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Honda CR-V Towing
I have a 1997 CR-V and I need to tow about 400 lbs of stuff from NC to RI. In addition to that I will probably have nearly 600 lbs in the cab, and the UHaul trailers weigh about 900 lbs. All together I'll have 1300 lbs behind the car, plus 850 lbs in the car (myself plus the wife).
The '97 CR-V is only rated for 1000 lbs. And my question is what damage will this do to the car? I'm assuming tranny, engine, or chasis, but I'm not certian. I've talked to others on a CR-V specific forum who mentioned towing similar or larger loads without a problem, and have said that the more important problem will be braking power, not engine or tranny.
Thanks in advance for the help!
The '97 CR-V is only rated for 1000 lbs. And my question is what damage will this do to the car? I'm assuming tranny, engine, or chasis, but I'm not certian. I've talked to others on a CR-V specific forum who mentioned towing similar or larger loads without a problem, and have said that the more important problem will be braking power, not engine or tranny.
Thanks in advance for the help!
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tidester, host
If there is a problem with your '97, it'll be the transmission over-heating. The automatic in the 1997 CR-V is simply not designed for heavy duty utility. The engine shouldn't be impacted. If the engine can't do something, it simply doesn't do it. You won't break it unless you ignore signs of overheating or similar problems.
I think you'll get the same advice here as you have at HondaSUV.com. The brakes, suspension, and transmission are the problem.
If you decide to tote this load (I do know several folks who have towed more than the max.), make sure you get a trailer with brakes and hook them up. It's not just your life on the road.
I have a 1999 Honda CRV-EX that I tow a 2000LB boat with. Often I have 3 of my buddies in the V with me. This is 800lbs inside the truck and 2000lbs behind it. Also a large beer cooler in the cargo area another(100lb?).
With a transmission cooler and trailer brakes this is no problem. I have towed 1500lbs without a tranny cooler although I still used trailer brakes, again with no problem.
An acquitance of mine has towed a John Deere farm tractor (2300 lbs)with his V from Detroit Michigan to Traverse City (250 miles), with no problems either.
One word of advice though, always tow with overdrive locked out. If merging on the freeway it is advisable to down shift to 2nd gear until 50mph to stop gear hunting.
Towing limits are often determined by companies that are paranoid about lawsuits. The Honda CRV website for the UK lists the towing limit of the V at 3300lbs BRAKED. Less aggressive lawyers? maybe.
The Honda CRV, is often imitated, never duplicated and always underestimated.
Matt
Just a thought.
If I were you I would just tow the load you are suggesting. Going 300lbs over the max tow rating will not harm your transmission or anything else on the vehicle. Lock it out of overdrive, keep the speed under 60mph and leave more stopping distance and you should be fine.
Matthew Asselin
Courtesy of the site sponsor, HandA accessories (link up on top)
Hitch and harness installation instructions
Trailer hitch intself and wireing harness (scroll down half page)
Thanks in advance.
IS THERE A HONDA TRANSMISSION COOLER FOR THIS MODEL. IF NOT, CAN ANOTHER HONDA MODEL TRANSMISSION COOLER BE INSTALLED?
Why do you want one? The CR-V is only rated to 1500 lbs towing...
If you plan on towing that much, buy a different vehicle that has a large V-6, and is meant for towing a lot more weight.
BTW, it is considered impolite to YELL BY USING THE CAPS ON while typing...
I've just installed a hitch on my '02 CR-V, and plan to do some light duty towing. I would, however, like to install some kind of air shocks or coilovers to protect the rear suspension, and I've been unable to find anything on the market. Does anyone know of a manufacturer? Thanks!
By the way, what kind of hitch did you put on?
Thanks.
TB
I am seeking some sage advice here. I'd love to get a pop-up trailer to further enjoy my love of camping, but I'm worried about that 1000lb towing capacity, because a trailer under that is TOUGH to find! I've installed my own tow hitch (Class 2, I know it's overkill, but I like being able to use the more standard inserts!) and the lighting wiring. FYI I got all my stuff off the Net, Etrailer.com, great prices! So here are my questions:
1. Should I worry if I stray over that 1000lb limit a little? Say 1200-1500 neighborhood?
2. Should I ONLY get a trailer with brakes? If so and they're electric, not surge, then is it a big deal to get a brake controller installed? Or can I do it myself?
3. Should I DEFINITELY get a tranny cooler, no matter what size/weight of trailer I end up with? Is a cooler tough to DIY, or should I find myself a good tranny shop?
Of course anything I do has got to be as thrifty as possible, as I'm a college student on a TIGHT budget. Many thanks ahead of time for any and all advice guys! Joe
http://www.golittleguy.com/
If you've got an EX or SE, you can even have friends sleep on the "bed" inside the CR-V.
I've checked out the teardrops too, and I do like em, but I feel a little more partial to the popups, and they're WAY more common, so I should be able to find one at a reasonable price.
STILL hoping for some input on the tranny cooler and all though guys....Any advice?
I've towed quite a bit over 50 years (some I try to forget).
We bought a new 2005 Honda CRV with the intention of towing a light camper trailer.
Honda’s recommended max tow weight un braked 600kg =1,323 lb
Braked 1200kg =3,526 lb
The camper trailer we bought weighed in at 350kg = 771 lb
We worked it out that loaded it would be close to the 600kg =1,323 lb
So we decided to get push brakes fitted to the trailer
while it was being built to be on the safe side and to
make it easer on the CRV.
Now we find that on right hand lock (especially going through a V dip) the handle on the tow ball hitch hit’s the spare wheel, going along the highway it’s OK but going over steep driveways or setting the trailer up on uneven ground it could put pressure on the spare wheel and damage the tailgate if you are not very careful, going off road with it would be asking for trouble, the only solution we can come up with is to remove the spare wheel if we are going off road at all which causes a storage problem.
