Is it safe to tow a trailer with my Accord?

I am moving across the country and I just purchased a 4dr V6 Accord. I
researched the costs of renting a Uhaul truck and towing my accord.
Wow, $3000 moving out and then back in 6 months (not including fuel).

Uhaul told me I can tow a 5' x 8' trailer with my 4 dr accord. The
trailer weighs 800 lbs and they say trailer plus cargo should not
exceed 2000 lbs. They say as long as I'm under 2000 lbs combined, I am
fine.


They recommended a automatic transmission cooler when I install a
hitch.


If I put a hitch and auto tranmission cooler on, I can rent a trailer
and be in the move $600 instead of over $3000.


Am I making a mistake putting a hitch and auto trans cooler and towing
a trailer across the country with my Accord?


Help!

 

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Whatever you do, have them drain the tranny while installing the cooler,
and refill ONLY with Honda Z1 ATF. You may want to do it again before
the trip (3.4 - 4 quarts) to get your tranny up-to-speed from a
protection point of view.

I don't know about the 'towing capacity', sorry.

'Curly'

 

Aren't the towing specs in your owner's manual?

 

DP wrote:

[snip]

You didn't say what year your Accord is, but it seems peculiar that U-Haul
would want to install a transmission cooler on your car. Many of Honda's
cars came with transmission coolers from the factory. Often, you can find
hoses going from the bottom of the radiator to the transmission. I don't
know what's on the V6 Accords, but it's something you may want to look
into. In addition, there's a transmission filter element on some of the V6
Accords that should probably be replaced if you change the fluid.

Another consideration is that many folks have had problems with V6
automatics. I think that Honda may have solved this problem by now but you
might be taking a chance with it.

By the way, if you're moving across the country, then you'll likely want a
car carrier and not a tow dolly. I used a carrier for my Civic for a move
of about 750 miles and it was so much easier to drive than with a tow
dolly. Also look into other companies. The U-Haul's I've dealt with, along
with Ryder, never guaranteed the size of the truck you get. Indeed, one
time I didn't even get a truck with U-Haul even though I had ordered it 30
days in advance. What's worse is that they refused to even answer their
phone because "...they had no trucks to rent."

Good luck whichever way you choose.

Eric

 

Please look at Toyota groups. I think there a guy wanted to do the same
but in a Camry. May be that will help.....

 

First, of course, check out the towing section of your owners manual.

Personally I would not do a cross country move using an Accord as the
tow vehicle if you are going to load up the trailer to anything close to
the vehicle's full rated towing capacity. Honda's modern automatic
transmissions have had quite a few problems and towing is very hard on
an automatic transmission, especially over the mountain ranges implied
by a US cross country trip. If, however, you are taking I-10 across
the southern US then it might be more reasonable.

Personally I think you would be much safer and easier on your vehicle to
rent a proper truck and a trailer for the car, then pull the car. If
you do so, get the strongest cover you can for the car to help protect
it against road rash.

Finally, I would not let the U-haul or other place add a transmission
cooler to a Honda. If you must do that, have it done by a dealer where
they will use the correct fluid, etc. The same for installing a hitch.
Many installers will do a hatchet job.

John

 

there's plenty of head room for full load - the "real" towing capacity
of the accord is over 3000lbs.

http://www.honda.co.uk/brochure/download/cars/HondaAccordTourer.pdf

the only reason it's not rated higher stateside is that [for some
bizarre reason i don't understand] trailers don't have to be braked, so
load is reduced to keep them lawyer-free.

 

Check out Penske one-way. I rented a large van from Tuscon to Knoxville
for 800.00
Do a lot of research on the internet. look in different areas near your
starting point.
Tow the honda behind the van.

 

I would think you would be OK based on my experience. Years ago, I did the
exact same thing with an '83 Subaru GL sedan with a 5sp transmission. The
only problem I had was that the electric cooling fan was unplugged. Since I
was living in Northern Michigan in the winter, I never realized it was off.
Didn't have any problems towing the trailer from Charlevoix, MI to
Alexandria, VA. I would think the Accord is a little stronger than the
Subaru but I can't say for sure. The Sub had a 4 cylinder.

Bob

 

You didn't have to cross the Rocky Mountains or Sierra Nevada on that
trip. The cross country drive is much harder on vehicles than yours was.

John

 

I have thought the same thing... maybe its a lawyer thing. I understand
the need to be careful with the automatic transmission but the owners
manual says only $1000 pounds max towing capacity.

Thanks everyone for their help. Still haven't decided what to do.

 

i'd tow the trailer. the motor's already got an oil cooler. the drive
train can handle it easily. it's not like you're going to be making a
habit of it.

 

I would believe the owners manual on this one. A new transmission is
over $3000.

John