z.

[Erik@R/TTuning]

I am blown away by how good the fitment is on that carbon lip. What a nice piece.

Great work on the car. Stock they are pretty boring but your's looks great now.

[Socialvegetable]

Originally Posted by Erik@R/TTuning

I am blown away by how good the fitment is on that carbon lip. What a nice piece.

Great work on the car. Stock they are pretty boring but your's looks great now.

Thanks. John at JDP Engineering does beautiful things with carbon fibre. He makes a rear diffuser that I'd like to get at some point, but it's a low priority.

I used to live right down the street from your shop. I live a few miles up 309 now, but I'm still pretty close. Start stocking Fit parts! I want to pick up some spacers for my winter wheels, but it looks like you don't have any 4x100. Is that something you could order? I'm looking for 15m with studs, like the Eibach ones on your site.

[Asif22]

Originally Posted by Socialvegetable

Thanks! Whenever I get some spare cash, I want to do a little more chassis tuning, bit by bit. Next I want a c-pillar bar, both for looks and to tighten up that tall, cavernous hatch area.

I know K-swaps are the way to go for big power, but I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to engine builds, and I think the L15 hasn't come into its own yet. You'd definitely be able to get more power out of a K20 with less effort, but it's a bigger, heavier motor, and the Fit is already heavy in the nose. I think 200hp to the wheels and a similar torque figure would be ideal to turn the Fit into a quick little hatch, at least as a DD street car. I'm not sure how close you could get to that with an all motor build, but a low-key turbo build on moderate boost could reach those numbers easily.

I was the same way when I was planning a rebuild for my Firebird. I wanted to keep the 3.8, rebuild it, and supercharge it, similar to the Grand Prix GTP's setup, whereas most would drop in an LT1 or an LS-series motor for easy power. It wasn't a TransAm, though, so I wanted to stay true to its roots with a V6 build. I never got the chance to indulge in that project, though, so it's a moot point.

I really, really don't understand why Honda has pretty much ignored the Fit from a performance standpoint. IMO, it's essentially the evolution of the EP Civic (albeit dumbed down to slot in as an econohatch), and a Fit Si with a more aggressive tune, revised intake/exhaust setup and associated tweaks, putting out something like 150 hp would be perfect. There's a Fit Hybrid, Fit Shuttle (stretched wagon version), and a Fit sedan (the Aria) in other markets, but they have completely overlooked the hot hatch potential, and instead have attempted to fill that role with the CR-Z.

I hear you, going all motor on the L15 would be costly for the amount of power you will make, but I understand why you would go that way. A nice little turbo would sure get you there and it would be PERFECT for that car. It's so light, 200-220whp should balance the car out pretty nice. I agree with you on Honda, I am so disappointed in Honda lately. The Fit chassis should have had some type of Si version, maybe not with a K series but at least something with a little more power. Same thing with the CR-Z. The car could have been sweet. Honda has nothing now lol. I know they have this eco image to maintain but it would do them some good to have a few sports cars. For example, the S2K was awesome when it came out in 99 but for 9 years they didn't increase the power out put and it got left behind. The S2K should come back from the dead with a short stroked, high revving, 3.0 liter V6. The Si could go on a diet and maybe use the F20/F22 with VTC and the K20Z3 should go in the Fit/CRZ haha. One can only dream.

[dugganzx3]

That's a sweet Fit, it looks really nice. I was never a huge fan of these but yours in white has won me over. I like the dare to be different attitude you have with it, its sucks you got rid of the Firebird. The 3.8L has potential, but not a huge aftermarket. It's almost impossible to use the Eaton m90 supercharger off the Grand Prix/Impala though, but a few have done it.

[caldwell]

red rims pop ! - win sir

[Socialvegetable]

Originally Posted by dugganzx3

That's a sweet Fit, it looks really nice. I was never a huge fan of these but yours in white has won me over. I like the dare to be different attitude you have with it, its sucks you got rid of the Firebird. The 3.8L has potential, but not a huge aftermarket. It's almost impossible to use the Eaton m90 supercharger off the Grand Prix/Impala though, but a few have done it.

Thanks, man. I haven't quite gotten rid of the Firebird yet, but I need to. It's sitting around now, waiting on a buyer. I think supercharging that motor is definitely more trouble than it's worth, but LS-swaps are a dime a dozen. If I was going to put something else in there, it would have to be stupid, like a rotary, haha. But yeah, maybe in my next life, or if I strike it rich, I'll be able to build a Firebird. For now, just little tweaks to stave off boredom on my little DD.

