Wow, great write up! .... i towed my buddy's 24 foot pontoon this summer (nearly 4K lbs) and S mode does indeed do a beautiful job.

 

There is no reason that towing, within specs, with the Ridgeline, should be a problem. My towing with a rented U-haul trailer (very heavy) and a 2900 lb Corvette would be a bit over the limit and I prob wouldn't do it except for a short distance. The Tundra handled it with no issues.

With the trailer in the picture in the first post I would be almost precisely at the RL limit and would not worry.

 

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.

View attachment 458950

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

View attachment 458951
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.

View attachment 458952

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.

Your experience echoes ours over the years with 3 of our 4 Ridgelines that have towed our travel trailer. We are on the heavier end of the truck’s towing specs (approx. 4300 lbs across the scales) for our travel trailer. We have fought against the GCWR rating as have you.

We have made some considered choices in the kind of gear we load in the bed, for instance, to support our RV experience in order to stay in spec (carrying a somewhat smaller inverter generator, a lighter ladder, etc are examples). But that discipline has made us better at the hobby of RV’ng as we don’t lug around lots of unneeded gear.

That said, the truck is quite capable as a tow vehicle. Its payload rating (varying with models) can actually exceed that of some 1/2 ton trucks, so you do have some flexibility there. Our previous RAM 1500 Ecodiesel actually was rated at less payload than our Ridgeline despite its tow rating exceeding 7,000 lbs.

We also make constant use of “S” mode in the ZF 9 speed tranny. It does, indeed, function as the typical “Tow/Haul” Mode found in 1/2 ton and other mid-size trucks. Our RAM had it, of course, and we have found the “S” mode to similarly change the shift mapping and use of the engine torque curve to maximize efficiency.

Towing range is a downer with the 19 gallon capacity fuel tank, but a little planning with an app like “Gas Buddy” or similar can aid in managing cost effective fuel stops. Plus we’re too old for marathon tow sessions, anyway!

Glad that you had a positive, real world towing experience with your truck and trailer. And as you pointed out, all who would tow should be very familiar with the towing section in the owner’s manual. Stay within specs and the truck will treat you right. The Ridgeline is a very capable and comfortable truck - even when towing in the upper limits of its specs.

 

All these posts echo my experience towing with my 2022 RTL-E. The Ridgeline is a very comfortable, competent, and under-appreciated tow vehicle. Just pay attention to the ratings.

 

Wow, very nice and informative write up to be your first post. Welcome

 

We tow a 17 foot Casita Travel Trailer that weighs about 3500 lbs wet. Our '23 RTLE tows it like a dream, though we do use a wdh, which I think of as a comfort hitch more than a weight distribution hitch. Driving down the freeway, I sometimes forget about the trailer when out on the freeway and do double take when I see that white thing tailgating us, LOL. As for gear selection, I let the truck pick the right gear and keep it in D most of the time. We slow down going up mountain passes and stay in the right lane. Again using D most of the way. The 9 speed is a sweet transmission for towing. We downshift without going into S most of the time for some engine braking going down steep grades. I like that the transmission in D goes back to normal mode when the truck levels out at the bottom of the grade. As long as one stays within the limits the Ridgeline is underrated imo.

 

I tow a 17' Casita Independence with my 2024 Ridgeline. I tend to use S mode for the power band. I don't use anything but a sway bar, the Casita tracks like a dream. We haven't made a long distance trip with the Ridgeline, yet, but spring is approaching . We towed the Casita with a Sierra and then a Ram. The Ram was by far the most comfortable truck I've owned and with a 5.7 hemi the Casita wasn't a problem. Unfortunately the high step-up presented a problem for my wife. The Ridgeline is comfortable and my wife loves it. Since 95% of my driving doesn't involve towing it is the perfect fit. The great thing is I can easily park the Ridgeline at the grocery store and put a full load in the compartment in the bed. Thanks for an interesting post. I will try D mode and see what I think.

 

Love it. Here is a recent trip. 3500lb car, trailer less than 1k. Tongue weight spot on at 500lbs adds all the stability you need.

