Towing With A Ridgeline

[jspain]

Hello Everyone, new member, first post.


I am seriously considering the purchase of a Geo-Pro or an E-Pro G-19FBS and towing it with my first gen Honda Ridgeline. All of the critical numbers work, but I am looking for opinions from any members that have towed any G-19 model with a first gen Ridgeline and what your results are. I know that my truck will tow a 19 series OK as I have towed a slightly larger TT (full 8' wide and about 400 lbs heavier) and from a safety perspective, it did fine, no sway, stopped great and no "white knuckle" events.

My only issue was when towing in the WV and NC mountains, the truck would down shift to 3rd gear and turn at 4200-4500 rpms for extended periods. I know that this is not an issue with a Honda engine, but all I could manage was about 9 mpg combined mountains and flat.

Before I make the purchase, I just would like to know how the truck is going to react--mpgs, down shifting to third are my main concerns.

I did a search, but I did not find posts with this information.

Thanks, in advance.

John

[BehindBars]

What are the loaded weights of those trailer choices?

How many gears in your transmission? Six?

I’m not familiar with Gen 1, but my Gen 2 tows a 3800 pound boat with no sway or braking issues. I tow a 3000 pound cargo trailer in the North Carolina mountains and it handles great.

I’m generally getting 13-14 mpg (actual, not displayed) towing unless driving into a strong headwind. I don’t drive fast. One concern with the Ridgeline is the tiny 19 gallon fuel tank won’t get much range.

[bikendan]

All gassers will all get between 8-11mpg towing. Small engine tow vehicles will get the lower end, for exactly the reasons you experienced.
It's the frontal area resistance of the trailer, that greatly affects fuel mileage. Way more than trailer weight.
We considered a Ridgeline for our first tow vehicle but Honda's anti-WDH policy drove me away.
Plus the HTT we wanted was too much for the Ridgeline. So glad we got a v-8 truck with a 7200lbs towing capacity vs the 5000lbs towing capacity of the Honda. Plus Chevy strongly recommended using a WDH.
What your concern will be, is the heavier real world tongue weight of the single axle trailers vs what your Ridgeline's payload capacity is.

[CurtPutnam]

Welcome from SoCal! My daughter's guy bought a Ridgeline last year. He loves it but it is not a towing beast. We both agreed that it is basically a Pilot - which is why he bought it big DIY type). To reiterate, how does real world tongue weight play in your family scenario?

[dbledan]

The downshifting and revving is keeping the engine in the power band. It is normal. Every gas engine without a turbo will do this if tuned correctly. Ones with a turbo will downshift and rev a little less. It used to bother me but not so much anymore as long as I don't redline or overheat.

Loved our pilot for 13yrs but it could not tow more than 3k. Ridgelines had 2000lb payload as a marketing number. Never read the payload sticker or found the towing weights for them but sounds like it has not been an issue if downshifting is your major concern.

[Mrprovy]

9mpg is pretty good; my trip home in October (Ohio to NY) averaged 6.5mpg with a Geo 16BH behind my I6 Trailblazer.

[azfansinnc]

A friend of our tows an E pro 19 FBS behind a second gen Ridgeline. While the Ridgeline tows it fine, his fuel economy is in the single digits, around 8-9 IIRC.

Another friend has a 2018 Pilot AWD and he tows a Roo 19 and has a pair of kayaks on the roof of the Pilot. He gets 11-12 MPG towing at 65-70. While he has all the coolers in place, he did have a trans overtemp light once on a trip. He was pushing some higher speeds that trip which might have contributed. He slowed to 65-70 and didn't have another problem.

My personal experience towing with a Honda was with a 2003 MDX towing our 2005 Fleetwood popup. (The MDX towed the popup better than our 1998 Suburban (4x4 tow package) and with better economy.) We found with the MDX that it towed best when we kept it in 4th gear vs 5th. We used a light duty WDH (despite Honda's warnings) because the MDX was so soft in the rear and it also helped with the hobby horsing. Fuel economy running up and down I95 (70-75) was in the low to mid teens but would drop 3 MPG's (about 11) with bikes on the trailer, which I believe is partly to blame for our friends towing economy. He has a couple of bikes on the front nose of the ePro.

