Your Solution to Ground Clearance Problems on an Off-road Drive
by Gladys Bailey
If you have a vehicle with a short ground clearance, driving off-road can be hectic and easily damage your car. You have to drive slowly as you manoeuvre through the irregular road surface otherwise you risk puncturing some parts such as the exhaust pipe and the fuel tank. Thankfully, you can prevent the damage by changing your car's suspension and increase its height. This will not only protect the car but also enable you to manoeuvre through the road faster. There are many ways of increasing your car's ground clearance. The following are a few of the alternatives:
Spring Adjustment
Some cars have a custom low height because of the springs used by the manufacturers. They work well on tarmacked and paved surfaces, but you will find it difficult when you go off-road. To raise the car's ground clearance, you can buy a set of new springs that are longer than the ones used by the manufacturers. Longer springs will help you increase the elevation of the undercarriage, protecting the parts underneath the car's frame.
Body Lift and Bigger Tyres
If you want to go for both spacing and symmetry between the wheels and the body of the car, then a body lift is the ideal alternative. Blocks of polyurethane or rubber are used to increase the height between the body of the car and its frame uniformly. The additional space allows you to use bigger tyres, raising the overall ground clearance of the car by a few inches. One reason you would opt for a body lift is that the method allows the car's suspension to maintain its position, meaning that you can retain the manufacturer's suspension system while still enjoying better elevation. This is unlike spring adjustment.
Suspension Lifts
Suspension lifts use hydraulic or air systems to help increase the height of the car. When you raise a car by a few inches, it can behave differently because of new balance needs. Essentially, suspension lifts are used to do an overhaul of the whole suspension system, which allows extensive fine-tuning to meet the specific balancing demands of the elevated car. For example, the springs can be changed, and installed alongside a custom set of shock absorbers and rubber blocks to meet the specific balancing needs on each wheel. In this method, both the frame and the body of the car are elevated. In addition, the customisations ensure that both elevation and improved performance are attained.
Suspension lifts are the most preferable of the three alternatives. Even though they may be more expensive compared to body lifts and spring replacement, there are numerous customisations done to suit the specific needs of your car. Visit Wilkinson Suspension Centre for more information.
Share
About Me
Hi all! I'm Gary and I run a non-profit which teaches defensive driving skills. Of course, most of my students are in their teens, but I did have one gentleman who had received his license at sixty-two! We use an old speedway track to teach drivers what to do when obstacles are on the road and generally how to react in emergencies. I love what I do! Many companies see the benefit of this program and donate generously. My biggest expense by far is maintaining and repairing the cars we use in training. Not all students gain skills quickly! Even though I'm a driving instructor and not a mechanic, I now know an awful lot about car parts and where to find them. My students are often quite impressed by my broad knowledge base, so I thought I would share it with the world. Thank you and stay safe.