My friend tows 3 dirt bikes behind his 04 scion xB(108hp)its a manual so that might have something to do with being able to tow. Im sure the engine could i just dont know about the frame durability since the car is not made for towing.

 

I would only tow less then 1000 pounds total weight, and only with a MT Fit. I have no idea if the AT driveline is set up to handle the extra strain. I do know that the tranny operates differently with 4 adults in the car (TC spend more time unlocked, etc.)

Eric

 

The owner's manual flat out says "no" to towing. My first concern would be voiding your warranty. If that doesn't matter to you, and as others have said you have a MT, you should be okay. For what it is, the Fit has decent torque. Just be very careful on accelerating.

I am no expert, so don't yell if your car blows up or somethin'.

Digi

 

Do me a favor: videotape it! I'd love to watch you try you pull jet skis out of the water with a <100HP front wheel drive car that weighs less than a couple of skis and their trailer (700+lbs each, plus 30ish Gal gas 240Lbs, plus trailer 500Lbs+ = 2100LBS) Plus the manual says total capacity is <1000 lbs...... So you try it and make a video for Youtube..... we can all find out how well a Fit floats.......

 

1 Jet ski...and I was just asking the posibility of such an act.

 

In both Australia and the UK, the MT Jazz is rated to tow 1000kg with trailer brakes and 450kg without trailer brakes, with a 70kg hitch weight limit. That's a 2200lb tow capacity with trailer brakes.

My VW Passat 1.8T that is "not recommended for towing" in the US, is rated to tow 3500 pounds in Europe. That's 200 pounds MORE than the curb weight of the car. Same vehicle, same engine/tranny/suspension/brakes, made in same plant in Germany, sold in different markets.

So why the difference? We're lawsuit happy here in the US. And the manufacturers would much rather upsell someone to a high profit margin truck or SUV if they need to tow something.

The warranty concern is valid since the manual lists the 1000lb limit (which by the way is almost exactly the 450kg figure for the rest of the world's trailer without brakes rating; likely used as conservative/least common denominator for US market).

The Class 1 hitches available in the US are only rated for a 2000lb trailer.

It's ultimately your call. You should know your tow weights, and if you're over 1000lb, do you trust that Honda wouldn't sell the platform elsewhere with the higher rating if it weren't capable of towing that higher amount? Regardless of what you tow with, trailer brakes are a huge safety addition. And more important than the vehicle or trailer brakes (within reason) is driving safely while towing. Reducing your speed, increasing your following distances, and driving cautiously are mandatory when towing.

For some background, I've flat-towed cars with a couple different 80's vintage Civics (not much different in weight and power than the Fit). I've towed utility trailers with the same Civics with more than 1000lbs of stuff in tow and the car loaded up, too. I currently tow a ~2400 pound popup with the Passat 1.8T. So I have many hours and more than a few thousand miles of towing experience with small-medium size cars that most people would think aren't tow-suitable.

 

I have 2004 echo hatch i tow a jetski and have a regular trailer no problem ( bought the hitch from toyota )
Hidden hitch has one for the fit

 

I think the key info here is the manual vs auto transmission. The engine may be able to pull it as in Europe where the engine is actually smaller, the Fit is rated 1000lbs for towing but I think the transmission would not be very happy if automatic.

 

+1

 

Hey, give the little engine some credit. It actually has a >100HP engine! Saying that it's under 100hp is like telling someone he's under 6' tall when he's really 6' 0.5"!

Nonethless, I agree that this would be a good way to give your Fit some swimming lessons. If you're going to tow, tow lightly!

 

As I posted back in January (?) I towed, with my Fit, a '89 CRX a distance of 300 miles. (I was taking it to have an engine replaced...) I have a Sport AT.

Pulling it was no problem. It was 90% interstate driving and I made the trip at a time of low traffic. I had the cruise set for 60 mph. I was very cautious when I had to stop when going around a city.

The only time that got my heart rate going was when I went down an incline with a 90-degree right-hand corner at the bottom. I know the road and the corner, but my mind was elsewhere and I didn't slow down as much as I should have when pulling a 2100-pound CRX behind me. I turned the corner fine, but the weight of the CRX wanted to push the back of the Fit out. I caught it by simply hitting the gas to pull it along, but it was a moment that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up!

Aside from that, I have a 4' x 8' utility trailer that weighs less than 300 pounds that I use for my "pickup" bed. As I don't have a truck - this allows me to get sheets of plywood, furniture, etc. that won't physically fit in the Fit. I've NEVER had any issue with this trailer.

Just a thought here - if memory serves me right the Fit is rated for 850 lbs occupancy. If there is just me (just over 200 lbs,) and my trailer (about 300 lbs,) then I can still load at least 300 lbs on the trailer without exceeding the total weight that Honda recommends.

Of course, this is just my experience, and I cannot recommend this to anyone else, lest someone in this lawsuit-happy land wants to try to tell 'em that I told them it was ok!!

 

When using a Hidden Hitch hitch and Wiring harness, is there any problem installing the wiring plugs behind the taillights and routing the wiring to get it under the car? Is it as easy as they say on their web site. I plan on towing a very light cargo trailer like one that would be towed by a motorcycle.
Thanks, Jim

 

Digimer, isn't it more dangerous to drive with that baby powder or cocaine or whatever it is all over your windshield? It seems worse than towing JetSkis!