Personally, I love the Honda 3.5 engine. We still have the MDX and it's still going strong. We now tow our hybrid with a 2015 Yukon XL and get 8-9 MPG. It sucks, but if I hang the bikes on the front hitch it drops to 7. At least we have a 30 gallon tank so our range is still over 200 miles.

While I didn't answer your question directly, I hope it helps. Your Ridgeline probably doesn't have a D4 selector like the newer ones and our MDX had. It will shift more than you like out of D5 on the highways but if you're in the mountains you'll probably be in D3 anyway. However, the trans programming in the Honda's is much more advanced than any domestic truck I have towed with. If you are within spec, you should be fine.

[jspain]

Originally Posted by BehindBars

What are the loaded weights of those trailer choices?

How many gears in your transmission? Six?

I’m not familiar with Gen 1, but my Gen 2 tows a 3800 pound boat with no sway or braking issues. I tow a 3000 pound cargo trailer in the North Carolina mountains and it handles great.

I’m generally getting 13-14 mpg (actual, not displayed) towing unless driving into a strong headwind. I don’t drive fast. One concern with the Ridgeline is the tiny 19 gallon fuel tank won’t get much range.

Thanks BB for getting back to me.


My gen 1 is a 5 speed and the various reports that I have seen state that the gen 2 Ridgeline gets 2-6 mpg better than a gen 1, so that is an option that I have not ruled out. Just want to go into this with my eyes wide open!


Yes range is an issue @ 9mpg. When you reach 1/4 tank, you better be looking at your next gas station or you risk walking--I started carrying 5 gals. in the trunk.

[jspain]

Originally Posted by bikendan

All gassers will all get between 8-11mpg towing. Small engine tow vehicles will get the lower end, for exactly the reasons you experienced.
It's the frontal area resistance of the trailer, that greatly affects fuel mileage. Way more than trailer weight.
We considered a Ridgeline for our first tow vehicle but Honda's anti-WDH policy drove me away.
Plus the HTT we wanted was too much for the Ridgeline. So glad we got a v-8 truck with a 7200lbs towing capacity vs the 5000lbs towing capacity of the Honda. Plus Chevy strongly recommended using a WDH.
What your concern will be, is the heavier real world tongue weight of the single axle trailers vs what your Ridgeline's payload capacity is.

There is a guy on You Tube that tows a 19' Escape 2860 lbs. dry all fiberglass trailer made in Canada with an 06 Frontier straight drive and claims 13-16 mpg depending on terrain and head wind, so I think that better than
11 mpg is doable but not with my truck.


I use a WDH despite what Honda recommends and I see no issues what so ever with the receiver on my truck.


I agree that the aero load is the big issue here and a 1/2 truck or full size SUV would solve my problem, but I am the original owner of my truck, it has very low miles (44,000) for its age (2010) and with the exception of towing, I am taking a back step if I move to any full size truck--again just evaluating options.

[acadianbob]

I think you should be more concerned about your payload capacity; especially with an independent rear end like your SUV has. If you look at a Ridgeline from the rear, that has a load on it, your wheels will look like this. /-----\ You will get some a lot of squat and perhaps some excessive wear on the inside edges of your rear tires.

I'm not positive about this . . but . . . I think the reason for no WD hitch on the Honda is that it doesn't have a frame. It is unibody I believe.

[upflying]

I used to tow the TT in my signature with a '10 Nissan Frontier.
The Nissan did fine on flat terrain but struggled with mountains and grades.
It eventually got there but there wasn't much reserve power. Reserve power enhances that subjective feeling of safety. The 9mpg and small 18 gallon tank meant frequent stops and careful route planning.
I decided to upgrade my TV with Ram overkill just in case of a future TT upgrade.
The difference was dramatic.

