What is the ground clearance?

As a rule, when buying a car, few people think about what the car's ground clearance is. In the meantime, this parameter is an important aspect that requires sufficient attention.

High ground clearance on passenger cars is indispensable for off-road trips, where there are many pits and bumps. However, even in urban conditions, you may need a significant patency of your car to overcome the resulting obstacle course. So, a small amount of clearance, of course, is more prestigious, but not comfortable enough to operate. So, why is it so important to increase the clearance?

Clearance is the distance between the ground and the lowest part of the car's body. However, it is sometimes difficult to evaluate this parameter, since many structural elements are located on the bottom of the car. So, to determine this distance, you need to select several control points, which will be measured.

Increase the clearance is necessary first of all in order to protect the front bumper. He takes on all the tests with harsh city conditions. Most often the bumper becomes a means of measuring the height of roadside curbs. The standard clearance for cars is approximately 14-20 cm, and for off-road cars and minivans - up to 35 cm inclusive. Having at least an initial knowledge of what car clearance is, you can much better imagine how to choose the right car. If you are just afraid for the safety of your car, you can install a parking system.

An equally important control point is the oil pan, which is located under the hood and is the most protruding part of the bottom. For many cars, the ground clearance is only 12 to 17 cm, which is quite small for active use in difficult conditions. Therefore, the question of what the vehicle's clearance is for such cases becomes decisive. For SUVs and SUVs, this value is slightly larger, but it is necessary to pay attention to it if you live outside the city or often go there.

Recommendations on how to protect the bottom of the car, as well as what is the clearance and how to increase it, can only give qualified specialists. They advise to install additional inserts of carbon fiber or metal.

The third control element is the exhaust system parts. This structural part of the car serves as a specific protection of the environment from exhaust gases, which pollute the atmosphere and, therefore, worsen the living conditions of people.

How to be? First, you should carefully study the features of your car, identify its strong and weak parts. Then, if it is really necessary, you need to carefully understand all the ways to increase the ride height. Among the most common are the following:

• Increasing the diameter of the disks or the profile of the tires;
• Replacing the spring;
• Installation of raising stubs.

However, it should always be taken into account that changing the standard parameters leads to changes in the rules for operating the car.