I need to sell that Firebird so I can pick up some snow tires, ASAP.

[Socialvegetable]

Originally Posted by caldwell

red rims pop ! - win sir

Thanks! I think I'm going teal for winter. I originally wanted bronze, but now I'm hooked on obnoxious bright colors. Teal with white accents should go nicely with the white paint and a little contrast from the red emblems.

[Socialvegetable]

Originally Posted by Asif22

I hear you, going all motor on the L15 would be costly for the amount of power you will make, but I understand why you would go that way. A nice little turbo would sure get you there and it would be PERFECT for that car. It's so light, 200-220whp should balance the car out pretty nice. I agree with you on Honda, I am so disappointed in Honda lately. The Fit chassis should have had some type of Si version, maybe not with a K series but at least something with a little more power. Same thing with the CR-Z. The car could have been sweet. Honda has nothing now lol. I know they have this eco image to maintain but it would do them some good to have a few sports cars. For example, the S2K was awesome when it came out in 99 but for 9 years they didn't increase the power out put and it got left behind. The S2K should come back from the dead with a short stroked, high revving, 3.0 liter V6. The Si could go on a diet and maybe use the F20/F22 with VTC and the K20Z3 should go in the Fit/CRZ haha. One can only dream.

I agree with everything you said about Honda. It's a shame the direction they've taken, but I've heard rumors of a new S2K and Integra successor. I won't get my hopes up, but either would be nice. Mugen UK has a supercharged CR-Z now, and I think they might be doing a limited run of them in the UK, but the UK gets all the nice stuff from Mugen, while we get body kits, billet pedals, and window visors.

[dugganzx3]

Originally Posted by Socialvegetable

Thanks, man. I haven't quite gotten rid of the Firebird yet, but I need to. It's sitting around now, waiting on a buyer. I think supercharging that motor is definitely more trouble than it's worth, but LS-swaps are a dime a dozen. If I was going to put something else in there, it would have to be stupid, like a rotary, haha. But yeah, maybe in my next life, or if I strike it rich, I'll be able to build a Firebird. For now, just little tweaks to stave off boredom on my little DD.

I need to sell that Firebird so I can pick up some snow tires, ASAP.

Front wheel drive = no snow tires haha, keep her and save up for a 2jz, if I start making some good money after college it may happen haha. But that fit looks like fun and a much more responsible vehicle, good luck selling the bird.

[fitftw]

when I had my '08 GD3 and the '09 started to trickle out, I couldn't help but not like it. Now that I've been long parted with my Fit, I find this new generation to look a LOT better. This one is really nice, love the lip.

[Erik@R/TTuning]

Originally Posted by Socialvegetable

Thanks. John at JDP Engineering does beautiful things with carbon fibre. He makes a rear diffuser that I'd like to get at some point, but it's a low priority.

I used to live right down the street from your shop. I live a few miles up 309 now, but I'm still pretty close. Start stocking Fit parts! I want to pick up some spacers for my winter wheels, but it looks like you don't have any 4x100. Is that something you could order? I'm looking for 15m with studs, like the Eibach ones on your site.

My car is also 4x100 so we stock spacers in that bolt pattern. We usually have 16mm, 25mm and sometimes 35mm spacers that are bolt ons in stock. We try to keep 5x114.3 and 4x100s here on the shelf.

[Socialvegetable]

Originally Posted by fitftw

when I had my '08 GD3 and the '09 started to trickle out, I couldn't help but not like it. Now that I've been long parted with my Fit, I find this new generation to look a LOT better. This one is really nice, love the lip.

It's funny, there are A LOT of GD owners who hate the GEs. Personally, I like both, but I think the GD's styling is pretty boring compared to the GE's much sharper lines. They win in the end, though, because of the vastly superior aftermarket support. I really hope the GE catches up by the time I can afford to seriously consider forced induction.

[Socialvegetable]

Originally Posted by Erik@R/TTuning

My car is also 4x100 so we stock spacers in that bolt pattern. We usually have 16mm, 25mm and sometimes 35mm spacers that are bolt ons in stock. We try to keep 5x114.3 and 4x100s here on the shelf.

Nice, can you PM me a price on the 16mm ones? When you say bolt on, do you mean that they bolt on to the stock studs, and then the wheel also bolts on to those studs, or do you mean the kind that come with secondary studs pressed in? I'm interested in the latter, so I don't have to worry about trying to run extended studs or be left with not enough to keep my wheels secure.

Thanks for the reply, I'll have to check your shop out some time.