 

Here is a link for a Fit trailer hitch
Shophonda365.com - Canada's online source for all things Honda!

 

Well all I know is if I have more than 400lbs in the back of my car (back seats or hatch) it feels like a slip & slide trying to get up my parkade ramp. I personally wouldn't want to have a jet ski hooked off the back trying to pull it up a potentially wet launch ramp!!

 

I tow a 100kg bike with a 180kg trailer along with a bootload of assorted bike gear very regularly with no problems. You'd never know its there except on long grades. I wouldn't tow with the auto so regularly purely because it will accelerate wear. I average about 580k's a tank in the car. Take about 100k's off with the trailer attached.

 

I'm just that good.

Digi

 

I'm looking to tow a tent trailer in a few years time with my 5 speed Fit. We know so far that the overseas Jazz models can tow with blessings from Honda. Comparing the UK, Aussie and NA Jazz and Fits there are some differences, but few enough to make me think that the North American (NA) Fit can't tow nearly the same capacities as the overseas conterparts.

Are there any significant mechanical (transmission and suspension) differences between the 5 speed VTec Jazz and Fit?

The comparison details are below but here are my conclusions,
The 5 speed iDSI has less torque (but at lower rpm) and power then the Vtec, but same towing capacity. So no problem there.
The CVT has less then capacity then the 5 speed for a trailer equipped with brakes. So those with an NA auto transmission, no information can be gathered here.
The Fit is heavier then the Jazz by 150 - 200 lb which may be an issue.

Models
1. UK 1.4 iDSI Jazz
2. Australian 1.5 Vtec Jazz
3. US & Can 1.5 L Vtec Fit

Specs
Torque (lbs-ft)
1. 88@2800
2. 105@4800
3. 105@4800

Horse Power
1. 81@5700
2. 109@5800
3. 109@5800

Curb Weight
1. 1041-1086 kg (2295-2394 lb)
2. 1025-1065 kg (2259-2347 lb)
3. 1091-1162 kg (2405-2561 lb)

Towing Capacity
Trailer wo/brakes
1. 450 kg (992 lb)
2. 450 kg (992 lb)
3. “not recommended”

Towing Capacity
Trailer w/brakes
1. 1000kg (2204 lb) (man)
1. 800kg (1763 lb) (auto)
2. 1000kg (2204 lb) (man)
2. 800kg (1763 lb) (auto)
3. “not recommended”

Tongue Weight
1. not indicated
2. 70 kg (154 lb)
3. "not recommended"

Vehicle Capacity (passengers and cargo)
1. ?
2. ?
3. 395 kg (870 lb)

 

I am interested in towing with the Fit, too. I need to take a motorcycle (about 430lbs) 1400 miles from Minn to Ohio. Along with me would be someone else, and about 100lbs of cargo. My coworker said I can borrow his flat trailer that weighs about 250lbs (Class 1 certified) to tow with.

So basically the hitch which is an extra 40lbs fo hitch + 430lb bike + 250lb trailer + 300lb passengers + 100lbs cargo = doable?

 

OK, just did it last week. First off, the instructions do not tell you to somehow run the wires under the car. They tell you to flop them out thru the hatch before closing it when using the pigtail.

Second, the instructions kinda give you a vague idea how to install the harness. You have to remove one push-in trim button on each side and one phillips screw on each side, plus the two little access panels (straight bladed screwdriver applied at the moulded in tabs). The push-in button is on the bottom, the screw up on the side. There is also a pop-in moulded in trim clip that holds the two sides to the center trim section that runs across the back. You have to move the trim panels (NOT REMOVE) away from the sides of the car carefully, enough to stick your arm down in the driver's side. If you pump too much iron find a 12 year old with skinny long arms to help with this step.

The module will be placed on the driver's side, but you have to pull it into the void from the bottom to get it up. Or at least that is preferable IMO. I guess you could push it in from the top and then fish the green wires over to the passenger side, but I pulled the whole thing in from the bottom (sans the green wires destined for the passenger side and the pigtail).

Once you have the module in place (two sided tape on it - tape it to the side sheetmetal) the plug-ins are easy. Follow the directions though for color/correct connectors. You can pull one 10mm nut off a taillight holder, scratch the paint off the body underneath the nut, and use this for the ground connection.

Run the green wires to the passenger side underneath the panel that runs across the middle between the left and right panels. Plug in per the directions. Also run the pigtail from the module to the center of the middle trim panel. It can stay down in the spare tire well when not in use out of the way.

Now reverse to button it all back up. All told a 30 minute job taking your time.

If you are worried about warranty, the wiring can be totally hidden away by just pushing the pigtail wire up under the center trim section.

I maidened my setup yesterday. Got a lightweight trailer (approx 220 lbs) and carried a 205 pound dirt bike with it. 100 pounds of gear in the hatch of the Fit. 200 miles of two lane in the mountains and the gauge is still over a half, so I'm thinking high 30s even with the trailer and bike. ** EDITED TO ADD: mileage came out to 36.01 mpg. **

As far as auto tranny goes, one has to remember that the passenger and gear weight ratings of the car are the same for both trannys. As long as you stay within the GVWR of the vehicle and are not putting up something with a big frontal area, then I can't see any potential reliability issues with light towing.

A pic of the setup: