Tow Vehicle Woes

My 2000 Accord got a new (rebuilt?, remanufactured?)
transmission at 96,000 miles. Thank you, Honda.

Honda must have realized they had a bad batch of automatic
transmissions because they extended the warranty on
my Accord's tranny from 36,000 miles to 100,000 miles.
As mentioned above, it got replaced at 96,000 miles.
Now at 201,000 miles, it's still shifting as required
and not making any nasty or strange noises.

I also had a transmission oil cooler installed earlier
this year.

By the way, the car towed the trailer nicely up to
about 70 mph. However, weather (winds) and traffic
(large trucks hauling ass), could make the car/trailer
sway a little with speeds over 70 mph. Below that
speed, it seemed pretty steady to me. In calm air
and not many trucks, it was steady at 80 mph, but I
felt more comfortable at 65 to 70 mph.

I really don't like the idea of having to get rid of
it just because the damned tow hitch won't stay attached.
Sigh.

Well, my brother still has the 1968 Chrysler New Yorker
four door 'hard top' (no 'b' pillar between the doors)
and 440 cubic inch gas guzzler V8. And, it still has
a trailer hitch on it for the times many, many years
past when dad pulled the camping trailer with it.

Naaahhhhh!

Ray

I have an '01 Odyssey, 120k miles, new tranny at 108k
(thank you
Honda).

Watch out for the 01-04 years (I think). Very problematic
transmissions. Do your research before buying a used
one.
www.odyclub.com

Otherwise, excellent vehicles. Tows a 1-26 on an open
trailer quite
nicely - but nowhere near 75% of that dragging the
trailer.

-Pete
#309

On Oct 16, 2:18 pm, Ray Lovinggood
wrote:
My 2000 Accord got a new (rebuilt?, remanufactured?)
transmission at 96,000 miles. Thank you, Honda.

Honda must have realized they had a bad batch of automatic
transmissions because they extended the warranty on
my Accord's tranny from 36,000 miles to 100,000 miles.
As mentioned above, it got replaced at 96,000 miles.
Now at 201,000 miles, it's still shifting as required
and not making any nasty or strange noises.

I also had a transmission oil cooler installed earlier
this year.

By the way, the car towed the trailer nicely up to
about 70 mph. However, weather (winds) and traffic
(large trucks hauling ass), could make the car/trailer
sway a little with speeds over 70 mph. Below that
speed, it seemed pretty steady to me. In calm air
and not many trucks, it was steady at 80 mph, but I
felt more comfortable at 65 to 70 mph.

I really don't like the idea of having to get rid of
it just because the damned tow hitch won't stay attached.
Sigh.

Well, my brother still has the 1968 Chrysler New Yorker
four door 'hard top' (no 'b' pillar between the doors)
and 440 cubic inch gas guzzler V8. And, it still has
a trailer hitch on it for the times many, many years
past when dad pulled the camping trailer with it.

Naaahhhhh!

Ray



I have an '01 Odyssey, 120k miles, new tranny at 108k
(thank you
Honda).

Watch out for the 01-04 years (I think). Very problematic
transmissions. Do your research before buying a used
one.
www.odyclub.com

Otherwise, excellent vehicles. Tows a 1-26 on an open
trailer quite
nicely - but nowhere near 75% of that dragging the
trailer.

-Pete
#309- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Ray,

Go to a "trailer hitch shop" and see if they can re-inforce the
Accord. I'm sure something can be done to beef up the hitch attach
points. I've seen this done on uni-body cars before.


Dave

"Ray Lovinggood" wrote:

I really don't like the idea of having to get rid of
it just because the damned tow hitch won't stay attached.

I just can´t believe there is no solution to the hitch problem. Try to find
a hitch that attaches to the structure that holds the rear bumper, not some
sheet metal of the trunk, and keep the car.

