Honda pilot
- Thread starter Dogmann
- Start date
A friend owns a Pilot. It's a reliable and reasonably economical alternative for family transportation. His has ~150K miles, with no mechanical problems. The Pilot's stock tires are definitely oriented to being quiet on the highway, not for fighting through mud and gravel. With a change to all-terrain tires, the Pilot could probably scramble its way up most forest service roads. For slippery conditions, the Pilot has electronic traction control. The Pilot has OK ground clearance, but no underbody protection, so you should keep the speed low when driving over more challenging terrain.
So you probably could drive the Pilot on most anything that looks like a road, but probably not very far on two track trails. It would take very careful wheel placement to traverse more challenging terrain.
So you probably could drive the Pilot on most anything that looks like a road, but probably not very far on two track trails. It would take very careful wheel placement to traverse more challenging terrain.
zukrider
Explorer
im a honda tech. i would not take a pilot/element/ridgeline any further than a maintained dirt road. and even some of those may be a bit much. heavy dirt use will kill the struts opening up squeeks and rattles. just saw yesterday, a ridgeline that sees obvious use in the mountains, with the top driver steering rack mount broken free from the subframe. big money repair.
great cars. but just that, its a big all wheel drive CAR
great cars. but just that, its a big all wheel drive CAR
D
Deleted member 13060
Guest
That's what they do best.... Had a Ridgeline (same power train) come along on a Ghost Town trip a few years back. He was struggling long before I pushed the locker button on my stock TRD Prerunner.....
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D
Deleted member 13060
Guest
You're correct.... Ridgeline not Ridgerunner. That'll teach me to type when it's pushin 100* in the shop....
stioc
Expedition Leader
I would have to respectfully disagree. I took my Ridgeline on many trail runs and it exceeded my expectations.
I bought it brand new mainly to tow our travel trailer, use it for camping, exploring the dirt roads, bring home lumber/furniture/dirt etc for home projects and drive the family around. It exceeded my expectations in all areas. When I started using it for the trail runs I added a 2" spacer lift (Fat Bob Garage) for 10.2" of ground clearance. The VTM lock and VSA worked like lockers on both the front and the back. The main thing it didn't have for offroading was a 4-LO. I'm not saying it's the ideal truck for trail duty (underbody protection, tire size, no hill descent control, no ABS-off switch etc) but it's a great do-it-all truck with a smooth and quiet ride as well as good handling and safety.
The way AWD works requires wheel slippage so people think the truck is struggling going up a hill but it's just doing its thing. The conventional 4WD like in my Pathfinder there's less wheel slippage because all 4 wheels are turning so there's more traction available to pull the truck. The Ridgeline for example uses 2WD most of the time to save gas and depends on wheel slippage to send the power to the other 2 wheels. However, the good thing with the RL is that you can lock it into 4WD using the VTM button and first gear as long as your speed was below 20mph or so.
It wasn't however without limitations (as with most trucks) and you have to understand how its AWD system works to take advantage of it. For example, if the VSA (traction control) is on (which it is by default) and you're trying to go up a sandy dune, it'll bog down and get stuck because VSA is trying to prevent wheel spin so it's working against you. Turn VSA off and try again and you'll get through. On an uneven surface however VSA helps by acting as a limited slip differential, when one wheel slips it applies the brakes to it so you want it on. I would recommend a small lift and bigger/aggressive tires for improved traction and ability to climb.
Bottomline, if all you want to do is off roading then the RL (I think Pilot's are similar but Gary, the father of RL's technology put in a lot of work into the RL, not sure about the Pilot) isn't the right platform but if you want a swiss army knife of cars then RL is a good choice and easy to live with on a day to day basis. Definitely research the Pilot (or RL) on their respective forums to get an idea of what most people are complaining about and what they like and then decide where those things are on your priority list. Goodluck.
I bought it brand new mainly to tow our travel trailer, use it for camping, exploring the dirt roads, bring home lumber/furniture/dirt etc for home projects and drive the family around. It exceeded my expectations in all areas. When I started using it for the trail runs I added a 2" spacer lift (Fat Bob Garage) for 10.2" of ground clearance. The VTM lock and VSA worked like lockers on both the front and the back. The main thing it didn't have for offroading was a 4-LO. I'm not saying it's the ideal truck for trail duty (underbody protection, tire size, no hill descent control, no ABS-off switch etc) but it's a great do-it-all truck with a smooth and quiet ride as well as good handling and safety.
The way AWD works requires wheel slippage so people think the truck is struggling going up a hill but it's just doing its thing. The conventional 4WD like in my Pathfinder there's less wheel slippage because all 4 wheels are turning so there's more traction available to pull the truck. The Ridgeline for example uses 2WD most of the time to save gas and depends on wheel slippage to send the power to the other 2 wheels. However, the good thing with the RL is that you can lock it into 4WD using the VTM button and first gear as long as your speed was below 20mph or so.
