My name is Aaron Gotter and I love adventure! From my youth to adulthood, I have always made it a priority to get out and explore. Now that I am a father of 3 boys I am doing my best to be an inspiration to them. I created my Gotter Adventure channel to provide family adventure entertainment and education.
@@GotterAdventure just emailed them. thinking of pairing this with an axle relocator to fit 32” tires im on 30.5” right now with 2” lift. Rubs but havent bothered me yet lol
@@krijadtes JonhnDZ has a lifted and modified Passport and he was able to get the transfer case repaired under warranty. Lifting does not immediately void your warranty. It is at the dealers discretion to determine if the modification caused the damage. I have 315k miles on my lifted 2007 Honda Pilot. I know the risk and I know the reward!
@@sashathompson7351I looks like they make a 4.5" lift! /hrgoffroad.com/product-category/lift-kits/honda-liftkits-hrgoffroad/ridgeline/2006-2014-ridgeline/ If you decide to move forward don't forget our discount code "gotteradventure20" for $20 off.
@@alexanderkovalchuk6292 Most cars are huge these days because of added plastics, wires, circuit boards, harnesses, sensors. All that weight works against you off road. Especially with conventional FWD AWD.
Now I know you said this is a 4 and 1/2 inch lift. But when you look at it from the front (post lift) it looks like you didn't lift it much at all. By the way, you may want to look into figuring out how to disable the VCM (Viable Cylinder Management) system. That feature has proven to be a good thing for fuel savings but a bad thing for engine longevity.
@@Sandmansa HRG is measuring the lift from the wheel well, not the subframe. The subframe clearance went up approximately two inches. The new tires will lift the subframe another 1.5” All in all it is a great start to the build! Break over and departure angles have been massively improved and the Cv axles are still at a good angle.
Hondas have vented diffs and transmissions so they can ford deep enough to threaten the intake. It is also helpful to keep the dust out of your filter.
Got my 2006 pilot 4WD 2 years ago with 270 thousand miles, a shot in the dark honestly. Fell in love the moment I test drive it tho. Had some ac issues that are fixed, had to get a new rack and pinion, very costy but still worth it. Now with 312 thousand miles still runs like it has less than 100 thousand miles, absolutely great machine Honda made. Next change will be the timing belt for sure. I’m currently having issues with the truck locking system though, the trunk won’t open.
I worked on the passport development. It was my first project as a crash test engineer that I mostly tackled alone. It is almost exactly cut and paste from the 17 pilot (B pillar forward). Made for an easier project. Front crash performance is practically the same. Only needed to make slight tweaks to the airbag fire timing. Goes to show how solid the platform was for the 17 pilot. The newest pilot had its fair share of development issues. Though I stopped working for honda before the new pilot development finished. I think you made a solid choice!
Wow thanks for that insight! It is cool knowing you played a part in protecting our family through your work! We love the handling, power, interior space, simplicity, and looks for our 2024 Passport!
I’ve had my 2022 for less than a month and have the same complaint. Thanks for the vid, good to know I’m not just being neurotic. Given the attention to detail and quality that Honda gives its vehicles, it is disappointing that this wouldn’t be done right from the factory. I will be adjusting mine soon.
So just for the record. You would adjust those headlights with a 16 in. long reach #2 phillips screwdriver. And for whatever reason, it seems that Honda does set the headlight alignment a touch higher than recommended. I guess it's so drivers would be less likely to use the high beams?
But....Why though? You can get a 4Runner which is built for off roading and has a plethora of aftermarket parts for around the same price as one of these passports. Like if the passports were cheaper that'd make sense. But they aren't. Just why I guess?
the passports are much cheaper, just as reliable, more comfortable, faster, more fuel efficient, larger interior with similar exterior, and still have a very low first gear for off-road. (same as many 4 low systems jeep uses)
@@matthewrideout2677 it’s not much cheaper. The base model 4Runner with real 4wd is $44,030. The base model Passport with AWD, not 4wd, is $42,400. With the base model 4Runner, to make it off road worthy, costs about $1200 for all terrain tires, and really that’s all you need. It comes with great approach and departure angles, a fair amount of lift, and the stock tires are just a bit under 32s. That setup will take you down 90% of the trails in the USA. For the Passport, the “trail edition” ups the price to $45k, and even that doesn’t get it close to the off road ability of the stock lowest trim 4wd 4Runner, because at the end of the day the Passport still has independent rear suspension and that really can’t be changed. And even then you’d probably still have to buy new tires unless Honda actually shells out real all terrain tires and not the “factory all terrain lites” as I call them, which Toyota does too. And even after that for a Passport to be in the same conversation as a stock 4Runner you’ve got to hunt down suspension lifts and upgrade components, much or even all of which will have to be custom machined for it, since there’s pretty much no profit in off road aftermarket for honda. For the 4Runner there’s hundreds of lift kits alone, not to mention the rest of the off road after market for it. Not to mention outside of the US Toyota is the top off road vehicle manufacturer. As for reliability, 4Runner still stands tall. It’s got a million mile engine in it, and an engine and drivetrain combo that’s been proven for over 15 years of production. Not saying the Passport isn’t reliable. It is. But pretty much no modern vehicle, even in the rest of Toyota’s lineup in the US has the reliability of the 4Runner. I’d argue comfort, but that’s subjective, so I’ll address that in the same category as fuel efficiency: