2019 Honda Passport Build

[AdvPass]

The ADVPASS BUILD



My wife and I recently purchased a 2019 Honda Passport Touring with the intent of using it as an outdoor adventure vehicle. It replaced a 2006 Honda CRV that we lovingly passed on to my father in law. When we got the car, I had never heard of "overlanding" and it was only after doing more research into vehicle based camping that I discovered this great community. I've been documenting the build over in a forum for Passport owners, but I think it could be interesting to the OB community as well. Some of my links will take you to detailed posts on the other forum. I'll keep updating this thread as it progresses.

Here it is as it arrived to the dealership... and how it looked a few days later when I picked it up...





We had the dealer install the following:

• Adventure B Package (Touring):
  • Black Wheel Nuts
  • Black Wheel Locks
  • Trailer Hitch (Sport)
  • Running Board (Die Cast)
  • Trailer Hitch Harness
  • Power Tailgate Sensor Adapter
  • Roof Rack Cross Bars
• All Season Floor Mats, High Wall
• Cargo Tray
• Black Rhino York 18" Wheels
• Nitto Ridge Grappler 265/60 R19 Tires

And I've since added:

• JSport Skid Plate
• 30" Lower Grill LED Light Bar
• Swagman Trailhead 4 Bicycle Carrier
• Roav Viva Pro - Amazon Alexa Device
• Flashlight charging cradle in the center console
• Window mesh screens for in car camping
• and the occasional rental trailer for camping adventures...

Future Plans:

• Two way radio charging cradles in the center console (in progress)
• IPad mount for Gaia GPS Nav (in progress)
• Costway 54G Fridge

Distant Future Plans:

• Hiker Trailer Extreme 5x8 with matching wheels
• Transmission cooler
• Full size spare

 

[Tahoe.Adventures]

Awesome rig! I know Honda is advertising it as an adventure vehicle, its cool to see someone actually using it for that purpose! Any plans for a lift? I believe it uses the same/similar suspension as the Pilot & Ridgeline correct?

Getting out there is the main goal and you seem to be doing it already! Cheers!

 

[AdvPass]

Thanks, @Tahoe.Adventures

For my use, Honda nailed it with the Passport. The CRV is a little too small for what I need and since I don't have kids, the third row in the Pilot was a waste. It's my daily driver with frequent weekend adventures so it's the right mix for my purpose. My wife's family has owned Honda since they were first introduced to the states so I knew we would be staying true to that heritage and I'm happy that the vehicle they release so closely aligns with my needs. I'm just getting into the soft-roading scene and I'm enjoying the learning curve of it all.

JSportUSA made my skid plate and they've just announced at Overland Expo West that they have a lift kit in the works along with a few other nice goodies...

 

[AdvPass]

I've finally made time to finish my 30" Light Bar install and wiring. The brackets that came with the light didn't have the clearance to allow for proper adjustment so I had to machine replacements. This became the first project for me to learn to use my new CNC router. I cut the brackets in two pieces from 6061 aluminum plate. Making my own brackets allowed me to position the light precisely in the lower grill.



With the mounting sorted out, I turned my attention to the wiring. There's no easy way to get through the firewall on the Passport so I had to find another way to run my switch wire. Honda has a lit running board that uses an access hole under the driver side floorboard that was a convenient place to fish the switch wire without needing to go through the firewall. I wired and mounted the relay directly to the fuse block under the hood for continuous power with the switch cable run down the inside of the front driver's side fender. There was enough wire to run the switch under the carpet into the door sill and for it to emerge and mount just over the hood latch.



I couldn't be happier with the end results...



Before: After:



My goal for this light was to act as a relief light, helping bring out the texture of the trail. I'm not planning to do any high speed off-roading so the idea behind high mounted spot lights is less important for me, but I'm mostly concerned about ground clearance, so having a light that will help me judge the height of obstacles. You can see for the photos that the idea worked, having a low mounted bar brings out the shape of the terrain, I'm looking forward to my next trip to really put it to the test.

 

[dj_mccomas]

Nice build so far! I really do like these, glad to see a build of one up here.

 

[BonesPeace]

With the 18" wheels and the tires you selected. Are you experiencing any rubbing?

 

[AdvPass]

There is a very minimal amount of rubbing at full steering lock on the plastic liner only. It's about an 1/8" of rubbing and it doesn't contact the underlining metal fender at all. I'm on my 2nd set of Nitto Ridge Grapplers with no issues. So even though there is the smallest amount of rubbing, I don't consider it a problem in any way.