Honda Ridgeline

Does anyone have any experience towing with a Honda Ridgeline?

Thanks for all the info We ended up with a 2004 Escalade EXT First mileage just under 18 MPG

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by GoodHarbor

Does anyone have any experience towing with a Honda Ridgeline?

You can go to cars.com and get the specs for your Ridgeline:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...8&aff=national

Select your exact vehicle to get the correct info. I selected one model and got these results:

Curb weight 4,513 lbs.
GVWR 6,050 lbs.
Front GAWR 3,105 lbs.
Rear GAWR 3,252 lbs.
Payload 1,549 lbs.
Towing capacity 5,000 lbs.
GCWR 10,085 lbs.

The most important # is the GCWR on your vehicle. On the one that I selected, it is 10,085# (your vehicle may be different). If you subtract the Curb weight of 4513# you will have 5572# for passengers, cargo and fuel and total trailer weight. It's usually better to figure that your TV may be close to maxed out to the GVWR of 6050# (including trailer tongue weight), leaving you 4,035# for your trailer.

The best thing to do is to get your 13 digit VIN and call the Honda dealer service dept. They can put your VIN into the computer and give you the exact ratings for your exact vehicle, as it was built.

I realize this doesn't answer your question but I thought that it might be helpful to you (and others).

Wayne

I have 07 3124KB and I pull it with 07 Ridgeline.
I also pulled TM with my dad's 02 Sequoia. Even though Sequoia is V8 I didn't feel much difference pulling with my RL. You can definitely feel the weight in the back especially hilly areas. I usually camp with hookups so I travel as light as possible. I love RL but it's not made for towing big rigs but as far as TM's concerned you should be fine.

[Roy in Texas]

I have an 06 RL and a 04 diesel Excursion and have towed with both. I find the RL adequate, but much prefer the Excursion. I recently got an average 15 mpg towing my 08 TM 2720 to Colorado, throught the mountains, and back from Texas. The RL gets about 12 mpg towing in Texas.

Handling in the RL is good when towing. Passing is adequate. No problem towing at 65 mph on cruise control. I have not towed with the RL outside of Texas, so I don't have experience with it in the mountains. I suspect that if you take your time, it would be fine.

We have an 08 Ridgeline and tow 2619TM. So far we have made two trips towing the TM for camping and the four hour drive pulling it back from the dealership. After the first camping trip I put a WDH on it. We boondock and fill the 40 gal water tank up and water heater and toilet before we go. So we are carrying a lot of weight. The WDH made a big difference in how the Ridgeline handles a fully loaded 2619TM. I would guess that our 2619 weighs about 3,500 lbs as we tow it. I did my calculation with the known weight of water and propane and guessed for the other junk we put in it. I love driving the Ridgeline as a TV it is a little light on power in the mountains which means instead of going 55 or 60 on a steep grade you go 45mph. You will need to get extension mirrors for the Ridgeline as you will not be able to see vehicles behind you that are closer than say 100 feet. It would be nice to have more power but most of the time you are driving the Ridgeline without a TM behind it. So for 95% or more of my driving the Ridgeline is a great vehicle and for the 4% of the towing time it is a good TV.

Edited to ad: My Ridgeline is an 08 RTX with the factory towing package. I just had it weighed. It had 3/4th tank of gas, a few tools in it, no people and it weighed 4,570lbs. So with knowing the total weight of the people riding in the Ridgeline as being 360lbs and I carry a Honda E1000 weight 30lbs and misc stuff est@ 200 I get the following:

10085GCWR
-4,570 Ridgeline 3/4 tank of gas
-360 People
-30
-200
-3,500TM loaded
=1,425 of excess GCWR or proves I am not exceeding vehicles GCWR

I tow a 2720 with a 2006 Ridgeline. It does a fine job. You can certainly feel the weight, but the handling is very solid. After reading lots and lots of info I decided to use a WDH as the rear end sag without a WDH hitch was too much. I usually tow about 60 mph, but sometimes go to 70 for passing. I get approx 16 mpg when towing. As others have said, you will slow down on steep hills, but it is only on steep hills. I am very happy with the Ridgeline and the TM - they are a great pair and would have no reservations in recommending them to anyone.

[Virginia Deacon]

When we looked at Ridgelines, about a year ago, I was surprised to see (in the fine print) the requirement that premium gas be used when towing. That, coupled with the fact that I already had 5000# towing capacity, made our decision not to buy a Ridgeline.

Does the Ridgeline still require premium gas to tow?

I only use regular gas. The specifications call for regular. It does say in the trailer towing area that premium is recommended. I think the key word is recommended. I have not had any pinging using regular towing my TM. Maybe premium would provide a little more power.

Originally Posted by freein05

I only use regular gas. The specifications call for regular. It does say in the trailer towing area that premium is recommended. I think the key word is recommended. I have not had any pinging using regular towing my TM. Maybe premium would provide a little more power.

Conceptually, what might be happening is the engine may be tuned for premium gas. When using regular gas, pinging is detected and the timing is adjusted (retarded I think) to eliminate the pinging. This protects the engine with a loss of power.

Pinging normally happens most often under heavy load. Stomp on the gas pedal towing a trailer going up a hill.

As a compromise I would suggest use regular when not towing and use premium either when towing or at least when towing on hills.

I haven't heard a car ping in ages! Have computers/fuel injectors taken care of it or have I just been lucky? That was always a good way to tell if you were using high enough octane gas...does it still work that way?