turdflo

Hey guys, I have no idea of the towing capacity on a newer V6 Accord. Is it safe to tow a 2200lb civic + small trailer?

I'm thinking the total weight towed will be well under 3000lbs

Is this too hard on the drivetrain?

I really do not want to purchase a seperate tow vehicle, because it will be pointless to do so. Firstly, because I don't like trucks, and secondly, the towing only needs to be done for a few track days per year.

quicksilver1689

the engine could handle it, the auto tranny wouldnt like it

burnout8488

Is the transmission really that much weaker than the ones in the V6 Pilot/Odyssey/Ridgeline? They essentially have the same engines....

I'd say you'd be alright to tow a civic as far as the powertrain is concerned in your Accord, unless someone has some facts as to why the transmission might not be up to the task.

(I'm speaking about the automatic transmission, if you have a 6-speed, that might change the whole game)

BLKFLSH

The towing capacity is only 1,000 lbs. (total of trailer and cargo), and the tongue weight should only be 10% of the total weight. So I would not try it, unless you are going a very short distance, and there are no inclines on the way. The manual states that the car is designed to carry passengers, and their cargo, and not for towing. Sorry, but that's just too much weight.

I don't like trucks either, but I have an S-10 4 cylinder manual (bought for $4k used) for my very few hauling needs. It comes in very handy for hauling furniture, plywood from Home Depot, and small trailers. Something you may want to consider.

Juan_Mitosis

I Would DEFINETLY not risk it. Cheap american pickup FTW. I myself have an EG2, and a Mazda B2500 pickup (99).

ngswimmer08

you could always rent a UHAUL truck and shove the civic in the back.

gofaster012

Personally I wouldn't tow anything with your Accord. It was designed as a passenger car and not a tow vehicle. Further more, anytime you attach a tow hitch to a unibody frame, if done incorrectly, you run the risk of altering or tearing the unibody. Which will affect the value of your car when it comes time to sell or trade it in.

Targa250R

If you were towing something simple like a motorcycle or a riding lawnmower on a light utility trailer, I'd say go for it.

If you were towing a car one time only with a tow dolly, I'd say go for it.

But since you're going to be towing a Civic with an open car trailer (which I highly doubt weighs significantly less than 800lbs as you claim), I would recommend that you get a vehicle that is actually suited for towing. The only thing you're going to do with a V6 Accord is blow up transmissions if you tow that much weight on a regular basis.

You "don't like trucks." That makes no sense to me for a towing situation, but okay, whatever. It's your own choice to make it harder on yourself. You don't need a truck to tow; you should have a full-frame vehicle, however. Truck-based SUV, full-sized van, '80s Monte Carlo, older Lincoln Town Car, whatever. The longer the wheelbase and heavier the car, the more stable the entire rig will be.

Manual transmission is best; if you go with an automatic, make sure to get a substantial transmission cooler. Look for something with decent brakes, and if you use a car or lighter SUV, your best bet would be something with aftermarket air-assist springs available for the rear to allow more tongue weight without dragging the ***.

If you don't want to buy, then look into renting. Lots of places rent towing-ready pickups.

katzenjammer84

Motor/transmission really have no bearing on towing capacity. It's the frame that you need to be concerned with.

quicksilver1689

your an idiot, motor, tranny, frame, suspension, type of hitch all come into play. its not like oh hes got a strong frame he can tow no problem.

Targa250R

How ironic.

Was it really necessary to call him an idiot? How old are you, 12?

quicksilver1689

sorry 250 your right i need to grow up forgive my foolishness, hmt *****

katzenjammer84

I brought it up because nobody put a huge emphasis on frame strength. That is the biggest determination on what your capacities are.

In the future, please use rationality and add a bit a maturity before you hit "submit reply"

quicksilver1689

dont tell me what to do

Juan_Mitosis

www.honda-feelings.com

square_1

We would tow a 4X6 Uhaul trailer loaded with band equipment in my friends 94 V6 camry wagon. Didn't have any problems and haven't so far. Still has the car.

I would just rent a truck to tow your car if it is only a couple of track days a year like you say...

Spend a little extra money a couple of times a year or waste a 20K+ vehicle.. Your choice!

