Would those of you who tow their Fit behind their motorhome like to share their experiences? Equipment?

I have an 09 Sport that I tow behind a Pleasure-Way Excel (Ford V8) class B.
Jerry Red Sport, AT

 

Do you flat-tow it, because those instructions in the owner's manual for flat-towing seem crazy to have to do every 8 hours on the AT.

 

Yeah there is potential to screw up the auto tranny, I'd get one of those like mini trailers where you just drive only the front wheels up on.
Of course the manual tranny would not have risk.

 

Yes, all four down. Besides the usual hook up to the tow vehicle, all I do is start the Fit, drop the trans selector from park to drive, then back up to neutral. Then I turn the engine off leaving the key in the on position. I'm not sure I need to do it, but every time I stop, I start the Fit's engine and allow it to run for several minutes, then I repeat the aforementioned procedure.
Jerry

 

2009 Honda Fit Sport: What the Manual Says About Towing




Got a 2009 Honda Fit, Sport or otherwise? Want to tow with it?
Don't.

Here is what the 2009 Honda Fit owner's manual has to say about that: "Your vehicle is not designed to tow a trailer. Attempting to do so can void your warranties."
No surprise there. Not that you could ever find a hitch for one, although they probably do exist somewhere. But the Fit turns out to be a champ at being towed, as in behind a motorhome. Dinghy towing, they call it. You know, the motorhome is the big yacht and your Fit is the launch you use to get to shore to buy groceries.




Flat towing a Fit is totally acceptable and will not void your warranty, provided you follow a few steps that Honda outlines in the owner's manual.

The basics:
Don't exceed 65 mph. Severe transmission damage will occur otherwise.
Leave the ignition key in the accessory position so the steering wheel does not lock. You'll need to keep another key on your person so you can lock the car, of course.
Make sure the radio is off, the dome lights are off and unplug all accessories from the cigarette lighter (oops, power point) so you don't run the battery down while the key is in the accessory position.

Manual transmission:
Keep the shifter in neutral (duh)
Release the parking brake (double duh).

Here is where it gets a little tricky:

Automatic transmission:
Make sure the transmission fluid level is topped off, but do not overfill it.
Start the engine.
Press the brake pedal and move the shift lever through all its positions. (Slowly, I suspect)
Shift to the D position and hold for 5 seconds, then shift to N. Let the engine run for three minutes, then turn it off. Do remember to put the key back into the accessory position.
Release the parking brake (there's that "duh" again).

They also warn that if you go from R to N instead of D to N, then all hope is lost and severe transmission damage will nevertheless occur. D to N, got it?
And if you tow for more than 8 hours in one day, you must repeat this procedure every 8 hours.

With the automatic, what they're trying to do is make sure oil gets to the right places before you shut the engine off. Priming the system, I suspect, so that the moving gears can then slosh it around once you get underway. Manual transmissions don't care about any of this, because they self lubricate just fine. That the Fit automatic can be flat towed is rare. Not unheard of, but rare. Many cars simply can't self lubricate their autoboxes sufficiently when the engine is off.

Expect to see a lot of these latched on behind snowbird motorhomes in the coming months. A 2009 Honda Fit doesn't cost a lot, automatics can be towed with no aftermarket mods (other than the tow bar), they're light and easy to tow, they get excellent gas mileage, and they can haul a lot of stuff.



****There are a bunch of great comments regarding this blog post as well, check it all out here: 2009 Honda Fit Sport: What the Manual Says About Towing | Long-Term Road Tests Blog on Edmunds' Inside Line

 

Off topic for a second....
disagree that the Fit is not suitable for towing, I towed 900-950 lbs for a few thousand miles and in some countries Honda sells a hitch for the Fit.

Honda Australia for example .....
http://jazz.honda.com.au/optional-extras.aspx

 

Yeah, it's an older article..

 

The American Fit is not suitable for towing due to the increased weight of the typical Americans it has to haul around. We also lost refresh mode because we're too fat.

 

Towed a manual fit before, it seemed a little sketchy at first but it went well

 

Just bought a 2011 fit sport AT, for purpose of gas mileage and personal driving also for use behind my class C motor home. But I need to rig it putting on a Blue ox base plate, and have to wire for tail lights. both jobs I am told requires removing both bumpers. Thats were I get nerveous in tearing into my new car. any links or help in this would be a big help. Also need to run wires from front to rear and finding it hard to find a passage place through fire wall. new to this site and can't find a way to post questions other then replays.

 

Can't you use those big magnetic ones like tow truck drivers use? Harbor freight sells them super cheap.

 

Yes I have given serious thought to those magnet lights instead of installing a extra bulb in the tail light assembly seems a bit much. Wal mart has the led lights I have my eye on. Any clue of best way to get wires to the rear through the interior/

 

Wire over hood to front door, through the interior, out the hatch?

 

Check in the Audio & ICE section to see if there are any HowTo sections on Adding Amplifiers or Subwoofers. They would have run a much larger cable through the firewall and likely will tell you where the plug is that they took out (or where they ran through).

~SB

 

Thanks specboy good idea I will check those sites. I could just run wires up over hood as suggested, but trying to make it a professional job, during trips we hook up and unhook the tow car many times it is much easier to just plug in one plug and go with out worry of wires and magnets, I will check out the audio sites.

 

A tow dolly is the way to go for towing your Fit. They are readily available for rent or purchase, turn on a dime, stable on the highway, no wear on the transmission of a towed car that is FWD, has its own tow lights, and easy on the vehicle doing the towing. I once pulled a 1965 Plymouth Valiant home with a 1990 Buick Electra. The cheap magnetic lights that Harbor Freight sells can detach if you go over a bad rut in the road and they will be dragging and bouncing down the highway.