Can A Honda Accord Be Flat Towed?

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  • Post last modified:January 14, 2022

Road trips in your motorhome are an exciting adventure. But one problem that you encounter is when you are already camping, going to town or sightseeing would be difficult if you would have to bring your big RV with you. That's why flat towing is very popular. But have you wondered if you can flat tow your Honda Accord? In this article, we have researched for you if you can flat tow one. 

You can flat tow a Honda Accord but only a specific model -the Honda Accord Sport with the manual transmission. This is because it is the only model of modern Accords that fits the required specification for a car to be flat towed. 

Interested in learning more about flat towing? Continue as we discuss what makes a car flat towable, what other Hondas can be flat towed, other sedans that can be flat towed, and other related topics, so finish reading the article to learn more.

A front side of HONDA Accord Modulo in Bangkok International Motor Show, Can A Honda Accord Be Flat Towed?

Flat towing your car

Flat towing is the process of towing a car with all four wheels on the road. Behind a motorhome, it serves as a means of an alternative vehicle that is smaller than your RV. Driving a massive RV can be difficult when going into different cities or towns, especially finding parking; that's where a flat towable vehicle comes in handy. 

It is also referred to as a dinghy because it resembles one. Fewer cars can be used as dinghies. In fact, only one type of modern Honda Accord is capable of being towed like this. And the main culprit of this decline is the rise of automatic transmissions and the decline of manual transmissions.

In some transmissions, there is a pump that continuously moves to lubricate the entire transmission. The problem occurs as automatic transmissions and pump-dependent manuals only lubricate while the engine is running.

If the drive wheels keep on rolling while the engine is off, it can cause very significant damage to the entire transmission that can cause replacement of its entire components or the whole transmission itself.

So the requirement for a vehicle to be towed this way is a rear-wheel-drive with a manual transmission or a four-wheel-drive vehicle also with a manual transmission that you can put the gears into neutral. 

But not all automatic cars suffer the curse of not being able to be flat towed. Other modern cars have a feature that can disconnect the transmission. Another added feature is steering wheel lockout override. This allows the wheels to move freely with the towing vehicle, avoiding it from losing control and twitchy while towing.

The best way to know this is by referring to the user's manual provided with the vehicle. There is always a fix. If your vehicle isn't capable of flat towing, you can always go for aftermarket modifications. Some aftermarket driveshaft decouplers and transmission lubrication pumps can be installed to enable flat towing for your car.

But a caution as these can be very expensive and very technical to install, especially if you do it yourself. You also risk ruining the warranty of your car if it is still under one.

You can also check out this previous article about motor homes and their average weight titled, "How Much Do Motorhomes Weigh On Average?"

How much does a Honda Accord weigh?

A shiny red colored Honda Accord in the car show

For the specific model, the Honda Accord Sport manual transmission is rated with a weight of 3,155 lbs or one and a half tons. Given that it is marketed as a full-size family sedan, it is on the heavier side in its class. You would also have to factor in other things that could be in the accord while you are towing it.

We advise that you empty your Accord as much as you can while being towed and just store items with your motorhome to make it as light as possible. But don't worry, as most RV's and motorhomes are usually rated to tow above the weight of the accord.

Knowing the towing capability of your motorhome is very important to know if it can handle towing a car while carrying you and your things.

Having your RV checked if the engine's condition is in good shape can make or break a road trip. Especially on climbing steep mountains, you would want to avoid overloading your engine as this can cause overheating.

How fast can you go while towing a Honda Accord?

A shiny black colored Honda Accord parked on the side of the highway, How To Start Honda Accord With Key [Or Without]

If you are asking how fast your motorhome can go while flat towing a car depends on the power output of your RV. The higher the torque, the better it can tow. But we recommend you follow the maximum speed limit on rural interstate highways of 70 mph, with a 45 mph minimum.

While four-lane divided highways require a 65 mph limit, and other highways require 55 mph. The limit also mandates a 15 mph speed limit on designated school zones.

You should follow this limit as these are all safety measures for everyone, plus going at high speeds will only cause more strain on your motorhome's engine as it is required to output high amounts of power because of the load that it is already carrying.

What Honda vehicles can be flat towed?

New brutal male Honda SUV pilot in winter off-road.

As we mentioned above, the number of models capable of being flat towed has dwindled throughout the years. Some older models of cars can be flat towed, but their newer and modern variants are not because of their modern setups. 

The Honda Fit/Honda Element, Honda Pilot, and Honda CR-V all offer trim levels of manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. Particularly, the Pilot and the CR-V are some of the best vehicles for flat towing.

What other sedans can be flat towed?

There are still multiple available sedans that are great choices for flat towing other than the Honda Accord. The Ford Fusion Hybrid/Fusion Energi PHEV is one unique hybrid car as it offers flat towing capability. And the fact that it is a hybrid means that its fuel economy is absolutely great.

Another great sedan for towing is a Chevrolet Spark, with its compact and very lightweight characteristics that make it the perfect car for flat towing.

You can also check an article that we have written about Ford Focus titled, "Can You Flat Tow A Ford Focus?"

What is the most common vehicle to flat tow behind a motor home?

Black Jeep Wrangler parked sideways on an open area under the sun

Jeep Wrangler is the most common choice for motorhome owners to flat tow. Because Wranglers are mostly four-wheel drive and still offer plenty of choices for manual transmission, they are easily a no-brainer pick for RVers. Their off-road orientation also gives them a niche market of buyers.

Automatic transmission wranglers can also be flat towed as they have transmission disconnect options that allow them to be a dinghy without compromising the state of their transmission, making all kinds of Jeep Wranglers good for flat towing.

In conclusion

There is only a specific model of Honda Accord that you can flat tow. This is because of the decline of manual transmission vehicles, as you cannot tow automatic transmission models. Despite the amount of available modern cars for flat towing, there are still some great choices available to choose from, and one of them is the Honda Accord Sport MT (manual transmission).

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