Michael

Ray,

Have you looked into Subaru Foresters and Outbacks? They tow good,
and if you can resist the turbo options the gas mileage is fine. They
are all wheel drive so if you landout in a field you'll have better
traction than the front wheel drive cars.
I've got 73000 trouble free miles on my Forester.
Chris

Chris,

Yes, I am considering the Forester. I know you and RQ tow with turbo
versions, but I would look ONLY at the normally aspirated models
because I don't want to pay for the premium octane fuel required for
the turbo models.

The tough adjustment will be that I've been "corrupted" by the
additional power of a V6 and I don't know what it will be like to tow
with a four cylinder, again. Also, both the Forester and the Outback
are smaller than the Accord which will take some time to adjust to.

The 07 Forester is rated to tow 2,400 lbs, but I don't know what the
max tongue weight is. Probably 10% of the max trailer weight.

So, I guess I'm looking for a good, used, Forester.

One good thing: Time is on my side. My flying is done for the winter
and I don't have to worry about towing it anywhere for a while.

Ray

On Oct 21, 10:44 pm, chris wrote:
Ray,

Have you looked into Subaru Foresters and Outbacks? They tow good,
and if you can resist the turbo options the gas mileage is fine. They
are all wheel drive so if you landout in a field you'll have better
traction than the front wheel drive cars.
I've got 73000 trouble free miles on my Forester.
Chris

On Oct 22, 5:22 am, rlovinggood wrote:
Chris,

Yes, I am considering the Forester. I know you and RQ tow with turbo
versions, but I would look ONLY at the normally aspirated models
because I don't want to pay for the premium octane fuel required for
the turbo models.

The tough adjustment will be that I've been "corrupted" by the
additional power of a V6 and I don't know what it will be like to tow
with a four cylinder, again. Also, both the Forester and the Outback
are smaller than the Accord which will take some time to adjust to.

The 07 Forester is rated to tow 2,400 lbs, but I don't know what the
max tongue weight is. Probably 10% of the max trailer weight.

So, I guess I'm looking for a good, used, Forester.

One good thing: Time is on my side. My flying is done for the winter
and I don't have to worry about towing it anywhere for a while.

Ray

On Oct 21, 10:44 pm, chris wrote:



Ray,

Have you looked into Subaru Foresters and Outbacks? They tow good,
and if you can resist the turbo options the gas mileage is fine. They
are all wheel drive so if you landout in a field you'll have better
traction than the front wheel drive cars.
I've got 73000 trouble free miles on my Forester.
Chris- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I think my 05 Outback is rated for 200 lbs tongue weight and 2,700
trailer weight. It has the factory hitch. It's in the shop right now
for an unrelated matter so I can't check.

It's the regular 2.5i version, non-turbo 168 hp. Drives 70-80 no
problem through New Mexico with a Cobra trailer and a 570 lb glider
and other gear in the trailer. This is mostly on I-40 and some
highways. There are places it would probably go a little slower here
though.

Bob

Yes, I am considering the Forester. I know you and RQ tow with turbo
versions, but I would look ONLY at the normally aspirated models
because I don't want to pay for the premium octane fuel required for
the turbo models.

There is a fellow pilot at Truckee (elev. 5,900') who tows his Genesis
2 in a Cobra fiberglass top trailer using a normally aspirated Subaru
Forrester. I'm not sure of the vehicle's year but its the generation
before the current one, maybe a 2003. He has towed it from sea level
and over the Sierra Nevadas without complaints or incident. So I
wuold imagine that a Forrester will be more than enough tow vehicle at
your elevation. He also likes the car's AWD capability as he lives in
the Sierras where it snows heavily during the winters. As an aside,
not all AWD systems are equal. Most systems favor FWD and do not
engage the rear wheels unitl slippage is detected in the front
wheels. Subarus have several versions of AWD depending upon the model
but they have continuous AWD in common, always sending power to all
four wheels. To see how Subaru AWD compares to the competion see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyLgYskj-oc and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7dVF...elated&search=