Ridgeline Bed Material Article

There has been a lot of discussion here concerning the bed material, how it was made, scratch tendency and how to fix scratch marks, etc. Go to the link below for more than you want to know about how this working end of the Ridgeline was conceived.

http://www.compositesworld.com/p/ct/issues/2005/April/824

Thanks for posting this article. I have had some questions about the materials and contruction of the bed. This is very timely because last night a friend and I loaded 1500 lbs of rock into my bed and drove it about 15 miles. Unfortunately the bed did sustain a few (3 or 4) nicks (less than a millimeter in circumference. I used an old piece of carpet turned upside down on the bed (so that the plush surface contacts the bed), but part of the bed was exposed. I strongly suggest this approach for anyone planning to do any real work with their Ridgeline. I am planning to cut a peice of carpet so that it covers the bottom, all four sides, and the tailgate, and overlaps the lips a little.

In retrospect I wish I would have taken a picture of the truck loaded and posted it. Oh well.

Funny you should post this website today.
I just received a call from Honda today and told them about the bed scratches I have had and the website you listed.
Did not mean to take any credit, just to pass info.

There does not seem to be any question about the structural integrity of the bed/trunk. The problems are in appearance. Honda says no bed liner is needed and that is true from a practical stand point. However, a couple loads of rocks or whatever and you have an ugly mess back there. A bed liner would not show this problem. Most people that use this truck do not intend to have loads and loads of rocks hauled in it. Only once in a while is there a need and it bothers me to think that the truck bed will look like hell even if I use it sparingly. The carpet idea is a good one and I intend to use it whenever I haul something. Surely a rubber type coating of some sort could have been devised to address this problem.

I bought a bed mat from truckcustomizers.com and cut it to fit.
Should help eliminate some of the scratching and keep things from sliding around. I just ordered the biggest one they had and kept the part I cut off for a floor mat.
It is annoying that it scratches so easily. Just cosmetic but still makes me made. :mad:

Doug

I did the same with a rubber mat. The width was perfect too. I ordered parts to make a fishing rod holder-when I get that done I will take a picture of both.

I have the doubl-mat from Loadhander for $55 (with shipping). It's double sided and so far has worked fine. The loadhandler itself didn't work because of the design of the Ridgeline (handle wouldn't clear the side and was too low because the tailgate is lower than the sides.) I think of this as my SUV with a bed - bought it for mulching, light hauling, & traveling with the dogs. Love it.

Used the factory mat out of my Avalanche, fit perfect in the Ridge and works like a champ.

Like a few others have mentioned on the boards, there are affordable solutions to keeping your bed like new. I purchased a 3/4 thick mat from a store that deals mostly with farming supplies. Southern States is the store in my NC area.
I believe the size was 4 x 6 x 3/4. I trimmed off a foot for the length and cut another line where the inbed trunk raises. Very easy to cut with a knife, just score it first with a box cutter. Also, anytime I haul anything my tarp goes over the matting and covers the bed. No scratches or white marks that others have complained about yet. The matting cost about $45. I think this is the best solution. Pictures below.

Black RTLwS/R running boards, fog lights, chrome bumper trim, front lower trim-brush guard style, moonroof visor, tail light garnish, rear splash gaurds

Used the factory mat out of my Avalanche, fit perfect in the Ridge and works like a champ.

How do you like this compared to the Avalanche? I always loved that truck but couldn't fit it in my garage without serious rearranging. Did you use the fold down rear much? How was gas milage and reliability? I had a Nissan Titan that was totalled and I sometimes miss that big truck feel. I can't say enough good things about Titans but they made a big packaging mistake. I couldn't get side air bags without buying nav, sunroof, big tow, offroad, and dvd packages. Even with great discounts I was still paying about $5,000 more for a a replacement Titan Crew LE. Coudn't justify paying that much more for things I really didn't need. My gas milage was about 16 and my Ridge posted an 18.5 mpg last fill up.

Cal
Parker, CO

The first time I hauled old bathroom cab/sink to the dump, I created some long gashes which shows the white. Yesterday, I went to home depot and bought a sheet of 1/4 sub flooring plywood which is smooth sided. I had it cut down to 59 1/2". The 3' left over is used for stuff that needs the tail gate down. It is light enough to allow opening the in-bed trunk with no problem. I have the tonneau cover and the plywood is always out of sight and stored inside all the time. Still, Honda should have come up with something better so we don't have to resort to all these actions. :(

http://www.4spe.org/communities/sections/s010504meeting.pdf#search='Honda%20Ridgeline%20Chi ef%20Engineer,%20Gary%20Flint'