I took the car to Death Valley. All dirt roads were fine but anything slightly technical would get the car stuck with the front wheels spinning and the rear doing nothing. I had VSA off 4wheel lock on and was in the 1st gear. The car has almost no ground clearance especially with factory nerf bars. Those are completely bent as the design is horrible. The overhang from mounting points are 2 inches below the bar.:mad: I can't even find any aftermarket bars that would do the job instead of just the look. Stock tires are completely useless off road. With that said I still like the truck. The bed tent was awesome. Now I'm looking for new tires, lift and nerf bars.
BTW I'm now new to off road and have been to Rubicon with my Jeep so I do know how to pick lines.

Here are some pics.

http://gallery.mac.com/yj93/100274/CIMG0040/web.jpg?ver=12408621840001

http://gallery.mac.com/yj93/100274/CIMG0065/web.jpg?ver=12408622960001

http://gallery.mac.com/yj93/100274/CIMG0086/web.jpg?ver=12408624300001

http://gallery.mac.com/yj93/100274/CIMG0113/web.jpg?ver=12408628460001

http://gallery.mac.com/yj93/100274/DSC01408/web.jpg?ver=12408630620001

their are a few that use the combo lift kit with taller wall tires, maybe they'll chime in and give you the specs...

Any pictures of where you got stuck? Looks like a fun trip otherwise.

I took the car to Death Valley. All dirt roads were fine but anything slightly technical would get the car stuck with the front wheels spinning and the rear doing nothing. I had VSA off 4wheel lock on and was in the 1st gear. The car has almost no ground clearance especially with factory nerf bars. Those are completely bent as the design is horrible. The overhang from mounting points are 2 inches below the bar.:mad: I can't even find any aftermarket bars that would do the job instead of just the look. Stock tires are completely useless off road. With that said I still like the truck. The bed tent was awesome. Now I'm looking for new tires, lift and nerf bars.
BTW I'm now new to off road and have been to Rubicon with my Jeep so I do know how to pick lines.

snip


I don't doubt your experience as reported. I've seen several posts about the 4wd/awd not working as expected... and never fully explained as to why.

But this thread is at odds with this thread. (http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26489)

How can both threads be about the same vehicle?

I'm not sure where or how you got stuck, but I've driven thru alot of deep snow here in wny without getting stuck and I have yet to take it out in mud so I can't comment on how thr RL handles that but if you look at the videos and pics of or Russian friends you will see that the RL is a capable off roader, I will agree with the ground clearance issue, it needs to be higher. Welcome and enjoy your RL. The tent looks great.

I can't even find any aftermarket bars that would do the job instead of just the look.

You will likely have to have something done up custom, or leave the bars off for clearance purposes. There arent a ton of accessories for the RL in the first place, but given its design wasnt offroad-oriented (no 4lo, etc), I dont think you're going to find the type of step (or rock sliders :D) that you're looking for in an "out of the box" solution.

I have done a lot of off roading in my time. The RL is definitely not a Jeep CJ and was never intended to be. There have been numerous photos and videos of RL's in situations that I would never consider putting a $35K vehicle in. I think the RL is the best vehicle made for safety, comfort, and ride/drive that will suffice as an off-road vehicle should the need arise. BTW, when I bought my first new Jeep CJ the first order of business was to remove the side steps and throw them in the trash. Side steps/nerf bars/running boards have no place off road!!

Look around here, you will find plenty of info about your truck.
It was not meant to be a rock crawler. I have been in some really rough desert country and have bent the heck out of my side step brackets. It performed great. I knew it was not a rock crawler so it was the risk I took.
That sign at the head of that trail says it all. That is not really a trail most people would take their Ridgeline on.

...I took the car to Death Valley. All dirt roads were fine but anything slightly technical would get the car stuck with the front wheels spinning and the rear doing nothing. I had VSA off 4wheel lock on and was in the 1st gear. The car has almost no ground clearance especially with factory nerf bars. Those are completely bent as the design is horrible. The overhang from mounting points are 2 inches below the bar.:mad: I can't even find any aftermarket bars that would do the job instead of just the look. Stock tires are completely useless off road. With that said I still like the truck. The bed tent was awesome. Now I'm looking for new tires, lift and nerf bars.
BTW I'm now new to off road and have been to Rubicon with my Jeep so I do know how to pick lines....



