Towing setup for new RP176

Please take this in the spirit in which I offer it. It reflects my personal experience, my judgement as an engineer, and the combined experience of other forum members. My personal experience is in towing a 172 with a 4WD Honda Pilot (4500# rating). I selected the 172 for its low weight as I knew I’d be climbing some hills with the Honda. The combo worked out OK but the 172 is lighter than your 176, the 4WD Honda is rated 1000# more, and we were traveling with just two adults. Performance and safety were OK at low altitudes and flat roads but climbing/descending hills, especially in the mountains, was marginal.

Vehicle tow ratings are based on a number of factors such as control of the trailer, braking, acceleration, and drive train capability. Your 3500# rating includes the empty trailer, all gear/water/propane/factory options in the trailer, and all added weight in the vehicle in excess of one adult driver. Four extra passengers and gear can add up very quickly and subtracts directly from towing capacity. You should certainly have the factory towing package including larger radiator and transmission cooler. A transmission oil temperature monitor is also highly recommended.

A WDH that includes sway control such as the Fastway E2 is highly recommended if properly installed and adjusted. My Honda book had the same non-recommendation but that is due to the fact that a misadjusted WDH can be worse than no WDH at all and concerns for the Unibody construction on the Hondas. Not recommended by Honda but most members conclude you should have one and it worked well and greatly improved the ride/safety.

General experience on this forum has been that 3500# vehicles are marginal and a 5000# tow rating is preferable.