Hi, newbie here.

In about a week I'll be driving from Seattle to Michigan. If possible, I would like to rent a smallish (700-900 lb) trailer and load 2-300 lb of stuff into it. I've never driven with a trailer, so I'm not sure how hard it is.

Is this a crazy idea? My primary concerns are a) will I kill my car (it's a 2003 automatic--I know I need a transmission cooler) and b) will I be able to drive at a good speed? I am not in a hurry, but I would like to avoid driving 50 MPH the whole way.

Bear in mind that I will be crossing some mountains in Montana.

Thanks in advance.

 

not sure, but most companies like Uhaul wont even let you if they know your car wouldnt handle it, i have a 99 and i would think it would be fine, i know even after 2000 they fixed the transmissions on the accords, esp. after the 98-00 recall on the autos, only thing i would worry about is the dimensions of the trailor and wind, get tossed around

be prepared for a slow drive, we have a honda passport to tow around our cars to far track events, went uo to northern CA from so. CA, had to go very slow, not only to save gas, but the hills and safety

 

Thanks. How slow is slow? Are you talking 40, 50, 60?

Going 50 in Montana is almost a crime

 

oh i guess, we drive alot faster down here, also are you talking aobut hwy? or local? on the HWY, we drove from 30-55 depending on up hill, down hill, widn so on, its all about the feel, if your getting pulled and you feel the car is sterring you and your not steering it, slow down, all aobut feel

 

what's a V4?

 

I meant 4 cylinder. NOt sure if v4 is the right term.

 

its an i4

 

I towed this trailer with my 3rd gen from central Illinois to Miami when I moved about a year and a half ago. It's a 4x8 trailer and weighs about 200lbs, then I had about 950lbs of stuff on the trailer, so nearly 1200 lbs. Also had about 300lbs inside the car (backseat + trunk) and 2 adults. Made it down here in 2 full days just fine without any problems. I went a little slower cuz I didn't want to push my car too hard (it did have 305k miles and an original clutch), so I set the cruise at about 60-65 the whole way down and just enjoyed the drive. Once I got up to speed I could barely even tell the trailer was back there (it tows really good too.... I also weight balanced it properly)

So yea, I think your car will do just fine. Definitely do get a tranny cooler, remember do NOT use overdrive, and just take it easy and go slower if need be. Acceleration and braking will also take longer, so keep that in mind while driving. Good luck!

 

Thanks. Any idea where I can rent one of those trailers? The only trailers U Haul has (both open and closed) weigh at least 700 pounds each.

 

I'm not sure of any place that rents trailers like mine. All Uhauls trailers are pretty heavy indeed. I bought my trailer at Harbor Freight Tools for $180 (it was on sale! it's usually $250 or something). Put it together myself (which was easy), and it's been a fantastic little trailer. Worked great every time I've needed to use it

 

Is it hard securing all that stuff in there with just a tarp and some rope (i.e. no guard rails)? I will basically be moving house stuff in boxes and maybe a dresser.

 

I'd say buy the trailor if you're gonna be more than a couple days; you can always sell it later. U-haul is an expensive way to go and I don't know many people that have been pleased with them.

 

ive seen alot of v4s. they were in motorcycles though, not cars....
i say buy the trailer, i would. itd come in handy

 

Dont forget to to add the cost of registering the trailer.

 

If money isn't an issue, you could always rent a uhaul truck and tow your car (they have setups for it). My old roommate towed his CRX like that when he got married and moved away.

 

Uhaul trucks suck. Horrendous gas mileage and you're restricted to like 55 mpg. That and you're a walking billboard!!!

 

sorry about thread jack here


why in the hell would you wanna come to Michigan? You must have been bombarded with some faulty tourist info or something

 

~$150 at Harbor Freight eh? I can put my '02 750 Shadow A.C.E. on that baby, I'll have to look into that...