 

Love it. Here is a recent trip. 3500lb car, trailer less than 1k. Tongue weight spot on at 500lbs adds all the stability you need.
View attachment 459659

The shape, position, and size of the car makes for a great aerodynamic duo.

 

Mpg was pretty decent with that setup. Maybe 20, I normally get 22-23. I agree with op that s-mode is better for overall performance. However if you want to get some mileage back, it helps to drive in d mode. I found that using s mode around town but switching to d mode on the open highway was a good compromise.

However in all fairness my trailer is probably about as efficient as it gets. That’s one advantage of single axle. Down sides are the obvious redundancy in tires and less pitch stability. Tongue weight is critical with a single axle. The difference between 250lbs and 500lbs is very noticeable.

My first trailer was a steel deck tandem similar to the op. Not as important to get the perfect tongue weight but it was a lot of trailer for the RL. The max car on that trailer was an s2000. I wanted a trailer that could handle heavier cars. I have towed countless <4000lb cars on my current trailer. Camaros, corvettes, a golf R, Mazda speed 3, a ford fairlane, multiple kubotas. Good tires, perfect tongue weight, good trailer brakes, monitor tire pressure are some of the tricks that make it all work. The most important is to save the speeding for the track!


To the op: I looked at trailex and they are literally the lightest thing you can tow a car with. Maybe 800lbs. However that is all they can do. I would highly advise going with a closed deck aluminum trailer as it can do other things. I love my single axle heavy duty, but there are plenty of tandem axle options that only add about 200lbs. Check out aluma or maybe mission trailers. 14 ft length should cover almost all performance cars. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the tips - I just did another trip, still only using S mode and keeping it at 65mph or less I'm getting around 17 mpg. I'll try D for longer flat highway driving and see how that goes. I'm probably sticking with the steel tandem trailer for a few more years. I just don't have $10k to drop on a quality aluminum trailer right now, especially after just buying the Ridgeline.

I did remove all the center boards, changed to aluminum ramps, and changed some of the gear I was taking which dropped my weight by 540 lbs. I ran across the scales again and I was at 9380 lb GCWR. I'm going to change a few more things to get close to 9200 lbs GCWR, which keeps me under the official Honda GCWR limit at 4000 ft altitude.

Agree with you on the Trailex - I've also been looking at Aluma and Futura trailers. I like the idea of the Trailex because it does the car towing really well - and that's all I've ever hauled is cars, but as you said it is really only good for that one thing. I've talked to several people with Trailex trailers and everyone seems to love them - they also hold their value extremely well.

 

The Ridgeline is a very comfortable, competent, and under-appreciated tow vehicle. Just pay attention to the ratings.

Nox Vidmate VLC​

 

We bought a '24 Ridgeline and a '24 Rockwood GeoPro 20 FBS at the end of the camping season this year. Loaded the trailer is 4200#, the GCWR is 9500#. I've never towed anything before in my roughly six decades of driving. Not many trips so far but I've found it a competent combination in the hilly areas of southern Wisconsin. It's easy for a complete newbie to manage.

We got an E2 WDH with the trailer. It's also easy to use. A visit to a CAT scale says it's necessary. We are maxed out on tongue weight (I'm making some load changes to get margin on that) and with the WDH disengaged the Ridgeline rear axle is slightly overloaded. Everything is good with it engaged.

We may never travel to an area where it matters but the altitude derating bothers me anyway and I don't see how they manage to sell Ridgelines in Colorado or many areas west of the Mississippi. Ford has a similar derating schedule but Ford makes it clear that the derating is only a performance issue. Ford lets you tow to the max at any elevation, your top speed and acceleration won't match sea level values unless you derate however. I'm trying to get some clarification from Honda, perhaps they only mean it like Ford means it. If they are serious about the derating then it is a major black eye for the Ridgeline, in my opinion.

Other than that I'm quite pleased with our new Ridgeline and GeoPro.

 

We bought a '24 Ridgeline and a '24 Rockwood GeoPro 20 FBS at the end of the camping season this year. Loaded the trailer is 4200#, the GCWR is 9500#. I've never towed anything before in my roughly six decades of driving. Not many trips so far but I've found it a competent combination in the hilly areas of southern Wisconsin. It's easy for a complete newbie to manage.

