Can a 2008 Honda Civic Sedan with Manual Transmission Tow 325-Lb Boat/Trailer

Updated 05/13/2015 | Published 05/11/2015

Question:

I have a 2008 Honda Civic 4 door manual transmission car. I was wondering if my car could tow a 12 foot Tracker Jon Boat? The boat weighs 125lbs. and the trailer weighs 200 lbs. I dont want to damage my cars engine. Is this possible to do?

asked by: Mimi P

Expert Reply:

Your 325-lb boat and trailer combination is a fairly light tow load but just the same the car maker gets the final word on whether towing anything is advisable. You can check your owner's manual for your specific vehicle since it will reflect the particular version you have (DX, LX, EX, or EX-L) and its capacities. The online version of the owner's manual that I reviewed (page 215) does not prohibit towing in general, so that's a good start. Check your manual (or with your dealership by giving them your VIN number) to confirm your particular Civic's tow rating.

If its a go, then you'll need a hitch, ball mount, hitch ball and wiring harness to operate your trailer's lights.

I have given you a link to our hitch page for the 2008 Civic; choose your version from the Select Vehicle Style drop-down menu at the top of the page. Let's say you have a non-hybrid and non-Si model sedan. In this case you can use # C11391 from Curt. You can use ball mount # 3593 and either 2-inch hitch ball # 19258 or 1-7/8-inch ball # 19256, depending on what your trailer coupler requires. For a wiring harness use part # 118420 from Tow Ready, which is a no-splicing plug-in harness that requires no cutting of any wires on the car.

I have linked you to install videos for the hitch and wiring harness and also to several helpful articles to aid your hitch installation and help you with the basics of safe towing.

expert reply by: Adam R