Recommended Free Tools
Honda built the Ridgeline for Baja in two distinct stages: first as a production-based 2005 Stock Mini entry designed to prove the street truck’s durability, and later as a factory-backed tube-frame race truck designed to win desert-racing classes. The later truck looked like a Ridgeline and retained the production V6’s block, cylinder heads, and crankshaft, but underneath it was a purpose-built machine with a twin-turbo engine, live rear axle, long-travel suspension, and professional race hardware.
Honda built two different Ridgeline racers
The answer depends on which Honda Baja Ridgeline you mean. In 2005, Honda started with a complete first-generation production Ridgeline and prepared it for SCORE’s Stock Mini class. The original unibody remained in place, and the project was intended to prove that the street truck’s structure and independent suspension could survive Baja competition.
Honda’s 2015 return was a much more radical machine. The later Ridgeline Baja Race Truck used a custom tube-frame chassis, fiberglass and carbon-fiber bodywork, long-travel race suspension, a live rear axle, 40-inch tires, and a twin-turbocharged V6 producing about 550 horsepower. It looked like a Ridgeline because Honda R&D shaped the body around second-generation Ridgeline styling cues—not because it remained a production pickup underneath.
The production connection was still meaningful. Honda said the race engine retained the production-derived V6 block, cylinder heads, and crankshaft. That makes the truck neither a street Ridgeline with a lift kit nor an entirely unrelated prototype. It was a factory-backed desert racer that used selected production hardware and design identity where Honda believed those links mattered.
#1 Best Overall
- Applicable Vehicle Model: Push Bar for trucks compatible with Chevy Silverado 1500 1999-2006, for Chevy Avalanche 1500 2002-2006, for Chevy Suburban 1500 2002-2006, for Chevy Tahoe 2002-2006, for Chevy Silverado 1500 Classic 2007, for GMC Sierra 1500 Classic 2007, for GMC Sierra 1500 1999-2006, for GMC Yukon 2000-2006, for GMC Yukon XL 1500 2000-2006.
- Sturdy Design: 3" enlarged diameter tubing with seamless welding construction for extra reinforcement. Made by advanced CNC bending process. AISHAN bull bar creates a tough, heavy-duty appearance on the front end of your car while also providing defense and visibility.
- Feature and Performance: AISHAN front bumper is made of premium steel for superior strength robust, E-coating textured binish with scratch shielding and customized look. Seamless welding for a sturdy structure. This push bumper is built to last long and enhance the appeal of your truck.
- Package Included: 1 x Bull Bar ,1 x Mounting Hardware Set,1 x DIY installation manual. If you receive a product with dents and scratches, or have any missing, or about installation. Check your package thoroughly after receipt. Installation instructions are fully detailed within the included manual.
- Easy bolt-on installation: Bolt-On design with complete mounting kits for ease of installation. Pre-drilled holes designed can let you easily mount auxiliary lamp or detach skid plate. No drilling anymore. Installation can be done easily in a home garage using common tools.
2005: the first Baja Ridgeline was a durability demonstration
Honda entered the first-generation Ridgeline in SCORE’s Stock Mini class in 2005. This was a deliberately constrained engineering exercise. Honda was not trying to build an unrestricted top-class Trophy Truck and chase an overall Baja victory. The goal was to demonstrate that the production truck’s unibody structure and independent suspension could withstand the punishment of a long desert race while remaining within the rules of a production-based class.
The build therefore began with a complete showroom truck, not a bare race shell. The team removed the interior, rear seat, carpeting, sound insulation, airbags, window glass, and the Ridgeline’s under-bed trunk. That saved weight, but the truck did not simply become light. Much of the removed mass was replaced by equipment needed to finish Baja:
- a chromoly roll cage;
- a fuel cell;
- spare tires and tools;
- a jack and other service equipment;
- skid plates; and
- race-specific safety and support hardware.
SCORE rules required the truck to remain close to its delivered weight and retain the original suspension configuration. The team could alter springs, shocks, and struts, however, so Honda used those legal changes to pursue additional wheel travel and ground clearance without discarding the production suspension geometry.
