Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums banner

Has my Ridgeline been Lifted?

10K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  hondopark 
#1 ·
Bought this used last December, 2018 RTL E. I seem to have more room over the tires than most RLs I've seen, has this truck been lifted? Are there any other ways to tell without crawling around in the mud and slush(really wet winter around here)?

399635


TIA,
Bill
 
See less See more
1
#3 ·
Bought this used last December, 2018 RTL E. I seem to have more room over the tires than most RLs I've seen, has this truck been lifted? Are there any other ways to tell without crawling around in the mud and slush(really wet winter around here)?



TIA,
Bill
The front has almost certainly been lifted. The rear is inconclusive. I'd guess a leveling kit has been installed.

399637
 
#4 ·
I am going to guess Traxda 2 inch front strut spacers. The reason I say 2 inch is that with nothing done to the rear it's almost over leveled IMO. 1.5 inches seems to be the sweet spot for leveling.

Regardless, the front of your truck definitely has something done to it.
 
#5 ·
As a first time truck owner, what is the purpose for this? I am intrigued by the look of some Ridgelines I have seen that are leveled, as opposed to extreme lifting.Is it purely aesthetics? I have negative zero interest in offroading, I simply like the look of the truck leveled. What are the cons to leveling?
 
#9 ·
While I'll be in the minority on this one a leveling kit can be of benefit if you go off road or in our case mostly snow. Every little bit of ground clearance helps. 1.5 or 2 inches under the front end and maybe 3/4s inch from larger tires and you've gained a lot of ground clearance. Ridgelines are amazing in the snow and even better when they're up a little higher.

Most do it for looks though. Which we also did.

I've never heard of anyone having problems from a leveling kit on a gen 2 Ridgeline. Ours was done with 1k miles on it (self installed) and never gave a lick of problems nor do I have any justifiable reason why it would.
 
#10 ·
I've never heard of anyone having problems from a leveling kit on a gen 2 Ridgeline.

Now you have. :)
 
#17 ·
While I'll be in the minority on this one a leveling kit can be of benefit if you go off road or in our case mostly snow. Every little bit of ground clearance helps. 1.5 or 2 inches under the front end and maybe 3/4s inch from larger tires and you've gained a lot of ground clearance. Ridgelines are amazing in the snow and even better when they're up a little higher.

Most do it for looks though. Which we also did.

I've never heard of anyone having problems from a leveling kit on a gen 2 Ridgeline. Ours was done with 1k miles on it (self installed) and never gave a lick of problems nor do I have any justifiable reason why it would.
Isn't the lift considered a body lift, where the stuff below the body is not raised up, so you are not really increasing clearance?
 
#19 ·
Negative.

You are increasing the overall length of the strut which pushes the control arms down. The center of the drivetrain and the rest of the chassis are then lifted up. You can't do a body lift on a unibody vehicle. Not possible.
 
#15 ·
Thanks to all for the quick replies! I haven't been able to get my head in the front wheel wells to look, I'll try to take a pic with the phone(DUH).

I haven't noticed any problems with the sensing but I'm getting an average 19.8 mpg and it seems like others here are getting better mileage, that would explain it. I averaged 19.6 with my 2018 Tacoma Limited and expected at least a minor improvement.(that's actual mpg, not the dash display)

Thanks again, love this forum!
Best,
Bill
 
#16 ·
That's not bad fuel economy at all for 4500ish pound truck especially.

I drive in nothing but stop and go traffic for 3 hours a day and was lucky to get 17.5 in the winter months and maybe 19 in the summer. That was with larger tires too which did far more damage to the fuel economy than lifting the front up.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I've seen that debate bantered about over the years here and I find it kinda silly but eh, whatever you choose to believe.

I've been off roading the majorty of my life and have never been stuck because I got hung up at the ball joint end of my control arm out at the wheel lol. It's the shit in the middle that snags on the rutted roads and trails. Doesn't matter if it's IFS full size Chevy pickup or a 85 Toyota pickup with a solid front axle.

Yes tire height is the only thing that lifts everything, that doesn't mean that lifting the chassis is useless was my point. TIFWIW.
 
#22 ·
Yes tire height is the only thing that lifts everything, that doesn't mean that lifting the chassis is useless was my point. TIFWIW.
Agreed! - For light overland trips a lift kit is a requirement for these trucks. Heck a 08 outback has more clearance than my '19 RLT-T truck stock.
I don't agree with the idea of the leveling kit. If you are going to lift it, lift it the same amount front and rear. The rake on this track is there for a reason. If you lift the front and not the rear your handling will be sub-optimal. If you carry weight in the bed then the handling will go from sub-optimal to dangerously bad!

To the OP, my advice would be to
a) remove the front lift, or
b) find out the lift in the front and install the same lift in the rear (which may require a rear adjustable ball joint camber kit)

(sorry you know what they say about advice!)

Enjoy the truck!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top