TL;DR – Great experience towing at max capacity with 2024 Ridgeline. Impressed after coming from older F-250.
I’ve lurked for a long time and wanted to post about my towing experience with my new Ridgeline. I read probably every towing thread out there and wanted to give something back for those who may be in the same situation. I like details and data, so this is going to be a rambling/long post. 😊
I had a 2008 F-250 5.4 V8 (gas) which I started having issues with, and I wanted to downsize to something smaller. I ultimately decided to go with the Ridgeline. Honestly, what pushed me over my fear of going to the Ridgeline was seeing that Brian Goodwin had one and is towing the same thing I am (although he has a better trailer). I really trust Brian’s opinions as I’ve bought many parts for my Miata from him, and his advice with Miata’s has always been spot on.
Equipment:
The trailer/load/towing gear: 16 ft steel wood deck car/utility trailer, with a Mazda Miata, spare wheels/tires, and race fuel jugs. In the truck, I carry a few totes of spare parts/supplies/tools, cooler, suitcase. I also carry 1-3 people (200-500lbs). This is a heavy trailer. The trailer is just over 2000lbs empty – in the future I’d like to upgrade to an aluminum trailer. I have no weight distribution or sway control, just a standard hitch. I have a Prodigy P3 brake controller. With the Ridgeline full of people, all my gear, and every fuel jug and tank full, I headed to the scales.
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Data:
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In case there’s confusion – my trailer is rated for 7000 lbs; however, the Ridgeline tow capacity is 5000 lbs. 550 lbs of tongue weight + 4450 lbs on trailer axles = 5000 lbs of trailer weight, so trailer axles are limited to 4450 lbs due to my tongue weight and Ridgeline tow capacity.
The Ridgeline owner’s manual is very specific on weights. Anyone towing needs to really study the towing section of the owner’s manual. In my opinion, the part that is going to bite you is the GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating), which is the weight of the Ridgeline + Trailer combined. In the 2024 manual, it has our GCWR rated at 10031; however, that also decreases by 2% per 1,000 ft above sea level. That means our GCWR looks like this:
As you can see – I’m within capacity at sea level (barely), but elevation/mountain passes are going to put me over GCWR. Thankfully, this was the absolute max load I would carry, and I can cut it down. I knew it was going to be close, and the numbers backed that up.
First trip - How it went
I live near Johnson City, TN – and had a track/HPDE event at Road Atlanta (Braselton, GA). We do have mountains where I live – nothing like out west, but it’s still a concern. Route to GA is across I-26 through Asheville, NC – a journey I made many times with the F-250. Maximum altitude heading out is about 3700 ft at the top of the mountain, grade is 6%. I made some quick adjustments by leaving some people and things behind to keep me under, but very close to GCWR based on altitude.
Between Johnson City, TN and Greenville, SC the ambient temperature was between 70 F– 80 F; transmission max temperature was 212 F, coolant 217 F. Fuel economy averaged 17.2 MPG indicated, 15.8 MPG hand calculated (that’s a 5-7mpg improvement over my F-250). I never exceeded 65 mph, most of the trip was on the interstate at highway speeds.
There was no sway. Trailer brakes worked with the vehicle brakes and I never felt there was an issue stopping. One big change coming from my F-250 is engine braking – the Ridgeline does not engine brake nearly as well as my old V8 truck did. Ride/comfort was better than my F-250. I felt confident and comfortable towing once I got adjusted to the Ridgeline.
Temperatures were monitored with CarScanner app and a VEEPEAK bluetooth adapter. I already had this and recommend it if you don't have a ScanGauge or other solution. Ignore "fuel in tank" as it does not work - I need to put a different more useful gauge there.
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Final thoughts
There’s a lot of discussion on weight distribution/sway control/suspension adjustments. Towing an open deck trailer, I trust Honda and do not believe it’s necessary. Even at max weight, the truck is within 1 inch of being level. I didn’t have any sway issues. If you are having issues with weight distribution, you really need to weigh your setup if you haven’t already. The Ridgeline is rated in a way that you’re likely going to hit GCWR before you can max everything else out. I would expect you’re overweight somewhere (rear axle and/or GCWR) if you see the front at or above 1” higher than the back of the Ridgeline. I didn’t feel W/D or sway control were necessary with my configuration.
My F-250 was rated at 2x+ capacity of the Ridgeline. I can honestly say the engine/transmission combination of the Ridgeline felt like it had more power than the F-250 did. My old F-250 was the 5.4 gas engine with a 5 speed auto, so it was pretty gutless – but was still rated to tow way more than the Ridgeline. The Ridgeline will rev high, especially on hills. I am not concerned about this – that’s where the power is, and it is how Honda designed the drivetrain. I never felt the Ridgeline was unsafe. My F-250 was an XL (base trim) truck, so it was nice having comfortable seats, cruise control, etc. I did miss my tow mirrors, but this wasn’t a big deal with an open trailer.
