bfraley

With fuel prices increasing the Civic has become even more popular. A lot of people are getting rid of big trucks/SUVs in favor of the more economical Civic, however there is still a need to haul stuff around. I am starting this thread because I'm one of those people. I have a 97 Civic hatch that I use as a commuter car. I drive 120 miles a day for my work commute. I also have a teardrop camper and a Thule 4x7 trailer. The question is not whether I can tow. I've been doing it for four years and it is very safe with my setup. Here is some data I pulled from an online source:

"I have been looking at Honda web sites in New Zealand, Germany, United Kingdom and Italy. All rate the tow capacity for the Honda civic at around 1200 kg, that is about 2500 lbs. UK caravan clubs(campers) say it's a great tow car. Only in the United States the civic is not rated for towing. Same car, same frame, same construction. Also, U-haul rates it for 2000 lbs with a class one hitch." Here is data to back up the claim:

Note: specs listed below are in Kilograms, multiply by 2.2 to get pounds.

Germany
Honda | Automobile | Home
Anhängelast gebremst, kg 1.200

United Kingdom
Honda Civic Type S | Book Test Drive | Specification, Finance & Information
Maximum towing weight with brakes (kg) 1200
Maximum towing weight without brakes (kg) 500

Italy
http://www.honda.it/car/media/pdf/In...ypeS_TypeR.pdf
Massa a secco/ Massa in ordine di marcia (kg) 1227/1317 1272/1366

New Zealand
Welcome to Honda New Zealand
Maximum warrantable towing weight (kg) 1200 (Man)
1000 (Auto)

And if you are worried about your brakes, think of this, at 65 mph it takes the same force to stop your civic as it does at 50 MPH with a 2000 lb trailer. Simple physics Force = 1/2Mass x Velocity squared.

"Just use common sense, secure your trailer properly, drive safely and give yourself plenty of room."


Four years ago I swapped a JDM B18b drivetrain into my Civic so I could tow my trailers and still have good fuel economy and reliability. I put 140,000 miles on my swap in 4 years and have been towing the teardrop(1500/230) and Thule 4x7 trailer (1300/150 max load) as needed. I'm getting ready to drop in another JDM B18b motor and I would like to freshen the suspension as well. I currently have H&R OE springs and KYB GR2 shocks installed. I noticed the last year of towing was taking a toll on the rear springs. Everything is good with no load, but when the teardrop is hooked up the rear sits a bit lower than I would like. I am looking to install Airlift airsprings on the rear only and Bilstien HD struts on the front. I would like to get heavier springs to keep the rear level with a load but haven't been able to find any that do not lower the car. Lowering is not an option when towing. So, throwing this info out there to see if anyone has any input. I see more and more Civics with tow hitches on the road so I know others are doing it as well. If you tow with your Civic, please post your setups and details. Thanks!

jbpnoman

I'm gonna go with the guys from Top Gear U.K. here. Caravans can burn in hell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtztZz7A4xA

redm3turbo

Hmmm interesting topic.

Curious op, why didnt you swap in a b20? Id think that'd be king in a civic set up for towing. And B20's are cheap atm.

Im not set up for towing, however I wouldn't mind the option to be perfectly honest.

bfraley

Nice!!

bfraley

The B20 wasn't an option four years ago. No ECU with the swap and I remember the 126hp B20 was available but not the 146hp B20b(JDM)B20z(USDM). I almost did order a B20 replacement motor for my B18 setup recently but was able to get another JDM B18b for a good price and my car is a 120 mile per day driver that has to be reliable with best mpg available given the circumstances. In another four years I may well order a B20. I had concerns about the B18b OBDII ECU working with the B20.

If you want to tow, be sure to inspect the rear bumper channel. Mine had quite a bit of rust. I paid $100 for a new Honda replacement and no worries with tow stress integrity.

cueto

I installed one on my 99 LX. I tow my mower and sport quad anything else i get at Lowes that wont fit in my trunk! Heres my install link....

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/hidden-hitch-install-my-99-lx-3hrs-later-%2A-2921940/

Fnix

iTrader: (1)

It all comes down to the engine and suspension + not being a dumbass. Obviously a b20 swap with modified suspension will be better then a stock d16z6. I've towed a Miata and a Ford Focus with a turbo d16, I just raised my rear coilovers and stayed in lower gears the whole drive, took my time.

teggyluva90

my friend towed my stock ej8 civic coupe with his jdm b18b swapped intake, full exhaust 00 ej6 civic coupe with no problems check my thread out for proof lol!!. it's like having a mini good on gas suv to haul, a healthy Ls can make good useable,noticing TQ.

98civdx

^^What the ****?
You know you could just have swapped the front springs into the rear?

I've towed a few cars with mine. Common sense goes a long way.

98civdx

Where are you getting the 6''s from?
The rear will sit higher yes, but I highly doubt it will be even close to 6''s.

Maybe it's just me, but I'll risk blowing the shocks before running that nightmare.

gzes

wow so thats why my del sol has a trailler light plug...........

94EG8

Integra rear springs are stiffer and wont lower the car.

It'll work, you'll need to the CKF bypass trick, but if you're running a JDM B18B you'd have to do that anyway. Also a USDM CR-V ECU works just fine, they didn't have an immobilizer so all you need is a conversion harness to run it in a '96 - '98 Civic (direct plug in on '99 - '00 models, except HX) the biggest problem is finding one from a 5 speed, but they are out there.

VegaS10

I hope one day you become intelligent enough to realize how dumb and unsafe this contraption is.

beecee18

I used to rock a pretty heavy load of tools in my old 94 Integra for a construction job when I was younger. Had the rear seat removed and packed the back full of all my work tools.
I used skunk2 drag launch rear springs from back in the day.

Thank god I only used this setup for my 2.5 hours of daily commuting when loaded with tools, cause when not loaded the ride quality was terrible.

beecee18

You are a wild man

Wahski

I've towed my motorcycle with my EM1 on FF coilovers and 17" TE37s. It was actually a pretty smooth ride.

H22swag

my car is too low, it would make life a lot easier if i could tho

will100

i have a 93 civic cx. just getting started playing with it and want to throw a trailer on it for a cross country trip. very glad i found this thread. more glad im not crazy for my idea. where did you find a plug and would mine have one? sol with the haynes manual.

gzes

Its just chilling in the back close to the hook. Ill snap pics later and hell ill see how it goes and i can hook you up ik parting it out anyways just pm me ok bro

will100

acura integra springs are a perfect fit. no screwing around or funny tricks needed? does any one know what the spring rating is on them? every time i look for stiffer ones its the same problem i hit with civics, everything is lowered

wjelmer

I wouldn't tow with a civic unless it was a tiny utility trailer with a load of under 400 pounds. If you are towing and get in an accident and your load is over the GVWR, you cant get some hefty fines.

Brettboat

^Agree, anything over 400-500 pounds and I'm getting my truck... I'll take 9MPG over risking my life in a civic any day.

There is a huge difference between what a truck can haul, and what it can safely haul. Stopping is the big thing!

bfraley

Been awhile since I posted here. All is good with my towing adventures. The teardrop camper has electric brakes and is very safe. One thing I wondered about was the impact of a blown camper tire. We'll it finally happened while I was driving on I84 West in CT. A van pulled up next to me and yelled over that I had a blown tire. I immediately checked mirrors and saw pieces of rubber flying off the passenger side camper tire. I didn't feel a thing in the car. I calmly signaled and pulled on to the shoulder without incident. The Civic hatch with full racing coilovers adjusted to acceptable height worked like a dream. Stable suspension resulted in a safe outcome.