the Passport is a car based SUV. It’s unibody, like the pilot and the ridge line, and pretty much all modern cars. The 4Runner is truck based. It’s a body on frame SUV. It shares its platform with the Tacoma (well, the 05-15 Tacoma. The current 4Runner generation has been around forever). So yes the Passport more fuel efficient and the suspension is more car like, if that’s what you consider more comfortable. And lastly, are you talking about sharing the same low gear as a wrangler or gladiator? Or with the other jeeps that aren’t really jeeps? Because the not-really-jeeps don’t have real 4wd. But I mean at the end of the day it’s OP’s choice on what vehicle he wants. This Passport is kind of cool and it’s a good vehicle for what it is. It’s just not an off roader. I was just curious to what drove him to make all the extra effort and money to make a vehicle not made for serious off roading into something that can attempt serious off roading. That’s all I really was wondering
@@matthewrideout2677 Man I typed a super long, researched, and well thought out reply to this and I don't know if youtube deleted it, I accidently deleted it, or what
There are lots to think about when choosing a tire for a vehicle like this. First of all, there is no high / low range transfer case option and changing the gear ratio is not really an option either. So, to retain the best overall performance, you are limited in how big of a wheel you can go as it will be restricted by suspension and body clearance. Only one to two sizes taller is the recommended limit you want to stick to. Width is another thing to consider. It really depends on where you intend to drive. Swamp like terrain, thick mud and sand, wider would be better for floatation. But this will also put added strain on your drive train and steering. Improved cooling for the engine, trans and steering would be a must.
@@GotterAdventure I too would agree. That would be the ideal size to go with. It should give you a little added ground clearance and not rob you of much power. But you still might want to add a better trans cooler to help keep the trans fluid temps in check.
Depending on how much weight u carry we build shocks and dual springs with different rates. U don’t want to add rake in a spacer lift because you’ll destroy bump stops or shocks. U can add ridgeline shocks but Everyone I see do that mod and cut the rear up is technically doing it wrong.
More Passport content, whoop! Love that the Passport modding community is growing. While I can’t comment on tire type since I don’t off road anywhere near as intense as you (only go down fire roads for work), I did have a chassis chop to fit my Yokohama G015s at 265/65/R18. I had a local Jeep shop do it, and they glued and screwed the plastic fender lining to their work. They said any more and there would be a hole in my cabin. Not sure if that’s true seeing as how JonDZ has a bigger tire size with no rub and at lock I graze the plastic. It was worth it, and wish I could go bigger, but I’d either have someone more familiar with modding Honda light trucks (impossible to find in my area) or redo it myself. I’m running only a 2 inch lift, no subframe drop, and drive a 2019 Passport EX-L AWD. Wish there were more suspension options. 😢
Thanks for the video, I had the strut mount brake on the knuckle, and had to get a donor, hit a bad pot hole(didn't realize because it was full of water), all my bushings look good, so guess it was just time
Good to see some progress towards making the Pilot great again! A little tip that may come in handy: when doing the headliner you'll need to take off all of the pillar trims and from the top they are held by some clips that can't be reused (to detach them you need to hit on the top of the trim so they break), and better buy a little more then you need (one for every pillar) cause you might break that again while putting the trim back on, especially the rear ones. There is some more info online, or just look it up in the repair manual!
I actually enjoy both aspects. The repairs and mods. And the adventures. So, I'm subscribed to both. Oh hey. If you manage to find a decent engine beauty cover, hit me up.
God damnit. What is it with you fing guys and Flip Flops. I will not respect another man who wears flip flops when fixing a car. It’s just lazy and amateur.
Ive been trying not to give up on my pilot. This past Saturday I was able to climb this mount and chase down this razar and everybody was giving me props but then I noticed a new light on the dash. A/T temp light
@@robertramirez7828 I installed a transmission temperature gauge and transmission coolers to help keep the transmission at a safe temperature. Climbing is not the strength of 5 speed Pilots.
@@robertramirez7828 on newer vehicles you can get the transmission temperature easily through the obdII data. It very useful information for off-road travel.
My family is five, but I'm wondering about the Ridgeline or Tacoma. I have a Pilot now and am very happy with its fuel consumption and overall capacity, but fitting everything in for trips feels like solving a puzzle, and I'm tired of that. I’m thinking a truck might be better for me for this reason, and it would also make it easier to take a motorcycle or bike on adventures
I understand the struggle. A truck would definitely increase your cargo capacity, especially with a cap. We have adapted to our Pilot and conversely the Passport in a few ways. We utilize backpacking style camping gear now to conserve space. This has the added bonus of preparing us for backpacking! We utilize a cargo box as necessary and this has made a huge difference. We are planning to have a hitch swing on our passport that will help carry traction boards and such. The main thing we found is that a large cooler can be tough. We tend to use a smaller cooler and get groceries more often.
We took it down some dirt roads, but nothing too crazy yet. We are trying to prep it for the AWD fest in Uwharrie the weekend of Oct 19th. Ideally I would like to have some sliders for rocker protection.
@@Mike.D.843 My wife isn't thrilled about the idea, but I am looking at this purchase as a long-haul buy. As long as we don't consider resell value what is a scratch/dent... 😅
