Towing a small boat with my 2013 CR-V

[Stewart Fan]

I can't remember the manufacturer of the trailer right off the top of my head. Its at my buddies house or I'd go outside and look.

I did buy mine at Lowes a few years back. It didn't have an A-frame tongue when I bought it,it had a straight tongue with a pin that allowed you to tilt the deck back like a mini dump trailer.

It was a rather flimsy design on an otherwise stout little trailer. I bought some angle and welded it to the tongue to make it an A-frame.

The tires on mine are 4.80x12 with a weight rating of just under 1000lbs. The trailer has a 2000lb Dexter axle under it,so the tires are sufficient.

I'd like to put some larger tires on it just for a bit more ground clearance. I take it camping or hunting and occasionally run into clearance issues on the logging roads.

 

[supton]

I recall reading that some will swap 5.3x12's in place of 4.8x12's. Problem I run into is finding 4 lug 5.3 wheels--most are 5 lug.

 

[Dave Sherman]

Originally Posted By: Schmoe
Keep the OD off.....until you get to speed. Honda's typically jump into OD as soon as possible to help the MPG out.


If his 2013 is anything like my '08, the owner's manual says to tow in D3, always.

 

[Stewart Fan]

Originally Posted By: Dave Sherman
Originally Posted By: Schmoe
Keep the OD off.....until you get to speed. Honda's typically jump into OD as soon as possible to help the MPG out.


If his 2013 is anything like my '08, the owner's manual says to tow in D3, always.


The manual says to tow in O/D on flat ground and switch to D3 in hilly terrain if the transmission shifts frequently.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I almost never tow in D3. The transmission will either run in 5L (5th gear, locked TCC), 5U (5th gear, unlocked TCC), or downshift into 4U at highway speed. The tailgate on the trailer acts as a rather large wind sail, so maintaining 60 mph on most roads in 5L is difficult. At that speed, the engine is only turning about 1800-1900 rpm. So it often runs in 5U or 4U. If it's real hilly, I'll tow in D3, but not often.

With a boat, however, there would be no appreciable wind drag. With the tailgate removed from my trailer, it'll hold 5L easily at highway speed. You should have no problems, but yes, do use the D3 button if the transmission starts getting shifty.

 

[supton]

When I was thinking about buying a Ridgeline, some owner reviews indicated that their transmissions loved running with the torque convertor unlocked. Which seemed to be of no impact to the transmission, oddly enough. It seems that one cannot compare domestic vs imports when it comes to transmission fluid temps. Domestics need to run cooler, imports can take the heat. Don't know why. Would be interesting to observe fluid temps regardless, but, probably a non-issue. Just mentioning it as something I've come across.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I mentioned this to a friend of mine who has long owned Hondas...the apparent preference for the transmission to run in 5U instead of 4L for instance. He said that it's frankly something he wouldn't worry a bit about. Especially at speed when there is sufficient airflow across the radiator and engine cooling needs are well met.

 

[JHZR2]

I cant see it being an issue, besides the AT wear and tear. Im just surprised how meagerly the tow rating is... Heck, my saab is rated at 3500lb!

I assume you can force OD off? With a 5AT, are there two ODs? Can you limit the gears or is there just D and N?

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I cant see it being an issue, besides the AT wear and tear. Im just surprised how meagerly the tow rating is... Heck, my saab is rated at 3500lb!

I assume you can force OD off? With a 5AT, are there two ODs? Can you limit the gears or is there just D and N?

Honda typically has only 1 2 D3 and OD which on a 5 spd auto is a bit annoying! If they allowed you to choose 4th I'm sure it would keep the TC locked and tow quite well. I can't speak to the '13, but the '06 I drive doesn't have any torque in reserve in 5th so I was worried about towing hay with it. I guess just staying in D3 would just be annoying and waste some gas which would be fine for my infrequent use.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Im just surprised how meagerly the tow rating is... Heck, my saab is rated at 3500lb!


Your Saab is rated higher than many FWD-based vehicles. It probably doesn't have much load and braking reserve at that limit. What size are the tires?

Our MDX's tow rating is 3,500 pounds, or 4,500 pounds if it's a boat (less wind drag). Most FWD minivans are in the 2,500-3,500 pound range. Our old Chrysler was 3,800 pounds if you also had the tow package with transmission cooler. Lots of things influence a tow rating, and certain vehicles have much more reserve capacity when at the limit than do other vehicles.

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I assume you can force OD off? With a 5AT, are there two ODs? Can you limit the gears or is there just D and N?