Out of curiosity; what is this slighty technical off roading you mention? Do you have any pics where the front wheels were spinning and the rears not turning? Were there any warning indicators illuminated on the gauge cluster? I haven't had any troubles off road, but I have never been to death valley.

Ditto MikeT's comments. I've been in some extremely sloppy conditions with my RL and I've never seen the front wheels spin without the rears doing something. Sounds like either driver error or a malfunction of some sort. I do agree that the mounting brackets for the "factory" nerf bars are far too low.

Forget the terrain, let's see more pics of your "navigator" -- she looks gorgeous! :D

I have done some pretty rough roads here in sedona (jeep capital) and have had very limited issues. I have the 2 " truxxx lift and 31s so I have a little more room under the truck. I have side steps but will must likely take them off soon for the same issue.

Forget the terrain, let's see more pics of your "navigator" -- she looks gorgeous! :D
I was waiting for someone to point out the obvious "highlight" in your pics! I fear the ROC is populated by blind men...

I was waiting for someone to point out the obvious "highlight" in your pics! I fear the ROC is populated by blind men...

You guys must not get out much.

You guys must not get out much.


just what I was thinking arteegee. :)

You guys must not get out much.

just what I was thinking arteegee. :)

Out here in La La Land, we MEN are not afraid to demonstrate our appreciation of a beautiful and well maintained body.

Ohh, the RL needs a wash...

OK here is one of just her. :D

My friend took the video and I'm waiting for him to post it. I got to the point that AT Temp light was on :eek: The front kept kicking all rocks out while the rear had the traction and was not helping.

http://gallery.mac.com/yj93/100274/CIMG0064/web.jpg?ver=12408622850001

OK here is one of just her. :D

My friend took the video and I'm waiting for him to post it. I got to the point that AT Temp light was on :eek: The front kept kicking all rocks out while the rear had the traction and was not helping.



Chances are that if you overheated the transmission fluid, the rear differential was overheated as well. If the rear differential starts to overheat, it will release the clutches to prevent internal damage. Were you driving with the VTM-4 Lock engaged for longer than two or three minutes?

Forget the terrain, let's see more pics of your "navigator" -- she looks gorgeous! :D

Agree!! Forget the RL pics!! More of the lady would be nice!!!

OK here is one of just her. :Dis she a soldier?

*stock* ridgeline is not so great off road, but are you surprised?

anyone thats been on the rubicon knows that tires make all the difference ;)

vtm 4 lock is for quick stuff like a slippery boat ramp ect. not traipsing through the desert.

I have a lowered RL with street tires on it and to be honest I've never hand any issues except the muffler dragging twice and I've had mine charging up rutted hills so steep the rear bumper was almost touching, actually a new tacoma 4x4 trd had trouble following me 3 weekends ago.

I know it's a 4500 pound truck with side steps so it's no hardcore offroader but chances are if you are keeping the fluids changed the tires properly aligned and inflated and still having traction issues your driving where your not supposed to in a truck like that.

is she a soldier?

I would like it if she were a "Buffalo soldier", I thought it was Paris Hilton popping out of the sun roof, only better looking.

vtm 4 lock is for quick stuff like a slippery boat ramp ect. not traipsing through the desert.


I'm sorry but you're off topic. This post has already been hijacked and we're not talking about off-roading!

I would like it if she were a "Buffalo soldier", I thought it was Paris Hilton popping out of the sun roof, only better looking.
and without even knowing her, she's already far smarter! :p

Thanks for sharing all those pics!

How did the FJ Cruiser do?

*stock* ridgeline is not so great off road, but are you surprised?

anyone thats been on the rubicon knows that tires make all the difference ;)

Couldn't have said it better! I thought my Ridgeline was pretty decent with the stock tires. With my BF Goodrich M/T's the Ridgeline is a whole new beast.:D

I took the car to Death Valley. All dirt roads were fine but anything slightly technical would get the car stuck with the front wheels spinning and the rear doing nothing. I had VSA off 4wheel lock on and was in the 1st gear. The car has almost no ground clearance especially with factory nerf bars. Those are completely bent as the design is horrible. The overhang from mounting points are 2 inches below the bar.:mad: I can't even find any aftermarket bars that would do the job instead of just the look. Stock tires are completely useless off road. With that said I still like the truck. The bed tent was awesome. Now I'm looking for new tires, lift and nerf bars.
BTW I'm now new to off road and have been to Rubicon with my Jeep so I do know how to pick lines.

