[Peartree]

Brand new member here. Been following both the ridgeline and pilot forums. I may purchase one of these vehicles before the end of the year, if I can find a dealer that will get off this MSRP quest. I have a small travel trailer (3500 lbs) loaded, and I only camp fairly close to home (w/in 200 miles), a few times a year, so no long trips for me. I have tried to get out of Honda exactly what is the difference in strength (if any) for towing purposes between these two vehicles, to no avail. It does appear that the Ridgeline is better set up for towing initially with the radiator fans, tranny cooler, hitch, and 7 pin connector. My dilemma is I have 2 small grandchildren that will occasionally be with us and that 3rd seat will be handy. So this is the question: Does anyone have any proof that the Ridgeline frame and suspension is measurably stronger than the Pilot? I do not want to get into a situation with the Pilot where I have to add air bags, etc. etc., like I have all-ready done with my Toyota Sienna XLE minivan, to get the rear end up higher.

I also follow the "What did you pay for it" forum, and if the Honda dealers can move off MSRP, I will make a post. I will also consider a GMC Canyon, & a toyota 4-runner if Honda remains steadfast in their prices. In any event, I will keep everyone posted.

Peartree

 

[zroger73]

Welcome to the ROC, Peartree!

The 2016 Pilot AWD and 2017 Ridgeline AWD can both safely tow up to 5,000 lbs. The Ridgeline does have a few suspension components that are better suited to "truck duty" - specifically, the rear suspension is designed to withstand the higher payload capacity associated with an open bed and the front suspension is designed for bit more off-road use than the Pilot is likely to see. The Ridgeline can also handle a bit more tongue weight and may sag less as a result.

Keep in mind market conditions and the dealer determine the actual selling prices - not Honda. Honda simply publishes the Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price. The dealers can charge as much or little as they want - they all pay the same price for the vehicle from Honda. Right now and for the foreseeable future, Honda has limited capacity to manufacture Ridgelines. As long as people keep buying them as soon as or even before they arrive on the dealer lots, the prices will remain near or above MSRP.

Also, just because you get a discount off MSRP for a different model doesn't make it a better buy. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

 

[stantaur]

Agree w/zroger's advice here, and will add the Ridgeline's longer wheelbase makes it better for towing vs. Pilot.
My RTL-E was a 3 month backorder from when I sold a 5.7L Tundra TRD DoubleCab to our dealer who submitted the order.
Totally worth the wait - otherworldly better refinement, features, handling, quietness, nimbleness / parking. The trunk under the bed, the 2-way tailgate, triple-sealed doors that close with a whoosh. My only beef was the wheel/tire setup seemed crammed too far inboard into the wheelwells. Fixed with a call to Tire Rack for the Ultra Spline wheels and Kumho AT51 245/65/17s...

 

[highpi]

Agree w/zroger's advice here, and will add the Ridgeline's longer wheelbase makes it better for towing vs. Pilot.
My RTL-E was a 3 month backorder from when I sold a 5.7L Tundra TRD DoubleCab to our dealer who submitted the order.
Totally worth the wait - otherworldly better refinement, features, handling, quietness, nimbleness / parking. The trunk under the bed, the 2-way tailgate, triple-sealed doors that close with a whoosh. My only beef was the wheel/tire setup seemed crammed too far inboard into the wheelwells. Fixed with a call to Tire Rack for the Ultra Spline wheels and Kumho AT51 245/65/17s...

Is that your garage?:surprise:

 

[stantaur]

Thank you, yes. Not to thread jack, but there is an important point to make since the Ridgeline's stated 5' 10" height is for a base model, NOT including the navigation fin which adds height to the vehicle at the rear of the cab. Our RTL-E has 3" of clearance below a 6' 4" clearance lift (Direct Pro Park 9 Plus) in that rightmost 9' wide bay. Ridge is a wide vehicle too, so 9' wide doors and 9' wide lift are a must-have.

Back to the towing discussion... Ridgeline's components listed above plus the wheelbase plus how well it did in TFL's Ike Gauntlet pull made it seem like a good candidate for us. Aluminum trailer plus any of our cars falls well under the 5K limit including safety margin.

 

[BruceL]

Agree w/zroger's advice here, and will add the Ridgeline's longer wheelbase makes it better for towing vs. Pilot.
My RTL-E was a 3 month backorder from when I sold a 5.7L Tundra TRD DoubleCab to our dealer who submitted the order.
Totally worth the wait - otherworldly better refinement, features, handling, quietness, nimbleness / parking. The trunk under the bed, the 2-way tailgate, triple-sealed doors that close with a whoosh. My only beef was the wheel/tire setup seemed crammed too far inboard into the wheelwells. Fixed with a call to Tire Rack for the Ultra Spline wheels and Kumho AT51 245/65/17s...

