macbuddy
01-10-2010, 10:14 PM
Here are portions of the thread that I posted at another Fit forums site. I thought that I would bring this over to HondaFitForums for those that are considering a Skunk2 lowering spring set up. Take what you can from this.
Cheers,
-macbuddy-
------------------------
April 4, 2008
MY SKUNK2 SPRINGS
Okay guys, it's been 42 days since FedEx dropped off my Skunk2 springs. Anyway, after 2 hrs and 45 minutes, I finally got the springs on. I have to say that the whole process was a lot easier than I had anticipated. Then again, maybe it was because I had "mentally installed" those springs in my head for the past month and 11 days.
FIRST IMPRESSION
When I finally jumped into the driver's seat, I noticed that the car did not drop. Even my 200 lb frame did not make the car budge. My first thought was that "Wow" these springs were going to be really stiff! As I slowly backed it out of the driveway, I noticed that the suspension immediately started creaking and making all kinds of odd sounds. I knew that I installed everything correctly. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what was causing all the racket. After cautiously driving around town for about 10-15 minutes, the sounds began to diminish. The noise became more tolerable, but the sounds were still there never-the-less. Even on this short test ride, I couldn't stand those "self-destructing" sounds any longer. Then an idea hit me. I stopped at a PepBoys along the way, and picked up a can of spray lubricant, I got under the car and doused the top and bottom of the rear spring perches with lube. When I got back on the road, the noise was mysteriously gone! Problem solved.
PERFORMANCE
I can't be to certain, but the car does seem to handle at least as good or better than stock. BTW, I always did like the performance of the stock springs (with Progress swaybar), I just didn't like the stance. Anyway, maybe I do feel that the Fit now turns a bit flatter than before. I haven't really pushed it yet. Oh, BTW, when I left the PepBoy's parking lot, I exited extremely slowly yet I still scraped the front lip. I'll have to be even more careful than just going slowly, I'll have to also use the 45 degree angle technique whenever possible.
THE RIDE
As far as I can tell, the ride is great. I have to admit that I do like firm suspension,. These springs do not disappoint. I think the Skunk2 springs actually ride better than stock. They ride taut, yet compliant. I am going on a short road trip tomorrow, I'll let you know if my opinion changes in any way.
CONCLUSION
For the price, the effort to install, the ride, the performance and the stance, I am very pleased with my choice of springs. If anyone else is thinking about installing a set of springs, make sure to look at Ciburri's thread at Fitfreaks. His spread sheet helped me understand what to look for when shopping for springs. Also, the "cargo strap" tip alone probably saved me hours by not having to deal with the axles dropping out.
April 5, 2008
UPDATE ON RIDE QUALITY
This morning, I tested my Fit on Highway 99 at 65+ mph speeds without any discomfort. Keeping up with traffic in the fast lane occasionally had me creeping over 85 mph at times. As far as I could tell, the ride quality was very similar to the OEM springs, maybe a bit firmer. well at least on the smooth surfaces.
Once I got onto Highway 580, it was a different story. I began to realize what stiff springs felt like when rolling over 1.5 inch expansion joints. Whoa, at 80 mph in the slow lane, those joints really woke me up! The rear end felt airborne at times. Ok, that definitely felt different than OEM. I either had to slow down in the truck lanes, or move left, back over to the smoother car lanes.
Long, smooth sweepers feel great, tempting me to push harder. This new "stance' gives me the feeling that the Fit is "hugging" the ground, the car feels more planted. Also, another weird sensation that I am noticing is that the Fit feels more aerodynamic for some reason. It appears to accelerate with less effort. It seems to gather up speed easier, with less throttle input. If it does in fact have better aerodynamics, I should be getting better mpg...right? I'll report back on this idea after a half dozen tanks or so to confirm or dispel this theory.
OBSERVATIONS (THE NEGATIVE)
Well, I am seeing a lot of compromises.
1) The ride is startling on really rough surfaces.
2) I've lost a lot of ground clearance which is really noticeable upon entering parking lots.
3) The front lip no longer clears parking blocks.
4) Straddling road kill or road debris no longer guarantees escaping damage to the undercarriage or bodywork.
OBSERVATIONS (THE POSITIVE)
1) The Fit seems to feel more planted, more confidence inspiring.
2) Cornering is flatter.
3) The lower ride height may perhaps present a cleaner, more aerodynamic shape.