Transmission in ‘S’ mode is the way to go, at least when near max weight. The manual does not state this is necessary unless launching a boat or driving in hilly terrain; however, the experience was much better in all driving with ‘S’ mode. ‘S’ mode makes the transmission hunt for gears way less, keeps a more optimal gear for towing, and allows the transmission to always start in first gear. ‘S’ mode feels a lot like tow/haul mode in my old truck. Trans temps were monitored with a generic OBD2 scanner tool and my phone, it always stayed in the safe range. I did manually grade shift in the mountains, otherwise the automatic S mode worked great.
The major drawback I have with the Ridgeline is towing range. You’re going to be looking for gas every ~200 miles. One thought is my bladder won’t last 200 miles anyway; however, the additional range offers you the capability to stop where you want. I find it much easier/faster to stop at rest areas than gas stations. With my old truck, even with worse MPG, I could make it to most events with 0-1 fuel stops thanks to a 38 gallon fuel tank. That is 1-3 stops now. A larger tank would be nice, but then that’s more weight…
In the future, I plan on upgrading to an aluminum trailer – this will drop my weight by 500-1000lbs. For now, I plan on continuing with my steel trailer, and just remain cautious to not add any more gear without removing weight first. I really want a Trailex CT-7551, which would be perfect for my needs, but they cost $10k (and hold value extremely well on used market), which I just cannot stomach right now. In the meantime, I will lighten my existing setup. My goal is to stay at/under ~9250 GCWR when fully loaded, which is achievable by removing the center decking on my trailer and making some adjustments to the gear I bring. This would put me within Honda’s GCWR calculations everywhere I travel based on Honda’s altitude restrictions.
So many people talk about how you need a full-size truck to do anything. I’m very impressed and happy with my Ridgeline. It’s way easier to drive, it fits in a normal parking space, super comfortable, better mpg, and more. The Ridgeline is perfect for my needs – daily drive all year, but when I need to tow a few times a year, it’s up to the task. I may update the post after I make some changes and another trip.
I’ve lurked for a long time and wanted to post about my towing experience with my new Ridgeline. I read probably every towing thread out there and wanted to give something back for those who may be in the same situation. I like details and data, so this is going to be a rambling/long post. 😊
I had a 2008 F-250 5.4 V8 (gas) which I started having issues with, and I wanted to downsize to something smaller. I ultimately decided to go with the Ridgeline. Honestly, what pushed me over my fear of going to the Ridgeline was seeing that Brian Goodwin had one and is towing the same thing I am (although he has a better trailer). I really trust Brian’s opinions as I’ve bought many parts for my Miata from him, and his advice with Miata’s has always been spot on.
Equipment:
The trailer/load/towing gear: 16 ft steel wood deck car/utility trailer, with a Mazda Miata, spare wheels/tires, and race fuel jugs. In the truck, I carry a few totes of spare parts/supplies/tools, cooler, suitcase. I also carry 1-3 people (200-500lbs). This is a heavy trailer. The trailer is just over 2000lbs empty – in the future I’d like to upgrade to an aluminum trailer. I have no weight distribution or sway control, just a standard hitch. I have a Prodigy P3 brake controller. With the Ridgeline full of people, all my gear, and every fuel jug and tank full, I headed to the scales.
Data:
| Height (inches) | Stock | Loaded | Change | |
| LF | 32.875 | 33.25 | 0.375 | |
| RF | 33.0625 | 33.25 | 0.1875 | |
| LR | 34.875 | 32.375 | -2.5 | |
| RR | 34.875 | 32.625 | -2.25 | |
| Weight (lbs) | Rated | Loaded | Margin | |
| GVWR | 6019 | 5680 | 339 | |
| GCWR | 10031 | 9920 | 111 | |
| Front GAWR | 3131 | 2580 | 551 | |
| Rear GAWR | 3263 | 3100 | 163 | |
| Trailer Weight | 5000 | 4790 | 210 | |
| Tongue Weight | 600 | 550 | 50 | |
| Trailer Axles | 4450* | 4240 | 210 |
In case there’s confusion – my trailer is rated for 7000 lbs; however, the Ridgeline tow capacity is 5000 lbs. 550 lbs of tongue weight + 4450 lbs on trailer axles = 5000 lbs of trailer weight, so trailer axles are limited to 4450 lbs due to my tongue weight and Ridgeline tow capacity.
The Ridgeline owner’s manual is very specific on weights. Anyone towing needs to really study the towing section of the owner’s manual. In my opinion, the part that is going to bite you is the GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating), which is the weight of the Ridgeline + Trailer combined. In the 2024 manual, it has our GCWR rated at 10031; however, that also decreases by 2% per 1,000 ft above sea level. That means our GCWR looks like this:
| Altitude (Ft) | GCWR (lbs) |
0 | 10031 |
1000 | 9830 |
2000 | 9634 |
3000 | 9441 |
4000 | 9252 |
5000 | 9067 |
6000 | 8886 |
7000 | 8708 |
As you can see – I’m within capacity at sea level (barely), but elevation/mountain passes are going to put me over GCWR. Thankfully, this was the absolute max load I would carry, and I can cut it down. I knew it was going to be close, and the numbers backed that up.
