[Rigidline]

Andrew8404 said:
“…Only have 400 miles on the Ridgeline so far but smooth as butter…”

Lwlkr1992 said:
“… When I test drove my Ridgeline, it was like a Cadillac..."

Harvey Wall said:
“…I drove the vehicle in all conditions including on the interstate, both merging and passing, as well as slow traffic, rough side streets etc. I was aware of how the vehicle handled before I decided to buy it and was satisfied with how it performed..."

Legeis said:
“… I also know that I have no issues with the transmission or how the truck merges in traffic or the eco mode...”

OmahaJeff said:
“…I find the transmission just about perfect both for daily driving and for towing..."

NoelPR said:
“...Now the RL when you gun it, pulls harder than the minivan. The additional gears and power are doing a great job.
I prefer the 9speed over the 6speed. It gives me more control over the gears. The 6speed is very limited.”

Andrew8404, Lwlkr1992, Harvey Wall, Legeis, OmahaJeff, NoelPR, Gentlemen, has any of you ever driven your 9 speed Ridge in the S mode? If so could you describe the drive for me in traffic or on and incline? What mode do you usually drive in? Has any of you ever taken the vehicle on a highway where the speed limit is 75 mph or above, on flat terrain or up an incline and then found it necessary to overtake another vehicle in your lane? If you proceeded without paddle shifting manually, could you please describe how the vehicle performed with engine revs, gear changing, and accelerating?

 

[Apb486]

Not on your list but I'll add my 2c. Had a 17, now a 21. My commute has a long hill after joining highway, the 17 was a pain. I'm a little agressive in driving style so I used to pop it in D4 just to hold with the traffic without numerous kick-downs. The 21 in D handles it no problem, if the right tune is playing, S does it even better 😊. Remember you have 4 overdrive gears, so any touch of the throttle at most any cruising speed will drop a cog, give it more and you enter the vtec area and off you go. So S is more ready, already in a lower gear as it were. I have no issues at all with the transmission accelerating, slowing down is another issue altogether - a little quirky when the dogs are in play but you get used to it. I think the 21 has learned my style, feels great now I have 15k on it, felt slow when I first got it.

 

[Rigidline]

Apb486, I am so very glad you decided to put your two cents in: I was beginning to think everyone was either hiding something or too ashamed that they lied about something. I wanted to build a kind of consensus to isolate and identify what was coincidental, corelated or factual about the 9 speed Ridge. However, the lack of responses is causing me to have more questions than answers. Right now I want my statistics to show if there is a problem or improvement of a certain year, a certain driver (as in an older slower gas saving driver versus an A personality, left lane overtaking everybody needing power to race to each traffic light) lack of information about the parameters of the transmission, lack of experience driving a manual stick shift or an environmental factor such as short distance travel, freezing or extream heating outdoor temp or hilly inclines, cargo weight effects. Now from your post you are about the fourth person alluding to a sort of learning curve the vehicle seem to possess and I almost began to wonder if you were going to add that you also had a squeeking sound also coming from your brakes since I am showing proponderance of this corelation. Anyway let me setup your guinea pig session.

Do you ever drive with the Econ mode selected and if no why not? Do you ever drive in a normal D mode or always in the S mode? Do you usually carry a lot of cargo or tow a trailer up and down the long hill that you travel? When you travel up this long hill, what do you select the S Mode or normal D and what do you like and don't like about your selection? Comparing your 21 transmission to the 17, is the 21 louder, seems to have less power, down shifts or upshifts unnecessarily, seems more fussy, less accurate, more weak or just needs some getting use to? About how many miles or time in weeks or months did you begin to feel comfortable in your 21 Ridge? What engine rev do you have to usually drive at before you feel like you are dogging the vehicle?

 

[poohbill]

If you think transmission/throttle response on the Ridgeline is bad, go drive a Tacoma. But I do agree, the transmission/throttle response tuning could use some improvement. I still love the truck though and wouldn't trade her for anything else, at least not at the moment. 😉

@smufguy I may have to try a tank of premium just for grins. Of course, I'll have to take out a second mortgage first. 😲

Here in eastern Idaho, Sam’s Club fueling station has 85 and 91. Most stations offer 85, 87 and 91. The Sam's 91 is the same price as the 87 elsewhere. I like it!