4) The drop gives my Fit the visual "stance" that I've been hoping for. I feel like I just got a new car.
April 6, 2008
I went to the Bay Area again today to join my family for dinner. My younger brother was there. I got to check out his brand new '08 SSM 5AT Sport that he just bought last week. He must have liked mine because his is exactly the same (except for the TPSM). Just for fun, we measured the lip height on his virgin Fit compared to mine. Whoa, mine sits 6.5cm (2.55in) lower than his stocker. No wonder I'm scraping!
Anyway, if you are interested, here are some pictures that I took during my install. Probably the most pertinent shots are image #6 and #7. These show the rear spring orientation (lettering facing up), and the tie downs used to suspend the front axles to prevent them from dropping out:
http://img127.imageshack.us/slideshow/play...7452464bea.smil
-macbuddy-
PS-BTW, image #9 is hard to see, but the front springs are also mounted with the letters facing up.
May 21, 2008
I've been riding on my Skunk2 springs for nearly two months now. I feel the need to share my experiences with you at this time. Let me start off by stating that I still really enjoy the performance of this mod. Perhaps by design, these "linear" rate springs seem to ride much more compliantly on the smoother surfaces than the OEM set, the OEMs can be "jittery" even on smoothest roads. So, 99% of my normal daily driving experience has improved. However, 1% of my ride is marred by bad road surfaces. I cringe whenever I end up on poorly maintained roads. The ride is very, very "jarring" when coming upon such conditions. This weekend, I found sections of I-880 that were at best, "unacceptable." My wife and her sister were getting beat up on this road. After slowing to 65 mph the ride became more tolerable, maybe 80 mph on 40 psi tires was pushing it!
On my April 5th post, I alluded to the idea of seeing better mpg due to a more aerodynamic shape, a possible effect from lowering the car. After 11 tanks of fuel, I travelled 3439 miles on 103,0 gals of fuel, returning a 33.39 mpg average. Basically, I am seeing no real advantage in mpg...darn, that would have been a very nice side effect.
My next project? I am thinking of doing the "rear air shock" mod next. Perhaps this will help keep my passengers from getting "air borne" from those big expansion joints ...or maybe I should just get my wife and sister-in-law to lose some weight!
Who said that? :)
-macbuddy-
Cheers,
-macbuddy-
------------------------
April 4, 2008
MY SKUNK2 SPRINGS
Okay guys, it's been 42 days since FedEx dropped off my Skunk2 springs. Anyway, after 2 hrs and 45 minutes, I finally got the springs on. I have to say that the whole process was a lot easier than I had anticipated. Then again, maybe it was because I had "mentally installed" those springs in my head for the past month and 11 days.
FIRST IMPRESSION
When I finally jumped into the driver's seat, I noticed that the car did not drop. Even my 200 lb frame did not make the car budge. My first thought was that "Wow" these springs were going to be really stiff! As I slowly backed it out of the driveway, I noticed that the suspension immediately started creaking and making all kinds of odd sounds. I knew that I installed everything correctly. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what was causing all the racket. After cautiously driving around town for about 10-15 minutes, the sounds began to diminish. The noise became more tolerable, but the sounds were still there never-the-less. Even on this short test ride, I couldn't stand those "self-destructing" sounds any longer. Then an idea hit me. I stopped at a PepBoys along the way, and picked up a can of spray lubricant, I got under the car and doused the top and bottom of the rear spring perches with lube. When I got back on the road, the noise was mysteriously gone! Problem solved.
PERFORMANCE
I can't be to certain, but the car does seem to handle at least as good or better than stock. BTW, I always did like the performance of the stock springs (with Progress swaybar), I just didn't like the stance. Anyway, maybe I do feel that the Fit now turns a bit flatter than before. I haven't really pushed it yet. Oh, BTW, when I left the PepBoy's parking lot, I exited extremely slowly yet I still scraped the front lip. I'll have to be even more careful than just going slowly, I'll have to also use the 45 degree angle technique whenever possible.
THE RIDE
As far as I can tell, the ride is great. I have to admit that I do like firm suspension,. These springs do not disappoint. I think the Skunk2 springs actually ride better than stock. They ride taut, yet compliant. I am going on a short road trip tomorrow, I'll let you know if my opinion changes in any way.
