Honda Pilot 4WD EX 2015

[JetDream]

I am considering purchasing an Airstream Sport 22 and am wondering whether others have used the Honda Pilot as a TV for this specific trailer. What recommendations or advice would you impart? Thanks.

[remphoto]

We have a 2015 Pilot EXL and new Bambi Sport 16 footer. I think you would be pushing the 4,500 weight limit on the Pilot with the 22. The Pilot is working ok with the 16, which weighs 1,000 less than the 22 and does not have as much tail to get swayed. Also, Honda discourages the use of a WD hitch, unless it is set up perfectly. Without the WD hitch we only drop about 2", but the extra tongue weight of the 22 would surely have your headlights spotting low flying aircraft so a WD hitch would be mandatory. One additional consideration -- the Pilot does not have an overdrive lockout; only a switch which limits the transmission to 3rd gear. Pressing that switch will have the engine turning fairly high rpms at highway speed. Not pressing the switch will have the transmission constantly hunting back and forth from 4-5. This is not too bad with the 16 but might be an issue with a heavier trailer. Fuel mileage is another consideration -- we are only getting about 13 mpg here in flatland. I expect much worse when hauling on rolling or mountainous terrain or with winds. This is likely due to the gearing and relatively low power and torgue of the 6 cylinder motor. I suspect that towing with a V8 vehicle with higher tow rating (i.e., Jeep Grand Cherokee) will likely do better. If you haven't already, check out the towing forum at Honda Pilot - Honda Pilot Forums.

[JetDream]

Thanks Remphoto for responding and for sharing what you have experienced. You have provided several points that I need to seriously consider. How is your "wet" bath working out?

[remphoto]

Wet bath works better than expected. Only issue is not a lot of water and waste capacity when not on full hookup.

[doorman1]

We have a flying cloud 20 with a gvw of 5000 pounds that we tow with a Honda ridgeline that has a max towing capacity of 5000 pounds. The ridgeline and pilot have the same engine and drive train and your sport 22 has a gvw of 4000 pounds.
We have towed our trailer from coast to coast and from Wisconsin to the Florida keys and have no issues at all to my pleasant surprise.

[JetDream]

What kind of hitch set up do you have?

[andreasduess]

The Pilot, the Ridgeline and the Odyssey all share a common platform. They're not the same car, but they are closely related.

The Ridgeline is based on the Odyssey platform, however with a ladder frame/unibody hybrid body.

The Pilot shares its platform also with the Honda Accord and the Acura MDX. It's a unibody construction with integrated perimeter frame rails for added stiffness.

We're towing our 1984 34' International with the Odyssey. It makes for a fantastic, stable towing car.

[Ahab]

They do not share the same platform or motor. Similar perhaps but not the same.

[andreasduess]

The Ridgeline was developed using the Odyssey platform. There are of course differences, but the heritage is shared.

"Platform: The Odyssey has long shared much of its unseen componentry with the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX crossovers, not to mention the Ridgeline pickup, and that will probably continue to be the case."

Source: Car and Driver. Also, just google the question for more, supporting, information.

[Ted S.]

I have a 2011 Pilot 4x4 with the Touring package and tow a 3500lb popup camper and it feels like it is at its absolute max (or over) when towing especially up in incline. It gets just 10 mpg while towing. I think it comes down to perception because I bet some would say it tows fine. We have WDS on it and antisway which I would not tow without regardless of what the manual says.

By contrast my Excursion tows our 30' bunkhouse with no issues and gets 16 mpg. If it were me, I would go larger rather than smaller. But this is a matter of opinion.

[JetDream]

Are there any others that have experience with Honda Pilots as tow vehicles? Would like to hear your about experiences and evaluation. Thanks.

[dixonke]

I tow my 2017 16 foot Bambi with a 2013 Honda Pilot and an equalizer hitch. With anti-sway bars. Control is easy, or amazing might be better description. Low gas mileage at 12 miles per gallon. And the transmission does not hunt very much but most the time in 4th gear unless really flat. Going up really steep hills it is slow going at times. Overall some concern about long trips across the country that we haven't done yet. But I haven't heard anyone else making negative comments about their experiences. My concern is more when I retire and we spend two months at a time driving across country, and thinking, "is this Pilot really designed for this and will I put too much wear on the engine?" At least I'm pulling a 3500# trailer and the pilot it is rated for 4500#. Interesting experience recently pulling lightly loaded 6x12 foot uhaul and got worse gas mileage, so I've concluded with my set up, it's more about the wind resistance driving my gas mileage down, not so much the weight.

[Isuzusweet]

The biggest issue I can see with towing for extended periods with the Honda 3.5l engine in the Pilots, Odyssey's and Ridgeline's is the VCM (variable cylinder management) system. This system progressively shuts down cylinders from 6-4 to 3 cylinders when the engine is at operating temperature, and enters ECO mode.

The problem with this system is that it wants to stay engaged as long as possible, and under load (towing) conditions may end up dumping too much fuel into those last three working cylinders. The sparkplugs will not be able to burn off all that fuel, which will result in fuel washed cylinder walls; which results in piston rings moving and engine oil entering the cylinder and fouling the sparkplugs, causing a misfire event. As a result of this you will have to have the engine disassembled and the piston rings and sparkplugs replaced on cylinders 1 to 3, and possibly just the spark plug replaced on cylinder 4 after an inspection.

Also the VCM system can allow nasty vibrations to enter the driveline, bypassing those really expensive Active Engine Mounts (which it will end up destroying), and destroying the driveshaft carrier bearing, resulting in a new driveshaft.

The solution to this, is to buy the VCMuzzler from a guy in Canada, who developed this tiny bit of wire with a resistor, that you attach to the Engine Coolant Sensor 1, to fool it into thinking the engine hasn't warmed up enough to activate the VCM. This means your Pilot runs on 6 cylinders all the time; no hesitation when you step on the gas to go; no nasty vibrations destroying expensive engine mounts and driveshaft carrier bearings, no rebuilding half the engine, and just a whole lot nicer truck to drive.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VCMuzzler-I...-/172807770690

Cheers
Sidekick Tony

Yes, I own a 2012 Pilot and am an estatic VCMuzzler owner (bought it the day after I bought the truck).

FYI, also used in Acura MDX and others, Odysseys, Accords, Crosstours and Ridgeline's; not just Pilots.

[dixonke]

95% of the time, my ECO light is not on, if towing at highway speeds. I assume from the above comment that this would not be a problem then. Right?

Kevin