 

[Apb486]

Never use econ, not a hypermiler, just feels meh. Mostly drive in D unless fast entry to highway or towing also on the rural roads and tunes are playing. Just me in the truck usually weekday commutes, weekends haul 3000lb boat. Fishing season has just started so not much experience up and down hills towing with the 21 but S feels just about right. There's no more power with the 21, just more gears keeping the rpm down, so yes quieter, less dramatic. With 9 gears, you don't feel the truck dogging much, unlike the 17 which couldn't hold the hill in 6th and had to drop to 4. If I was in a hurry, I just hit the D4 and it was fine. I don't recall when the 21 just felt better, just sort of crept up on me. Think I covered them all. To cap this off, when the better half is in the truck and I have to behave, it is silky smooth in D to the point where I don't even think about what the truck is doing. If you are an A to B driver, you will forget about all these posts very quickly. I rarely use the paddles, never in S, and just for a bit of engine braking on exit ramps etc and downhill towing. Normal driving, it's not a powerful vehicle, but mash it into the vtec band and it gets loud and fast pretty quick. I miss my 6 spd accord, but after that, probably the best vehicle I have owned.

Congrats on the successful hyjack.

 

[Rigidline]

Apb486 said:
"...Congrats on the successful hyjack."

About every two weeks I get a notice in my email that the ROC is discussing a topic on the G2 that should concern me, and so I felt so sorry for the OP and wanted to help. I was shocked that my future transmission was so riddled with defects and so many members seem to be hiding these defects. But I was dead wrong and its only a short while ago that I discovered this one and two year old ROC discussion that dealt with more than all the questions I had. So then now I understand why the OP could not check the transmission fluid level on his 9 Speed Ridge; now I understand why the security guy said he saw no consensus that the 9 speed had any problems or issues although he spent so much time and effort encouraging others to install a gadget that could make the Ridge run better and only now I understand not just how the ROC members felt when they first bought the 9 speed Ridge but how they felt after owning it for 2 years.

Anyone who followed this forum and the following forums concerning the 9 speed, should not have the questions that I had:-
9-sp vs 6-sp transmission
Where's the torque?
2022 RTLE first 2000 miles
Moving from 2019 to 2021 transmission .... Any problems

Thanks for sharing the story, Apb486.

 

[NoelPR]

Andrew8404 said:
“…Only have 400 miles on the Ridgeline so far but smooth as butter…”

Lwlkr1992 said:
“… When I test drove my Ridgeline, it was like a Cadillac..."

Harvey Wall said:
“…I drove the vehicle in all conditions including on the interstate, both merging and passing, as well as slow traffic, rough side streets etc. I was aware of how the vehicle handled before I decided to buy it and was satisfied with how it performed..."

Legeis said:
“… I also know that I have no issues with the transmission or how the truck merges in traffic or the eco mode...”

OmahaJeff said:
“…I find the transmission just about perfect both for daily driving and for towing..."

NoelPR said:
“...Now the RL when you gun it, pulls harder than the minivan. The additional gears and power are doing a great job.
I prefer the 9speed over the 6speed. It gives me more control over the gears. The 6speed is very limited.”

Andrew8404, Lwlkr1992, Harvey Wall, Legeis, OmahaJeff, NoelPR, Gentlemen, has any of you ever driven your 9 speed Ridge in the S mode? If so could you describe the drive for me in traffic or on and incline? What mode do you usually drive in? Has any of you ever taken the vehicle on a highway where the speed limit is 75 mph or above, on flat terrain or up an incline and then found it necessary to overtake another vehicle in your lane? If you proceeded without paddle shifting manually, could you please describe how the vehicle performed with engine revs, gear changing, and accelerating?

I use D without ECO 99% of the time. Love to engine brake using the paddle shifter, so I use them every day.
S just to have fun at a stop light to allow the trans to start rolling from 1st gear.

To keep it simple. S will maintain the revs at a higher level. It will feel more responsive but at the expense of more gas. Gear change performance will remain the same. Doesn't compare to other cars.

I come from a Lancer Ralliart with a Dual Clutch transmission. That transmission when set to S-Sport will perform differently. More bite on gear shifts, quicker shits, etc.
The Ridgeline S mode doesn't do any of that. Just keeps revs higher. Nothing else.

 

[manz147]

Madtiger11 said:

"...Why is it that Honda got the throttle so right on HRV and yet so wrong on the fancy Ridgeline?? RL’s engine is great I am sure. But the throttle tuning and ZF 9-speed are just a disaster IMHO. ECO mode on RL is useless...might as well put a pillow behind the gas pedal. The fancy ZF shifting is pure crap. Sport/Sequential mode is too aggressive for daily driving. Non-S mode makes the engine into a non-boosted 3-cylinder slow poke. It is sad when I have to use S-mode just to merge onto highway ramp! A simple task as accelerating from stop is painfully slow because ZF starts in 2nd gear! ..."

