Thinking about a Ridgeline...

Pardon a noob

I'm looking into a new "midsize" truck and I've got a Ridgeline, Frontier, and Tacoma on my list. In most every respect the Ridgeline wins for me, but I do have one pretty serious concern - I tend to spend a fair amount of time offroad. Not hardcore, mind you - but some fairly rutty areas with occassional mud and snow. I know the Frontier and Tacoma win hands down in this regard, but if the Ridgeline can handle my needs I'd rather have it because it's easier to live with otherwise. Anyway, onto my specific requests:

1 - Do you think the Ridgeline is adequate for this type of moderate stuff, and

2 - If anybody has any pics offroad showing the type of terrain you've been on, trail shots of a Ridgeline showing flex, etc it would really help me out (I've already seen the Honda video, I was hoping for some real-world user feedback and images).

Thanks! :)

There are other posts regarding similiar applications. The only thing you might need to do is switch to a good all terrain (AT) tire versus the truck tire that comes stock. But this is typically true of most any 4WD, they come with tires that are mostly suited to the highway with only moderate off-road use implied.

Take a look at this video:
http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-article?article_id=325157&page_number=1

Also... the Ridgeline suffers from lack of ground clearance. Even deeply rutted dirt roads can cause significant problems. It's a great vehicle, but its roots are a passenger vehicle... yes they've toughened it up but it's not an off road vehicle.

I doubt the suspension could handle very much larger wheels and tires. The unsprung weight would become an issue.

I love the Ridgeline but the off road features are not its strong point.

On the other side of the coin... due to the way VSA and VTM-4 work together you will have better traction in snow and mud conditions than the competition as long as you don't run out of ground clearance.

Take a look at this video:
http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-article?article_id=325157&page_number=1

Wouldn't be cool if Honda would put together a "Honda Driving Experience" simialar to what Land Rover, Hummer and Jeep do. Heck I would love to just go and do that course Gary just showed us.

Honda if your out there this could be HUGE for PR. Have a bunch of us average off-road RL owners at a camp some where in the middle of nowhere. Just cameras, a few mechanics, and fun. You can bring the waivers to it will me the lawyers happier.

If you can deal with the limited ground clearance then the Ridgeline will work for you. The four wheel drive system works very well with a good check on wheel slip. On moderate off-road desert trails here in California the Ridgeline worked out just fine. It would have been nice to have a little extra ground clearance but as you are familiar with going off-road then you also know to keep the wheels going over the high rocks and do not try to straddle them.

I believe your only concern should be with the limited ground clearance.

Put some bigger tires on...this will give you some extra clearence to make it more comparable to the competition ;)

My Ridge has no problem negotiateing the same moderate trails my Ranger has done here in Arizona. Just alot smoother and effortless!

It shouldn't be a problem.

My friends beat the hell out of a Honda Pilot at a Honda VIP day a couple winters ago. They had a Honda engineer in the back seat with them and apparently he couldn't stop laughing at the stuff they were doing. I know at one time they were booting down some abandoned rail tracks with several inches of snow on the ground, and they didn't get it stuck.

Overall, the Ridgeline will be fine. Skidplates will be available shortly, and if you go with a 2" lift (at some point, it'll be available) and some 265/70R17 BFGoodrich A/T's, you'll have much more offroad performance than you'd probably ever need.

Who is going to offer the skidplates?

Who is going to offer the 2" lift?

Wow - I've been busy and haven't checked back in awhile, so thanks for all the replies.

Anyway, I guess I have what most of you will deem sad news: I got a Frontier (Off Road 4x4). I really liked the Ridgeline but I was just too concerned about it's off road capability and long term durability on the rough stuff. I actually convinced my Honda dealer to let me take a Ridge on a quick and fairly mild off road test drive, and it was up on 3 wheels a lot and the drivetrain was making some scary sounds. Anyway, I just felt like the Fronty was a better fit for me and so far it's been great. For kicks I took it over the same terrain as I went through in the Ridge and it just rolled through without any drama or difficulty at all.

Thanks for all the advice - I'm sure it will help out other potential buyers. :)

I'm sure you'll enjoy your Frontier. I was considering one of those until the RL came out (couldn't pass up the trunk and car-like ride).

I am surprised about the 3 wheel comment though. I would think the Frontier would be more likely to be on 3 wheels because of the live axle. Seems the independent suspension would be more likely to allow all 4 wheels to stay on the ground.

out!! get out now!! traitor...you used us. besides, your screen name is too much like mine, except I bought one!!

good luck :)

I am surprised about the 3 wheel comment though. I would think the Frontier would be more likely to be on 3 wheels because of the live axle. Seems the independent suspension would be more likely to allow all 4 wheels to stay on the ground.

Actually solid axles flex a lot better than independent suspensions.

