Feature: This Fit is Gone!

The T1R Turbo kit has been out awhile for smaller displacement engines, but Marcus Chin and his 2007 Honda Fit were its first guinea pigs in the Texas area. The aftermarket feeds quite a bit of performance products towards the Fit community, but when you've only got 109 powder puffing ponies to work with, to get some real “Go,” a muffler and cold air intake combo are really only good for collecting bugs and irritating crotchety neighbors.

“Go for the big stuff,” says Chin, remembering what 0-60 in less than filling your taxes used to feel like. “I got this car in 2007 thinking I wasn't going to do too much to it, but it was really slow.” While the Fit may not have the same potential as many other Honda vehicles, a Garret T25 turbo goes a long way towards neutralizing the playing field. With a moderate 10 lbs of boost, Chin's Fit can rampage the quarter mile in the mid 14's. That's some pretty impressive numbers from an econo-minded 1.5-liter VTEC.

The Fit was not Chin's first effort, however, having caught the mod bug from a 1992 Honda Civic hatchback several years back. There was just one big problem with his initial handy work. “I couldn't get the motor running,” says Chin. They say the two necessities for every show winning, custom import is that it must go, and it must stop. If you're missing either one of these essential ingredients, you might as well go back to square one, which is exactly what Chin did.

Fit History Lesson #1:
When the Fit was first introduced to the Nordic European countries back in 2001, Honda tagged it with the obvious name choice, Fitta. They proudly advertised it across newspapers, stating boldly, “The [Fitta] is small on the outside, but large on the inside.” It didn't take long for customer snickers to reach back to corporate headquarters, and it was only then that they realized that the word “Fitta” was a vulgar slang word used to describe the female genitalia. Not long after, the European Fitta became known as the Honda Jazz. True story!

Chin first saw the Honda Fit/Jazz in Thailand about a year before it came to the states (the Fit was introduced in 2006 as a 2007 model), and he thought to himself, That looks like a car with few problems. Fast forward a year later, and a T1R Turbo Kit being carefully integrated into its relatively unproblematic design, which also necessitated the need for a Kustomz Unlimited intake manifold, 310 RC injectors, Tial wastegate, HKS blow-off valve, AEM F/IC, and custom nickel-plated intercooler piping with matching runners and valve covers.

“When I got the turbo, a friend wanted to recruit me to a car team (Team 16Niss), and when you're on a team, you start getting stuff cheaper.” says Chin. “I started adding more to my car, and before I knew it, it was show quality.” What this amounted to was the additions of an Exedy Stage 2 clutch, J's Racing axel back titanium muffler, Cusco strut bars, Universal air suspension bags, Work Emotions XT7 (17x8) “Gun metal” wheels, JDM “Type S” body kit, Type -V rear spoiler, Sony Xplod audio setup, and custom gray suede/vinyl interior with blue diamond stitching.

In total, Chin has spent about 20 grand on parts for his Fit, which he figures, including its original cost, is about the same as buying a moderately priced sports car off the showroom floor. Sounds like a reasonable trade-off to us. When asked if he had any plans for a future project, he stated his next car would be built for comfort rather than speed. This is also some pretty sound relationship advice, but that's an entirely different article and subject altogether. For now, Chin wants to extend his custom interior to include a gray suede headliner, and he is also hinting towards getting a new set of shoes, in particular, the Volk TE-37's.

“This year has had a lot more shows than last year” says Chin. “I took my first Best of Show in Oklahoma.” While this was a monumental event, one of his most memorable experiences so far has been a meet in Austin, Texas, not long after completing his T1R turbo conversion. “I pulled in, walked around the car, and as soon as I opened the hood, everybody started walking over,” says Chin. “This is something I'd never experienced before.” Kind of like moths to a flame, except his Fit offers only envy, rather than an extreme sunburn (unless you'd lick his exhaust manifold, but that's a story for another time).

Reactions so far have been very enthusiastic towards Chin's car (obviously, or he wouldn't be here). This coming September you can visit him and his Fit at either the RPM Show in Dallas or XDC Show in Fort Worth, Texas. Tell him we sent you!

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this one final history lesson.

Fit History Lesson #2:
In an ongoing effort to keep the Fit as affordable as possible, the intake system is made of high-temp plastic composite attached to a cast aluminum intake runner. The reasoning behind this is to allow the system to work with an EGR valve, which many higher price-point vehicles have done away with using more complex forms of variable valve timing. The EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) keeps emissions in check, but also creates enormous amounts of heat that the typical one-piece, plastic manifold would not be able to handle. As it is, the Fit's EGR already requires its own coolant hose to keep temperatures reasonable. Yup, cheap... but effective!