Madtiger11, I hope I haven't hijacked your forum nor intimidated the enlightened and free flow of ideas that your forum has encouraged. Have you ever heard of the saying, " Evil exist when good men stand by and do nothing"? Well while I wait for some brave objective person who owns a 2022 Ridgeline, who feels like he has no problems with the gear shifting and the throttle, to merely test drive a 2022 HRV to simulate what happened to you, I hear crickets and the silence is deafening. However, your courage can be contagious. I want you to find another owner of a 2022 Ridgeline who lives near to you and ask if he could drive your Ridgeline around the block with you in it and then drive his Ridgeline around the block. Then have him tell you if he has noticed anything different about driving your vehicle. Do not tell him anything about the problems you observed because his observation will then become biased or subjective. If you can't find such an individual then go to a Honda dealership and test drive one of their 2022 Ridgelines, then come back to your forum and tell us what you observed. While you grow a pair, I will share with you a story.

I have a 1987 Corvette that has so much raw power, I am afraid to drive it. I was always nervous to press the accelerator. I usually read car reviews and a few years after I had purchased this Corvette, an article describing the newer Corvette, mentioned how refined the throttle was and how much more accurate the gas pedal felt as compared to my Corvette. So I am left with the riddle, "is the car powerful or just having an out of control pedal?" I thought of this story when you mentioned, "pillow behind the gas pedal". I had driven a military vehicle once that had a gas pedal that was so high from the floor that my legs felt tired trying to keep my leg off the floor but keeping it at a constant distance where I would neither accelerate nor slow down. Here is where I am going with all this. The technology into that gas pedal is no easy feat, (no pon intended). Too hard or too low and you could, like me, almost become afraid of the vehicle, because you lack control and not because of the power of its engine nor its transmission. My question to the forum would be, "Did Honda change the tension or travel of the accelerator pedal or not?" Before I am ridiculed, can you do one more brave act?

Could you make a short one or two minute movie of what the vehicle is doing when you drive it? Visually, I am particularly interested in the tachometer and speedometer while listening to the sounds of the engine and the sounds of the transmission changing gears. Therefore if you record this with your phone, I would prefer if all four windows were open.

WoW ! I have a 2019 RTL with 32,000 miles and it has power and squeels tires for no reason. All stock, no changes - plenty of power and speed. I have nothing but GOOD to say about it. My 2014 RTS was the same - best car/trucks ever built. People complain about the emergency brake and gas pedal - must be something wrong someplace. Is it some other car makers making up stuff ? Wow ! I don't believe it. The only thing wrong with the Ridgeline was those junk Firestone tires that are not made for where there is snow - no traction at all. Everything is fine with Michelins!

 

[Rigidline]

NoelPR said:
"I use D without ECO 99% of the time. Love to engine brake using the paddle shifter, so I use them every day.
S just to have fun at a stop light to allow the trans to start rolling from 1st gear.

To keep it simple. S will maintain the revs at a higher level. It will feel more responsive but at the expense of more gas. Gear change performance will remain the same. Doesn't compare to other cars.....The Ridgeline S mode doesn't do any of that. Just keeps revs higher. Nothing else. "

Madtiger11, I notice that you are giving a thumbs up for NoelPR's comment but let me warn you that just because you agree with someone here does not mean it is right or factual so I would strongly suggest that you read the other 1 - 2 year old forums that I prescribed above.

So then NoelPR, "S just to have fun at a stop light to allow the trans to start rolling from 1st gear." Did you know that just about all the other highly experienced 9 speed members were saying that you will not get 1st gear in the S Mode? Therefore can't you see that if your vehicle is rolling it has momentum that would not require the power of a 1st gear, so all the " mad bumble bee" high revving sounds that all the newbies were describing was not in fact more power but just window dressing for more power? What do you think is going to happen if your rolling vehicle has to stop in traffic on the up side of a hill with your family and cargo and a trailor in that fast revving S Mode? Do you have a nice big boat that has to be pulled up on a trailer from the water; are you sure that high revving S Mode will not cause the boat to pull your Ridge in the water?

"...To keep it simple. S will maintain the revs at a higher level..." Let me get this straight: you are driving in D, and when you switch to S mode, you suddenly notice that the tachometer is reading a higher rev?

