Airing down is for sand, and pulling the vsa fuse is to disable the VSA function when you air down the tires.

4WD is almost ALWAYS engaged, at least until you reach cruising speed, at which time the power is set to the front wheels.

You will be fine driving in field for hunting.

Read your owners manual of how the VSA, VTM-4 system works. You can try the google search on this page to find many post pertaining to both of those systems as well as air down and pulling the fuse in the sand.

Can't help you with winter tires, I live in the deep south.

 

Need some help understanding some things that are new to me here..

Welcome to the ROC!

Why do guys "air down" and pull vsa fuses?

Airing down is for driving on malleable surfaces into which you don't want to sink, such as sand. The thing is, the Ridgeline has two safety features that do not take this case into account: TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor System) and VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist). If TPMS detects low pressure, you cannot manually disable VSA using the "VSA Off" switch. However, you'd want to disable VSA for sand, because pushing against sand could trigger the VSA to cut engine power and get bogged down (it's trying to prevent wheelspin).

Pulling the VSA fuse lets you get wheelspin when tires are at low pressure in sand.

Are these guys engaging 4wd permanently ? If so is it safe? I want to drive in fields for hunting.

4WD will come on automatically anytime wheel spin is detected. This happens at any speed, regardless of whether VSA is on or off.

The "VTM-4 Lock" button fully engages the RWD (FWD is always engaged). It only works up to 18 MPH, and only in gears 1, 2 and R. Using 4WD at higher speeds is strongly recommended against in conventional part-time 4WD vehicles as well, but there is usually no protection against different axle speeds. Unless you get stuck using default modes, you'll probably never need to use VTM-4 Lock.

See this post with documents that describe the VTM-4 system in much more detail:
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=347973&postcount=71

What do you guys do for winter tires and tpms.

If you have winter in your area, get winter tires. While M+S can give good results in snow at lower speeds, you should have real winter tires in case of ice or just plain cold.

Check out this test video, which uses two Ridgelines to show the difference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UX1UmYG1nyk

I have a set of winter tires on their own wheels with TPMS. I swap the tire sets myself. The TPMS system automatically recognizes the new sending units when I switch them. Some older lower trim levels might not do this without a reset at a garage.

Thanks boys, and gals if there are any

You are welcome! Best wishes.

 

Great info Ian. Thanks so much,

It's now my understanding that the ridge is a true 4wd that cuts to 2wd at cruising and when needed VTM cuts power to wheels without traction to transfer power to wheels with contac, or the VTM can be manually engaged in 1,2 & R.

Just got this 2012 sport and love it but want to know the full mechanics so I don't do any damage and can maximize it's many features.

I'll look for tpms stems for winter but can I run without them if I can't get them? Just keeps a light on it something?

 

Great info Ian. Thanks so much,

You are welcome.

It's now my understanding that the ridge is a true 4wd that cuts to 2wd at cruising and when needed VTM cuts power to wheels without traction to transfer power to wheels with contac, or the VTM can be manually engaged in 1,2 & R.

Just got this 2012 sport and love it but want to know the full mechanics so I don't do any damage and can maximize it's many features.

4WD purists probably wouldn't consider it to be a true 4WD, but rather an AWD system. Either way, it's one of the best drive systems on the market, especially in the truck market, for staying on a road. That's any road, from smooth pavement to rural fire roads. In combination with the independent rear suspension and good tires, it's the safest vehicle in its class for any weather.

Off-road, it's also pretty good, though not in the same class as conventional 4WD systems with fully mechanical drive systems. The VTM-4's rear drive is engaged with electric clutches, meant for brief usage. In normal driving, even off-road, they'll only be engaged for short bursts of a few seconds at a time. If you engage VTM-4 Lock, those clutches will be given 100% power (meaning up to 70% of the vehicle's torque) until the lock is disengaged. If you leave the lock on for more than a minute or two, they could heat up enough to do some damage, with the main concern being to cook the rear drive fluid. VTM-4 Lock is meant for brief usage in special circumstances, such as getting out of being stuck, when the computer might not leap to the right conclusion about torque distribution based on slippage (reactive mode) or pedal pressure (proactive mode).

Chances are that you could drive the vehicle on-road and in fields for years and never need to engage VTM-4 Lock. It's quite likely that you'll want to use VSA Off in fields though, since sinking in or being up against the walls of ruts might make VSA think that it needs to reduce power to avoid wheel slippage. That is an on-road programming bias, and VSA Off tells the computer to get out of the damned way for you.

There is no damage risk from VSA Off, though it might tempt you to rev up a lot to use wheel spin to get out (which is kind of the point). Excessive actions like this can damage the transmission, which is in common with other brands' automatic transmissions.

I'll look for tpms stems for winter but can I run without them if I can't get them? Just keeps a light on it something?

This time of year is perfect for looking for dealer or local tire shop special offers for winter tire/wheel/TPMS packages. Because of economies of scale, they can often match the best on-line deals. I recommend getting a real set of Honda wheels, as they will have the right strength ratings.

BTW, if you've never used a TPMS system before, some advice:
1. Make sure that you never lose a stem cap. Road grime in there will ruin the sending unit.
2. Use only plastic stem caps, not metal. They can corrode and be difficult to remove.

 

"4WD purists probably wouldn't consider it to be a true 4WD, but rather an AWD system."

I get called out for sayin' the same thing

 

Please elaborate where you got called out for saying that.

*****************************
When VTM-4 lock is engaged (either manually or automatically), you basically have 3 wheels driven since the front diff is an open diff. The rear wheels are only powered up to the limits of the clutches.

True 4wd (mechanical) without lockers have 2 wheels being driven, one on each axle. Even so, that makes a tremendous difference in slippery conditions as the power is halved to each driven axle when in 4wd mode compared to 2wd mode.

Treat VTM-4 just like you would a conventional part-time 4wd system. Do not engage manual lock in dry conditions or you will cause binding in the system and premature wear.

elfiero, I'm sure you know the above, but I post that for others reading the thread to point out the basic difference between VTM-4 and mechanical 4wd systems.

 

I think I used VTM-4 Lock one time in the years I had my truck, and that was to get unstuck during a winter ice storm.

The rest of the time I let the computer handle it, and it worked perfectly.

Chip H.

 

One thing Speed about conventional 4x4's. Most have some sort of traction control to send power to the none spinning wheel on the newer models.

The days of one wheel in the front spinning & only one in the back spinning are coming to an end.

 

SPORT2012-

I also have a 2012 Sport. Just so you know, you will not need to pull any fuses to disable the VSA. There is a button on the dash to do that, if you so wish, or need to do so. Just look at your owner's manual for the exact location.

I always leave it on. Although there was some ice/snow down in Texas last winter and it was fun to turn off the VSA and slide around a little bit.

I believe those with earlier model years like an 09 and earlier, STILL do have to pull the fuse.

 

I'm not sure of the context, but most folks refer to pulling the fuse when they have lowered the air in the tires (like when in sand), because VSA "button" is disabled if TPMS detects low tire pressure (You can't then turn off VSA with the switch, so you have to pull the fuse to do that). Are you saying that with the newer Ridgelines that VSA will disable via the switch (button) even when tires are low???

 

You guys are great help, I'm not car illiterate but want to know every details about my new ride and there is a lot going in with the drive systems with these ridgelines, my civc was great and I had fun with easy mods but didn't suit my lifestyle anymore.