That distinction is important. The original Ridgeline’s unibody was retained, and the race team reported that it was strong enough for the cage to function primarily as occupant protection rather than as a structure needed to keep the truck together. The 2005 truck was consequently a serious competition conversion, but it was still recognizably a production-platform durability test.
2015: Honda changed from a modified pickup to a factory race truck
Honda returned to SCORE off-road racing in 2015 with a new Ridgeline Baja Race Truck displayed at SEMA. It made its competition debut in November 2015 and won the Baja 1000’s Unlimited Class 2 category.
The vehicle was jointly built by Honda Performance Development and Proctor Racing Group. Honda R&D Americas’ Los Angeles Design Studio designed the body, drawing heavily from the second-generation production Ridgeline. Contemporary coverage also noted that the race truck’s front fascia and other exterior cues previewed the production Ridgeline that arrived for the 2017 model year.
Under those familiar surfaces, the engineering brief had changed completely. The 2015 truck used a purpose-built tube-frame chassis rather than the production Ridgeline unibody. Its body panels were race-friendly fiberglass and carbon-fiber pieces, and its suspension, drivetrain packaging, cooling, safety systems, and fuel capacity were designed around desert racing rather than road use.
That is why calling the later vehicle a “modified Ridgeline” understates the work. The Ridgeline supplied the visual identity and a meaningful engine lineage, but the race team supplied almost every system required to survive high-speed jumps, whoops, silt, rocks, heat, dust, and night running.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Rank #2
- WATCH YOUR SIX - TYGER's patented Hitch Armor provides easy access to storage area. Dual girder system provides maximum protection from rear-end collisions.
- SPECS - Only fits on 2 inch hitch receivers (inner diameter) | Weight Capacity: 350 LBS | Free pin lock and stabilizer are included.
- BUILD - Heavy-duty 2 inch diameter & 1/8 inch thick carbon steel tubes; Dual stage powder-coated textured black finish.
- INSTALLATION NOTES - Included free pin-lock fits up to 3 inch outer diameter of hitch tubes. Longer pin-locks are needed for wider outer diameters. | May interfere with backup sensor in some rare cases.
- BACKED BY TYGER - TYGER backs this product for 3 years for US customers against manufacturing defects!
The HR35TT engine kept a real production connection
The heart of the production link was Honda Performance Development’s HR35TT, a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 rated at approximately 550 horsepower. Honda stated that the race engine used the same block, cylinder heads, and crankshaft as the production Ridgeline V6.
That does not make the HR35TT a stock engine. Honda added an HPD-designed intake plenum and custom engine-control-unit programming, and the race application required substantially different solutions for boost, cooling, fuel delivery, lubrication, calibration, and durability. A production engine component can provide a valuable foundation without dictating the specification of the complete competition power unit.
Period testing also described the engine as related to the Honda and Acura motorsport V6 family. The output and configuration were selected for the relevant race class, so the approximately 550-hp figure belongs to the competition truck and should not be transferred to a showroom Ridgeline.
The later drivetrain was built around an Albins six-speed sequential transmission. A 2019 test description identified the truck’s race-ready weight as roughly 5,200 pounds with fuel, but that figure applies to the truck and setup tested at that time—not to every Ridgeline race version and certainly not to the production pickup.
The chassis is where the Ridgeline became a Baja machine
Honda’s published specification identifies a custom TSCO Racing chassis with a 124-inch wheelbase and a 92-inch track width. Those dimensions, together with the tube frame and composite bodywork, put the vehicle in the architecture of a professional desert race truck rather than a modified street pickup.
The suspension layout was especially significant. The race truck used custom independent front suspension and a live rear axle. That was a major departure from the road-going Ridgeline’s four-wheel-independent layout. The independent front end could help manage steering and terrain response, while the live rear axle provided a robust way to transmit power and absorb repeated desert impacts at the back of the truck.
