'Quick Towing Poll!'

[striper1rn]

quick informal poll: without getting into another long-winded 'tow thread' (there are many here, and are great for towing info.)....simple statistic question; (assuming you have a tow package installed; max. 'non-boat' weight = 3500 lbs, max 'boat-weight' 4500 lbs.)


1. How much 'non-boat' weight do you tow 'regularly'? (I know, 'regularly is open ended, but I am not talking about towing once a year).

2. How much 'boat' weight do you tow regularly?

3. any observations you'd like to share, if you are near the MAX. LIMIT? (i.e. how did/does the vehicle perform?)

..just curious, thanx..in advance

[b7xv]

non boat weight; about 1000 lbs., utility trailer, or junk trailer
boat weight; about 3600 lbs. 18 ft. Crown line open bow.
Only tow issue I have had is make sure you leave yourself plenty of room to stop. Getting going isn't an issue, but stopping the added weight is.
No real change in mileage with either, no cooling issues or serious rear end droop issues.
'04 Pilot, no extra spings or lifts, after market tow package self installed.

[striper1rn]

thanx Gary....I send you a PM regarding your post..thanx again......

[LNewmark]

Hi!
I often pull my boat - a 16 1/2 ft. fiberglass bass boat w/90 HP engine that weighs about 1800 lbs. My Pilot pulls it well, however the car's gas mileage goes from around 21 mpg w/o towing to about 13 mpg pulling the boat. I've tried regular, super and premium grades of gas and the mileage pulling the boat is about the same with all three.

I've made at least 3 trips over 1000 miles towing the boat, and the mileage has always been a poor 12 to 13 mpg.

[jonaz]

Towing 3500 lb Kiwi travel trailer (thats including water, propane, camping junk, and weight distribution hitch).
Tows about as well as my 97 Explorer with the SOHC V6 rated at 205 hp.
Brakes work are great in the Pilot when stopping my trailer on steep mountain roads, but I also use a brake controller. I get between 11-13mpg towing at 65mph. I can maintain 50-55 mph on a 6% grade at 4000' (Cajon Pass in Southern CA). Love the AWD when pulling trailer on loose gravel roads. Anyone wishing to contact me about specific tow info, can contat me at jbsqared@juno.com. Love to camp. I go about once every two months. The Pilot performs well at its max trailer tow rating. Without full water tanks, I do not need a weight distribution hitch. With full water tanks, I get a couple inches of sag in the rear end, and the trailer tonque would scrape on every little bump or dip in the road. Again, about equal to my Explorer.

[moe-jiller]

non-boat weight = 2800 lb

boat weight = none but am thinking about a deck boat of about 3000lb

comments: With out the optional coolers I am near the max weight for the standard Pilot. My observation is that even though I watch the total load weight and forward balance bias - my utility trailer shoves the pilot around. I do not think towing was a design parameter when the rear independent suspension was engineered. It tows like the design was an after thought. No one who drives my pilot, in tow mode, whether the load is jet skies or garden dirt, gets a comfortable (I could not tell I was pulling something) feeling. If you are not used towing with a truck (frame and solid rear axle) you may be happy as is. As always be careful with load weight and balance. A few of my Pilot towing adventures became white knuckle experiences. ajm

[74PILOTMOM]

We tow without the tow package. We also, only tow a utility trailer with a small dump load, or a dirt bike or two with our Pilot. Occasionally we'll go get bark or topsoil, and the performance thusfar has been excellent. The only thing that's noticeable is the noise of the trailer bouncing around (that one from Costco)
Perfect for us. No horsie trailers or big boats in our future. She sure has been great for everythign I've needed her for.

[thegreaser]

We tow a 05 Trail lite by Rvision. 3500#s approx loaded. We go camping about twice a month and 3 weeks during summer holidays. We have all the usual upgrades prodigy(highly recomended), air bags, coolers etc. the pilot works hard on hills, I wouldn't go to the mountains with it. but it is good for around here.

[SDC]

2003 pilot with the tow package (obviously) will get a work out at max capacity. The rear shows a lot of sag. There are no margin for errors. I prefer to be at 80 % capacity. We are just buying time before we need to trade to the a Sequoia 4 X 4 and 6200 lbs towing capacity. The Honda pilot does it's job very well. It is very stable on the highway. Sure.. it takes a bit longer to get where you want to go. Being a Honda diehard it is very difficult to let the honda go. Of course one can spend some money and make a lot of performance modifications ( Headers, axle, chip, air filters, suspension, transmission... About $ 3000+) . This in not cost effective because your are still limited by the total gross weight of car + trailer of about 9700 lbs. I wished that this SUV could tow at least 5000 to 6000 lbs. The new 2005 pathfinder V6 (270 hp) and 191lbs of torque can but with a weight distribution system ( which the dealer fails to mention).

This forum has certainly help me find many solutions for the honda pilot. Thank you.