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by acadianbob

I think you should be more concerned about your payload capacity; especially with an independent rear end like your SUV has. If you look at a Ridgeline from the rear, that has a load on it, your wheels will look like this. /-----\ You will get some a lot of squat and perhaps some excessive wear on the inside edges of your rear tires.

I'm not positive about this . . but . . . I think the reason for no WD hitch on the Honda is that it doesn't have a frame. It is unibody I believe.

First gen Ridgeline payload capacity is 1549 pounds.

On my 2nd gen, with similar payload rating, 300-400 pounds of tongue weight doesn’t drop the rear much.

If the independent rear suspension has upper and lower arms, wouldn’t the rear camber remain fairly consistent even with a load?

Yes, the Ridgeline is a unibody construction.

[njfishing]

Towing a roo21dk with my Ridgeline and I’m actually surprised how well it tows. The roo has a dry weight of 4100 so I’m thinking 4900 when I’m loaded and I don’t run with my water tanks full.. I figure my tongue weight is roughly 700. I use an equalizer wdh which helps with sway and rear end squat. Never felt unsafe, make sure to air up my tires on the Ridgeline to max rating and stay under 65. I’m getting 9 mpg and using premium fuel while towing and it does make a difference... It allows you to hold the higher gears a bit longer rather than downshifting. About the only time I really feel the trailer back there is when being passed by a semi truck and when towing up a steep long grade. It does downshift on a grade but never screams too much.. I can typically maintain 55 @ 4500 rpms.

[tc cruiser]

jspain,
I have a Gen2 2017 Honda Ridgeline and an epro 19fbs. I live in PA with plenty of hills and have no issues towning. I also use a Curt weight dist. hitch. I average 21 mpg while not towing and a solid 14 mpg while towing combined city and mountains. Your mileage may vary because you have the Gen1., less horsepower.
Tom

[remach67]

Been towing with the Old Ridgeline 4 years now. Had the vehicle so wanted to stay under the 5k weight limit. Bought a new 2016 Wolf Pup and had the dealer install the WDH. Towed up and down the East Coast from Maine to VA. Yes, it's a little under powered. I don't tow over 65 and when going uphill, don't push it, keep steady on the gas and if it slows down to 50, so what. I have the tranny, xfer case and rear diff. changed every few years. Love the Ridgeline and can't afford a new tow vehicle so it is what it is. Enjoy your new TT.

[Iowa City Fix It]

I had a 2006 Honda Ridgeline that I used to tow a hybrid trailer. The trailer was an SOB made by R Vision. It was 17 feet long and only 7 feet wide. Empty weight was around 2,300 pounds with a GVWR just under 4,250.

We had an absolute terrible time pulling that trailer. First we had problems with the engine overheating. Ending up putting in a new radiator and adding a heat transfer solution to the coolant.

Next the transmission was overheating. Hmmm, nothing like the smell of your transmission cooking. Ended up taking off the stock transmission cooler and installing one about 4 times the size. I was forever changing the transmission fluid. I used genuine Honda fluid.

Went through all sorts of troubleshooting to try to find out why I couldn't pull it. Checked thermostat, cooling fins, water pump was new, trailer brakes and bearing, etc.

There is no way I could recommend pulling a travel trailer with a Ridgeline.

[eaglecrest]

You can pull with any vehicle that has enough power to do so. Pulling is not the issue. You have to ask yourself how long does it take to stop safely?

You must remember the standard brakes on a trailer is technology from 1960. Yes Drum brakes will stop eventually. I switched over to disk because it just is not safe when you are in heavy traffic or going downhill.

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by eaglecrest

You can pull with any vehicle that has enough power to do so. Pulling is not the issue. You have to ask yourself how long does it take to stop safely?

So true. With proper brakes on the trailer, the trailer should essentially take care of itself and not tax the tow vehicle significantly.

I would hope that the tow vehicle’s braking ability is a factor considered when a manufacturer rates a vehicle for GCWR and maximum towing weight.

