Just picked up a new honda ridgeline!

wakeboarder2342 · Criminal Joined: 20 Jul 2004 Posts: 91

I just picked up a new honda ridgeline, i hope it has the pulling power to pull my boat!!

and before the bashing starts i gotta say this is one nice ride!! i also own a chevy silverado extended cab and an 04 duramax, and my wife drives an 04 tahoe so spare me the crap about how i should have bought a real truck!!! Smile

im sure car and driver and motor trend picking it truck of the year doenst matter either!!

sorry for the sarcasm, i just got a lot of crap on another board when i posted a similar thing!!!

J-Ro · Posted: Feb 08, 2006 3:24 pm Post subject:

wakeboarder2342, Why did you buy a third truck?

wakeboarder2342 · Criminal Joined: 20 Jul 2004 Posts: 91

cause uncle sam lets me write off 100k per year in vehicles so its either that or pay taxes. our family business has to buy 3-4 suv's or trucks per year.

i am going to sell the extended cab as it hasnt left the driveway in quite some time now.

uncle sam was also nice enough to let me write off my wakeboard boat i bought last year!!

Chad H · Posted: Feb 08, 2006 4:37 pm Post subject:

I really like this truck. I am a honda guy so i guess they kind of have to do with one another. Is it a 8 or a 6 cylinder?

wakeboarder2342 · Criminal Joined: 20 Jul 2004 Posts: 91

its a V-6

gets around 20mpg on the highway and so far has great power. i havent pulled anything really heavy yet but i will be soon.

pilot_ryder · Posted: Feb 08, 2006 6:39 pm Post subject:

sweet have any pictures?

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

wakeboarder2342, I'm pretty sure that you can't tow above 5000, and that is only if the trailer has brakes.

That said, I don't think I would tow 3,500 with it. It just does not exude confidence as a truck. Feels to me like a lifted car with poor visibility to the rear. Neutral

And the answer is yes, I have driven them. My stepfather got one about 2 months ago. He loves it, but does admit this is a limited tow duty vehicle at best. His boat only weighs 2,500(ish) so he should be fine with it.

You should get more like 24 on the highway if you drive at reasonable speeds.

whitlock87 · Newbie Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 4 City: Valinda

I checked your profile, and you do not list your boat.
I have a Tige Switch –V (20v) trailer, boat, & crap = over 6000lbs.

When we got our new truck, I did a lot of research on Stopping and Towing Cap.
(Trailer brakes only help so much, if they are working)

If your trailer has breaks, make sure that it sits level with everything loaded.
Other people I know that bought this truck have had to add air bags to the back.

Congrats on the new toy, and enjoy.
David

wakeboarder2342 · Criminal Joined: 20 Jul 2004 Posts: 91

that was one of the reasons i think it will be ok, the only boat i pull with it is a moomba mobius lsv. It only weighs 3300 lbs or so and i only pull it 30 min to the lake i ride at. If i go any further to lake powell i take a differnt boat and a differnt truck, the moomba isnt great at lake powell due to the low draft! but its a great boat to take out to the local lake just to ride.

i dont think i should have any problems pulling this boat, the trailer is also dual axle and has brakes as well.

ill post an update as soon as get it out of storage! only 3 more months to go!!!

Bambamski · Posted: Feb 09, 2006 8:12 am Post subject:

You said it yourself, the whole real truck comment. As long as you know it's not a real truck you should be good with it. I have some friends with farms and ranches and they pretty much have said anyone that buys one won't be allowed on their property with it. As long as you know it's a soccer mom, chick car grocery getter and don't pretend it's anything more than that it's ok. I think Honda makes a great car, but I laugh when they try and pass this thing off as a truck Laughing

Broccoli B · Posted: Feb 09, 2006 11:36 am Post subject:

SuprAir · Outlaw Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 180 City: Columbus

Loppy · Posted: Feb 10, 2006 10:07 am Post subject:

Let me get this straight...

You have a Duramax sitting in the driveway, yet you elect to tow a 6000lb boat with a Honda?

