Towing in automatic transmission?

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So I plan to tow a motorcycle with a motorcycle trailer, using my Honda Civic and weight of whole package would be ~1200 lbs.

I am planning to take local roads and will be driving slow, have to tow for a short distance too.

Question is, should I use 'D' gear or stick to 'D3' and user higher rpms?
Appreciate any help and advise
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Originally Posted by Inspecktor
I would keep it out of overdrive. In addition to the weight, you will also have aerodynamic drag to deal with.

Don't think my car has an overdrive, does it mean I stick to 'D' ? Thanks
 
That's what manual states: This position is similar to D, except only the first three gears are selected. Use D3 when towing a trailer in hilly terrain,or to provide engine braking when going down a steep hill. D3 can also keep the transmission from cycling between third, fourth, and fifth gearsin stop-and-go driving.

Mostly 45-55 mph and less than ~35-40 miles
 
Seems like you have your answer.

Are your brakes up to the task? If you get into an accident, you will be found at fault, since your Civic is not rated to tow. Keep that in mind and be ULTRA conservative.
 
Once you are going and on a flat surface I would have no problem using D as long as the engine feels happy and you are not imputing to much throttle. Use D3 otherwise.

D is overdrive by the way
 
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Originally Posted by maverickfhs
Originally Posted by Inspecktor
I would keep it out of overdrive. In addition to the weight, you will also have aerodynamic drag to deal with.

Don't think my car has an overdrive, does it mean I stick to 'D' ? Thanks


"Overdrive" is any gear where the output shaft of the transmission is turning faster than the input shaft. Older transmissions sometimes had the overdrive unit separate from the main transmission(the factory-optional overdrive on my MG, which I don't have, is that way-the top standard gear is 1:1, and the O/D has an electrically operated cone clutch that can be engaged in top gear), but on modern transmissions-both auto and manual-the top gear is almost always an overdrive gear. I don't think it's unheard of-especially with some autos now having 8+ gears-to even have multiple overdrive gears.

In any case, every car auto box I've had has specified towing with O/D disabled, although the way it's labeled has changed over the years. On older Fords(and Lincolns) for example, the standard "D" position had a circle around it to designate overdrive, while there was a separate D position that disabled overdrive, or sometimes a instead a button on the end of the stalk(column shifter) or floor shifter to turn O/D off. I had a Nissan that was that way also. My dearly departed Lincoln LS had "D5" for normal driving and "D4" for O/D off.

In any case, though, I default to "read the manual and do what it says." Chances are it will also specify a maximum "safe" speed in D3/OD-off, and it's probably a good idea to follow that.
 
Originally Posted by maverickfhs
That's what manual states: This position is similar to D, except only the first three gears are selected. Use D3 when towing a trailer in hilly terrain,or to provide engine braking when going down a steep hill. D3 can also keep the transmission from cycling between third, fourth, and fifth gearsin stop-and-go driving.

Mostly 45-55 mph and less than ~35-40 miles



"3". Also ease of the gas when it shifts, that will mitigate heat build up.
 
1200 pounds is a lot of weight to attach to a Civic. I don't know if you can find surge brakes on a trailer that small, but any help stopping would be good.
 
Not a nation of towers - you need a truck to pull a massive load like that. In NZ we pull bigger loads than that, with smaller cars than that, and we have lots of hills. Totally capable, don't sweat about it, our roads aren't littered with small cars that carried big loads.
 
Originally Posted by maverickfhs

Mostly 45-55 mph and less than ~35-40 miles


If you were driving cross country.... but 45-55 mph and less than ~35-40 miles? the RPM's really won't be too bad.

My Ninja 650 runs at 6,000 RPM alllll day long.
 
You're fine. Take it slow. You could manually shift back and forth between D and OD if you hit a true flat cruise.

Your RPMs at 45 MPH in D should be less than OD at 70.
 
Originally Posted by maverickfhs
Question is, should I use 'D' gear or stick to 'D3' and user higher rpms?[/b] Appreciate any help and advise
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It's not called an automatic for no reason. Put it in drive and let the transmission pick the gear. If the engine feels labored, then drop it down one gear.
 
You didn't mention how many miles however if you are only going about 10 miles I would take it very easy and use drive. Those Civics are not really made to tow anything but themselves and the passengers. You could easily have 3 more people in the car at 200 lbs each which is 600 lbs therefore you are not overdoing it too much. I would take it super easy because that little Civic is not really made to tow anything.
 
Originally Posted by Silk
Not a nation of towers - you need a truck to pull a massive load like that. In NZ we pull bigger loads than that, with smaller cars than that, and we have lots of hills. Totally capable, don't sweat about it, our roads aren't littered with small cars that carried big loads.


You got that right. The few times I've been to NZ (North and South islands- my daughter lives in Auckland) the huge caravans being towed by small hatchbacks was incredible.
 
Do not tow in overdrive. I'm sure it will drive fine and there will be no discernible difference that you can tell. BUT, and there are many discussions on this, the "driven gear" in these ratios develop more heat with less ability to shed it, affecting the fluid in the mesh and potentially impacting those gears and components. While that's vague, and folks can argue it and provide equally vague information, my statement comes from an instrumented study I read years ago where they did thermal analysis on the transmission.

YMMV, but I won't tow in OD.

My 2018 F150 won't let me do so, either, and actually torque-limits the top 2 gears to approximately 1/3 of the throttle.
 
1,200 lbs. is nothing for most economy cars.

I've towed over 5,000 miles with my 1.0 liter 3-cylinder turbo Ford Focus (6M transmission) and a 5x8 enclosed trailer. 750lbs empty and I load up to 750 of cargo for 1,500 lbs total.

I'm in a hilly area and climb a 12% grade routinely. It's a breeze, up and down. The only time I feel it "struggles" is past about 60 MPH on the freeway due to the aerodynamic drag. I cruise in 5th and climb in 4th at those speeds. That wouldn't be much of an issue with an open motorcycle trailer though.



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Actually I used D3 everywhere and never pushed engine or brakes or anything, was a good experience
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