Those are a big improvement, what offset did you go with to widen the stance?

 

[stantaur]

These are recommended by Tire Rack (and also Truxxx in their lift kit photo) as 35mm offset 17x8" Ultra Motorsports Spline CUV. With Tire Rack's TPMS sensors already installed & balanced with those 245/65/17 Kumho Road Venture AT51s, this was 100% bolt-on experience. Factory should have done this setup as a "rough road" option or blessed dealers to offer it as a package, as the driving experience seems identical to the stock tires (same acceleration/braking) on pavement, with better traction in loose dirt, gravel, snow (per triple-peak snow rating stamped on AT51s).

TR even includes the socket adapter from stock lug wrench (in spare) to the Ultra's different size lug nuts. Make sure you carry 5 stock lug nuts in Ziploc baggie in the spare foam / funnel holster and call it good to go.

 

[longboat]

@stantaur: The TR TPMS sensors worked effortlessly with the Ridgeline? Just clarifying, as it was reported here to be sure to use Honda OEM TPMS sensors for compatibility. Maybe TR uses/suppliesHonda OEM sensors?

 

[stantaur]

Yes, the sensors Tire Rack installed were ~ $150-ish for all 4 and provided perfect info to the Ridgeline's system after a short 15 min drive. I didn't have any error messages pop up, and when I checked the pressures in the dash display everything looked great (37F, 35R).

 

[Dnick]

Brand new member here. Been following both the ridgeline and pilot forums. I may purchase one of these vehicles before the end of the year, if I can find a dealer that will get off this MSRP quest. I have a small travel trailer (3500 lbs) loaded, and I only camp fairly close to home (w/in 200 miles), a few times a year, so no long trips for me. I have tried to get out of Honda exactly what is the difference in strength (if any) for towing purposes between these two vehicles, to no avail. It does appear that the Ridgeline is better set up for towing initially with the radiator fans, tranny cooler, hitch, and 7 pin connector. My dilemma is I have 2 small grandchildren that will occasionally be with us and that 3rd seat will be handy. So this is the question: Does anyone have any proof that the Ridgeline frame and suspension is measurably stronger than the Pilot? I do not want to get into a situation with the Pilot where I have to add air bags, etc. etc., like I have all-ready done with my Toyota Sienna XLE minivan, to get the rear end up higher.

I also follow the "What did you pay for it" forum, and if the Honda dealers can move off MSRP, I will make a post. I will also consider a GMC Canyon, & a toyota 4-runner if Honda remains steadfast in their prices. In any event, I will keep everyone posted.

Peartree

Back to Peartree's original post.... I would be extraordinarily surprised if AWD Pilot did not share same radiator / tranny cooler as AWD Ridgeline. This is pure conjecture on my part, but it would be supereme idiocy in my opinion for Honda to do that.... & I don't believe they did. Others more intimately familiar with configuration details can chime in.
So if my speculation is correct, you're really only looking at the micro-benefits of minor suspension tweaks & longer wheelbase that others have pointed out. Should be a virtual wash. In which case, you'll want to go with whichever body/cabin configuration you prefer (truck or SUV).

'Used to be that Pilot had larger (rear?) discs than RL.... don't recall details off top of my head. Has anyone noticed if there is any brake differences for 2017 (or has that already been revealed elsewhere?). This could be pertinent to OP's query.

 

[digital.nate]

Back to Peartree's original post.... I would be extraordinarily surprised if AWD Pilot did not share same radiator / tranny cooler as AWD Ridgeline. This is pure conjecture on my part, but it would be supereme idiocy in my opinion for Honda to do that.... & I don't believe they did. Others more intimately familiar with configuration details can chime in.
So if my speculation is correct, you're really only looking at the micro-benefits of minor suspension tweaks & longer wheelbase that others have pointed out. Should be a virtual wash. In which case, you'll want to go with whichever body/cabin configuration you prefer (truck or SUV).

'Used to be that Pilot had larger (rear?) discs than RL.... don't recall details off top of my head. Has anyone noticed if there is any brake differences for 2017 (or has that already been revealed elsewhere?). This could be pertinent to OP's query.

It appears the the current generation Pilot does not come with the ATF cooler or hitch. It is an accessory purchase across all trim levels. From an older post I read on the piloteers forum, the ATF cooler may cost more if you have the 9-speed but I assume the people who spend that much on a vehicle don't mind.

This is a change from the second generation (boxy) Pilots - the hitch, ATF cooler, and power steering cooler were standard features in the 4WD models (I do not know about the FWD version).