I'm looking into purchasing a hitch to tow a flat bed trailer (probably 4'x6' or so) for my move next year. I have a Honda Element, but the towing capacity is only 1,500lbs and the 4WD 4-speed auto trans worries me (plus my wife would have to drive it with the trailer since she can't drive my Accord). The other option is to outfit my '01 Accord with the hitch and tow with that.

I don't have a good weight estimate, but I doubt it would be more than 2,000lbs total. The available hitches are rated at 200lbs tongue/2,500lbs total. I've done a good bit of work to the car to improve performance, so I'm contemplating whether those mods might make it a better candidate for towing the trailer than using the Element. Thoughts?

 

Honda says 1000lbs is the max for the accord for that year. The element is obviously a better choice to tow with though i would not tow over the max on either, and if i had to tow often i would invest in a more appropriate vehicle.

 

read signature, BMW diesel is the answer.

 

How far will you be going?

 

Man, the last thing I need is a european beater to pawn off in a couple years.

About 650 miles across the Austrian Alps into Italy.

I've just about settled on using the Accord. The Element seems terribly down on power with the 4-speed trans (it has to down shift into 3rd to get up hills on the highway with cruise control set to 60mph), and I don't think that's going to cut it trying to cross the Alps. I have 9k rear springs on the Accord plus the large sway bar, and I can adjust the height with the coilovers to level the trailer if needed, so stability and ride height shouldn't be an issue. Renting a vehicle here for 1-way trips is almost unheard of.

I've been reading a lot on towing regulations in the US vs Europe. Here, you see sub compacts with sub-2.0l motors towing small campers and even other cars ALL the time. Trucks and big motors aren't popular in Europe, but extensive driver training and camping are. Most model cars you can find in both EDM and USDM markets are rated for their own weight +/- about 10% for towing, whereas the same models in the US are rated for less than 1000lbs, if they carry a tow capacity rating at all. The most frequent explanation I come across is that the US has more lawyers, and less driver training. Go figure...

 

This is very interesting info. I am in a bit of a dilemma. I own a 2008 Accord coupe V6 MT 6 Speed. I am looking at buying a 2020 Honda Rubicon, and want to get a small trailer to tow it behind my accord. I do not want to have to swap vehicles to make this work.

The trailer and bike should be 1100 - 1200 lbs. The accord is rated for 1000. Am I going to be in trouble with this setup because I am 200 over the rating, or does this NA / Europe comparison hold water?

Thanks!