 

[Madtiger11]

NoelPR said:
"I use D without ECO 99% of the time. Love to engine brake using the paddle shifter, so I use them every day.
S just to have fun at a stop light to allow the trans to start rolling from 1st gear.

To keep it simple. S will maintain the revs at a higher level. It will feel more responsive but at the expense of more gas. Gear change performance will remain the same. Doesn't compare to other cars.....The Ridgeline S mode doesn't do any of that. Just keeps revs higher. Nothing else. "

Madtiger11, I notice that you are giving a thumbs up for NoelPR's comment but let me warn you that just because you agree with someone here does not mean it is right or factual so I would strongly suggest that you read the other 1 - 2 year old forums that I prescribed above.

So then NoelPR, "S just to have fun at a stop light to allow the trans to start rolling from 1st gear." Did you know that just about all the other highly experienced 9 speed members were saying that you will not get 1st gear in the S Mode? Therefore can't you see that if your vehicle is rolling it has momentum that would not require the power of a 1st gear, so all the " mad bumble bee" high revving sounds that all the newbies were describing was not in fact more power but just window dressing for more power? What do you think is going to happen if your rolling vehicle has to stop in traffic on the up side of a hill with your family and cargo and a trailor in that fast revving S Mode? Do you have a nice big boat that has to be pulled up on a trailer from the water; are you sure that high revving S Mode will not cause the boat to pull your Ridge in the water?

"...To keep it simple. S will maintain the revs at a higher level..." Let me get this straight: you are driving in D, and when you switch to S mode, you suddenly notice that the tachometer is reading a higher rev?

It is actually you that don’t understand…please stop with your nonsense scenarios and asking members to do dumb things. Sorry.

S mode allows for ZF to go to 1st gear when you are at stop light. This then allows you to accelerate from stop in first gear. That’s what he meant!!! What you wrote is YOU misunderstanding this whole thing!

When you put in S mode while cruising in Normal mode, the transmission downshifts which is why the revs go up.

What is stopping you from test driving and seeing it for your own self?

Right or factual? Huh? Dude, I am giving my opinion on the throttle and ZF programming. Apparently, I am not the only one.

Oh my goodness. Am I on candid camera???

 

[speedlever]

Nope...G2 only. Here is what you want for the G1:

https://www.amazon.com/Pedal-Commander-Ridgeline-2007-2014-Controller/dp/B08BBY8YKJ/ref=sr_1_5?crid=FNNK6PG2CMGP&keywords=pedal+commander+pc22&qid=1655413338&sprefix=pedal+commander+pc22%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-5

Now you have NO excuse my friend!

My excuse is I don't wanna pay $300 for it! Or even $299!

 

[speedlever]

That's because higher octane doesn't necessarily mean increased power. Octane slows combustion (meaning the temperature has to be higher before it combusts). This prevents detonation/pre-ignition of fuel that is often caused by a "hot spot" in the cylinder (carbon buildup is often the culprit). Higher octane fuels are typically used in racing (I used to run 100 back in the day) not to increase HP, but to prevent knock from detonation as the engine ran hotter and hotter. Obviously, pre-ignition can not only cause internal damage, but it also lowers power significantly.

87 octane will actually give the most consistent power across the spectrum of engine heat, from cold to hot to really hot. It has been shown using dyno tests that the higher octane fuels actually LOWERS power (2-3 Hp).

Unless a manufacturer requires a higher octane fuel, there is no reason to pay the extra $$, from all I have learned over the years. The good news is that higher octane fuel won't hurt your engine, only your wallet.

If you read the link to the post by the lead project engineer on the G1 Ridgeline, he explains the benefits of using premium fuel in the J35... but also mentions it's not cost effective without his super duper copper bracelet... or whatever.

 

[Rigidline]

Manz147 said:
"WoW ! I have a 2019 RTL with 32,000 miles and it has power and squeels tires for no reason. All stock, no changes - plenty of power and speed. I have nothing but GOOD to say about it.... The only thing wrong with the Ridgeline was those junk Firestone tires that are not made for where there is snow - no traction at all. Everything is fine with Michelins!"

Manz, be careful how you bad mouth those Firestones! Some other member and I, drove over 100,000 miles on those Firestones. In several brand names, you can buy 30K, 50K or 80K miles warranteed. The rumor at the tire shop was that however much thread is left on the Michelins, the tires will start cracking badly over five years. But to keep on topic, (it maybe too late), every member who reach your stage of toy and curiosity has been tempted with high resale value, low interest rate and the promise of low gas mileage on the 9 speed Ridge, so what kind of an offer do you expect will move you into this 9 speed utopia and why did you wait so long to cave in and drink the Kool-Aid?