Actually solid axles flex a lot better than independent suspensions.

Huh???????????

Huh???????????
That was my reaction. Just figured it was pointless to argue.

Flex? I think somebody has a snoot full.

That was my reaction. Just figured it was pointless to argue.

Not sure what you mean by that - it's not really a disputable fact: solid axles flex better than independent suspensions. Why do you think all the hardcore jeep guys were so pissed when the Cherokee (solid front and rear) turned into the Liberty (with IFS) and the WJ (solid front and rear) turned into the WK (again, with IFS)?

Spend about 2 minutes on google and it's pretty obvious. If you guys really need me to I can post some pictures that illustrate the difference, but it seems a bit strange that you don't get it.

No offense - I realize this isn't really an off-road oriented crowd, but this is pretty basic stuff... :confused:

Not sure what you mean by that - it's not really a disputable fact: solid axles flex better than independent suspensions. Why do you think all the hardcore jeep guys were so pissed when the Cherokee (solid front and rear) turned into the Liberty (with IFS) and the WJ (solid front and rear) turned into the WK (again, with IFS)?

Spend about 2 minutes on google and it's pretty obvious. If you guys really need me to I can post some pictures that illustrate the difference, but it seems a bit strange that you don't get it.

No offense - I realize this isn't really an off-road oriented crowd, but this is pretty basic stuff... :confused:
yes, please post some pics...i don't really know what you're talking about.
and yes, i'm not an off roader, the only time i go offroad is with a mountain bike or hiking boots.

Not sure what you mean by that - it's not really a disputable fact: solid axles flex better than independent suspensions. Why do you think all the hardcore jeep guys were so pissed when the Cherokee (solid front and rear) turned into the Liberty (with IFS) and the WJ (solid front and rear) turned into the WK (again, with IFS)?

Spend about 2 minutes on google and it's pretty obvious. If you guys really need me to I can post some pictures that illustrate the difference, but it seems a bit strange that you don't get it.

No offense - I realize this isn't really an off-road oriented crowd, but this is pretty basic stuff... :confused:
I suppose a solid axle would have to flex. Maybe the difference between the left and right wheel can be high enough that the independent suspension won't reach far enough? Otherwise, I can't picture what you're saying.

Maybearidge is right. A solid (live) axle allows significantly more articulation than an ifs or rfs. But that's what make the Ridgeline much more comfortable ride-wise. The live axle setup will cause all wheels to touch the ground in more extreme situations than what the Ridgeline's suspension can afford. But only 2% of the 4x4 owner population really cares about that. I don't.

Thanks. He did say flex, not articulation, so your explanation makes a lot of sense. I can also see where the Ridgeline, in extreme conditions, would be on three wheels, and a live axle rear would not, due to the moment arm of the axle forcing the other wheel onto the ground. IRS can't do that. But I wouldn't call it flex, unless this is some kind of jargon or technical term. If so, forgive me.

The military version of the Hummer has a fully articulated suspension. I guess the engineers didn't realize a solid axle flexes more.

I'm definately thinking of getting a Ridgeline. I have a 2 door S-10 Blazer 4x4 that has grown too small. I was really wanting an Avalanche but with the higher gas prices, the Avalanche worked its way out of my sight. The Ridge seems to be a more friendly vehicle. I'm not much of a heavy weight hauler or a tower. My biggest concern is the ability to put my canoe and Thule cargo box on the Ridge's roof rack. My second concern was the ease of putting one or two dogs in the back seat area. ( I like the doggie deck that one owner made) I use a truck like a car and this vehicle seems to fit the bill.

Best of all is all the feedback and sharing of information from this and other Ridgeline websites.

I'm definately thinking of getting a Ridgeline. I have a 2 door S-10 Blazer 4x4 that has grown too small. I was really wanting an Avalanche but with the higher gas prices, the Avalanche worked its way out of my sight. The Ridge seems to be a more friendly vehicle. I'm not much of a heavy weight hauler or a tower. My biggest concern is the ability to put my canoe and Thule cargo box on the Ridge's roof rack. My second concern was the ease of putting one or two dogs in the back seat area. ( I like the doggie deck that one owner made) I use a truck like a car and this vehicle seems to fit the bill.

Best of all is all the feedback and sharing of information from this and other Ridgeline websites.

I can't talk about the canoe/cargo box, but I can talk about the dogs in the back seat area. We have a55 pound german shepherd mix. She hated getting into my TrailBlazer, but LOVES the RL. We put the back seats up and she has the entire back to herself. She likes it a lot :)

Yooper, I've put two canoes on my Ridgeline's roof rack (with some modifications) I posted pictures on this site, take a look. I'd recommend the Ridgeline. Best overall vehicle I've owned.