Has anyone else came across this problem and worked out a solution?
Has anyone else came across this problem and worked out a solution?
Throw it in the trailer?
Fit a mount on the back of the trailer?
Don't go off roading with the trailer? I don't think that even Jeep owners go off roading with trailers.
Dan
http://www.handa-accessories.com/crv/02crvharness.pdf
My CR-V didn't come with remote door locks and bought one on ebay. Apparently, Honda routes all the cables for all or most of the optional equipment so if you add an option later, the wiring is already in place. The remote door lock installation took all of 15 minutes. Looks like the wiring for a trailer is there also. The instructions on the link look like they are for a Honda wiring harness. I didn't see a year model on the instructions, but it's a start.
Hope this helps!
cscottrun1
Honda’s recommended max tow weight un braked 600kg =1,323 lb.. Braked 1200kg =3,526 lbs....
I believe the max recommended tow weight for the CR-V is 1500 lbs.
From Edmunds Specs:
Performance:
Base Number of Cylinders: 4 Base Engine Size: 2.4 liters
Base Engine Type: Inline 4 Horsepower: 156 hp
Max Horsepower: 5900 rpm Torque: 160 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 3600 rpm Maximum Towing Capacity: 1500 lbs. Drive Type: AWD Turning Circle: 34.1 ft.
Kip
European Spec CR-Vs will tow almost 3000 lbs if the trailer has brakes, even though they only have a 2.0 liter engine.
The only difference I know of is that the Euro spec has a 2.0 liter engine instead of our 2.4 liter engine here in the US.
The Euro spec CR-V is also limited to 1500 lbs, if the trailer does not have it's own brakes. This leads me to believe the US spec could also tow more if the trailer had brakes. I suspect we are dealing with some kind of legal issue here that is causing the company to be very conservative in their ratings.
http://www.mxtailmate.com/
The local dealer says the maximum capacity on the hitch sold by Honda is 1500 lbs for towing a trailer but only 220 lbs for a dirt bike stand+ bike. My bike is almost 250lbs. Are there any after market options for hitch that can help me carry my bike on my CRV without a trailer (using the MXTailmate stand).
Perhaps you can answer this question. I asked my local service dept. if my adding a good brand name trans cooler such as B&M to my 2005 "V" would affect the car warranty. He said yes, it would void the transmission warranty because it's not their cooler and that I should have picked up their tow package. Near as I can figure, the CR-V didn't have a package available, except for a hitch alone. So, are they saying that a cooler (that the industry knows will prolong a transmissions' life, and that THEY offer for the Odessy and Pilot, etc) is a bad idea??
I was also told the same about my hitch, that being as I added a hitch (non-honda) without the tow package, then whatever I do in a cooler is moot since I've already rendered the trans. warranty void by putting the hitch on it.
Again, what package, and what does it come with? I don't think I'm any more inclined to keep a load under 1,499 lbs if I use a Honda hitch than I am if I use a Hidden-Hitch product. And I'd love to know if and why a warranty would be void if I stay within the tow limit of the vehicle as stated in my manual, which does NOT say anything about that limit being subject to or predicated by a special cooling package.
Thanks for anything you might have to offer on this as I'll appreciate any information you may be able to provide.
Regards,
Ted
I can see them asking you to keep the tongue weight of a motorcycle carrier under 220#. Especially when that weight's not just trailer tongue weight on a hitch ball that's a foot out from the unibody's closest mount point.
The 220 lbs they're worried about on that carrier referenced, is centered on a lever that's about a yard away from the mount point.
Picture taking a 2" square tube that's about that long and run it from the hitch receiver straight back, and put 220 lbs on it. Bounce it up and down a lot for a half hour & look at the places where the hitch bolts in place. I bet you'll want to discontinue that exercise afterwards.
The CR-V's not the small-truck frame that a Nissan Pathfinder is (meaning no disrespect towards the question or towards the Honda Co). It may be the equivalent of a Civic hatchback on steroids, but still a Civic chassis with Civic stamped sheet-metal limitations. It's a great car for what it's made for.
-ted
We have more lawyers here. The tow ratings for the *same car* are often 1/4 to 1/2 of what they are for European models.
http://www.draw-tite.com/fitguides/details.asp?ProdID=118427&dlr=0
Some vehicles are rated to mean that their "tow weight" means trailer, stuff in it, and any guests + baggage inside the car as well. In any case, you're over the Honda design weight for that car just with the trailer alone.
Another good forum for you to visit is www.hondasuv.com
Hope another solution can be found for your needs.
Now for proper RV-towing, all wheels on the ground, there's an important sequence to follow with putting the transmission (automatic that is) into neutral, after which you can tow for a couple hundred miles at a time before repeating the sequence that leaves critical parts lubricated for a while.
The sequence is (1) start engine, (2) shift to Drive and let sit for a minute or so, (3) shift direct to Neutral and leave it there, (4) turn off engine. Now that's from memory and I don't tow my car; follow instructions in the manual carefully.
I don't know of any provisions necessary to pull the standard shift model.
It has a 2" receiver, and bolted on with no drilling.
I did this for a bike rack that needed a 2" receiver.
http://www.curtmfg.com/
Honda factory hitch receiver is too small for big bike racks, plus you gotta drill to install it, and remove half the interior panels to do it.
Curt hitch installed in 20 minutes, no drilling, no need to take interior panels off. Has very nice epoxy finish. I did not install honda wiring kit, since I don't need it at this time.
400lb tongue weight, 4000lb gtw (don't tow this much with your CR-V unless you have a death wish!!)
Thanks,
Mikus
But, how/where do you buy things from them? They don't seem to sell online and I didn't see a dealer list either.