Towing my bike with 2000 civic automatic ok??

[paiankur]

I towed by 250 lbs bike on a uhaul motorcycle trailer with a 2011 automatic toyota corolla just fine! Absolutely no trouble.

 

[KooLaid]

And those uhaul trailers are monstrously heavy

 

[eliasfile]

Great! I really appreciate all the help. Very excited to be able to save some gas and still haul my bike around. Truck was killing on gas

 

[kurth83]

Wow, I didn't know that... I wonder why it's so low.

I never thought about it till now, but in retospect it seems obvious, they likely put a 200 lb hybrid battery into a standard Civic platform, the GVWR didn't change, but the curb weight went up 200 lbs.

For fun I just went and checked my Mazda 3 (love that car).
Curb weight 2969
GVWR 3990

That's 1061 lbs of cargo, or about 900 lbs of tow capacity with me driving it.

Wow, that is a big difference.

 

[KooLaid]

On my hf trailer, the tongue weight is negligible even with my Moto strapped down.. I can easily lift the tongue with a few fingers of one hand. Your car shouldn't even flinch with that load. I know that my accord drove almost exactly the same as no trailer but braking definitely required a little bit more effort.

I bought a curt brand hitch. I highly recommend it. Most of the brands are owned by one major company though btw.

 

[Gary856]

I never thought about it till now, but in retospect it seems obvious, they likely put a 200 lb hybrid battery into a standard Civic platform, the GVWR didn't change, but the curb weight went up 200 lbs.

For fun I just went and checked my Mazda 3 (love that car).
Curb weight 2969
GVWR 3990

That's 1061 lbs of cargo, or about 900 lbs of tow capacity with me driving it.

Wow, that is a big difference.

You're confusing payload with towing capacity - they're not the same.

GVWR - curb weight = payload = what the car can carry, which is different from its towing capacity.

 

[Diezel]

Thanks guys.. Yea i wouldnt go far or up hills. Just once a week from sf to sj and close by..

My question is this. Is all the hassle of a trailer, hitch install, wiring, additional license and reg fee's on a trailer. Worth the 65-80 miles once a week ?

You're confusing payload with towing capacity - they're not the same.
GVWR - curb weight = payload = what the car can carry, which is different from its towing capacity.

+1
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
&
Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating are 2 completely different animals.

Also, do note. Vehicle manufacturers ASSUME a certain duty rating for all systems. Towing constantly or even infrequently with a passenger vehicle. Can be a reason a dealer or shop will forfeit all warranty coverage.

 

[aram]

Stay within GVWR and it should be ok.
Watch the hitch-weight too, balance the bike for about 100 lbs,
take it wasy and short to medium trips are probably fine.

Sounds like you are going to be over GVWR though.

I don't know if the 2000 auto-tranny had a lock-up feature
like most modern ones do. If not then sustained pulling hard could
overheat the transmission. Keep the speed down a bit to compensate
if that is an issue.

So I wouldn't go cross country with that setup, but to/from a moto
dealer would probably be fine.

(on a lot of cars) You can figure out if the trans is locking the tq converter by applying the brake enough to trigger the brake switch but not enough to activate the brakes on the freeway while in top gear (while keeping your foot on the gas), if the rpms go up slightly at the same speed, then your torque converter is locking up. Depends on the strength of the lock-up clutch if the car can take it.

Only hesitation I'd have about towing with a little car is that if the transmission is on it's way out, towing with it will definitely push it over the edge.

 

[eliasfile]

My question is this. Is all the hassle of a trailer, hitch install, wiring, additional license and reg fee's on a trailer. Worth the 65-80 miles once a week ?



+1
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
&
Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating are 2 completely different animals.

Also, do note. Vehicle manufacturers ASSUME a certain duty rating for all systems. Towing constantly or even infrequently with a passenger vehicle. Can be a reason a dealer or shop will forfeit all warranty coverage.[/QUOT

Yes it is because i get about 40mpg on honda And about 20 on truck also truck is 2 seater and at the end of the day i unload trailer and still go out with wife and kids..