We got an E2 WDH with the trailer. It's also easy to use. A visit to a CAT scale says it's necessary. We are maxed out on tongue weight (I'm making some load changes to get margin on that) and with the WDH disengaged the Ridgeline rear axle is slightly overloaded. Everything is good with it engaged.

We may never travel to an area where it matters but the altitude derating bothers me anyway and I don't see how they manage to sell Ridgelines in Colorado or many areas west of the Mississippi. Ford has a similar derating schedule but Ford makes it clear that the derating is only a performance issue. Ford lets you tow to the max at any elevation, your top speed and acceleration won't match sea level values unless you derate however. I'm trying to get some clarification from Honda, perhaps they only mean it like Ford means it. If they are serious about the derating then it is a major black eye for the Ridgeline, in my opinion.

Other than that I'm quite pleased with our new Ridgeline and GeoPro.

I seem to recall Ford being one of the ones who is a stickler at towing restrictions. They have limitations based on trailer cross-section, etc. I would read their towing section very carefully.

That being said, i wouldn't worry about Honda towing 5k at max elevation. Your biggest hurdle will be temperature control (not emgine HP), and unless it's 90°F at 10,000 feet, you should be fine.

 

There are some videos on YouTube about Ridgeline towing that use I-70 between Grand Junction CO and the Eisenhower Tunnel as a resting ground. These give some demonstration of towing at altitude without difficulty

 

Great info in this thread, even though I do not have any cars or boats to tow with the Ridgeline.....yet

 

I've seen those videos, they prove what the vehicle is capable of. But the owner's manual words the derating with elevation as an absolute. This has warranty and liability implications. And it offends me as a consumer to buy a product based on its advertised capabilities and then have the fine print in the owner's manual tell me that those ratings only apply at sea level which is literally what the manual says.

In my opinion if you advertise that your truck can be operated at 10,031# GCW, then it should operate safely and reliably at that weight over any US Interstate mountain pass. Honda's official position, according to the manual, is that I cannot even pull my trailer into Colorado, New Mexico, or Wyoming much less over any Interstate mountain pass leading to the west coast. I live in northern Illinois and may never even want to exceed the 2500 foot elevation limit the manual specifies for our actual GCW. But this still offends me.

Many truck brands do not require a derating with elevation. Ford used to word theirs the same as Honda does but now Ford makes it plain that the derating is not a requirement, just an honest disclaimer about the effects of elevation on engine power. Perhaps someone at Honda will confirm that that was their intent too. I hope so.

Yes Ford does specify maximum frontal areas of the trailers you can pull with each model. Those numbers come from the SAE J2807 towing test procedure but they are minimums, not maximums. So, I guess Ford's official position is that their trucks meet J2807 but just barely!

Its not clear that Honda tests to J2807. Curiously a J2807 towing rating of 5000# requires towing that weight to 3500 feet but the Honda derating schedule doesn't allow that!

 

This has warranty and liability implications.

Nothing is as cut and dry as it seems.

You can be sued for anything at anytime no matter what you do.

A manufacturer can deny your claim for any damn reason they want. Yes you can go to court, fight back etc. However if they are motivated, they WILL deny your claim.

These risks do not vanish based on what the owners manual fine print does or doesn't say. Actually, your posts here may have exposed you to more tangible risk by forfeiting your plausible deniability.

The point is I agree with your frustration, but I think you may be over focusing on this issue. Practically and realistically, I think you should continue to use your Ridgeline as you planned using judgment and common sense.

 

Everyone can do as they please. But if you choose to comply with the GCWR then you must do as the OP does and derate the sea level GCWR according to elevation using the schedule in the owner's manual. That derating schedule is as much a part of the GCWR as the sea level value of 10,031 is. If you don't derate then you aren't complying with the GCWR. There is no plausible deniability for information that is found in the owner's manual.

Hopefully Honda will get back to me some day and hopefully they will indicate that it is not the GCWR but the engine power that is affected by elevation.

 

Hopefully Honda will get back to me some day and hopefully they will indicate that it is not the GCWR but the engine power that is affected by elevation.

What is the difference?

