The Ridgeline is Honda's pickup truck sold in the North American auto market. The vehicle offers a competitive towing package for those consumers looking outside the domestically produced utility vehicles. Fuel requirements for this vehicle are on par with other utility vehicles on sale in the country, with several exceptions. As of 2010, Honda does not manufacture a Ridgeline that runs on diesel fuel or functions with a hybrid/flex-fuel engine.
According to Honda's website, the entire Ridgeline series of trucks requires regular unleaded gasoline to operate. The auto company gives no recommendations on specific octane levels of gasoline, so you can achieve the Environmental Protection Agency's estimates for miles per gallon by using the lowest octane grade of 87. Some states, like Colorado, offer 85 octane grade gasoline to compensation for altered engine combustion at high altitudes. This octane level is also sufficient.
Improving fuel economy for your Honda Ridgeline through the use of higher octane gasoline is something of a myth, according to the website for the Consumer Energy Center. While it is commonly believed that higher-grade gasoline protects against engine knock, improves fuel economy and cleans engine valves of spent fuel build-up, the reality is only partly true. Knock sensors actively monitor engine combustion, science has found no link between higher engine octane and fuel economy, and government regulations require all fuels to have detergents that scrub engine components.
The Honda Ridgeline's V6 engine will consume gasoline faster when it is towing objects as opposed to when it is simply operating as a passenger vehicle. The fuel requirements for when your Honda is towing are no different then at any other time because the vehicle's automatic transmission regulates shifting and gear function. You may notice your fuel economy decrease because of the strain due to towing, but it is not the result of the chosen gasoline.