 

[securityguy]

My excuse is I don't wanna pay $300 for it! Or even $299!

Awesome...good thing it's only $265

 

[F6Hawk]

If you read the link to the post by the lead project engineer on the G1 Ridgeline, he explains the benefits of using premium fuel in the J35... but also mentions it's not cost effective without his super duper copper bracelet... or whatever.

Yeah, I have read MANY conflicting stories over the years about octane. Ran 100 octane for about a year in a motorcycle back in my younger days, and it sure FELT like it ran hotter/faster. Seat-o-the-pants dyno and all of that.

And to add another variable to the rumors/myths surrounding octane... I used to ride along with a friend who drove a gas truck delivering fuel from the pipeline to the gas stations. ALL the fuel at the refinery was "regular". He changed the octane in the various compartments of his tanker by carrying a 2-gallon plastic bucket over to the octane dispenser (a very heavy molasses-like substance that had a VERY high viscosity), and "measuring" it into the 2-gallon bucket. I asked him how he knew how much to put for regular/mid-grade/premium, and his answer was, "ehhh, that's about enough!". NOT very precise nor scientific. I suspect this practice (may have changed nowadays) may have accounted for more knock in engines back in the day than anything else.

 

[F6Hawk]

Never use econ, not a hypermiler, just feels meh. Mostly drive in D unless fast entry to highway or towing also on the rural roads and tunes are playing. Just me in the truck usually weekday commutes, weekends haul 3000lb boat. Fishing season has just started so not much experience up and down hills towing with the 21 but S feels just about right. There's no more power with the 21, just more gears keeping the rpm down, so yes quieter, less dramatic. With 9 gears, you don't feel the truck dogging much, unlike the 17 which couldn't hold the hill in 6th and had to drop to 4. If I was in a hurry, I just hit the D4 and it was fine. I don't recall when the 21 just felt better, just sort of crept up on me. Think I covered them all. To cap this off, when the better half is in the truck and I have to behave, it is silky smooth in D to the point where I don't even think about what the truck is doing. If you are an A to B driver, you will forget about all these posts very quickly. I rarely use the paddles, never in S, and just for a bit of engine braking on exit ramps etc and downhill towing. Normal driving, it's not a powerful vehicle, but mash it into the vtec band and it gets loud and fast pretty quick. I miss my 6 spd accord, but after that, probably the best vehicle I have owned.

Congrats on the successful hyjack.

the ZF-9 is similar in that if you are in 9th, and need to accelerate, or hit the paddle for a lower gear, it drops to 7th.

TheZF-9 doesn't hunt near as much as the 6 did. Much more logical tranny, IMO. Down shifting from 6 to 4 just to increase 2-3 mph on cruise control was silly.

 

[mrjibba]

Has anyone installed the Pedal Commander suggested by Security Guy? If so, looking for any feedback. I have a 2019 RTLE and would be getting the PC for my 2023 RTLE when it comes in, supposedly in Sept.

Any impact on OEM or HondaCare warranty? Also, what is the impact of the PC on towing? (We tow a travel trailer).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I installed the Sprint Booster several weeks ago. I have been wanting to post ab it. Night and day difference. Soooo much better. I am getting better gas mileage too. I went from a 2018 to a 2022. I was NOT happy at all with the pedal response or gas mileage when I bought it. I can say more…….well worth the $300 imho

 

[securityguy]

I installed the Sprint Booster several weeks ago. I have been wanting to post ab it. Night and day difference. Soooo much better. I am getting better gas mileage too. I went from a 2018 to a 2022. I was NOT happy at all with the pedal response or gas mileage when I bought it. I can say more…….well worth the $300 imho

Totally agree...those that don't at least try either a PC or a SB are really missing out. Worst case, it can be returned within 30-days and no money lost. My PC makes a huge difference in the response off the RL and puts a smile on my face 😃

 

[speedlever]

Awesome...good thing it's only $265

I only see the $299 price for the G1. Still, it's above the limit my wife and I agreed to before having to go before the budget committee.

 

[securityguy]

I only see the $299 price for the G1. Still, it's above the limit my wife and I agreed to before having to go before the budget committee.

Because you waited so frickin' long that the sale is over The PC22 is for all Gen1 RLs and the PC72 for all Gen2's. See the link in post 171.

My wife doesn't know about half of what I buy...far better that way and we're going on 35 years😂