Hello? Honda? Are you paying attention? Yooper said in post #24 of this thread:

I'm definitely thinking of getting a Ridgeline... . Best of all is all the feedback and sharing of information from this and other Ridgeline websites.

Happens every day...



Yooper, I traded a 4-door S10 Blazer Lt on my Ridgeline. The Blazer was Ok, but that’s all. Sadly at 55,000 miles it was starting to come apart even though it was very well maintained. The difference between the Blazer and the Ridgeline is like night and day. Ride, comfort, and handling are not even close. If you really spend some time reading previous posts you will find that I am not alone in saying, with a great deal of enthusiasm that the Ridgeline is the first vehicle in a loooong time that I have been excited about. It is fun being excited. This site contributes significantly to the enthusiasm and the fun. I learn something new every day right here. Welcome aboard. I hope that you pull the trigger on getting one soon. You will not be disappointed! I look forward to seeing pictures of your new Ridgeline! :)

night and day indeed :cool: ;) !

"Yooper, I traded a 4-door S10 Blazer Lt on my Ridgeline. The Blazer was Ok, but that’s all. Sadly at 55,000 miles it was starting to come apart even though it was very well maintained. The difference between the Blazer and the Ridgeline is like night and day. Ride, comfort, and handling are not even close. "

I'm selling my 4 door s10 LS Blazer and getting a Ridgeline. At 172,000 miles I am getting tired of the maintenance for the Blazer. I just sold my twenty year old truck and now I need a truck and I also need ;) something I can car-pool in. The Ridgeline seems to fit my needs.

Pardon a noob

I'm looking into a new "midsize" truck and I've got a Ridgeline, Frontier, and Tacoma on my list. In most every respect the Ridgeline wins for me, but I do have one pretty serious concern - I tend to spend a fair amount of time offroad. Not hardcore, mind you - but some fairly rutty areas with occassional mud and snow. I know the Frontier and Tacoma win hands down in this regard, but if the Ridgeline can handle my needs I'd rather have it because it's easier to live with otherwise. Anyway, onto my specific requests:

1 - Do you think the Ridgeline is adequate for this type of moderate stuff, and

2 - If anybody has any pics offroad showing the type of terrain you've been on, trail shots of a Ridgeline showing flex, etc it would really help me out (I've already seen the Honda video, I was hoping for some real-world user feedback and images).

Thanks! :)

I have the samme concerns you have. I haven't bought a new truck yet so I can be impartial compared to the other guys. I had a Ridge for two days to try out. It has beautiful handling, great ride, and a very safe rig. The storage is incredible. You could put three rifles under the back seat and more gear on top of them. The trunk would hold as much as the whole back seat in the tacoma. But I just can't get past the ground clearnance issue. I do a lot of hunting and if I want to go down a road, I'm going down it. The ridge is terrible on rutted logging roads. Edmunds.com has one on a long term test. they beat all the shocks off the truck on a long ruff trail. Then they took the tacoma over the same trail without any problems. When I had the ridge out it would drag on stuff where my buddy's Tundra would not hit a thing. I washed it up and took it back hoping everything was OK which it was.We get so much snow here the clearance is a real asset. Some posts talk about 6 inches of snow. here in canada nobody would even mention that snowfall. I had the dodge truck from work in so much snow I couldn't get the door open! That snowfall was about 36 inches. On one other truck comparison test, the ridge dragged so much they couldn't complete the course. It's just not made for that kind of off-road. Even though I love the storage, ride etc. I have to go with the Tacoma or Tundra. Good luck

Independent Suspension: Good enough for the US military. Not enough for the average Joe!

:rolleyes:

I have the same concerns you have. I haven't bought a new truck yet so I can be impartial compared to the other guys. I had a Ridge for two days to try out. It has beautiful handling, great ride, and a very safe rig. The storage is incredible. You could put three rifles under the back seat and more gear on top of them. The trunk would hold as much as the whole back seat in the tacoma. But I just can't get past the ground clearance issue. I do a lot of hunting and if I want to go down a road, I'm going down it. The ridge is terrible on rutted logging roads. Edmunds.com has one on a long term test. they beat all the shocks off the truck on a long ruff trail. Then they took the tacoma over the same trail without any problems. When I had the ridge out it would drag on stuff where my buddy's Tundra would not hit a thing. I washed it up and took it back hoping everything was OK which it was.We get so much snow here the clearance is a real asset. Some posts talk about 6 inches of snow. here in canada nobody would even mention that snowfall. I had the dodge truck from work in so much snow I couldn't get the door open! That snowfall was about 36 inches. On one other truck comparison test, the ridge dragged so much they couldn't complete the course. It's just not made for that kind of off-road. Even though I love the storage, ride etc. I have to go with the Tacoma or Tundra. Good luck

