off roading with 20's

I was just wondering if you can still do any off roading with 20" wheels and 45 low profile tires or is it out of the question

also how much stiffer is the ride on normal streets with the 20's, does the car hande better??


thank you for your help

I had 19's on a Cayenne S (WR rated, low profile), and here is my experience.

Don't go off road except for well maintained dirt roads. You will damage your wheels and run a risk of pinching a tire requiring total replacement.

Road noise is pronounced and grooved pavement will send you all over the road.

Be careful of railroad tracks and potholes. I hit a pothole that resulted in a bubble forming on the sidewall. Had to replace it.

Got 12,000 miles per set of tires and then had to fork over $1,500 each year for new ones (including alignment necessary to squeeze out the 12,000 miles).

The tires that came on your vehicle are probably good for 50-60k.

Allso, stiff sidewalls prevents any significant change in the tires footprint . Big hinderance for beach driving, the shorter side walls don't give much cushion. much greater chance to "pinch the tire"

On the ridgeline's off road package, the truck comes with 15" wheels, increased sidewall height as is needed for off-roading.

You should be fine. The only off-roading Honda meant for the RL was gravel roads. I would rather take the Pilot off-road; the ridgeline just isn’t designed to be an off-road vehicle. BUT I guess that depends on your definition on off-road. Me being a lifetime Jeep owner when I hear off-road I think of boulders and flooded out river beds. I guess if your idea of off-roading is jumping the curb on the local youth football field and flatting some grass, then it might be a capable off-road "truck". But Honda didn’t make the ridgeline for anything involving any landscape rougher then the parking lot speed bump.

On the ridgeline's off road package, the truck comes with 15" wheels, increased sidewall height as is needed for off-roading.

What are you talking about? 15 inch wheels will not fit around the huge brake calipers on the Ridgeline. There is only about 3/8 of an inch between the caliper and the wheel with the stock 17 inch wheels.

On the ridgeline's off road package, the truck comes with 15" wheels, increased sidewall height as is needed for off-roading.
Where did you get that misinformation?:rolleyes:

off-road package?!?! where did that come from?? Did some dealer stick a "off-road" sticker on the back of a RL with some diamond plate mud guards and called it a off-road package?

Went off-roading with 20's on my last SUV (Isuzu Axiom), ended up almost ripping off the front fenders. After I was done I literally had to bendthe lip of the fender back to normal, also chipped the paint along the underside lip of the fender, not to mention chewing up the tires. There were huge chunks taken out of the rubber.

I don't know about you weeeza, but it does not sound like a good idea to me either.

You can off road with 20's, if you have 33 inch tall tires on those twentys. That's equivalent to the tire amount with the stock 17's.

But Honda didn’t make the ridgeline for anything involving any landscape rougher then the parking lot speed bump.

You seriously must be kidding. I'm not climbing boulders, but the Ridgeline will go anywhere it's ground clearance will permit. I know from experience the RL will take deep sandy BLM trails, and unpaved, rough, mountain roads wash board roads and deep muddy dirt roads. I suggest you get to know your Ridgeline better or at least watch Gary Flint put it through its paces in the RL video. The RL is more than capable.

Where did you get that misinformation?:rolleyes:


On Honda's website

On Honda's website
How about a direct link. I've never seen/heard of an off road package or 15" wheels for the Ridgeline and can't find it on their site. :eek:

How about a direct link. I've never seen/heard of an off road package or 15" wheels for the Ridgeline and can't find it on their site. :eek:

Sorry I should have been clear. A dealer was selling the off road package for around 800-900 if I remeber correctly. it does not come from the factory as such. but consists of 2" lift, 15" wheels, nore agressive tires, I don't remember what and bilstein shocks. Just enough stuff to get in and out of a few more places.

I'll go look for the package and get back, J

Sorry I should have been clear. A dealer was selling the off road package for around 800-900 if I remeber correctly. it does not come from the factory as such. but consists of 2" lift, 15" wheels, nore agressive tires, I don't remember what and bilstein shocks. Just enough stuff to get in and out of a few more places.

I'll go look for the package and get back, J
Ahh, dealer installed option. Got'cha.

Sorry I should have been clear. A dealer was selling the off road package for around 800-900 if I remeber correctly. it does not come from the factory as such. but consists of 2" lift, 15" wheels, nore agressive tires, I don't remember what and bilstein shocks. Just enough stuff to get in and out of a few more places.

I'll go look for the package and get back, J

Do they swap out the brakes as well, since 15 inch wheels will not fit over the stock brakes?

Do they swap out the brakes as well, since 15 inch wheels will not fit over the stock brakes?

Funny you should ask, I read that the dics size on the ridgeline is as big as they make in the market today. (for this kind of truck) they did this to max breaking right from the start. That makes sense, if the discs won't fit in the wheel one would have to change that as well. Sre you pretty sure?

Anyway, I must be going crazy, I can't find the dealer that had this "off road package" anywhere. I only saw it once and did not save the link, happens everytime.

I must be wrong, I saw a pick of a truck with the 15s different tires. and shocks on it. Could it have been the one honda had in the show?

Obviously, it is not a package honda has put together, now I'm second guessing myself. I bet it is a package one dealer put togehter for sale.?

Anyone else seen a "off road" Package for sale?

Funny you should ask, I read that the dics size on the ridgeline is as big as they make in the market today. (for this kind of truck) they did this to max breaking right from the start. That makes sense, if the discs won't fit in the wheel one would have to change that as well. Sre you pretty sure?

Anyway, I must be going crazy, I can't find the dealer that had this "off road package" anywhere. I only saw it once and did not save the link, happens everytime.

