Where did you see or get your information about all Honda Fit being towable? I know the 2009 is the first year Honda "officially" approved Fit for towing. I am thinking about purchasing a used FIT (2007 or 2008) and want to be sure I can tow it 4 down.
Thanks,
Rick
NOPE, Honda officially approves ALL Fits for towing. Call the Customer Service number. When the Fit first came out they were not approved, then in 2008 they retroactively approved all years.
pgeddes wrote: We recently bought a Toyota Yaris but while shopping we looked at a Fit. The Fit manual does not mention dinghy towing but the sales people referred us to Edmonds.com. As I recall you have to stop at certain intervals and start the engine to lube the transmission. Also, you must have the key in the accessory position so the steering wheel is not locked and can turn with the motorhome.
They referred me to this article: http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2009/03/2009-honda-fit-sport-what-the-manual-says-about-towing.html
Copy the link and paste it in the address line of your browser. One caution: If the manufacturers manual does not tell you how to dinghy tow your warranty may be compromised. I am speaking from experience since I have wrecked a transmission based on the assurances of "experts" who said "don't worry," when the manual says to not tow, if it's a manual transmission it will tow. No way, a Mazda Miata five speed is NOT towable. I finally have a car that is towable with the instructions in the manual.
You found out the hard way what I've been saying all along. Just because a car has a manual transmission does NOT make it towable. It depends on how the transmission is splash lubed. If from the output shaft (which is turned when the wheels turn) it's OK. If from the input shaft (which turns only when the engine is running) then it's not towable.
Yes, it appears that the 2009 FIT is flat towable. Earlier model years are not. Here is what the Motorhome Dinghy Guide had to say:
HONDA
Will wonders never cease? For the past three years,
the CR-V was the only vehicle in Honda’s lineup
that the company would officially acknowledge as
towable, but this year that changes with the introduction
of the subcompact Fit. Towable with either
a manual or automatic transmission, the Fit is
destined to become a favorite of motorhome enthusiasts.
Rick & JoAnne Morgan and Sandy (9 year old Shepherd and Husky mix)
2007 Winnebago Aspect 26A Our RV Travels
pgeddes wrote: No way, a Mazda Miata five speed is NOT towable.
pgeddes,
It sounds as if you ruined the transmission of a Miata while towing.
While I will never say that a Miata 5 speed IS ABSOLUTELY towable, I will say that there are at least 5 Miata owners who frequent this forum who are currently towing Miata 5-speeds. I also know of 15-20 outside of this forum who are towing Miata 5-speeds.
Personally, just 3 weeks ago, my 2000 Miata 5-speed surpassed 25,000 miles being towed. Several times I have towed my Miata for 600 miles at a stretch without driving it.
Perhaps it depends on the car or precautions that the owners may take, but I don't think that you can definately state that a 5-speed Miata is NOT towable any more than we can state that it IS towable.
I have a 2008 Fit with automatic transmission. In the owner's manual it has the procedure to follow when towing it behind an RV. I have not hooked it up yet but I have completed the base plate and wiring and you can bet I will be towing it. However, I will post on this site if I have a problem.
Why do we continue to post mis-information. I do not care what kind of FROG one chooses to tow - I have considered other options and almost took one of them this time. However, we do not really help each other when we speak beyond our knowledge base.
From experience I will tell you this: I have had three previous Honda TOADs - all automatics. The first was a two door Civic. After a tree took it out, we had a four door Civic. Next, to make the TOAD more versatile, we went to a CRV. Each and every one of these served well with no problems. One even made a 10,000+ mile to Alaska and back.
No, RV towing was not "approved" by Honda. YES, HONDA DID PROVIDE THE PROTOCOL FOR TOWING THEM BEHIND RV's (most I have talked to feel that the reason for not approving them was to avoid additional liability - someone having a non-related wreck and suing Honda). Just know I DID carefully follow Honda's procedure for towing behind an RV. While I would have felt safe towing it for 8 hours, I chose to run the motor and go through the "prepare to tow" procedure about every two or three hours (when I felt like stopping and moving around - but not necessarily every time).
Now tell me again that you cannot tow Honda's.
Our first toad was a Jeep Cherokee 4x4 - it too was fine but perhaps a little heavy. Wish I still had it for other purposes.
For my information and hopefully to help others, I am going to start a topic seeking input from those who have had problems towing Honda's.
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