 

[KooLaid]

My question is this. Is all the hassle of a trailer, hitch install, wiring, additional license and reg fee's on a trailer. Worth the 65-80 miles once a week ?

Compared to owning a second vehicle aka truck, YES lol.

License/registration on a trailer is once every 5 years and some where around $50 to renew every 5 years. No additional insurance required generally. Folded up it takes up 2x6 feet of space max. Hitch and wiring less than $200 if he installs himself.

Plus a truck requires insurance, annual registration of no less than $95, smog every 2 years, plus associated costs with maintenance, etc.

Trailer should pay it self off in 6 months max if he sells the truck.

Only downside... 55 mph speed limit. And backing up at night in a dark area sucks, especially if it's an empty flat trailer because you can't see the damn thing in the mirrors or through tinted windows.

BTW, there is a HF trailer for sale in the classified section. $150

And if you're getting 40 mpg now........ you'll most likely drop to lower 30's. I went from 30 mpg to about 25mpg. Another barfer tows his bike to infineon with his prius and gets either 43 or 48mpg. That was enough to convince me I can survive without a truck.

 

[elskipador]

Hey guys. I got 2000 honda civic automatic and looking to get a 4x6 harbor freight trailer to tow my zx636. Would that car be able to tow since is automatic? Thanks

im guessing you'll be fine. i towed a 4x8 enclosed trailer with my bike & a ton of shit in it & the car's trunk & back seat were full as well, no problems. towed it 2,300 miles, from indiana to cali. i also towed my f2 & a 1st gen r6 on a open 4x6 trailer from sf to thill with no problems.

 

[Gabe]

I know why you posted this question! Your owners manual says it will void your warranty and don't do it! So you are coming to the crowd for validation.

I say do it. Your car is old. You can always get a new one and the worst case scenario is you'll have an awesome story about how your transmission exploded halfway up the Waldo grade on the way to Sonoma raceway.

 

[Tortugatron]

It will be fine, the trailer is light and small and on wheels. So you are not going to be making any 1/4 mile records towing a motorcycle but there is nothing that would stop it from working. The GVWR doesn't include towing limits. It's only the maximum amount of weight the CAR can hold.

While I wouldn't try towing say a small camping trailer, a 400lb motorcycle shouldn't be any issue at all. You just have to slowly accelerate and brake early as you would towing anything else.

 

[Gary856]

From 2000 Civic sedan's owner's manual:

 

[ilikefood]

From 2000 Civic sedan's owner's manual:

Yeah, and on the package of Q-tips, it tells you not to stick them in your ear.

There is just no way that towing a light trailer could harm a car. People in Europe tow camping trailers with cars that have way less power than a Honda Civic, and everything is fine.

 

[thedub]

lol

 

[fatcircles]

When I towed mine I would just start out in 1st, then shift into 2nd, then 3rd, then D and on the freeway I would keep my foot on the gas enough so it wouldn't go into 5th gear.

Towed my bike a few times with no problems at all, but my Civic is an 08.

 

[Diezel]

Yes it is because i get about 40mpg on honda And about 20 on truck also truck is 2 seater and at the end of the day i unload trailer and still go out with wife and kids..

So your 636 is a non-street legal track or stunt bike right? I'm guessing stunt bike, since there's no track in SF or SJ (or near by really).
Consider making it street legal and just riding it? You'll beat the honda any day for MPG. Just thinking here.

I get it, I've got a truck. Not everyone wants one. I get that too. But towing with a vehicle once a week, that is not designed for such. Is going to incur a much higher cost. Just in maint work alone. Instead of oil changes for engine and trans at normal intervals, you should consider cutting 30% off that at a minimum. Same with brakes, shocks, ball joints, tie rods, etc, etc.
Either way you go. You're gonna pay extra.

 

[redtail]

I had a 2005 civic hybrid, it's GVWR was about 600 lbs over its empty weight.

Really? A fukkin' Ural has that beat by over 100 pounds?

 

[Cycle61]

You'll be fine. I towed all manner of stuff with my '92 Prelude.