Dale,
I understand your concerns. I bought the RL after being positive I was going to buy the Taco. I am also a big time hunter and meeting my needs for this activity was one of my primary concerns. My son has an older Taco an it will go just about anywhere on our place (within reason). I needed a daily driver that I could also have clients ride in comfortably. I use ATV's primarily on the property but still I have to get into camp which is about 1 1/2 miles of rock,dirt/mud with a couple nasty bogs. I do run the RL around the property when I need to haul feed and or stands/feeders etc. For the record, I had my front right strut go bad after the second trip running around the place and I would not consider how I drove it to be abusive by any definition. Do I have concerns? Yes, but I have not had any more issues with the struts and now have 14000 miles on mine.
Ground Clearance is an issue and I do drag the bottom occasionally especially if I have 1000 lbs of feed in the back end. But, like some of the test comments, I have had no damage and have never come close to getting it stuck by high centering it. Good driving skills, good judgement, picking your line carefully and understanding your vehicles capabilities are all part of the equation.
Where the RL really shines is the 2 hour highway drive listening to tunes with minimal road noise and enjoying one of the best handling and most definitely the safest vehicle I have ever driven to and from the camp.
Nothing else came close in in storage and how it handles all my gear.My guns, clothes and groceries go in the back seat area. My tools, tow straps, air compressor and emergency supplies in the trunk and coolers, gas cans and a 40 gal tank of water in the bed.
The bottom line is exactly what you concluded, the RL was never meant to be a total off-road truck but its a hell of a pleasurable drive getting there!
Good luck with your choice and it sure is great that we have so many wonderful choices to choose from.

Dale,
I understand your concerns. I bought the RL after being positive I was going to buy the Taco. I am also a big time hunter and meeting my needs for this activity was one of my primary concerns. My son has an older Taco an it will go just about anywhere on our place (within reason). I needed a daily driver that I could also have clients ride in comfortably. I use ATV's primarily on the property but still I have to get into camp which is about 1 1/2 miles of rock,dirt/mud with a couple nasty bogs. I do run the RL around the property when I need to haul feed and or stands/feeders etc. For the record, I had my front right strut go bad after the second trip running around the place and I would not consider how I drove it to be abusive by any definition. Do I have concerns? Yes, but I have not had any more issues with the struts and now have 14000 miles on mine.
Ground Clearance is an issue and I do drag the bottom occasionally especially if I have 1000 lbs of feed in the back end. But, like some of the test comments, I have had no damage and have never come close to getting it stuck by high centering it. Good driving skills, good judgement, picking your line carefully and understanding your vehicles capabilities are all part of the equation.
Where the RL really shines is the 2 hour highway drive listening to tunes with minimal road noise and enjoying one of the best handling and most definitely the safest vehicle I have ever driven to and from the camp.
Nothing else came close in in storage and how it handles all my gear.My guns, clothes and groceries go in the back seat area. My tools, tow straps, air compressor and emergency supplies in the trunk and coolers, gas cans and a 40 gal tank of water in the bed.
The bottom line is exactly what you concluded, the RL was never meant to be a total off-road truck but its a hell of a pleasurable drive getting there!
Good luck with your choice and it sure is great that we have so many wonderful choices to choose from.

Thanks for the real world info. Your post has me rethinking the ridge, as you say there are many choices out there. The tacoma is really overpriced compared to the ridge with VSA, six airbags, and that trunk is sooo neat.

Thanks for the real world info. Your post has me rethinking the ridge, as you say there are many choices out there. The tacoma is really overpriced compared to the ridge with VSA, six airbags, and that trunk is sooo neat.

Dale,
My pleasure, and I plan on taking some pictures this weekend with the RL off-road and I will try to post them on Tuesday( may need your help Ladyridge).
The other thing I forgot to mention in my prior sermon was that I love the large cabin in the RL, especially compared to the Taco. I am 6' & 230lbs and with full camo and layering it seemed like it would be a lot easier getting in and out of the RL and now owning one, I sure don't have any complaints in that department.
On a side note, As I have previously posted, the land owner next to our place also bought a RL about the same time I did and let me tell you that he has taken his in places I would have thought twice about going in my old Jeep and so far he has only knocked his lower front air cowling off (popped it right back on)and cut the sidewall on one of his tires.
Good luck, there is no right or wrong decision with your choices as they both come from mfg's with great track records and both can probably satisfy your needs.

Thanks. He did say flex, not articulation, so your explanation makes a lot of sense. I can also see where the Ridgeline, in extreme conditions, would be on three wheels, and a live axle rear would not, due to the moment arm of the axle forcing the other wheel onto the ground. IRS can't do that. But I wouldn't call it flex, unless this is some kind of jargon or technical term. If so, forgive me.
i don't understand this whole "flex" thing
with a solid axle, if one wheel goes up the other goes down - no flex
that's why the ride is not as nice as the ridgeline