The CR-V has P...R...N...D...2...1...with a D3 button.

P-R-N-D is self-explanatory.

D3 limits the transmission to 3rd gear. If you push it while in D, the D3 light on the dash illuminates; pull the shifter into 2 or 1 and the D3 light goes out until you put the shifter back into D, at which time it will illuminate again. 4th and 5th are both mechanically overdriven gears. 2 keeps the transmission in 2nd, even at a stop. 1 keeps it in 1st.

Being a car guy who likes control, I don't like this setup. I'd rather be able to lock it into 4th than into 3rd. But in reality, it's mostly a non-issue. Honda's AT programming is very intuitive, and it'll tow in whatever gear it needs to to get the job done. As stated earlier, even with a lawn tractor and a wind-catching ramp on my trailer, I never used 3rd gear. 4th and 5th work just fine; the engine has plenty of power for most situations. If you want to tackle the Rockies with a loaded U-haul on the back...obviously you're beginning to go beyond the design intent.

Our Acura, on the other hand, has an individual shift detent for all 5 forward gears, so it's more enjoyable for a car guy who craves control.

 

[supton]

CRV is kinda weird, in that it has two overdrive gears, for a 5 speed. But it has a deep final drive. Which means--pretty much nothing. Overall gearing is what matters.

My notes indicate for 2005 that it was a FD of 4.438, with gearing of 2.652/1.517/1.037/0.738/0.566. I think newer models are the same. Curb about 3,500lb, max towing 1,500, GCWR 6060, GVWR 4560.

Not sure I'd want to pull for very long in 3rd, as 60mph is about 3,500rpm. The engine might not care, but one's wallet would. 4th would be 2,500 (5th is a lugging 1,800). I never did find a good torque curve plot for the Honda motor. Oh--my notes indicate a difference between LX vs EX/EX-L, with the upscale models having taller tires. YMMV.

Odd that you can't lock out 5th. The description sounds like they tried to reuse the old 4 speed shift mechanism or something.

 

[Anduril]

120 hp, 3 gears, if I could do it you'll be fine.







At one point we probably pulled close to 2,000 lbs; had the trailer loaded down with fridge in the front and the rest filled full of various odds and ends. All available interior space in the car would have been filled up too. Managed 24 mpg like this.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: supton
Odd that you can't lock out 5th. The description sounds like they tried to reuse the old 4 speed shift mechanism or something.


Well, the D3 button is a true O/D-off button in the sense that it keeps the transmission out of the O/D range(s). As noted, both 4th and 5th are overdriven gears, so the button that's labeled "D3" could just as easily be labeled "O/D-off" because that's truly what it does.

I would prefer a shift mechanism like what my Camry had. You had P-R-N-D. Or pull it sideways in D and you had + and -. So you could step through the gear ranges individually. You couldn't lock into 2nd gear as you can with the Honda (2 on the Camry meant the transmission could use the first two gears), but I'd much prefer full control over the gear ranges than to be able to lock in 2nd gear.

But, I digress. The engine would tow in D3 at highway speed all day long. Heck, the Civic SI with a very similar 2.4L engine turns 3,000+ rpm at highway speed in 6th gear. I doubt fuel economy would suffer greatly in D3 compared with towing in D. The engine still has to make the same power to move the car down the road. There's less throttle loss on the engine at lower speeds/taller gears due to the greater throttle opening, but I bet that's mostly insignificant when towing. I could be wrong, though.

 

[Schmoe]

Dig that double decker garage thing!!!!

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: Stewart Fan
I've got a 14' Lund (aluminum) that I want to tow with my CR-V. I weighed it and the trailer on a DOT scale and came up with 650 lbs. The CR-V is rated to tow 1500.

If I put a hitch on the CR-V,I'd likely tow a small utility trailer and a couple dirt bikes occasionally as well.

Anyone towing with their CR-V?



I have in the past. Just change your ATF OCI to 30k and you will have no issues.

 

[addyguy]

Cavaliers are tough as nails, old-school cars.

I ran mine hard, and it never really gave any problems...

A bit O/T, but I love 'OD off' button on the shifter of my Tribute. Like many other vehicles, the CD4E jumps into 4th as soon as possible for MPG's.

But, if you need to use the engines power, just click it off, and the tranny stays locked out of high. Since the Duratec 24V V-6 loves to rev, it will scream up to 6500 rpm w/o issue, and pass with ease. It really moves when you get the rpm up!