I recently towed a U-Haul 4'x8' trailer and my 2011 Harley VROD with my 2016 Fit.

I found one thread from back in 2012 about a guy towing this trailer, but no other info about towing with the 3rd gen, especially with the CVT. I was very nervous about towing with the CVT as I thought maybe it would overheat or slip too much with the added weight. I decided to join this forum and make this thread to provide info about what happened on my trip.

U-Haul lists a specific hitch for the 2016 Fit, and a wiring kit too. The wiring kit was NOT plug and play. I had to splice it into the tail light harness and use a multi-meter to figure out where to get the signal wire for each turn signal and brakes etc. That sucked.

The hitch install was simple, just pop the muffler isolators off and bolt the hitch on with 4 bolts. The wires they provide to fish the bolts into the frame are very handy.

The U-Haul 4'x8' is listed as 850 lbs empty, and even by itself you could "feel it" behind the car. The brakes were surprisingly effective though, and it still had plenty of power to get up to speed even up hills. The CVT just brought the RPM's up a little to compensate for the weight. Adding the Harley (650lbs) was even more noticeable, especially during acceleration. However the 1.5L DI engine still did really well, it could easily get up to 55mph even up a hill and could go 70 with no trouble on flat ground. (I didn't attempt to go faster even for a short test)

I kept my speeds between 55-65 on my trip, which was from NC to Ohio up and down I77 through the mountains of WV and VA. Not exactly an easy path. On the steep hills in the mountains I could maintain 55mph without exceeding 4000rpm, usually keeping it around 3500-3700 during the hard climbs. Many of the hills I could maintain 60mph, I only went 62-63mph on the really flat parts which were few and far between. The vast majority of the trip I was below 3000rpm, usually around 2200-2500. I had no warning lights, no signs of anything being wrong at all. The trailer pulled nice, and was actually easy to back up.

At first I stopped more often to recheck the straps and lights/safety chains/tires etc. As the trip progressed I stopped less often as my confidence grew.

I drove 600 miles on Friday, it took about 11 hours with 2 stops (one for food). I unloaded the bike Friday night, went on a poker run Saturday with my family and loaded the bike back up Saturday night. Sunday morning I hit the road and 600 miles and 11 hours later I was back in NC.

I make this drive several times per year, in the summer months I average 44 mpg on the way up and 46 mpg on the way back to NC with the AC on the entire time. This trip was 32.8 mpg both ways (AC on the entire time as well), the acceleration/hills were really the only time the fuel economy suffered.

I was worried about the car, the bike, the trailer, lots of stuff before I took the trip. Now that I have the hitch and wiring installed I would for sure entertain the idea of using this trailer again to haul a bike or even other items. It worked great.

If you guys have any questions about the trip or anything else you want to know just ask, I figured I would share my experience to help other Fit owners.

 

Ill be honest, Im surprised they even rented you a trailer. Whats the weight limit for towing on one of these? Is there even a rating?

My local U Haul buildings always gave me crap for using a tow dolly with my dads Xterra and then Subaru Tribeca to tow little junky cars Id buy (Nissan Pulsar, an '87 Subaru GL wagon, a parts car '89 Geo Tracker). Maybe thats just my local U haul providers. They're always super concerned about it being "safe". I literally never had trouble with what I was towing.

Got any pics of the tow hitch? Whenever I buy a Fit for myself Ill be getting a hitch right away, Im just curious how hidden they can be installed.

 

I mentioned in my post that U-Haul lists a specific hitch for the Fit, they will even install the hitch if you want but it was so easy I did it myself.

It stands to reason the only reason to put a hitch on a car is to tow something with it lol. I think the reason they give you a hard time about a tow dolly is that a car can weigh a lot more than what the small enclosed trailer is rated for. The Hitch is rated for 2000lbs, and like I said the empty 4x8 is 850lbs. That only leaves you 1150 lbs of capacity.

Adding an entire car to a tow dolly is going to be a considerable amount of weight, probably more like 3000 lbs even for a small car.

