Yellow Dragon

I've thought about running my Fit Sport in H Stock for fun until I get my STS SE-R fixed (motor went on me).

I did a search and couldn't find a thread on this yet. I guess it's well known the Mini non-S runs H Stock. We don't have any here locally (or even in KC where the competition is a lot better). I might pick up some R comps for fun. Something I can use for a track day later in the SE-R in 205/50/15. Any suggestions on what to go with? I've heard that V710's have good life and can be used with some success on the track.

Do you guys think the Fit can be a contender in H Stock? I think the biggest issue for the Fit is the high offset factory wheels. There aren't any aftermarket lightweight choices in offsets within stock rules (15x6). Also the lack of aftermarket shocks are also a factor right now.

EDIT: Just noticed Tirerack has 205/50/15 Avon Tech RA tires on closeout for $119 each. Are these worth picking up?


Modified by Yellow Dragon at 1:33 PM 2/19/2007

bender

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Yellow Dragon &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

EDIT: Just noticed Tirerack has 205/50/15 Avon Tech RA tires on closeout for $119 each. Are these worth picking up?


Modified by Yellow Dragon at 1:33 PM 2/19/2007</TD></TR></TABLE>

I can't comment on the whether the Fit can be competitive. But I think the Avon Tech RAs are a good deal at that price. I ran Hoosiers, Kumho V710s and Avons last year. I would say the grip of the Avons is a little below those other 2, but it is probably the longest lasting of the 3 by a good margin. At that price, they sound like just what you need.

SuzukaBlueAP2

maybe it's just my opinion, but I would think that the Fit's modest power and torque would not be enough to keep up in H stock.

Just my observation..

honda93

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1508188

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1507711

BubblegumTate

I wouldn't worry too much about power/torque. If the Fit proves to be a capable handler, it will make up somewhat. I won H-Stock in my club in 2005 with my 75hp carbed CRX.

Yellow Dragon

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Yellow Dragon &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
There aren't any aftermarket lightweight choices in offsets within stock rules (15x6). Also the lack of aftermarket shocks are also a factor right now.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Bump. Looks like the OEM Sport wheels are 15x6 with a 55mm offset. So the lowest offset I can go would be 48-49mm. Does anyone here know of any aftermarket wheels (preferably lightweight) that come in this range of offset in 15x6?

Also, any word on aftermarket shocks? Looks like I'll be running this car in H Stock this season as my SE-R may take longer than I had originally anticipated.

I'm thinking hard about ordering the Avon Tech RAs this week. Someone talk me into or out of this soon.

tronic

I'd spend the $ on v710's or Hoosiers over the Avons, and just get a cheap used set of OEM wheels to put them on.

Todd00

You could always get some higher offset 15x6" lightweight wheels (like +45) and have a machine shop take a little material off to make them +50 offset.

A few mm wouldn't be a big deal, but I wouldn't go too far.

Scour ebay for a set of 15x6" Volks in a +45 or so. They shouldn't be too expensive. Even the 96 GSR wheels would work if you're looking for cheap and light.

jeffhaut

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Yellow Dragon &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Bump. Looks like the OEM Sport wheels are 15x6 with a 55mm offset. So the lowest offset I can go would be 48-49mm. Does anyone here know of any aftermarket wheels (preferably lightweight) that come in this range of offset in 15x6?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

we put ordinary civic 4 bolt steel wheels on fits at work (a honda dealership) and those are 45mm no problem atall

Gedupsound

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Yellow Dragon &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've thought about running my Fit Sport in H Stock for fun until I get my STS SE-R fixed (motor went on me). </TD></TR></TABLE>

with good tires, h stock is as good as yours. depending on your club though really we ran my buddy's 85 corolla GTS bone stock, worse than bone stock, actually. i had a blown second gear, so we just railed that transmission, and still won the class on some r compounds (hoosie a3-s03's, co drove the car, i had hit a deer with my gts).

for autox tires i run v700's i got cheap from my friend, barely used, they are good, all the tires listed above are good, the hoosiers ofcourse are prolly the top choice in my book, but also very spendy, and dont last all that long. v710;s for bang for buck id go with.




Modified by Gedupsound at 3:05 AM 3/9/2007

jetydosa

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jeffhaut &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

we put ordinary civic 4 bolt steel wheels on fits at work (a honda dealership) and those are 45mm no problem atall</TD></TR></TABLE>

Except they are not legal for HS...and heavy as hell...

jeffhaut

obviously you wouldnt want to downgrade to a heavier wheel. i just mean on the offset side of things. the OP thought the couldnt fit a 45mm wheel

Reid

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jeffhaut &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the OP thought the couldnt fit a 45mm wheel</TD></TR></TABLE>

He can't change the offset that drastically due to the rules.

Yellow Dragon

I have a set of GSR "blades" that I test fitted and those were 45mm as well. For the time being I'll probably use those wheels for daily driving and mount up some R comps to my OEM wheels. Only then will I know if this car is worth trying to run at the Divisional level or possibly higher. I'll keep everyone posted.

OT, but I tore apart the bottom end of my SE-R's motor (SR20DE). It had rod knock and looks like it'll need nearly $1k worth of parts. Unfortunately I'm considering parting the car out at this point and looking for something else.

Todd00

Stock class rules on wheels:

Same size, diameter and width.

Offset +/- 1/4" (5mm)

Yellow Dragon

First AutoX I'll be attending this season is March 24-25th in KC. They have a test & tune the first day and then they'll change the course for the actual event. KC has a nice, big lot. Should be fun.

I'll be installing my K&N panel filter, CG Lock and buying my R comps this week. For now I'm just mounting them to the OEM wheels. I guess I'll be somewhat ready for HS. Should be fun regardless. I have a feeling the car might suprise some people even though it's an auto tranny. I've been messing with it in Sport mode with the paddle shifters and I think it'll work good.


Modified by Yellow Dragon at 7:00 PM 3/14/2007

honda93

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Gedupsound &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">with good tires, h stock is as good as yours. depending on your club though really we ran my buddy's 85 corolla GTS bone stock, worse than bone stock, actually. i had a blown second gear, so we just railed that transmission, and still won the class on some r compounds.</TD></TR></TABLE>


You obviously have not run a National level SCCA event yet, have you?

Yellow Dragon

Got my R comps from the Tirerack today. Only problem right now is the threat of rain for this coming race weekend.

Yellow Dragon

I thought I'd update this thread. I raced Regionally this weekend. I did not go to KC for the 2 day event because of the forecast of rain. The local course was small with one straight at the beginning and the end which didn't compliment the Fit whatsoever. I would guess I lost 3-4 seconds out of staying competitive in PAX because of this. The Avon Tech RAs stuck to the pavement nicely. They're a little on the heavy side for R comps IMO which did affect acceleration. The Fit handled quite well regardless with a lot less bodyroll than you would think. I won my class against only one other car...a '90 Celica GT on Victoracers.

I had a lot of problems with the manual sportshifting. I haven't looked into it much yet, but it seems it wants to upshift in some situations (maybe if you hit the rev limiter a couple times???).

Is the Fit the car to have in HS? No, but I'm sure most people could still win Regionally and have fun doing so. I truly wish there was a more powerful version available. Even 20-30 hp would make this a different car. Maybe a Fit Si or Type R???

I had a good time. Driving the car was so easy. It really goes where you point it. The balance of the car is front heavy...so much to the point you don't even seem to use the back tires much. This is probably due to the fact the gas tank is mounted under the front seats. It lacks the power to really get you in trouble too much. I tried my best to throw it around like I've done with previous cars I've raced and couldn't get it out of whack. Even so it drives great on course and doesn't feel like it's understeering to the point it's not fun.

