Ridgeline IS HORRIBLE OFF ROAD!!

[DoctorJ]

Originally Posted by lowrider90

Just a note, I'm not an expert but even "real 4WDs only have power to 2 tires any one time, one in the front and one in the rear, they are both limited slip so the power is position to the one with best traction. the only time you have a "locked and loaded" differential is when you can lock it! many trucks are now equiped to lock up the rear diff, exterras/chevys are the two i know of.

FYI
Limited slip means both wheels turn, not one as in a standard differential. It also means one wheel will slip during turning so the vehicle will operate in a high traction environment like pavement. 4 wheel drive vehicles like a Jeep Liberty have an option for a limited slip rear and when in 4WD mode the fronts are locked and thus this mode is not recommended for pavement for the same reason VTM4 lock on the Ridgeline is not recommended for pavement.

nevadagarth may not be aware of the VTM4 lock mode which puts torque to all 4 wheels as in 4WD. I think everyone if you have not already, should watch the Gary Flint off-road video linked on this site. This is what most off the lot 4WD vehicles are designed for.

I am sure some of you have watched extreme 4x4 on Spike TV and none of those are off the lot vehicles. Even when Stacey builds up a truck on the show "Trucks!" what does he do - he puts on a lift kit and big tires and why, because those stock vehciles are not suitable to go slopping through mud and rocks without it.

And why is auto 4WD drive a problem? Its even an option on Jeeps now and Subaru has been doing it forever and probably will be despite that Tribeca thing.

[lowrider90]

Thanks Doc, you said it!

[nevadagarth]

I knew/know the VTM-4 Lock modes locks it in, hence the name VTM-4 Lock . I stated that I personally don't consider the Ridgeline a 4WD vehicle in my traditional sense. No pumpkins up front or in the rear and no 4Lo and no lever on the floor to "shift" into and no hubs to lock.

I am by no means an expert in this area, but what I was referring to was the times (albeit limited) I have driven a 4WD vehicle, I have switched the vehicle (by whatever means) in to a 4-Hi or 4-Lo depending on what I thought before I got into the fun stuff. The Ridgeline does not need that. It is always ready to go where ever you reasonably want to go. What I was trying to point out (sucessfully or not) was that with the Ridgeline you just point it and go. If you happen to get stuck, then you push the button on the dash that is labeled VTM-4 Lock and crawl your way out.

My intrepretation of the initial description was the driver put the Ridgeline in VTM-4 Lock mode right away and proceeded to drive the Ridgeline like an old technology 4WD, lock it and go and keep the momentum up so you don't sink in.

I believe the manual even states to only use the VTM-4 Lock when stuck or in situations where traction is near zero.

Of course I could be wrong.

Doc, are you knocking the Tribeca? Also, I couldn't quite tell by your post; are you for or against auto 4WD?

[rms56]

I believe that lowering tire pressure past a certain point makes it impossible to deactivate the VSA.

[lowrider90]

Very true, i run at 15psi on sand, and can't deactivate the vsa. I think I will pull the 2 fuses that run the VSA next time to see what happens.

[DoctorJ]

Originally Posted by nevadagarth

Doc, are you knocking the Tribeca? Also, I couldn't quite tell by your post; are you for or against auto 4WD?

I think subaru makes good vehicles, however their commercials are a bit too bosting where the the Tribeca is concerned. I am sure they are nice or you would not have bought one.

[nevadagarth]

Originally Posted by DoctorJ

I think subaru makes good vehicles, however their commercials are a bit too bosting where the the Tribeca is concerned. I am sure they are nice or you would not have bought one.

The Tribeca is for my wife. It was not the first choice I would have made (probably the third), but she just earned her doctorate and deserved to get what ever she wanted. It is her fourth Subaru and we love the entire line-up that Subaru has. Out here in the mountains, Subarus are the perfect vehicle.

I too think the "Dust In The Wind" Tribeca commercial is a little far fetched. It is a great vehicle, but it did not bring anything new to the segment like the Ridgeline did.

[maybearidge]

Did you notice the front of the Volvo truck pulling the car carrier in the Tribeca commercial?? they turned the Volvo stripe in to an X.


..ahh........Photoshop.

[DoctorJ]

Originally Posted by nevadagarth

I too think the "Dust In The Wind" Tribeca commercial is a little far fetched. It is a great vehicle, but it did not bring anything new to the segment like the Ridgeline did.

We are on the same page.

[nevadagarth]

I finally went and watched the video. I will download the larger version at home. I started to read some of the comments and came across KOKIAK's response. I have read some of his other comments regarding the Ridgeline on the Temple of V-TEC website. He seems extremely knowledgeable about the Ridgeline.

Here is one of his comments that I though might be relevant to this thread:

First of all, lets talk safety: When traveling a steep hill such as the maneuver demonstrated in the video, it is best to guarantee no one is following you. On this course, there were spotters to only allow one vehicle on this section of the course at a time. If you can’t make it up a hill, the key is to back straight down to prevent getting sideways on a hill and potentially cause a roll-over.

Secondly, the demonstration was done at the end of the day after the course had been chewed up by approximately 30 runs. The surface was extremely loose from all the traffic. Earlier in the day, the Ridgeline had no problem traveling up the hill with the VSA engaged. Generally, it is always best to leave the VSA system engaged to let it direct power to the appropriate wheel. If you are unable to traverse the course, you should then disengage the VSA. In certain conditions, such as deep snow or sand, a greater degree of wheel slip is necessary than is allowed by the VSA. In that situation, the VSA will restrict engine power to reduce slip which limits the forward motion due to the system limiting wheel slip. Because the surface on this hill at the time of the demonstration was so loose, the vehicle could not maintain the necessary forward momentum. This loose surface, combined with the steep grade is why the run was repeated with the VSA turned off. This is not an indication of the capability of the vehicle; just the function of the VSA system which was working correctly and intervened.

The attempt to disable the VSA on the fly was unsuccessful due to the rough terrain. The switch location is adjacent to the cruise main switch which was operated in error as indicated on the video. This was an extremely rough and steep surface that was at the limit of adhesion with the VSA. As indicated, once you loose momentum, it is extremely difficult to re-start on a steep grade with loose soil.