We took our project Triumph TR3 to the races in our 16-foot enclosed trailer behind our Ridgeline.
With a full load of gear and our 1950-pound Triumph in the 2800 pound trailer was hovering right at the truck’s maximum 5000 pound towing capacity. Still, once we positioned the weight correctly, (we needed to move the car back a little in the trailer) the Ridgeline had little trouble towing this load at 70-75 mph.
Fuel mileage did suffer. We saw 25 mpg on a trip like this with no trailer. The loaded rig dropped that number to an abysmal 10 mpg. While this is probably still better than most trucks get towing, we are curious what kind of improvement we could make with one of Peter Brock’s Aerovault trailers. They are 400 pounds lighter, and more importantly, much more aerodynamic. We will try to get our hands on one of these trailer for a future test.
Still, the new Honda Ridgeline is a great vehicle to race out of, and the two-way tailgate makes a great work bench. The trunk and back seat area (with the seats folded up) held all of our gear and kept it dry and secure.
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