[ISO Truck]

Agreed. But if you avoid looking at the tachometer and just focus on the acceleration and performance, does the trusty J35 get it done for you adequately? You're hampered by the 6 speed, don't forget. Several threads can be found of owners towing near limits satisfactorily with the new 9 speed. I don't think they mind that it's shifting at 4K RPM when their old GM 5.7 would shift at 3K. Give and take. Take all the best things you like about the Ridgeline but give a little when the times comes to tow.

I get it though. I wish the Ridgeline had a diesel option, hybrid option and 6 speed manual.

My G1 Ridgeline has a 5-speed. Yes, in 2014 Honda was still using a 5-speed auto.

When we purchased our first Honda V6 in 1995, it came with a 4-speed auto at a time when the industry standard was 5-speed and many offered 6- and 7-speed autos. Almost twenty years later Honda was offering 1-more gear!!!

 

[Soichiro1906]

My G1 Ridgeline has a 5-speed. Yes, in 2014 Honda was still using a 5-speed auto.

When we purchased our first Honda V6 in 1995, it came with a 4-speed auto at a time when the industry standard was 5-speed and many offered 6- and 7-speed autos. Almost twenty years later Honda was offering 1-more gear!!!

Oh wow, the 5 speed! I guess my next question would be - have you experienced the new 9 speed yet?

 

[zroger73]

My G1 Ridgeline has a 5-speed. Yes, in 2014 Honda was still using a 5-speed auto.

When we purchased our first Honda V6 in 1995, it came with a 4-speed auto at a time when the industry standard was 5-speed and many offered 6- and 7-speed autos. Almost twenty years later Honda was offering 1-more gear!!!

And Mazda is still using 6-speed transmissions and Toyota still uses a 5-speed in the 4Runner.

 

[Soichiro1906]

And Mazda is still using 6-speed transmissions and Toyota still uses a 5-speed in the 4Runner.

That 6 speed in my '16 CX-5 was impressive. I loved the quick shifts, how it seemed to know how long to hold gears in sport mode and just the overall function was great.

 

[ISO Truck]

Oh wow, the 5 speed! I guess my next question would be - have you experienced the new 9 speed yet?

No I haven’t.

The 5-speed in my ‘14 is not a bad transmission (aside from being a bit too “light duty.”) In the final model years of the G1, the engine got a slight bump in hp/torque, combined with an adjustment to transmission gearing. Low gears got lower, high gears got higher. The range is quite decent, and combined with a locking rear differential it does well on boat ramps.

I have no doubts that the 9-speed is far superior, though. However, the G2’s lack of full size spare is a nonstarter for me.

 

[ISO Truck]

The new J35Y8 has to turn even faster to develop peak torque than the J35Y6 does. It sounds like you'll be leaving the Honda brand soon.

I may not be purchasing a new automobile from them again, but we won’t be leaving the Honda brand any time soon. Our CRV, Pilot, and Ridgeline are all from a different Honda era and have quite a bit of reliable service life remaining.

And there is a good chance I’ll be buying a few more motorcycles from them, at any rate…

 

[zroger73]

However, the G2’s lack of full size spare is a nonstarter for me.

When is the last time you had a spare tire on the ground? For me, it was 2002. Neither of my two vehicles I currently own (7 months for the Model Y and 4 years for the MX-5 Miata) have a spare tire of any size.

 

[longboat]

Good news is that there is a place in the bed of the G2 to bolt on a full-size spare. Bad news is you give up a bit of bed space and a little visibility out the rear window.

 

[ISO Truck]

When is the last time you had a spare tire on the ground? For me, it was 2002. Neither of my two vehicles I currently own (7 months for the Model Y and 4 years for the MX-5 Miata) have a spare tire of any size.

2022. In the Ridgeline on a 1000-mile r/t trip.

For people who don’t tow or go off-pavement or do anything at all tricky with their vehicles, a donut will suffice. I tow regularly and we have a 15-mile over beach drive to our beach house. A donut spare will not suffice for those conditions.

Mounting a full-size spare in the bed is a serious design shortcoming I am not willing to live with.

 

[Soichiro1906]

Yeah, I was gonna say you gotta at least have a donut while towing. My '18 Civic Si didn't have a spare, just a "kit" and that really made me pause in the showroom while the salesman was ready to show me other stuff. I had heard of these kits but was never faced with one. I drove the crap out of that car though, released my mid life crisis valve and never had to use the "kit" thankfully.