I know you can afford to play with trucks... but that just doesn't make sense. Question

tball · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 3953

I am a huge Honda fan and I like the idea of the Ridgeline, I just wish they had:

1. made it a little bigger (mostly wheelbase/bed)
2. offered a V8
3. lowered the height of the bedrails (way too tall near the cab)

As mentioned in another thread, I think the 07 Tundra will be a great product...I just hope that GM and Ford are paying attention or the F150 and C/K1500 will go the way of the Lumina and Taurus. I've owned an F150, C1500, and a Sierra 1500HD in the last six years. All good trucks but I'll be test driving a Titan, Tundra, and Ridgeline along with the GM and Ford products next time around. (Dodge is not an option, but that's my own hangup).

Broccoli B · Posted: Feb 10, 2006 1:00 pm Post subject:

Northeast · Criminal Joined: 22 Dec 2005 Posts: 78

If you didn't make all this stuff, can ya buy me a new truck???

Commodore · Ladies Man Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Posts: 11636

You do know you don't have to buy a new truck to save on those taxes? You can trade one in and get another. That will help you stay in equity if you start it off right with some cash down.

But I have to personally say "no" on the ridgeline. Not really a truck in my opinion. Just a truck wannabe because everyone else in the market is building them.

tball, I see what you are saying, but it's hard to beat the guys who have been building trucks for over 50years.

swilly · Soul Rider Joined: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 362 City: Eugene

I almost bought a Ridgeline too, but went with an F-150. The ridgeline should pull your boat 30mins to the lake just fine. The other concern with the Honda truck product is that they are Uni Body, not really designed for heavy duty pulling.

But again, you said yourself, if your going the distance, you will be using another truck.

Darin · Guest

For those in the truck market, here's what I just learned. My Hemi Ram isn't as nice a tow truck as I had hoped. Hemi power is like sports car power. Think Nissan Z pulling a trailer. Plenty of HP but no torque. Deisel power is about $5k more. I did the math. The saving in the fuel you save by getting better milage will pay for that over 5 years. If you keep it longer, it's money in your pocket. Based on driving 20k miles a year, 12 mpg gas and 20 mpg deisel, $2.34 gas $2.54 deisel. I tow darn near 100% of the time with my truck. I probably get 12 mpg. The Hemi is fast, 0-60 in about 8.5 secs, mush better than the 360 Ram I had. But it doesn't tow much different. My next truck WILL be the deisel. I tow a work construction work trailer every day, boat, travel trailer, horse trailer or Sea Doo on the weekends. I only paid 24k for my new quad cab 1500. The jump from the 1500 to 2500 will be more than the $5K for just the deisel upgrade. So I probably wont be able to buy new. I'll hope to spend under $25k in 3 and half years.

karkid · Soul Rider Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 327 City: Tempe

if you get a diesel you can convert it to run on used veggie grease and then you won't have to buy hardly any fuel

SuprAir · Outlaw Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 180 City: Columbus

tball · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 3953

swilly · Soul Rider Joined: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 362 City: Eugene

3205lpv · Newbie Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 34 City: Kennesaw

Super air the guy talking about buying a diesel says he tows a truck for his job so it would make sense for him. Becasue he is always towing. I honeslty think the ridgeline is ugly, but that is just me. I am sure it is well built because it is a Honda. The unibody consrtuction is not an issue. The old jeep cherokees not the grand cherokees were only a half frame. Not a full frame. Also I think that if a vehicle manufacurer rates there vehicle to tow a specified amout I am sure it can otherwise it would be a lawsuit waiting to happen.

swilly · Soul Rider Joined: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 362 City: Eugene

Darin · Guest

My Hemi Ram 1500 is rated at 8600lbs. But even with my 4 to 5k lb trailers I defenatly feel them back there. I know 2 guys that tow trailer every day that went to deisel, both say it's drastically better. If I were to tow every other weekend, I would be fine with my truck. But since it's everyday, deisel is in the future. I was looking at the Nissan trucks before I bought this one. I think they have a 9600lb rating. But even though they beef up the suspension, you still want basic grunt torque at the green light all the time. I think the Ram Cummins has 600= ft/lbs of torque as opposed to my HEMI @350 ft/lbs of torque.

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Darin, the other factor is where that power is made. Diesel (and many previous gas motors) used to make all their peak torque at the bottom of the powerband.

Now that everyone wants to measure their d*cks, they put an emphasis on HP.

Trucks are about torque. End of discussion. A 300hp truck that produces it's peak torque at 4500RPM will get out towed by a 260hp truck that produces it's peak torque at 2000RPM every single time.