Honda’s published specification for the later-bodied truck lists the following suspension hardware:
| Location | Coilover | Bypass shock | Published wheel travel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front | 12-inch FOX dual-rate coilover with Eibach spring | 12-inch bypass shock | 20 inches |
| Rear | 16-inch FOX dual-rate coilover with Eibach spring | 18-inch bypass shock | 32 inches |
The published baseline is not the only number found in period coverage. A 2019 ride-along report described approximately 24 inches of front travel and 34 inches at the rear. The difference may reflect a later truck revision, a different measurement method, or a particular suspension setup. It is more accurate to identify Honda’s official specification as the baseline and treat the 2019 media figures as period test measurements rather than blending them into one supposedly universal number.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesRank #3
- ✅ Compatible Vehicle - Compatible With Ford F150 Pickup Truck F-150 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
- ✅ Other Applications - Textured Black
- ✅ Product Features - Made Of High Quality Plastic For Strength And Durability
- ✅ Package include - Both Side Bumper Pads ( Left & Right )
- ✅ Premium Quality - This item is a aftermarket replacement for your original part. Superior durability and impact resistance. Meets the original equipment standards, ensuring replacement fit just like the original. Made from durable material for good looks and long lasting performance.
The suspension’s purpose was not simply to make the truck look tall. Dual-rate springs help manage different portions of the suspension stroke, while bypass shocks provide tunable damping through a large range of motion. In Baja, that control matters because the same truck may cross relatively smooth high-speed sections, deep whoops, sharp-edged holes, rocks, and jump landings during one race.
Drivetrain, cooling, and the hardware needed to finish
The published specification shows how many systems had to work together around the engine. The truck used a McLaren Applied Technologies ECU and an Albins ST6 sequential transmission with a torque converter. A custom mid-mount adapter plate came from Weddle Industries.
Cooling was distributed around the race chassis rather than packaged like a road vehicle. The specification lists a front-mounted intercooler, oil coolers, and a rear-mounted radiator. That arrangement reflects the conflicting demands of a turbocharged engine in a desert: the powertrain needs substantial heat rejection, but the designers also need to manage airflow, weight distribution, service access, and the risk of damage from rocks and debris.
The rear driveline was equally specialized. Honda listed a four-inch rear-end housing, 36-spline axles, and an EWR third member. TSCO supplied steering hardware, while Brembo six-piston brakes provided the stopping power expected of a heavy, fast race truck running oversized tires.
40-inch tires, a 70-gallon cell, and a race cockpit
The current published vehicle specification lists KMC Grenade race wheels, ID Designs Trophy Truck hubs, and Maxxis Razr MT tires measuring 40 inches. That tire diameter is one of the clearest visual clues that the truck is not a street Ridgeline with a suspension kit. It requires race-specific wheels, hubs, steering clearance, braking capacity, suspension geometry, and fender clearance.
The specification also lists a 70-gallon Harmon Racing Cell. Baja racing places unusual demands on fuel capacity because the course is long, fuel stops are strategic, and losing time to an avoidable pit problem can erase a large performance advantage. The fuel cell is part of the race truck’s survival plan, not an upgrade that transfers directly to a road vehicle.
The cockpit and support systems were built around the same principle. Honda listed Sparco racing safety equipment and PCI communications, including seats, harnesses, radio equipment, and an intercom. The truck also carried Kenwood communications equipment, Lowrance GPS, and Baja Designs off-road lighting. Those systems help the crew coordinate driver changes, navigation, pit work, and night running, but they also require professional installation and race-rule compliance.
The bodywork used Fiberwerx fiberglass and carbon-fiber components over the custom chassis. Composite panels reduce the cost and time of repairing body damage compared with trying to preserve production sheet metal, while still allowing Honda’s designers to maintain the Ridgeline visual relationship.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Rank #4
- 🚗 Compatibility : 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Compatible with Ford F-150 Pickup Truck Compatible with Ford F150
- 🚗 Item Specifications : Textured Black Front Bumper Guard Pad
- 🚗 Product Features : Both Side Bumper Pads ( Driver Side + Passenger Side )
- 🚗 Easy Installation : Produced under strict quality control standards, easy to install. No modification Requires. Instruction and hardware are not included.
