Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums banner

What Would You Like to See Made Available for the Ridgeline?

  • For Work

    Votes: 8 30%
  • For Play

    Votes: 14 52%
  • For Looks

    Votes: 7 26%
  • For Comfort

    Votes: 9 33%

Ridgeline as a Work Truck

11K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  AndrePS  
#1 ·
I must have one of the few trucks that really get used. The scratches in the bed have fused into a patina on my BlackCherry 2007.

Yes, I carry heavy louds, haul gravel and lumber, pull a 14 ft dual axle flatbed and a 12 ft cargo van. 30,000+ miles, 2nd windshield.

I've clocked 80 mph with loaded trailer. Ups the revs and sucks gas, but it holds steady and stable and still has passing power.

I wouldn't advising pulling really heavy loads - but I've pushed the 5,000 # limit and then some.

Overall, great highway cruiser, that also does some serious work. May not be well suited to boulder crawling, but mine's been off-road in mud and snow.

Worst part of highway driving - nodding off, not much to do other than aim it down the road. Everyone who drives it on the highway comments on the handling - just lock it in cruise and go. Had one Chevy owner go to his dealer, ask what was wrong with his Chevy - steering felt loose compared to Ridgeline.

Things I like:

Water tight trunk, 4 ft wide flat bed, large passenger area, tilt up back seat, flat floor in the front, handling. OEM trailer hitch and wiring are a step up compared to 3rd party, but these two items are a bit pricey.

Things that I'd really like to see from Honda in order of priority:

Telescoping steering wheel - I'm long legged, push the seat way back, then have to stretch for the steering wheel,

Bed material that is the same color all way through, not black on the surface, white underneath - everything scratches the bed. First few scratches and dings really show up, mine now has a network of lines and scratches that blend into a gray - but I've had trucks with bed liners where the color is all the way through.

Tougher bumpers - already have $1700 worth of parking lot and work damage to front and rear bumpers. Every tap leaves damage - either scrapes off the paint, dents, and often pokes a hole. In Montana, stingers left in the receiver hitch cause a lot of parking lot damage to bumpers. Although I like the unibody color, a tough, neutral colored bumper, or at least bumper protectors where cars are likely to hit (not those little strips that Honda sells for over $100) would help. After all, this is supposed to be a truck.

Tougher seat fabric - stains easy, easy to tear, again, how about a truck interior that can hold up? Rubber floor mats are good - carpet in a truck not a good idea, if you use it as a real truck. Mats with lips provide ability to keep cleaner.

Minor point - you can't tip up the wiper blades when cleaning the windshield, if the wipers are parked - the cowl gets in the way. Same for changing out the wiper blades - have to power them up, stop them up on the window where you can get at them.

Accessories Wanted:

Coil-over, air suspension, some sort of assist for rear struts - my Ridge now sits a bit low in the rear due to actually carrying loads, kind of squats with a load. Need load-levelers when carrying load, pulling tongue-heavy trailer.

Turbo-charger or supercharger - not for speed, but to add a bit more torgue when hauling. Overall, takes hills and mountains with ease, but low end torgue missing with the 6 cylinder, and some of our mountains make the Ridge up the revs - which really shows up in reduced gas mileage.

However, I've been driving trucks since the 50s, and this one is just a lot more comfortable, better handling. Honda has occassional ads showing a Ridgeline carrying play toys, and Forum readers talk about dress up accessories, but don't seem to be many who actually view the Ridge as a working truck.
 
#4 ·
I use mine for everything towing/recovery, fence and animal up keep out on the farm, off roading, and still clean it up for car shows. Oh and for the 5000lb load rating i have blown that way out of the water. I have put just about everything from motors to lumber and gravel in the bed. I carry about 250lbs of straps and chains in the truck on a daily basis.

I by no means beat the hell out of my truck, but i dont baby it and am not scared to blow the oe specs way out of the water.

So your not alone when it comes to not being scared of putting the truck to work in many situations other owners would cringe at! Im with you all the way
 
#6 ·
....Things that I'd really like to see from Honda in order of priority:

-Tougher bumpers - already have $1700 worth of parking lot and work damage to front and rear bumpers. Every tap leaves damage - either scrapes off the paint, dents, and often pokes a hole. In Montana, stingers left in the receiver hitch cause a lot of parking lot damage to bumpers. Although I like the unibody color, a tough, neutral colored bumper, or at least bumper protectors where cars are likely to hit (not those little strips that Honda sells for over $100) would help. After all, this is supposed to be a truck.

Rubber floor mats are good - carpet in a truck not a good idea, if you use it as a real truck. Mats with lips provide ability to keep cleaner.
Regarding these two....
The bumper is tough... the skin is not...
My solution - Hitch Step

Rubber floor mats - My solution Upgraded to WeatherTech mats

:)
 
#7 ·
FYI, I added at 36" wide hitch step after getting hit from behind. Wish I had done so sooner. Haven't found something for the front - the Honda brush guard looks like an after thought chunk of plastic, and the bull guards and brush guards are often heavy and only protect the center of the bumper.

Would like to find a light-weight, aluminum bumper guard - I've seen one from Australia for other trucks - one or two bars that sit in front of the entire width of the bumper, low, down where car and brush would hit. Won't shed a deer, but its where the dings and scratches occur.

Glad to know at least a couple of owners push the limits for load carring, towing. I'd like to get a picture of the loader that drops gravel in my truck - you could fit the Ridge in the bucket. Sometimes he drops more than he intended, and the Ridge really sets down on its suspension.

My biggest concern before buying was whether the Ridgeline was enough of a truck for my use. I shouldn't have worried.

As per making it a heavier truck and trade-off for comfort, telescoping steering, tougher seat covers, better bumpers, and a bit more torgue don't mean that one has to scarifice any of the handling, ride, etc. of the Ridgeline.

I'm not looking for a bigger truck, just a bit tougher. This one cleans up very nice, the BlackCherry really takes a shine. But the paint, upholstery, and bed are easily damaged.

My last truck had a bedliner that was black throughout, seat covers that were tough but comfortable - bit like blanket material, and a wide rubber strip protecting the main part of the bumpers. When I sold it, I got better than Blue Book because it still cleaned up well. The 'wear' areas still looked good.

After two years, my seats and bed in the Ridge are definitely showing significant wear, and the bumpers really show the dings and cuts. Seat fabric stains with just water drops. It does shampoo out, but its an annoyance.

Guess I really like the truck, use it hard, intend to keep it a long time. I don't beat it up, so it still looks pretty good. But, I can see that I'll be replacing the seat covers, have come to accept the whitish scratches in the bed as evidence that it is a real truck that gets used like one, and will be replacing the bumper covers when I run out of decals to cover the holes punched in them.
 
#9 ·
I use my truck for work. Lots of tools, muddy construction sites, back seats usually folded up for more tools, Leer cap for more tools.
 
#12 ·
Just saying, I cliked on all options for the Poll. we are all different and need/want different things. Simply put, there needs to be more accesories.
from after market, Honda is just expensive.
I dont mind taking the RL to work when running errands. But it was never meant to be a work truck. fine with me. I know it can handle light duty, but not heavy duty every day.