<U>Upgrades:</U>
K&N panel filter
CG Lock (best $35 I've spent on AutoX)
205/50/15 Avon Tech RAs wrapped around 15x6 OEM Fit Sport wheels

Final thoughts...this car needs lighter wheels and tires. I don't know what other race tires weigh, but I weighed the Avon Techs at 23 lbs each. There aren't many choices to run lighter aftermarket wheels due to the Fit Sport's high 55mm offset. Keep in mind the R comps run wide and slightly rubbed the rear shock dust boots. I would recommend to run at least a 3mm spacer.

I'm not sure if I'll run this car again. I'm on the fence about it. The lack of acceleration was a bit dissapointing for someone who's starting his 8th season of Solo. I'm sure there are other courses that would compliment the car more, but the one I ran wasn't one of them. Don't let that shy you away from racing your Fit. You'll have fun! Just remember to keep your expectations low if you're used to much faster cars.

Now for some pics and vids...

Ready for action


I messed with tire pressures all day and couldn't get the rears some work



Rear shock dust boot rubbage



At least my passenger seems to like it. LOL




Low quality digi cam vids:

http://s97.photobucket.com/alb...1.flv

http://s97.photobucket.com/alb...2.flv

jetydosa

Lookin good man, nice and close to those cones I wonder if the 5spd would fare better? Id run another event with larger more natl level type course before giving up on the car, though. Of course, if you do, youll have to sell me those Avons for $100

Todd00

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jetydosa &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Lookin good man, nice and close to those cones I wonder if the 5spd would fare better? Id run another event with larger more natl level type course before giving up on the car, though. Of course, if you do, youll have to sell me those Avons for $100 </TD></TR></TABLE>

5-speed would have to be much better than the man-u-matic, both for gear selection and direct-drive. No matter what you do the car will still dictate what gear it wants to be in. I look at those paddles as more of a 'suggestion'.

FWIW Hoosiers are lighter than Avons. Also, OEM 96 GSR wheels are cheap, legal and they are several lbs lighter than the Fit wheels.

Dirt

I just think ya can't drive for ****. Loveyoubyebye, AA

c00l pix Todd. now plan for Expo.

Yellow Dragon

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jetydosa &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Lookin good man, nice and close to those cones I wonder if the 5spd would fare better? Id run another event with larger more natl level type course before giving up on the car, though. Of course, if you do, youll have to sell me those Avons for $100 </TD></TR></TABLE>

The MT would probably be much better. I'll definitely give it at least 1-2 more tries before I call it quits. The great thing is these tires will work nicely on my '93 SE-R if I decide to go that route instead.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Todd00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

5-speed would have to be much better than the man-u-matic, both for gear selection and direct-drive. No matter what you do the car will still dictate what gear it wants to be in. I look at those paddles as more of a 'suggestion'.

FWIW Hoosiers are lighter than Avons. Also, OEM 96 GSR wheels are cheap, legal and they are several lbs lighter than the Fit wheels.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah I learned that it'll still shift sometimes. I haven't figured out why though. It became quite frustrating while on course though.

I weighed my Avons at 23 lbs each. Not sure if that's heavy or what for R comps. I think RA-1s weight 21 lbs each in the same size. Which ones are the '96 GSRs? Mesh? Fat fives? Any idea on weight?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dirt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just think ya can't drive for ****. Loveyoubyebye, AA

c00l pix Todd. now plan for Expo. </TD></TR></TABLE>

No ExBLOW for me this year. My vacation is Phoenix in May. I'm also planning on doing a couple track days locally. Did you hear there's a new roadcourse in Hastings, Nebraska now? It's about 2 hrs west of Omaha. http://www.racemph.com

crxgator

can you use the optional 16's in H stock?

Yellow Dragon

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crxgator &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">can you use the optional 16's in H stock?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Nope. You also cannot use Base model 14's if you have a Fit Sport and vice versa.

Rules were made to be broken though right? LOL JK.