Dookoo,
Are your Fits auto or manual? The reason I ask is because I'm planning on towing with my 2012 Fit Sport auto and am wondering if I even need to worry about adding a transmission cooler. The heaviest load I'm planning is a custom built enclosed trailer that should weigh around 600ish lbs fully loaded. I'm planning to build it so that the frontal area will be no bigger than the back of the car to keep wind drag to a minimum.

Thanks,
Dustin

 

Towing a Trailer
Your vehicle is not designed to tow a
trailer. Attempting to do so can void
your warranties.

I think that statement in the Honda Owners manual pretty much settles what Honda's position is on The Fit towing a trailer.

If you choose to do so, do so at your own risk.

 

The issue with that is that the fit/jazz in every other country was designed to tow. There's even a receiver hitch made by Honda for the fit. So I don't buy the idea that the fit wasn't designed to tow light loads.

That said, the towing limit is going to be less than the weight of a move.

 

Towing anything even with a full size pickup is going to affect vehicle handling, braking, etc especially if the trailer isn't equipped with brakes. The Fit is no different. As long as you keep the load within reason, which in my opinion would be under 1,000lbs without trailer brakes, I don't see the big deal. Of course there is the risk of voiding the warranty if something breaks, but many people tow trailers with the Fit and similar vehicles all the time with no problems.

-Dustin

 

Both are automatics. Autos are much better for towing in my opinion due to the torque multiplication. A trans cooler isn't a bad ideal at all. Hmmm...I've got a brand new one with a built in electric fan in my shop somewhere.

 

Trans cooler won't hurt, just add one, they're so cheap and simple to install why not.

Honda doesn't trust Americans to tow with anything but trucks Towing with compacts is common everywhere else in the world.

 

I still think the bottom line is Honda USA simply says The Fit isn't designed to tow.
They go further and actually state that doing so COULD void warranties.

So telling people that towing absolutely WON'T put your warranty at risk is counter to what is PRINTED in the HONDA OWNERS MANUAL.

The fact that some people do tow using The Fit, and have towed using the fit, is really immaterial. People choose to do unwise things all the time.

IMO given the weight restrictions, and just the plain reality of what The Honda Fit is....a small subcompact....it is clearly not the best vehicle to use to tow things.

Do I believe hooking a hitch up to The Honda Fit and towing something will cause the vehicle to burst into flame? No.

But given the vehicles limitations with weight....and Honda's not too vague declaration that it is NOT DESIGNED TO TOW...I certainly wouldn't give anyone a recommendation to do so. Even if the reality is that a percentage of people have used the Fit.....against the recommendations of Honda.

 

One more time. You have to break something by towing for warranty issues to come into play. If you know what you are doing and keep the Fit's towing limitations in mind, YOU WILL NOT BREAK ANYTHING. You just have to accept all risks if you tow, and be willing to pay any possible consequences.

But merely having a hitch on the car does not cause any risk at all, and it opens up a lot of avenues for increased usage of the Fit. Bike racks. Rooftop extended load frames. Hitch-mounted load platforms. Rear bumper armor in street parking and parking lots.

You can let the "Honda Gods" dictate to you what you can do with the car you paid for, or you can use your driving skills and previous trailering experience to do whatever the hell you want with YOUR car in complete safety.

If you don't have driving skills, and you don't have any trailer experience, guess what? My advice is to not do it. Just as I told the OP. Rent a truck. Pay a moving company. Don't learn to pull a trailer with a Fit.

 

Would love to know what the stopping distance from 65mph is for a Fit hauling a trailer with 1000 pounds, or 500 pounds.

And please don't tell me that you just have to know what you are doing and keep a safer distance.

Not to even mention the problem of evasive maneuverability at any speed.

 

Just my thoughts, but I would expect it would be pretty similar to a pickup truck weighing twice as much as the Fit towing a trailer that weighs 2,000lbs without trailer brakes, which people do all the time. Yes, it definitely hurts stopping distances, but I don't see the difference.

-Dustin

 

You just have to know what you are doing. Which means drive slowly, carefully, and allow twice the stopping distance that you would normally use. Does that guarantee that no accident will happen? Of course not. But the dangers are no greater than driving without a trailer. Some people just refuse to learn.

 

I grew up a farmer and towing things around is an everyday thing. You can't get around physics and have to respect the extra weight you are carrying and how it will affect handling aspects of the vehicle. That being said, the ability to tow, for those of us that choose to do so, makes the Fit more versatile. Now I have the ability to haul my mountain bikes and camping gear for a one week stay in Yosemite. After the trip, my Fit is just the same car it ever was

 

Wife and I towed a small Uhaul trailer with her old 2007 Fit Sport from Miami, FL all the way to VA. No issues. Just dont overload it and make sure it won't get windy.

 

Post # 32 & 33- more people who have the ability to use their Fits within its design capabilities, not within the dictates of Honda USA. Nice!!! The number of people who experiment, learn, test, and find out for themselves what they can accomplish is MUCH smaller than the number of people who will accept being told by others what they can do. It is a disappointingly small club. Some people are just very limited in their abilities.

 

Ever hear of the legal term, "Law of Negligence?" Here is a pretty good quote from an attorney... they just love litigation, don't they, especially in easy cases:

“If the accident is caused by the vehicle being used to tow something it was not designed to tow, this in itself could be an act negligence by the tow [vehicle] driver and under the theory of negligence he could be liable (and most probably would be held liable).”

Dean Holleman, Vice President and Managing Attorney of Boyce Holleman & Associates (www.boyceholleman.com)

It really doesn't matter how smart you think you are or how good your abilities are towing things. Learning how to tow somthing doesn't take a lot of brains, the point is, sh** happens... one accident is all it takes.
Cross winds, big trucks passing and throwing you out of control, unexpected road conditions along with unexpected road obstructions, no matter how far away you think is a safe distance, sh** can happen...

You can post all the examples you want on here of people who have towed in a Fit and it isn't going to change the facts. I'm just glad those posters made it safely.

Here's a good article on towing safety. It's written for bigger trucks and trailers, but there is a lot of good information in it. (click here)

I'm sure you can find a lot more than this if you do some searches.

 

Oh brother...

 

Dookoo: You're going to do whacha wanna do, that's your business. I guess you don't worry about any of that stuff, fine.

Do you have insurance on your car? Why?

I wish you all the luck.

 

I'm not married but if I was, I'd probably put my wife in the car rather than in the trailer with my belongings lol

Joking aside, wouldn't it be possible to rent a larger truck that you could more easily load full of stuff and then tow the Fit with that truck?

 

....I realize people have and do use their Honda Fits to tow.

But making the statement that towing something absolutely won't void the warranty (IF) is simply untrue.

Since Honda clearly states that the vehicle from their POV is not designed to tow, and should not be used to tow, whether you "know" you can...is immaterial. Honda warns you not to, and clearly states that any damage done as a result of towing WON'T be covered under warranty.

Knowing this? If someone wants to tow using the Fit? More power to them.

Unless I was cornered in a no choice scenario, I wouldn't use The Fit as a tow vehicle. Doesn't seem like rocket science to me to realize that a 4 cylinder, sub-compact is usually not a great choice as a tow vehicle.

In my personal opinion it's a case of Right Tool for the Right Job. The manufacturer say's Don't do it. I think there are many, many vehicles better or specifically designed to tow. Therefore, regardless of "real life" experience, which I believe are true, my recommendation would be....find a better tool and don't put your warranty at risk.

 

I'd rent a big ass uHaul truck for all my stuff and I'd tow my Fit on one of these:

U-Haul: Equipment specs