I tow regularly and we have a 15-mile over beach drive to our beach house.

Nice! But no donuts for you.

 

[F6Hawk]

No I haven’t.

The 5-speed in my ‘14 is not a bad transmission (aside from being a bit too “light duty.”) In the final model years of the G1, the engine got a slight bump in hp/torque, combined with an adjustment to transmission gearing. Low gears got lower, high gears got higher. The range is quite decent, and combined with a locking rear differential it does well on boat ramps.

I have no doubts that the 9-speed is far superior, though. However, the G2’s lack of full size spare is a nonstarter for me.

Seriously? Why is that?

The ONLY thing I have ever done with a spare tire on any Honda I have ever owned is pulled it out annually to check the pressure. Have never actually installed one and driven with it. At least with the RL, the task of checking spare tire pressure means I never get my hands dirty like trucks that carry the tire under the bed.

 

[ISO Truck]

Seriously? Why is that?

The ONLY thing I have ever done with a spare tire on any Honda I have ever owned is pulled it out annually to check the pressure. Have never actually installed one and driven with it. At least with the RL, the task of checking spare tire pressure means I never get my hands dirty like trucks that carry the tire under the bed.

Because hauling a full size spare around in the bed of the truck is a hassle. It uses up cargo space, blocks visibility, leaves the spare exposed to theft and the elements, and just plain looks dumb.

I guess I am spoiled by having the full-size spare fit nicely in the trunk of the larger G1 trunk. This feature of the G1 Ridgeline used to be a point of pride for Honda.

My owners manual (and plain common sense) says that the donut spare is not suitable for towing and off-roading. I do both of those things regularly, so have a full-size spare stored neatly in the trunk on a slide-out tray. And I have needed it.

Good for you that you’ve never needed your spare. Maybe you should just remove the donut entirely since you never use it?

 

[zroger73]

Maybe you should just remove the donut entirely since you never use it?

That's what many automakers are doing with many of their models - including Honda.

My '23 Model Y, '19 RDX, '19 MX-5 Miata, and '18 Civic Si didn't come with any kind of spare tire.

 

[F6Hawk]

Because hauling a full size spare around in the bed of the truck is a hassle. It uses up cargo space, blocks visibility, leaves the spare exposed to theft and the elements, and just plain looks dumb.

I guess I am spoiled by having the full-size spare fit nicely in the trunk of the larger G1 trunk. This feature of the G1 Ridgeline used to be a point of pride for Honda.

My owners manual (and plain common sense) says that the donut spare is not suitable for towing and off-roading. I do both of those things regularly, so have a full-size spare stored neatly in the trunk on a slide-out tray. And I have needed it.

Good for you that you’ve never needed your spare. Maybe you should just remove the donut entirely since you never use it?

I COULD remove it, but the gain in "cargo space" would be limited. Couldn't even fit a dead body in there, lol.

Since you tow so much, and since the RL has so little low-end torque, I'm surprised you bought a RL in the first place.

Don't get me wrong, I thought the fullsized spare in the G1 was a nice touch. I just never used it in 11 years, so when they switched to the the donuts, I wasn't all that upset. But the idea behind a spare tire is only to limp you to the first place to repair a bad tire, and as such it fits the bill just fine IMO.

 

[longboat]

FWIW, the LPL for the G2, Kerry McClure, stated that the donut was designed to handle a Ridgeline with full payload or towing, for whatever the design parameters are (50 miles at 50mph, or something like that... I've slept a lot since then...).

 

[longboat]

It just seems a shame that Honda would limit this engine to outboards only. I think it would make for a great truck engine, or even an NSX!

https://hondanews.com/en-US/honda-marine/releases/release-1128768177ab00a73471b1938c0ffab6-honda-marine-bf350-v8-outboard-secures-prestigious-industry-accolades-for-innovation-and-design

 

[john brown]

It just seems a shame that Honda would limit this engine to outboards only. I think it would make for a great truck engine, or even an NSX!

https://hondanews.com/en-US/honda-marine/releases/release-1128768177ab00a73471b1938c0ffab6-honda-marine-bf350-v8-outboard-secures-prestigious-industry-accolades-for-innovation-and-design

I have run honda outboards and they last forever under very rough conditins and minimal maintenence, but I can also tell you that honda may advertise a horsepower and have different rearing to the propr but Honda does not get the performance out of the engine that other manufactures do with the same stated HP, but it is a good test field running those engines in the ocean for years before putting them in vehicles