- 🚗 Premium Quality : 100% Brand New Replacement Parts. We build durable and long lasting parts and components. Under strict quality control inspection throughout the manufacturing process to provide you the premium Quality.
The 2019 redesign made the truck lighter without abandoning the engine concept
Honda’s 2019 race report described revised bodywork and a lighter-weight chassis while retaining the HPD twin-turbo V6 concept. The redesign shows that the Baja program was not frozen after the 2015 debut. Honda and its partners continued to refine weight, packaging, and durability while preserving the identity and powertrain architecture that connected the truck to the Ridgeline.
The 2019 Baja 500 demonstrated the result. The Ridgeline won Class 7 by nearly 28 minutes after recovering from early traffic in a silt bed. Honda’s report identified Class 7 as the category for unlimited six-cylinder trucks.
The 2019 Baja 1000 offered a less tidy but more revealing story. The truck ran near the front early, then lost time in silt and a traffic bottleneck before finishing second in Class 7. That result makes the point that Baja performance is not determined by horsepower alone. Traffic, silt, navigation, tire condition, chassis durability, pit work, recovery planning, and driver changes can decide the result even when the truck has the speed to run at the front.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallDocumented results and the problem with one headline statistic
The safest way to describe the Ridgeline program is by individual event and class. Honda’s official racing material records the tube-frame truck’s November 2015 Class 2 Baja 1000 win, followed by Class 2 victories at both the Baja 500 and Baja 1000 in 2016. Honda’s later reports document Class 7 results as the program evolved.
| Season or event | Documented result | Class context |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 Baja program | Production-based Ridgeline entered SCORE competition | Stock Mini |
| November 2015 Baja 1000 | Class win | Unlimited Class 2 |
| 2016 Baja 500 | Class win | Class 2 |
| 2016 Baja 1000 | Class win | Class 2 |
| 2017 Baja 1000 | Second place | Class 7 |
| 2018 Baja 1000 | Second place | Class 7 |
| 2019 Baja 500 | Win by nearly 28 minutes | Class 7 |
| 2019 Baja 1000 | Second place | Class 7 |
Honda’s current team page presents more than one program summary. One section describes Proctor Racing Group as a factory Honda Racing Team beginning with the 2015 SEMA launch and reports nine wins in five seasons from 21 starts. The same page also displays a career-stat block listing 10 wins, 16 podiums, and 24 starts, alongside a history that runs through 2020.
Those figures appear to represent different update points or summary scopes. They should not be combined into one contemporaneous statistic. When precision matters, the dated event results are more useful than choosing one headline total without explaining the discrepancy.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was it actually a Trophy Truck?
“Trophy Truck” is a useful shorthand for the later Ridgeline’s construction and performance: it had a tube frame, extreme suspension travel, a live rear axle, large race tires, a high-output engine, and the systems associated with professional desert racing.
Best Value
- Compatibility - This bull bar Compatible for 2004-2026 Ford F-150 (Excludes Raptor/Ecoboost/2004 Heritage Edition) /2003-2017 Ford Expedition/2006-2008 Lincoln MK-LT/2003-2014 Navigator. (Note: not for 2018-2022 Diesel Models)
- Exquisite Appearance - The brush guards feature a special dual-side mesh design and an aggressive-looking logo on the Skid plate. The Skid plate is also removable, adding to the vehicle's wild appearance
- Rugged Construction - Heavy Duty Steel Construction Thick Welds for Superior Strength Built for Long Lasting Durability and Rust-resistant, Black powder coated for long lasting corrosion resistance
- Off-Road Lights - Grille with LED light bar for added off-roading illumination; Looks great with a stark, menacing, innovative design
- Easy Installation - Direct bolt-on installation using factory holes. Removal of the lower air dam from the front bottom is required, or a slight cutting of the air dam may be necessary
It is not accurate, however, to say that the factory Ridgeline was entered in SCORE’s top Trophy Truck class in every race. Honda’s own materials identify documented entries in Class 2 and Class 7. The 2015 and 2016 results were reported in Class 2, while the later results discussed above were in Class 7. The competition class must therefore be stated race by race.