The hitch is not very obvious without the draw bar/ball inserted. Here are a couple pics

 

Great thread! Check out my pics and threads on towing. Got the same hitch and 5x8 trailer at 875lbs empty. I did the rear air shock mod, great help with bumps and gives a spongy ride. It also helps to reduce 'pancaking' of the rear axle. Tongue weight has to be under 200lbs max.

Curt Brake Controller
7 way adapter

 

No that's not the only reason. The only reason I have a hitch on my Forester is for a bike rack. I don't plan on towing anything.

As for capacity, it's common for an aftermarket hitch to be rated above the tow rating of the vehicle. For example, a class 3 hitch for a Forester has a supposed capacity of 3500 pounds. That's the rating of the hitch. The tow rating of the vehicle is 1500. The hitch does NOT raise that rating of the vehicle. 1500 is the capacity, period.

There is no way a Fit is rated for 2000 pounds. Actually the US owners manual states that towing may void your warranty. Perhaps someone from Europe can see what the capacity is over there.

CVTs are typically known to have lesser tow ratings than manuals as well.
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Honestly, I wouldn't want to be behind you on the road.

 

Was my post deleted or did it never publish?

 

Actually the europe fit is rated 2k pounds when equipped with trailer brakes, and 1000 pounds without brakes. CVTs forget it, that belt will burn up so fast. The 6MT is way better. Yes that is true the owners manual says it will void warranty, on condition that any damage is found be directly caused by towing something. I'll tell anyone tow smart. I have had about 1700 pounds total cargo and trailer and yeah i dont like the way that feels. Thankfully my needs are bulky, but not heavy. Didnt have to travel far with heavy loads. Dont slip too much with the clutch, stay in lower gears when climbing inclines, and get a trailer with electric brakes. Trailer brakes saved my life actually. Winter sucks in Connecticut, going down a 10% grade where I used to live, road was plowed but still slippery, had I not manually locked up the trailer wheels and 'sled' down with the front wheels free to steer, I'd be in a ditch after hitting a slew of cars off the hill. All that trailer weight and cargo was pushing on me.

 

Thats kinda what I was getting at too. With my dealings with U Haul they always triple checked my Xterra/Tribeca's tow ratings then checked the hitch, then rechecked the cars rating again. Then they usually gave me shit for wanting to tow a 2000 pound Nissan Pulsar with that big ass SUV. It was always so damn ridiculous. I dont even think my local U Hauls would even entertain renting me a trailer for a Fit. They literally wouldn't even bother looking up the actual tow rating on the Fit (If thats even a thing that can be looked up).

 

Didn't read my post at all huh?

 

I meant no disrespect. Actually I read through the whole thing. I was very impressed, and happy with your good results. I'm always excited when others share towing experiences with their FIT's especially in the states because of all the bureaucracy around it.

My comment about the CVT still holds true, the belt is the weakest part of the transmission and will be the first part to fail. Heat is also the number one enemy. If you plan on towing more often with the CVT, I would highly suggest installing a transmission intercooler. This will help to mitigate the higher tranny temps when towing. Install that and I think you should be in much better shape for the long term than if you did not have it. The manual trans has passive splash lubrication and no active gear pump. Unless I added an electric one and did it that way of course.

I tow short haul maybe 1-2 times a month under 30 miles and its mostly flat highway. There are some guys like yourself that travel long distances across mountainous terrain which is way more stressful to the drive train.

https://www.etrailer.com/tran-2016_Honda_Fit.htm

Cheers

Bass

 

Was thinking it over and I really want to buy a crappy little Harbor Fright and try this out when I finally buy a Fit. Just a little trailer, big enough to tow my small mower or maybe my Honda Rebel bike (soon to be a Kawasaki Versys X 300)

I assume something like this would be perfectly doable and suit my needs I think. 250 pound trailer and the Rebel is only like 300 pounds.

https://www.harborfreight.com/1195-l...ler-62648.html

 

I looked at that exact trailer. Its perfect for light short haul trips in my opinion. Those little 12 inch tires will be screaming high RPMS on the highway, and since my travel is mostly highway, I wanted and needed full tires, so I now have 15" radials on my 5x8.