Fun and affordable and highly modifiable, the GE8 Honda Fit ticks all the boxes for a couple of Honda nerds like us.
Come along for the ride as we transform this 2011 Sport model from worn out to fresh and tasty in this Pro-Series and Simoniz supported project.
Speed Academy is a website and YouTube channel based on making things go fast and enjoying cars. Peter Tarach and Dave Pratte are the forces behind Speed Academy.
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A transcript, cleaned up by AI and edited by a human staffer, is below.
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Transcript:
That’s really the appeal of these lightweight hatchbacks. You can thrash them and have a lot of fun.
Welcome to our GE8 Honda Fit build series, supported by Pro Series and Simoniz. It’s no secret we’re fans of Hondas around here, and the second-generation Fit has always been one of our favorites. I’ve always liked the styling, and if you’ve ever driven one, you know they’re the kind of small, lightweight hatchback that’s just fun to rip around in. To me, they’re a spiritual successor to the EG and EK Civics.
Inside, it’s classic 2010 Honda—simple, functional, and surprisingly sporty. This one’s got a five-speed manual and a three-pedal setup, so it’s already off to a great start. It’s also shockingly practical. You could camp in the back if you wanted. Under the hood is the L15, a 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine with 109 horsepower. That’s not much, but the car only weighs about 2,300 to 2,400 pounds, so you can actually use all that power without breaking the law. That’s the real charm of a car like this.
Because it’s a Honda, the aftermarket support is huge. We’ve got a pile of parts ready to go, so let’s get this thing on the lift and get started.
The first job is to check underneath and see what we’re dealing with—whether we’ll need wrenches and ratchets or torches and pry bars. Luckily, this car has been well cared for. The previous owner rust-proofed it every year with Fluid Film, and it shows. The underside looks great compared to most cars of this age. It’s a good reminder that rust-proofing actually works if you keep up with it.
We paid about $7,000 Canadian for this Fit—around $5,000 USD—which is a bit of a premium. You can find them cheaper, but condition is everything. If you’re in the southern U.S., you’re laughing; they’re everywhere and rust-free.
Now, the first problem area: separating the exhaust. The plan was to cut the rusty studs and punch them out, but the top stud had almost no access, so I had to use a mini Sawzall. What looks like five seconds of work took several minutes—rust is no joke. Eventually, I ended up drilling out the studs because everything was too corroded to salvage.
After about an hour of fighting with it, the flanges were finally ready for the new system—a Yonaka stainless steel exhaust. These are affordable, well-built, and stainless, so they won’t rust. They also sound great without being obnoxious. A little copper sealant will help make sure the old flanges seal properly.
It’s impressive how solid the rest of the factory exhaust is. Aside from a few rusty spots, the muffler looks good, but we’ll replace it anyway. The Yonaka midsection has a resonator to keep noise down, and the axle-back features a slim muffler with a 3.5-inch tip—subtle and street-friendly.
Before starting it up, we’re adding an intake. That means removing the stock airbox and, surprisingly, the front bumper. It’s worth it, though, since this intake should add around ten percent more power—big gains on an engine this small. Because the breather vent tube connects to the coolant lines on the throttle body, we rerouted it and replaced a too-small rubber hose with a Vibrant silicone one.
We also installed a new Pro Series OE battery. It’s a bit larger than stock, which made fitting the intake tight, but it worked out.
Now for the payoff—let’s hear how it sounds. The intake has a nice growl, and the exhaust has a deep, crisp tone without that typical Honda rasp. It’s a big win for a street setup.
Next, we’re upgrading the radiator to a Koyorad all-aluminum unit. The original was still intact, but one of the clamps was disintegrated. The Koyo is thicker, stronger, and will be useful if we push this car harder in the future. Fitment isn’t perfect—the fan mounts are slightly off—but it’ll work fine.
On to the suspension. Like most Hondas, you have to pull the cowl covers to access the top strut mounts. With everything rust-free, removing the old suspension was easy—just disconnect the end links, brake lines, and wheel speed sensors, then remove the strut bolts.
We replaced the factory setup with Kuned K1 Street coilovers. These are designed for comfort and reliability, with valving developed with Lap 32 Engineering. They also make race and double-adjustable versions, but we’re sticking with a street-friendly setup for now.
We were going to leave the brakes alone, but they were too far gone. So, we headed to PartSource for some Pro Series OE+ rotors and pads. They’re high quality, ready to install out of the box, and have painted center hats to resist rust. The ceramic pad compound offers low dust, quiet operation, and solid performance—even under light track use.
The rear brakes, unfortunately, are drums. They’re lightweight and cheap to produce, but not fun to work on. Disassembly was tedious—springs under extreme tension, awkward clips, and finicky hardware everywhere. Whoever designed drum brakes was a cruel person.
After a lot of trial and error, broken clips, and colorful language, we finally reassembled everything with new Pro Series OE brake shoes. No OE+ here—there’s nothing “plus” about drums.
With that done, the Fit is refreshed from front to back: new exhaust, intake, radiator, suspension, and brakes. It’s lighter, tighter, and ready for the next phase of the build.