The most accurate description is “Honda Ridgeline Baja Race Truck” or “Ridgeline-based Trophy Truck-style race truck.” That preserves the visual and engineering connection without rewriting the truck’s actual SCORE history.
Race Ridgeline versus production Ridgeline
| System | Production Ridgeline | Honda Baja Race Truck |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Unibody road-going pickup | Custom tube-frame race chassis |
| Engine | 3.5-liter V6 rated at 280 horsepower | 3.5-liter HPD HR35TT twin-turbo V6 producing approximately 550 horsepower |
| Engine connection | Production V6 | Production-derived block, cylinder heads, and crankshaft, with race-specific intake and calibration |
| Suspension | Four-wheel independent road-going layout | Custom independent front suspension and live rear axle |
| Wheels and tires | Street-truck fitment | KMC race wheels and 40-inch Maxxis Razr MT tires |
| Fuel system | Production fuel system | 70-gallon Harmon Racing Cell |
| Body | Production sheet metal and trim | Fiberwerx fiberglass and carbon-fiber bodywork inspired by the Ridgeline |
| Drive system | i-VTM4 all-wheel drive | Competition drivetrain with Albins sequential transmission and live rear axle |
The current production Ridgeline remains a 280-hp, 3.5-liter V6 unibody pickup with i-VTM4 all-wheel drive. None of the race truck’s 550 horsepower, 40-inch tires, 70-gallon fuel cell, 20-to-32-inch published travel figures, or tube-frame construction should be presented as production-Ridgeline specifications.
Why Honda built it this way
Honda’s Baja program had three overlapping purposes.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →- Prove the production truck’s strength. The 2005 Stock Mini project kept the unibody and production suspension concept because those were the subjects Honda wanted to test and demonstrate.
- Build a legitimate factory desert racer. The 2015 truck moved to a tube frame and competition-specific systems because the demands of higher-level desert racing could no longer be met by simply preparing a showroom shell.
- Keep a recognizable Honda connection. The Ridgeline-inspired body and production-derived engine hard parts gave the vehicle a credible link to the street truck while allowing HPD and Proctor Racing Group to engineer for Baja’s actual demands.
The result was a carefully balanced identity. Honda did not pretend that a race truck with 40-inch tires and a 70-gallon fuel cell was a showroom vehicle. It also did not throw away the Ridgeline name once the engineering became extreme. The body, styling, engine lineage, and race results made the relationship useful without making it simplistic.
What is publicly documented today
Honda’s publicly documented Ridgeline race history on its team site runs through the 2020 season. More recent Honda off-road coverage has centered on the Passport Trophy Truck and other off-road projects. That does not, by itself, establish the exact current status of every Ridgeline race effort; it does establish that the readily documented factory Ridgeline history is concentrated in the 2005 production-based entry and the 2015–2020 tube-frame program.
The central engineering story remains clear: Honda first used Baja to test and promote the production Ridgeline’s durability, then built a purpose-designed race truck that retained selected production-derived components and styling cues. Calling the later truck a stock Ridgeline misses the tube frame, suspension, drivetrain, and survival systems. Calling it unrelated to the Ridgeline misses the engine lineage and the reason Honda shaped the body as it did.
The Bottom Line
Honda’s Ridgeline Baja project evolved from a reinforced, production-based Stock Mini truck in 2005 into a factory-backed tube-frame desert racer in 2015. The later truck shared the Ridgeline’s identity and key V6 hard parts, but its 550-hp twin-turbo engine, live rear axle, long-travel suspension, 40-inch tires, race fuel system, and safety equipment made it a purpose-built Baja machine—not a lifted street pickup or a SCORE Trophy Truck entry in every race.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