 

The difference is this. Honda says (and Ford used to say):

"The maximum gross combined weight (4) decreases by 2% for every 1,000 feet (305 meters) of elevation."

The 2% of GCWR is 200.62#. My rig weighs 9500#, a margin of 531# so I run out of GCWR margin at about 2500 feet. The lowest point of Colorado is 3350 feet, I can't go to Colorado at all.

The latest Ford guidance says:

"Your vehicle may have reduced performance when operating at high altitudes and when heavily loaded or towing a trailer. While driving at elevation, in order to match driving performance as perceived at sea level, reduce Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and Gross Combination Weight (GCW) by 2% per 1,000 ft. elevation "

Ford does not specify a reduction in GVWR or GCWR with elevation. Ford just tells its customers what they can do if they are unhappy with their speed and acceleration at high elevations. I can't drive over the Colorado state line, Ford owners can pull their max load right up through the Ike tunnel. We all know that the Ridgeline can do the same. It would be nice if Honda would officially admit that Ridgelines can do what Tacomas can do, what Rangers can do, what ....

 

I think Honda is setting expectations (similar to ford) but using more absolute verbiage. It’s more indicative of the type of company Honda is and how they communicate.

I don’t think anyone from Honda is going to get back to you and tell you to disregard the owners manual. And they certainly won’t do it in writing. However if they do, please let us know.

 

I don’t think anyone from Honda is going to get back to you and tell you to disregard the owners manual. And they certainly won’t do it in writing. However if they do, please let us know.

Ordinarily I would agree. However in this case I think it might be possible for a couple of reasons.

First is the fact that we've all seen the videos of people towing trailers up and through the Ike tunnel with Ridgelines at 60 mph and nearly the max GCW. The truck can do it. There is no safety issue with doing it. The only real issue is the reduced engine power and that is not a knock on Honda, that is basic physics. There's no reason for Honda to forbid this. A simple disclaimer about engine performance like Ford's is sufficient to deflect consumer complaints.

Second, the mandatory GCWR derating found in the Ridgeline manual puts Honda in a bad position compared to the competition. Many do not mandate any derating. For grins I downloaded the Toyota Tacoma owner's manual yesterday. Here, in its entirety, is Toyota's elevation derating schedule " ". Ford's is the most stringent after Honda's as far as I know and it does not derate GCWR, it only warns about the reduced engine power.

Basically if taken seriously Honda's GCWR derating says to potential customers that our truck is a wimp, buy something else if you want a real truck. Is that what Honda really means to say? The fact that this information is buried in the owner's manual which most of us don't read until after the sale may even leave them open to a class action lawsuit.

So, the noon news on WGN TV, Chicago, just reported that Honda and Nissan are currently in merger talks! I did not catch the details but Mitsubishi was also mentioned in the report.

 

Honda also says an average person weighs 150lbs when it comes to hauling passengers, so maybe we shouldn’t take everything they say at face value since the American avg for an adult hasn’t been that low since what…the 70s?

Not sure what other manufacturers do in terms of accounting for passenger weight though.

 

Not sure what other manufacturers do in terms of accounting for passenger weight though.

The industry standard for the weight of occupants seems to be 150# each. For example the SAE J2807 towing rating test specifies that the TV be loaded with a 150# driver, a 150# passenger, and 100# of hitch and other tow related gear. A passenger is not actually required during the test as long as the truck load is ballasted up to 400# total, including the driver.

So it's not just Honda.

 

I am recently purchased a 2021 airstream caravel 22 ft and towed 600 miles from Charleston SC to Pensacola the spec from manufacturer for the AS is 4200# dry, tongue weight is 525# ,Curt WDH and Curt Echo brake controller, very nervous at first,after roughly 50 miles on the interstate I-95 and I-10 in D mode all the way. Fuel stop coincide with my bladder capacity .Average mpg around 13 at 60-65 mph. Will definitely do the CAT scale next time we gear up for camp.

 

the reason the ford and chevy are rated higher at altitude is because turbo engines are hardly affected by the altitude and N/A motors lose alot of power up high .