CONCLUSION
For the price, the effort to install, the ride, the performance and the stance, I am very pleased with my choice of springs. If anyone else is thinking about installing a set of springs, make sure to look at Ciburri's thread at Fitfreaks. His spread sheet helped me understand what to look for when shopping for springs. Also, the "cargo strap" tip alone probably saved me hours by not having to deal with the axles dropping out.
April 5, 2008
UPDATE ON RIDE QUALITY
This morning, I tested my Fit on Highway 99 at 65+ mph speeds without any discomfort. Keeping up with traffic in the fast lane occasionally had me creeping over 85 mph at times. As far as I could tell, the ride quality was very similar to the OEM springs, maybe a bit firmer. well at least on the smooth surfaces.
Once I got onto Highway 580, it was a different story. I began to realize what stiff springs felt like when rolling over 1.5 inch expansion joints. Whoa, at 80 mph in the slow lane, those joints really woke me up! The rear end felt airborne at times. Ok, that definitely felt different than OEM. I either had to slow down in the truck lanes, or move left, back over to the smoother car lanes.
Long, smooth sweepers feel great, tempting me to push harder. This new "stance' gives me the feeling that the Fit is "hugging" the ground, the car feels more planted. Also, another weird sensation that I am noticing is that the Fit feels more aerodynamic for some reason. It appears to accelerate with less effort. It seems to gather up speed easier, with less throttle input. If it does in fact have better aerodynamics, I should be getting better mpg...right? I'll report back on this idea after a half dozen tanks or so to confirm or dispel this theory.
OBSERVATIONS (THE NEGATIVE)
Well, I am seeing a lot of compromises.
1) The ride is startling on really rough surfaces.
2) I've lost a lot of ground clearance which is really noticeable upon entering parking lots.
3) The front lip no longer clears parking blocks.
4) Straddling road kill or road debris no longer guarantees escaping damage to the undercarriage or bodywork.
OBSERVATIONS (THE POSITIVE)
1) The Fit seems to feel more planted, more confidence inspiring.
2) Cornering is flatter.
3) The lower ride height may perhaps present a cleaner, more aerodynamic shape.
4) The drop gives my Fit the visual "stance" that I've been hoping for. I feel like I just got a new car.
April 6, 2008
I went to the Bay Area again today to join my family for dinner. My younger brother was there. I got to check out his brand new '08 SSM 5AT Sport that he just bought last week. He must have liked mine because his is exactly the same (except for the TPSM). Just for fun, we measured the lip height on his virgin Fit compared to mine. Whoa, mine sits 6.5cm (2.55in) lower than his stocker. No wonder I'm scraping!
Anyway, if you are interested, here are some pictures that I took during my install. Probably the most pertinent shots are image #6 and #7. These show the rear spring orientation (lettering facing up), and the tie downs used to suspend the front axles to prevent them from dropping out:
http://img127.imageshack.us/slideshow/play...7452464bea.smil
-macbuddy-
PS-BTW, image #9 is hard to see, but the front springs are also mounted with the letters facing up.
May 21, 2008
I've been riding on my Skunk2 springs for nearly two months now. I feel the need to share my experiences with you at this time. Let me start off by stating that I still really enjoy the performance of this mod. Perhaps by design, these "linear" rate springs seem to ride much more compliantly on the smoother surfaces than the OEM set, the OEMs can be "jittery" even on smoothest roads. So, 99% of my normal daily driving experience has improved. However, 1% of my ride is marred by bad road surfaces. I cringe whenever I end up on poorly maintained roads. The ride is very, very "jarring" when coming upon such conditions. This weekend, I found sections of I-880 that were at best, "unacceptable." My wife and her sister were getting beat up on this road. After slowing to 65 mph the ride became more tolerable, maybe 80 mph on 40 psi tires was pushing it!
On my April 5th post, I alluded to the idea of seeing better mpg due to a more aerodynamic shape, a possible effect from lowering the car. After 11 tanks of fuel, I travelled 3439 miles on 103,0 gals of fuel, returning a 33.39 mpg average. Basically, I am seeing no real advantage in mpg...darn, that would have been a very nice side effect.
My next project? I am thinking of doing the "rear air shock" mod next. Perhaps this will help keep my passengers from getting "air borne" from those big expansion joints ...or maybe I should just get my wife and sister-in-law to lose some weight!
Who said that? :)
-macbuddy-