I've had a hitch on my Fit for some time.... great for the bicycle carrier, and the lightweight 4'x8' folding deck trailer for the occasional run to Home Depot/Lowes, etc.

However, being a motorcyclist with both a sport bike (Honda CBR600RR) and a cruiser (Honda VTX 1300) I used to trailer my bike from here in the Dallas area up to Arkansas for rides a few times a year. I always went with at least 1 other friend and we typically towed up with their truck.

Life and business has had me very busy the past 1+ year but I'd like to do a trip back up with my wife and the cruiser. I have people I could borrow trucks from, but I'd still prefer to get 25+ mpg towing then get 13-17mpg in a truck/SUV when I'm towing 300+ miles one way.

So.... I borrowed a friends Kendon folding/stand-up trailer (~350-400lbs) to do some testing with the Fit. If you aren't familiar, the Kendon is an awesome light weight and low trailer, although not that cheap.

Anyhow... went over and picked it up yesterday and towed it home (only about 10 miles or so). It was barely noticeable, and towed great!



For the record: I have an '08 Honda Fit Sport manual trans with Tanabe GF210 Springs, Honda HFP 16" wheels, Tanabe Medalion Touring Exhaust, and just under 60K miles on the car. At the moment I have the factory wheels on the front (had an HFP blow up on me after hitting something on the tollway).

So this evening, I loaded up the VTX1300 (~700lbs) and went and did about 12-15 miles. There were quite a few start/stops, but I still averaged around 24mpg (according to my ScanGauge II).





The Fit towed it quite well, but definitely felt the weight back there. Overall I was quite happy with it, as it didn't feel much different then towing our old enclosed trailer with my friends Toyota Tundra.

As of right now.... I think the Fit will handle the job well, and get me much better mileage on the trip then the 24mpg test I did tonight. Of course, some of the mountainous area's will drop the numbers

 

You have which transmission? CVT?

 

5spd manual

 

Damn....wish I had the 5SPD Man tran!

 

Very nice trailer. Should go just fine but watch yourself on the braking. My trailer is about 500lbs loaded and I've been thinking about getting some more aggresive brake pads to decrease stopping distance while pulling.

 

@ Potenza....you also have the 5SPD MT? I had a CVT fit before, and have just ordered another, and they seem to need fluid flush on the CVT after a while towing. I towed a 1,000lb Jet Ski with mine. Towed it without any issue at all, but oticed after a while that the transmission was slipping a bit. Fluid flush fixed the problem for about 8-10 mths.

 

Yes mine is a manual. Can't say I would feel comfortable towing with a small 4 cyl auto trans. car of any kind.

 

Yup... agree. I have the same folding trailer you have as well. Towing light loads with it is great. However, a 700+ lb motorcycle on the Kendon (much nicer, and heavier trailer) was a bit different, but felt quite good.

As for brakes... I've been debating the Wilwood brakes for a while, towing heavier loads may make me finally give in and get them

 

Make sure that your Fit tires are around 35 psi, and that the trailer tires are in good shape and inflated properly too. Proper tire pressure will help a lot in terms of how hard the tow vehicle must work.

 

I've towed lots with my '08 5MT (traded Chevy Avalanche for the Fit). My advice is to watch trailer axle balancing to reduce tongue weight. Unfortunately, where the front wheel chock is fixed on these type of trailers often times puts more weight forward than ideal for balance.

 

Yup... exactly. Can't move the weight over the axle on this trailer. Of course, having too light a tongue load (proportionaly) can cause major other problems, like the trailer moving the car around... a lot!

 

I suggest you replace the shocks witgh air lifts as a number of us have witgh excellent results. Check posts and photos from about 2008. Not expensive and definitely worth every penny.'good luck.

 

replace rear shocks with air lift shocks to maintain front to rear weight ratio. Check many posts and photos from those of us who did it with great success. And of coiurse it will help to have Hawk pads on the front.
Leaving the weight on the rear 'lifts' thed front and thats what makes braking edgy.