Here are some pics.

http://gallery.mac.com/yj93/100274/CIMG0040/web.jpg?ver=12408621840001

http://gallery.mac.com/yj93/100274/CIMG0065/web.jpg?ver=12408622960001
well i have a 2" truxx lift kit and 32" bfg at's
and i never have problems its no jumbo jeep but will keep up with them in one of my treads i posted a pic of the jeeps i pulled out with the ridge
in that situation u should of left vsa on because it will transfer power from wheels spinning to wheel tht arent other wise all the power will flood to that wheel

well i have a 2" truxx lift kit and 32" bfg at's
and i never have problems its no jumbo jeep but will keep up with them in one of my treads i posted a pic of the jeeps i pulled out with the ridge
in that situation u should of left vsa on because it will transfer power from wheels spinning to wheel tht arent other wise all the power will flood to that wheel

Is this (http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27616) the thread you referred to? Looks like you had some fun cleaning the RL after that!

Just a thought, but do most people see 4x4 and immediately assume they can crawl the Grand Canyon? :D

I think it really went down like this:

"Oh I'm sorry honey. It looks like we'll be stuck here together tonight"


:cool: :D

I think it really went down like this:

"Oh I'm sorry honey. It looks like we'll be stuck here together tonight"


:cool: :D

Another instance where picking the right lines can make all the difference.

Is this (http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27616) the thread you referred to? Looks like you had some fun cleaning the RL after that!
ohhhh yeah man i just did a detail on my tire/rim and mud covered it all up again so i had to do it agian
but well worth it

Sorry to hear your 4wd did not function as it should have. That would have been a major downer.
Funny enough I have like 3 sand pit around my area and in the spirit of finding the "Off road limit of a ridgeline" I've frequently done some steep hill climbs, frame twisters, driving forward and back wards threw some very tecknical and uneven terrain to find the limits of my first 4x4.

Now the really fun part is that last weekend my Dad asked me to borrow my truck and in exchange he gave me his. A 2001 Toyota Tundra 4.7L V8 ext cab 4x4.

At this point I was out to see my FWD based unibody truck, VS a typical Full frame, V8 , solid rear axle with leaf springs design... This was going to be Fun!!!!!!!
I must admit that I was worried the Toyota would make my Ridgeline look like a joke!!

First off both trucks had similar sized tires @ 29 inches Dia. and 32 psi of tire pressure . My truck has Michelin CrossTerrains 60% tread (Yes highway tires) and the Toyota has BFGoodrich LT Long trails 40% tread (on/off road tires).

I ran my truck with a mix of VTM-4 On /Off, traction control off, and my Dad's in 4 high
no traction control and even tried 4 low a few time but it didn't seem to help in the sand

The Toyota had the ground clearance advantage and the Extra Bottom end Torque.
Witch permitted it to have more Four wheel spin on demand, and only scraped its belly once. My truck scraped about three times (nothing too bad) but was no slouch.
The Toyota's rear wheel had a tendency to loose traction and spin alot. Even with very light throttle application. Obviously the Tundra could have used extra weigh in the box to take advantage of it's rear wheel drive dominants. The Honda on the other hand seem to have more initial traction and barely span threw alot of the testing. It was nice to see the front wheel drive design took advantage of the weigh of the motor more. Another interesting point is while crawling up steep hills the Honda Torque converter would engage at 1500rpms, while the Toyota's was @ 2000rpm. This permitted the Toyota to be closer to its torque sweet spot. Where the ridgeline would bog a little more being no where near it's peak torque.

Conclusion:
Both Trucks did very well and impressed me. But bottom line both trucks got STUCK in the same spots! One truck could not go further then the other. There was no clear winner. Both vehicles had their advantages and disadvantages and so it all ends in a draw...To my relief!

Very interesting comparison Vinz. How about some pics of the events?

I just want to know how a guy with black knee high socks gets Paris Hilton out 4x4ing???
Just kidding!!!!
Looks like you had a great time! I love the bed camper/tent.
I've got a bakflip and tailgate lock for a little peace of mind for camping trips (leaving my vehicle for hikes, etc.)
I'm very tempted to get the bigger tires and lift after reading this though. I lived in So Cal for 3 years back in early 2000's and regretted never getting to Death Valley or Joshua Tree. Looks awesome.

Forget the terrain, let's see more pics of your "navigator" -- she looks gorgeous! :D

I was going to say something about the "rack on the roof".....but thought it might be inappropriate.....