Towing trailer and glider with a honda civic

I have a 2016 honda civic. It’s my only car. Has any one towed their glider and trailer using a small sedan like a civic?

I've towed with a Civic and with a '69 VW bus. It was slow up the hills but as long as I took it easy, no problems...

Boggs

P.S. Coming down the hills with the bus, we would deploy the air brakes to keep or speed down. (Open both front doors all the way with our legs. It was very effective.)

I tow a 1-26 on an open trailer with a honda fit. Works fine.

On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 4:09:43 PM UTC-7, wrote:
I have a 2016 honda civic. It’s my only car. Has any one towed their glider and trailer using a small sedan like a civic?

Years ago (18 to be exact) I used to own a DG100 in a Minden Fab trailer. I picked up the glider in Chattanooga with my 1995 Honda Accord. When I first put the transmission in Drive and released the brake, at idle engine speed it easily began pulling the trailer across the grass field.

The ensuing drive to Chicago was uneventful and I easily reached normal Interstate speeds. The hills of course were not too challenging.

As long as we're reminiscing, I remember the late Dick Johnson towing
his Nimbus 3 with his VW Rabbit diesel. This must have been in the
early or mid 80's. I believe he towed this combination from Texas to
Minden for a contest during this period.

Not the best combination, but it did work.

Bob

On Tue, 27 Feb 2018 16:09:02 -0800 (PST), Jeff Morgan
wrote:

On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 4:09:43 PM UTC-7, wrote:
I have a 2016 honda civic. It’s my only car. Has any one towed their glider and trailer using
a small sedan like a civic?

Years ago (18 to be exact) I used to own a DG100 in a Minden Fab trailer. I picked up the
glider in Chattanooga with my 1995 Honda Accord. When I first put the transmission in
Drive and released the brake, at idle engine speed it easily began pulling the trailer
across the grass field.

The ensuing drive to Chicago was uneventful and I easily reached normal Interstate speeds.
The hills of course were not too challenging.

There were many times he would have 2 or 3 passengers in the Rabbit.
It is doable, but "it depends" on the trailer weight and the terrain you plan to traverse.

I wrote off a Subaru Forester pulling a Puchaz. Photos of skid marks at the

scene showed one trailer brake seized across a slab transition lining up
that
wheel behind the hitch - then let go.

The Cobra manual advises that if the combination begins to sway:

1. Hold the wheel straight and brake.

2. Do not accelerate or counter steer.

Not having read the manual at the time, I applied 2.

Towing capacity is generally predicated on a shorter distance between hitch

and trailer axle. The Europeans and Australians often use an anti sway
hitch.

The new fibreglass top trailers do tow better, especially compared to
certain
Flintstone trailers.

Make sure the rear and trailer tires are inflated to the max.

When reading the maximum pressure off the sidewall, check the age of the
tires. Replace if older than five. It will save replacing a fender after
the tire
blows.

On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 6:09:43 PM UTC-5, wrote:
I have a 2016 honda civic. It’s my only car. Has any one towed their glider and trailer using a small sedan like a civic?

I had a Ford Escort station wagon with a Diesel engine and manual transmission, which I used to tow a Schreder trailer and a Libelle in it. The trailer had no surge brake but coming down some of the steep grades in the Appalachian mountains was no problem since I used the engine's awesome braking power by down-shifting.
I would assume your Honda Civic has an automatic transmission which may get loaded above of what it was designed for in hilly terrain. As a minimum, I would install a transmission fluid cooler. Does your trailer have a surge brake?
In general, it is not a question of getting the car and trailer going but much more one of getting them stopped.

Uli
'AS'

The tow vehicle should always weight more than the trailer.
The tow vehicle should weight at least twice as much as the trailer.
I have many stories to share.
Take my suggestion and be happy and safe.
Oh...the trailer should have brakes. Surge or electric. It needs brakes.

On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 3:09:43 PM UTC-8, wrote:
I have a 2016 honda civic. It’s my only car. Has any one towed their glider and trailer using a small sedan like a civic?

I could not find towing capacity listed as a spec in the Civic's Owner's Manual. I found a couple of references that say that the Civic is not rated for towing and doing so voids the warranty, such as:

The owners manual clearly states that the Honda Civic is not rated for towing. Put on a trailer hitch and kiss your warranty goodbye.

Go to page 395:

"Your vehicle is not designed to tow a trailer. Attempting to do so can void your warranties."

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That said, you can buy tow hitches for the Civic. I recommend contacting your dealer before proceeding.

Tom