 

Turbos lose power too, as much as NA engines depending on how they are designed. But the Nissan Frontier has a NA V6 (sound familiar?) and here is their statement on towing at elevation:

"HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE: An engine will lose about 4% of its performance for every 1,000 feet above sea level that you travel. If you will be towing in high altitudes, it is a good idea to allow more time than usual due to the engine’s reduced performance."

There's no reason for Honda to derate the GCWR with elevation. None at all. They just do and that's what makes it so maddening. And that's why this will be the only Honda that I ever own.

But for now I will just ignore the manual if I need to like the rest of you do and enjoy what is a very fine tow vehicle for my trailer and daily driver the rest of the time.

 

artisand,

Thanks for a great write up. I am in the process of downsizing from a Nissan Titan to a mid-size truck and need to pull a car / trailer combination that weighs around 4,800 lbs. I am currently trying to decide between a Ridgeline, Frontier, and a Colorado. I like the Ridgeline the best, but the towing capacity has been a concern.

I just joined the forum and can't find a way to send you a private message, but would like to ask you some questions since I think you have discovered a lot of the information that I am currently looking for.

 

Looking forward to your updates. Very interesting and helpful.

 

The RL's independent rear suspension makes it vastly superior to other towing platforms - within its rated range. Granted its limited to 5k lbs, but I guarantee it will dampen rough roads and eliminate 'sway' better than any other platform including an F-150 loaded within its design limits which based on its options, go up to like 15k lbs. Total joke.. I know owners of F150s towing 6000 lbs, well within its limits- who hate its performance- weaving and swaying down the road....Not to mention the RLs AWD that those 'more robust' platforms also lack. We cannot compare our towing let alone road handling characteristics to other 'trucks' as they are not the same animals. Within our limits, we will always exceed them by a large margin.

 

In a GeoPro group that I belong to a woman recently reported that after switching from a Pilot to an F150 their trailer started shaking apart inside. I speculated that it might be the suspension difference but I didn't have any proof of that. Then I found this video:

 

BTW I do not use a sway bar nor WDH on my rig, but I nearly always drive using 'S' mode' on the tranny when towing.

 

BTW, how often are some of these posters towing at significant altitude to the point performance is degraded ? What about shifting into 5th or 4th gear ? Would that not work...? Honestly to have a gripe over something that occurs a fraction of a percent of your driving time, which can probably be overcome using the truck's features.... Not sure- what....All rigs need to accept a degradation in performance at altitude. Kinda why there are those 'truck lanes' with rigs going 35 on climbs.........

 

The Ridgeline can tow at it's advertised 5000 lb limit up to and over the Ike tunnel pass in D at the 60 mph speed limit if you want to. The TFL Truck guys have done it and posted the videos to YouTube. But when you look at the owner's manual you find that officially the advertised limit has been reduced to 2882 lbs from 5000 lbs at that elevation. It's never been about what the truck can do or how often I will want to do that. It's about advertising one thing and then prohibiting you from doing that!

It would cost me about $10k to replace this new truck with another new one at this point and warranty denials aren't likely to cost me that much over the life of the truck so I will just do what Colorado and other western Ridgeline owners do and ignore the manual.

I love the truck. I can't begin to tell you how much I'm looking forward to having many fine adventures with it in the upcoming camping season. I want to love the company that makes it. But the pain from this knife sticking out of my back makes that impossible!

But hey, Tacoma owners have a similar beef with Toyota. On a model that's advertised to have a payload of 1500 lbs they open the door on their new trucks and find a sticker saying 1200 lbs and then they look in the owner's manual and find that it says the same. They can use the missing 300 lbs as tongue weight while towing but not as payload when hauling.

The automotive industry needs some truth in advertising laws.

 

Thank you for a very thorough and helpful thread. I just installed a Redarc Tow Pro Liberty and hooked up my Casita Camper for a test run empty ~3200 lbs. I started in S Mode and the Ridgeline performed flawlessly. I used the paddle shifters initially and then let the S Mode run automatically to compare performance. I found it is better to anticipate a steep incline or descent by using the paddles to downshift in advance. I'm very happy with the setup and I use an anti-sway bar, recommended by the camper dealer. When I go camping my total weight will probably rise to 3900 pounds. I will have to check at the scales. I'm satisfied the Ridgeline will handle the load safely after reading your article. Thank you!