YeuEmMaiMai

lol ur kidding right?

typically in a passenger car application an auto has MORE towing capacity than a manual due to an automatic transmission having more total clutch area to work with

he said newer car so I am going to guess 5at from a 2003 or newer car..I wouldn't tow **** with that transmission, they are utterly crap and towing with it will make it DIE sooner. I dunno if the transmission was significantly redesigned for 2008 or newer cars but I would say I doubt it.....

add to that the inability of honda's brakes to handle and extra load of more than 1K lbs + vehicle weight.....

katzenjammer84

I certainly phrased what I meant to say incorrectly, because now two people have brought this up.

quicksilver1689

id rather replace a clutch on a mt equipped vehicle than **** with the auto tranny if it got damaged.

Blinn79

I know this is a very old thread, but it is also one of the first things to pop up on google when searching for towing capacity of the accord. So incase someone else google's it, I would like to chime in.

I was a GM technician for 3 years, then a Toyota technician for 2 years.

That being said, the major limiting factor is going to be the unibody structure/strength. If you got to http://www.hitchesonline.com/hitch_selector_combo.htm , you can see there are companies that make class 1 hitches for the 4cyl and V6 accord that are rated for 2,000 lbs using factory holes in the unibody design. These are MAJOR brand name companies, who are not going to put a rating on a hitch that is going to fail and possible end up getting them sued for millions. If they rate these hitches for 2,000 lbs, you better believe there is a faily large margin of safety calculated in there incase someone performs a emergency manuever (swerves) or slams on the brakes. Now that DOES NOT mean I would exceed their rating.

Next potential problem would be the transmission. This can easily be resolved by adding a $50 to $75 aftermarker transmission cooler and driving the vehicle with overdrive off. This would avoid possibly "burning" up the more fragile overdrive band(s), and keep the transmission signifigantly cooler during the tow. Heat is what kills automatic transmissions, period.

As for the brakes, you could purchase a trailer with its own brakes on it, and use a trailer brake controller on the vechile which then would technically not add any additional wear to the brake system on the accord. The downside to this, is trailers with their own brake systems can be fairly pricey compared to a regular trailer, but it will still be cheaper then a car accident due to over heating your brakes

Next, some people will goes as far as to say the alternator might need to be upgraded, but thanks to technology, you can opt for LED trailer lights... this will add almost no additional strain on the alternator.

Last, for about $100, you can find some generic air bags (spring helpers) to go inside the coils in the rear, and inflate the bags to whatever pressure nessesary to signifigantly help control any additional tounge weight.

I know all this, because I friend of mine bought a 2007 Toyota RAV4 with a 4cyl engine and auto transmission. He later purchased 3 atv's for his family. He decided he wanted to tow the ATV's on a 14' trailer (if I remember correct). The trailer was around 1,000 lbs, again if my memory serves me correct. The three ATV's total weight was around 1,500 lbs. So he was going to be towing around 2,500 lbs. The towing capacity on the 4cyl RAV4 was only 1,500 lbs, yet the V6 with the towing package was capable of towing 3,000lbs. We looked at the differences between them, and the only "upgrades" were the alternator, transmission cooler, and the V6 engine.

So we added a transmission cooler to his 4 cyl/auto setup, added some airbags in the rear coils to stabilize the RAV4, and used LED lights on the trailer, rather than upgrade the alternator. He has over 60,000 miles on his RAV4 with MANY 9 hour long road trips to west Texas with the ATV's in tow. He once added some cargo to the trailer and towed right at approx 3,000 lbs with it, for a 9 hour trip. He has NEVER had any problems with over heating of the transmission or engine. With the transmission overdrive turned off, he says it pulls the ATV's at 65 mph with little effort. Once again, this is in TEXAS, where it is VERY flat. So the vehicle can be modified to handle a little more weight, if a some thought process is applied.

Cupcub

You know that Mazda is an American pickup, right? Just a re-badged Ford Ranger...

shotoutacc0rd

Thanks for bumping an old thread

it seems to me like he knows, based on that he says "cheap American pickup ftw [...] I have a Mazda badged ranger"

and as an update, if you tow with an accord v6 automatic you're crazy. Even with the minivan cooler attached its a terrible idea. That transmission is barely enough to push the car around, its certainly not enough to tow stuff.