The 2nd generation AWD Ridgeline does come equipped with an underdash connector for an add-on brake controller and the electric brake power is wired back to the 7 way trailer connector. I‘m not familiar with the 1st gen wiring configuration.

[jimmoore13]

My son has a Pilot...same generation. We live in the Rocky mountains.

Your RL can handle it, but do yourself and the truck a favor. Learn to shift manually. 75% of redline is the sweet spot for power, and the engine - especially a Honda - can do that all day.

My son's Pilot is easy to shift manually and hold any gear. Yes, it has a column shifter, but it works great. It's the first thing I taught him when we got him the car. Dragging your brakes on a long downhill is a good way to die.

DOWNHILL: Shift down for engine braking. Preserve your brakes for when you really need them. Practice this. KNOW unequivocally how fast you can be going in a higher gear and still shift down to the lower gear. It could save your life in WV. If you ask for a lower gear and you're going too fast, the transmission will simply refuse to shift down, and your goose may be cooked.

UPHILL: Downshift and hold a lower gear when climbing. Full-power down-and-up-shifts are hard on the transmission and on the passengers. Settling in at 5000 RPM on a long climb is far more peaceful, and there's none of that lunging associated with a full-throttle downshift. You also get to modulate the throttle, say for a turn, without the transmission immediately upshifting the moment you lift off.

You have a tachometer. Use it. It's there to tell you safe engine RPM. Don't ride redline, but know that your engine is in its glory at 5000 RPM.

My 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 has a 4-speed od transmission. It has a tach and redline is 6500. I spend most of my towing time in the mountains in 2nd gear at about 5000 rpm at 60 mph or less. But climbing and descending at 60 mph with a trailer in tow is FAST. On steep mountain passes, I see first gear regularly. First can go over 45 mph, so 30 mph in 1st gear is a piece of cake.

Also, if you have the ability to turn off overdrive, do it. It will probably never engage, but if it does, it will be only for a few seconds. Again, clutch wear as the transmission attempts all this useless shifting. Keep the RPM up so you have power when you ask for it.

Bear in mind that this is fundamentally a front wheel drive vehicle with automatic application of all wheel drive as needed. FWD is NOT an ideal choice for towing uphill. Weight transfer is to the rear, and that big lump hanging off your rear bumper is actually levering the front tires off the ground. When climbing on loose dirt/gravel roads, be patient, because your AWD will be switching in and out. Better yet, I think your RL has an AWD lock. When in the rough stuff, engage it so the AWD clutches aren't doing the Hokey Pokey and burning themselves up trying to keep up with traction issues.

Towing eats gas. Get over it. A bigger TV will eat more gas...all the time, not just when towing...and a diesel will eat you out of house and home up front at purchase and in maintenance. Fuggedaboutit!

One more thing. If you don't need, get and use a WDH, look into airbags to help the rear suspension, level your TV and keep the headlights from aiming at the Moon. My trailers are always on the small side, like yours, so I can go boondocking and overland. But Dodges are softly sprung. Even a 2000# popup sagged my rear suspension, and the truck wallowed like a pig in the whoops. Airbags made all the difference. I just restore a level ride height at the rear bumper (use a ruler to measure unladen bumper or wheel-well height), and it totally transforms the truck.


You can do this. Watch your weights. Be aware of the limitations of FWD, shift manually, and enjoy the ride.

See photos. If you're staring down the barrel of a 25 mile descent on a 7% grade, knowing what you're doing makes all the difference. I've driven in WV on a motorcycle, and some of that terrain is smaller in scale but just as treacherous. And guess what? That's where you're going to want to go with your new toy, so practice so you're good at it.

[HONDAMAN174]

I have pulled a 4K popup with an ‘11 pilot and it did well. You will have more wind resistance than I did but just take your time in the right lane like I did. 4500 rpm is your power spot for max torque and I would routinely pull a 10% grade for 18 miles at that rpm. I did get in the habit of changing trans and rear diff fluid every Year but I worked at a dealership then.