First trip - How it went
I live near Johnson City, TN – and had a track/HPDE event at Road Atlanta (Braselton, GA). We do have mountains where I live – nothing like out west, but it’s still a concern. Route to GA is across I-26 through Asheville, NC – a journey I made many times with the F-250. Maximum altitude heading out is about 3700 ft at the top of the mountain, grade is 6%. I made some quick adjustments by leaving some people and things behind to keep me under, but very close to GCWR based on altitude.
Between Johnson City, TN and Greenville, SC the ambient temperature was between 70 F– 80 F; transmission max temperature was 212 F, coolant 217 F. Fuel economy averaged 17.2 MPG indicated, 15.8 MPG hand calculated (that’s a 5-7mpg improvement over my F-250). I never exceeded 65 mph, most of the trip was on the interstate at highway speeds.
There was no sway. Trailer brakes worked with the vehicle brakes and I never felt there was an issue stopping. One big change coming from my F-250 is engine braking – the Ridgeline does not engine brake nearly as well as my old V8 truck did. Ride/comfort was better than my F-250. I felt confident and comfortable towing once I got adjusted to the Ridgeline.
Temperatures were monitored with CarScanner app and a VEEPEAK bluetooth adapter. I already had this and recommend it if you don't have a ScanGauge or other solution. Ignore "fuel in tank" as it does not work - I need to put a different more useful gauge there.
Final thoughts
There’s a lot of discussion on weight distribution/sway control/suspension adjustments. Towing an open deck trailer, I trust Honda and do not believe it’s necessary. Even at max weight, the truck is within 1 inch of being level. I didn’t have any sway issues. If you are having issues with weight distribution, you really need to weigh your setup if you haven’t already. The Ridgeline is rated in a way that you’re likely going to hit GCWR before you can max everything else out. I would expect you’re overweight somewhere (rear axle and/or GCWR) if you see the front at or above 1” higher than the back of the Ridgeline. I didn’t feel W/D or sway control were necessary with my configuration.
My F-250 was rated at 2x+ capacity of the Ridgeline. I can honestly say the engine/transmission combination of the Ridgeline felt like it had more power than the F-250 did. My old F-250 was the 5.4 gas engine with a 5 speed auto, so it was pretty gutless – but was still rated to tow way more than the Ridgeline. The Ridgeline will rev high, especially on hills. I am not concerned about this – that’s where the power is, and it is how Honda designed the drivetrain. I never felt the Ridgeline was unsafe. My F-250 was an XL (base trim) truck, so it was nice having comfortable seats, cruise control, etc. I did miss my tow mirrors, but this wasn’t a big deal with an open trailer.
Transmission in ‘S’ mode is the way to go, at least when near max weight. The manual does not state this is necessary unless launching a boat or driving in hilly terrain; however, the experience was much better in all driving with ‘S’ mode. ‘S’ mode makes the transmission hunt for gears way less, keeps a more optimal gear for towing, and allows the transmission to always start in first gear. ‘S’ mode feels a lot like tow/haul mode in my old truck. Trans temps were monitored with a generic OBD2 scanner tool and my phone, it always stayed in the safe range. I did manually grade shift in the mountains, otherwise the automatic S mode worked great.
The major drawback I have with the Ridgeline is towing range. You’re going to be looking for gas every ~200 miles. One thought is my bladder won’t last 200 miles anyway; however, the additional range offers you the capability to stop where you want. I find it much easier/faster to stop at rest areas than gas stations. With my old truck, even with worse MPG, I could make it to most events with 0-1 fuel stops thanks to a 38 gallon fuel tank. That is 1-3 stops now. A larger tank would be nice, but then that’s more weight…
In the future, I plan on upgrading to an aluminum trailer – this will drop my weight by 500-1000lbs. For now, I plan on continuing with my steel trailer, and just remain cautious to not add any more gear without removing weight first. I really want a Trailex CT-7551, which would be perfect for my needs, but they cost $10k (and hold value extremely well on used market), which I just cannot stomach right now. In the meantime, I will lighten my existing setup. My goal is to stay at/under ~9250 GCWR when fully loaded, which is achievable by removing the center decking on my trailer and making some adjustments to the gear I bring. This would put me within Honda’s GCWR calculations everywhere I travel based on Honda’s altitude restrictions.
So many people talk about how you need a full-size truck to do anything. I’m very impressed and happy with my Ridgeline. It’s way easier to drive, it fits in a normal parking space, super comfortable, better mpg, and more. The Ridgeline is perfect for my needs – daily drive all year, but when I need to tow a few times a year, it’s up to the task. I may update the post after I make some changes and another trip.