I must be wrong, I saw a pick of a truck with the 15s different tires. and shocks on it. Could it have been the one honda had in the show?

Obviously, it is not a package honda has put together, now I'm second guessing myself. I bet it is a package one dealer put togehter for sale.?

Anyone else seen a "off road" Package for sale?

16 inch wheels won't even fit over the brakes. I think that larger tires on the 17's will make them look smaller perhaps that was it.

You seriously must be kidding. I'm not climbing boulders, but the Ridgeline will go anywhere it's ground clearance will permit. I know from experience the RL will take deep sandy BLM trails, and unpaved, rough, mountain roads wash board roads and deep muddy dirt roads. I suggest you get to know your Ridgeline better or at least watch Gary Flint put it through its paces in the RL video. The RL is more than capable.
Fine............gravel roads AND dirt roads. The Ridgeline is NOT an offroad vehicle, no matter how you look at it this "truck" was not made to run trails. Its a Pilot with a bed.

Fine............gravel roads AND dirt roads. The Ridgeline is NOT an offroad vehicle, no matter how you look at it this "truck" was not made to run trails. Its a Pilot with a bed.

A Pilot with a bed... you might want to research the engineering and construction. But I guess you could apply this logic to most any vehicle since they all have a motor, four wheels, brakes etc etc. Its no less of an off road vehcile than most every other factory stock 4WD on the market, with the exception of course of a Hummer and a Jeep Rubicon which come with tires suitable to off road.

Fine............gravel roads AND dirt roads. The Ridgeline is NOT an offroad vehicle, no matter how you look at it this "truck" was not made to run trails. Its a Pilot with a bed.

Why is the RL some sort of quasi "truck", and not a real truck? Is it the unibody on frame? Is it the independent rear suspension? Is it the all wheel drive? Is it because the engine is transverse? Is it because its a Honda? Why is this not a real truck? What constitutes a real truck?

It hauls a half-ton, similar to a Tacoma or a Frontier. I've hauled a load of mulch that was heaping OVER the roof, no problems. I've hauled 1500# of pea gravel. It tows 5000 lbs. It has a five foot bed, which is on par with a crew cab midsize. It can fit a 4x8 flat on the bed, which is more than you can say for a Taco. And contrary to popular opinion, it is a very capable off-road vehicle, able to run deep, sandy washes, very rough BLM roads, and anything not limited by the ground clearance. Put 2" more clearance, and it's as good as any stock truck out there.

So why is this a "truck" (or a *shudder* SUT), and not a truck? Seems like its a truck to me.

Why is the RL some sort of quasi "truck", and not a real truck? Is it the unibody on frame? Is it the independent rear suspension? Is it the all wheel drive? Is it because the engine is transverse? Is it because its a Honda? Why is this not a real truck? What constitutes a real truck?

It hauls a half-ton, similar to a Tacoma or a Frontier. I've hauled a load of mulch that was heaping OVER the roof, no problems. I've hauled 1500# of pea gravel. It tows 5000 lbs. It has a five foot bed, which is on par with a crew cab midsize. It can fit a 4x8 flat on the bed, which is more than you can say for a Taco. And contrary to popular opinion, it is a very capable off-road vehicle, able to run deep, sandy washes, very rough BLM roads, and anything not limited by the ground clearance. Put 2" more clearance, and it's as good as any stock truck out there.

So why is this a "truck" (or a *shudder* SUT), and not a truck? Seems like its a truck to me.

Nicely, said,
It must because someone told toy_hauler, if the vehicle can't climb over 3 foot rocks right off the lot it can't be a truck. It would be nice if he stepped back and put the ridgeline under the most extreme off road conditions he has been in and try it out. Unless of course he is a hard core guy with tripped trucks that do run over rocks. then I would reccomend he tripped out the ridgeline before he does so, I'm sure the ridge would not let him down.

I am not saying the RL can’t go off-road, I am saying Honda didn’t deign in to go off-road. HANKIM, your RL is a truck, because you are not afraid to use it like a truck. I was just commenting on the people on here that say they have a truck and then cry when they have scratches in the bed. It doesn’t make sense to buy something that has a bed and then baby the bed like you would your paint job. I would make the same comment about an Avalanche if I heard someone crying about how the bed got dirty and how they are scared to scratch it. I like the RL I am not trying to take anything away from it. My point is that Honda didn’t DESIGN the RL for offroading. And in my Opinion what you guys are talking about with the sand and dirt ruts isn’t offroading. But that’s coming from a person who has driven Jeeps all their live and has driven through 5 feet or water and slid down rocky hills on the side on the vehicle

Define off roading.

Off roading to me is driving/riding on roads or trails not meant for a street vehicle.

Extreme off roading is what you are refering to when sliding down a hill on one side. As stated there are no vehicles on the market that can be driven off the lot as new into an extreme off road challenge to climb bolder laden hills. These vehicles must be specifically built to the task.

Honda designed the Ridgeline for exactly what is does, negotiate off road onto trails, moutain roads or other dirt areas to get your ATV or dirt bike into some place to unload and take it deeper into the woods or more extreme off road area. Tow your boat through the woods and grab the fish in the trunk to shew away a bear. Haul items around on your farm or large acrerage. ETC!

There was a statement on another forum that said that the RL was not a "real" truck because it's max. payload was only 1,550 lb. If he had looked at a Ford F150 4X4 Supercrew 5.5' bed with a standard 4.6L engine, which is rated a full size truck vs. the RL rated as a mid-size truck, he would have found that the maximum payload is 1,430 lb. Which is the "real" truck?