Towing with a Honda Accord

[ukewarrior]

So, We've just about finished a 4x8 Tear on a HF super duty trailer.
We haven't weighed it yet, but it used sandwich construction for walls, floor and top.

So... is anyone towing their trailer with a 2005 era Honda Accord with the 2.4L VTEC engine?
Yes, I know the official capacity for this vehicle is 1000 lbs.

Just trying to gauge real world experiences, if possible.

The secondary tow vehicle being considered is a 2004 Honda CRV with the same engine.
This vehicle is rated at 1500 lbs.

I'm looking for info on folks that use either of these class of vehicles to tow what I expect will be about a 900lb trailer loaded.

These are my only two choices, so the debate is the much better gas mileage with the Accord vs. the CRV.

[tony.latham]

I can't give you any personal experience but my sis tows their 800 pound 4 x 8 with a CRV. I haven't heard any complaints. But I know when we hitch up, the back of our Tacoma has two camp chairs, a roll table, dogfood, two dutch ovens, charcoal and fishing gear. (And having camped with them, the back of their CRV is loaded too.) So you may want to look at it from a, "what are we gonna take with us?" perspective.



Smooth roads and dry camps!

Tony

[drgrumpus]

I towed 3000 miles last May with my Honda Fit. A little slow heading westerly due to headwinds. The rest of trip was ok. I'd do it again. Normal tow vehicle is wife's 2013 Subaru Forrester. Plenty of capability. Accord should be ok. Manufacturers underrate towing capability for liability reasons.

Grumpus

[Gladtobehere]

I towed a small (5x7)little guy trailer with a 2009 Toyota Matrix. It towed ok with the 5 speed manual but was certainly sluggish on the hills. After much research I believe any small tow vehicle really demands trailer brakes. If you are careful the car brakes are enough but not so for an emergency stop situation.

[haha49]

You can tow 3,000lbs with a Honda civic with only 115hp no vtec now stopping is a whole another ball game since it's towing rating is 0. The reason it has a higher ratting is it has larger brakes that's about it you can go over your limit it just becomes unsafe if you want to move a trailer from 1 side of the yard to the other no real hills you can tow it with almost anything. I moved a 1,100lb boat then trailer 500 motor 300 plus 100 gallons of fuel (makes it heavy) It's all about how fast and can you stop since you might want surge braking on the trailer if you get up in the weight.

Don't forget to factor in your weight passanger weights and extra junk you cram in it all adds up and people really overload cars. Could it pull it sure but start going up and down mountain roads you might not be able to stop take a civic load 1,000lbs of tools in the trunk it pushes you down the hill makes it hard to stop. Each box was at least 300lbs then times that by 4 you the car is rated for 800lbs it was noticeable on the hills and that's just stuff stuffed into the car.

[Tomterrific]

My tow vehicles are a 1990 Miata and a 2010 CRV. Camper is very light weight. Both do fine. Wind resistance is my main problem.

T

[u-turnwilson]

I have towed 4x8 trailer carrying BMW mc, overall weight apx. 1100 lb. with my Honda Accord and car does just fine, however transmission downshifts often on any uphill grades ,becomes annoying,but Accord survived just fine.
Some Accords have a button on the shifter that allows you to defeat the overdrive , allowing you a bit more power and control. in hilly conditions .

[Dale M.]

IF towing with light car, don't be afraid to down shift going up hill, if car/trailer is really struggling to go uphill, down shift a gear, get rpm back up and if you have tachometer try to keep RPM at 2000 to 3000 Rpm till you have finished climb... I live in mountain area and see to many people struggle to climb grades and if the would just go down a gear it would be better for them (car/trail combination) and for people trapped behind them...

Dale

[Dan242]

Which transmission? auto or stick? I'd change and upgrade fluid (synth if not already), if Auto, add a transmission cooler to whichever vehicle
if not able to get trailer brakes, get upgraded brake pads. Do a little research and you will find brake pads that can handle more heat before fading. I like EBC pads on my TV
Be as light as possible. downshift, spin the motor at 3-4000 rpm to get better power on a 4 cyl. It can be done, but be gentle on accel and allow longer braking distances

[Dan242]

IF towing with light car, don't be afraid to down shift going up hill, if car/trailer is really struggling to go uphill, down shift a gear, get rpm back up and if you have tachometer try to keep RPM at 2000 to 3000 Rpm till you have finished climb... I live in mountain area and see to many people struggle to climb grades and if the would just go down a gear it would be better for them (car/trail combination) and for people trapped behind them...

Dale

I run 2-3 K RPM in my 5 liter V8 car, 4 cyl you will be spinning more like 3 to 4 k rpm...

[dancam]

What transmission do you have? If auto get a better trans cooler than the one it comes with. The engine can pull it, trans can handle it with a cooler and the frame can take a bit more than 1000 pounds. What you have to watch is braking and engine cooling. My tow vehicles are a '93 ford econobox with 63hp and 460,000km and a 2002 honda civic with 110hp. I towed a 5ftx5ftx8ft u-haul trailer weighing 900 pounds with each car on the same day. Civic got hot immediately and overheated just as i reached home just driving on the flat. Thats from wind resistance, not weight. The civic had new drums, rotors, pads and shoes but the old 63hp car stopped just as well as it or better, did not overheat and i went hours and hours with it up and down the biggest hills i could find. It also has almost as much towing power even though the civic has double the hp. I have had the civic 4 years and the ford 9.5 years, i do a lot of towing and prefer the ford.
The reason I said all that is to show that you need to try the accord first. It may do really well, or it may overheat. Change your brake fluid if you haven't and try it. Test the braking power on a deserted paved road and see what you think. Test it on a hill to see if it overheats.

Getting info from someone else who has towed with your exact car while maybe helpful may also not be useful at all. I towed this trailer:
900 pounds in the trailer and 500 plus me in the car. That was 5th gear floored on the flat but 4th on any slight incline (4k rpm but half throttle ish). The minute i took that plywood off it was like it wasnt there. You noticed it a little when speeding up and of course when braking but at 65mph i was using the same amount of throttle as every day going to work with an empty car. Its all wind resistance.
Also you want tires with good tread. If the tires on the accord are only so-so but new on the crv it may be cheaper on the extra fuel taking the crv than getting new tires on the accord before you really need to.



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