It wasn't however without limitations (as with most trucks) and you have to understand how its AWD system works to take advantage of it. For example, if the VSA (traction control) is on (which it is by default) and you're trying to go up a sandy dune, it'll bog down and get stuck because VSA is trying to prevent wheel spin so it's working against you. Turn VSA off and try again and you'll get through. On an uneven surface however VSA helps by acting as a limited slip differential, when one wheel slips it applies the brakes to it so you want it on. I would recommend a small lift and bigger/aggressive tires for improved traction and ability to climb.
Bottomline, if all you want to do is off roading then the RL (I think Pilot's are similar but Gary, the father of RL's technology put in a lot of work into the RL, not sure about the Pilot) isn't the right platform but if you want a swiss army knife of cars then RL is a good choice and easy to live with on a day to day basis. Definitely research the Pilot (or RL) on their respective forums to get an idea of what most people are complaining about and what they like and then decide where those things are on your priority list. Goodluck.
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bigfoot
New member
We have a Pilot and it's very reliable, with plenty of room for passengers and a dog or two in the back. Ours has been up a few gravel & dirt forest service roads and has done fine (nothing wild & crazy, though). The mileage on the window sticker is wishful thinking at times. Around town expect closer to 13-14mpg, not 16mpg. Where it really shines is out on lazy country roads at about 55mph; we've seen it as high as 23mpg.
Makes a fine grocery-getter, even in crappy weather. Also it's a great road-trip mobile. If we had to do it again I think we might have wound up with a Taco quad cab, but a large part of that is wanting to avoid dog hair everywhere, LOL.
Makes a fine grocery-getter, even in crappy weather. Also it's a great road-trip mobile. If we had to do it again I think we might have wound up with a Taco quad cab, but a large part of that is wanting to avoid dog hair everywhere, LOL.
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Honda Pilot
Howdy all,
Unfortunately, last year I totaled my "07 2WD four-doorTacoma (great truck!).Since it was my wife's primary veh. I HAD to find a suitable replacement. We figured that since our needs had changed (grand kids and all), we needed to find something with a little more interior space. Having looked at Four Runners, Jeeps, and others, we determined that our needs would be best fulfilled by the Honda Pilot. It has the 4x4 option (which we have yet to use) and I am confident that it will handle any of the desert roads that we might encounter whenever we might go rock hounding or wild flower sighting. Yes, I would like to make some modifications, like better tires and shocks, maybe a skid plate or two, but all in all, I am very pleased with it. Obviously it's not like my Pinzgauer or my 4x4 Yamaha quads, but I am very happy with it.
Cheers, Stevo
Howdy all,
Unfortunately, last year I totaled my "07 2WD four-doorTacoma (great truck!).Since it was my wife's primary veh. I HAD to find a suitable replacement. We figured that since our needs had changed (grand kids and all), we needed to find something with a little more interior space. Having looked at Four Runners, Jeeps, and others, we determined that our needs would be best fulfilled by the Honda Pilot. It has the 4x4 option (which we have yet to use) and I am confident that it will handle any of the desert roads that we might encounter whenever we might go rock hounding or wild flower sighting. Yes, I would like to make some modifications, like better tires and shocks, maybe a skid plate or two, but all in all, I am very pleased with it. Obviously it's not like my Pinzgauer or my 4x4 Yamaha quads, but I am very happy with it.
Cheers, Stevo
i am the owner of a ridgeline, and i too with respectfully disagree with some that have posted and echo what stoic said. It is no rockcrawler or quite as capable as many of the rigs on this forum. The AWD system works really well when driven as such. However that said i have been in some sketchy offroad situations (generally towing a camper or dualsports no less!) and have never been stranded or stuck.
It works really well and the creature "car" comforts really shine when you are out on road trips and not offroad (ie the other 90% of the time you are driving). Knowing its limitations it performs quite well.
Mine has the 2" lift, 31" Treadwrights, skidplates front and rear and the upgraded endlinks. It still has on road civility but with a little extra protection and ground clearance. The bummer is that there are no aftermarket shocks or springs available, it could really use some new shocks.
sorry for the superflous HDR shot, my friend thinks hes the next ansel adams!
It works really well and the creature "car" comforts really shine when you are out on road trips and not offroad (ie the other 90% of the time you are driving). Knowing its limitations it performs quite well.
Mine has the 2" lift, 31" Treadwrights, skidplates front and rear and the upgraded endlinks. It still has on road civility but with a little extra protection and ground clearance. The bummer is that there are no aftermarket shocks or springs available, it could really use some new shocks.
sorry for the superflous HDR shot, my friend thinks hes the next ansel adams!
WMDunkin
Adventurer
After watching a lot of youtube videos I am getting more impressed with the VTM-4 system. I know it isn't a true 4-LO system with lockers but still impressive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIrn-LigNIs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofiVWI2NUQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKyx1VXTbfs
http://youtu.be/9mwxg_oi7zM?t=2m58s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3igRIxXH6s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIrn-LigNIs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofiVWI2NUQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKyx1VXTbfs
http://youtu.be/9mwxg_oi7zM?t=2m58s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3igRIxXH6s
JasonJLamb
Observer
How many miles do you have with the lift on? And what size are your Generals?