Ground clearance is probably the trickiest dimension of a vehicle. Too low and the passenger will feel every speed bump on the road, too high and the car will roll over at the slightest provocation! This parameter is crucial to passenger safety and comfort, yet is often ignored while purchasing a car.
So, like countless other vehicle owners, if you have bought a car and now find the ground clearance too low, don’t despair. Here are our expert tips on boosting your car’s ground clearance, ensuring a smoother and more comfortable ride for you! However, before going for any of these methods, do consult an expert to understand if the changes are advisable.
- Increasing the Tyre profile or diameter
The simplest way to boost the ground clearance is by having bigger tyres. You can either go for taller tyres while retaining the rims that you have, or buy taller tyres and rims. However, do remember that changing the tyre dimension will have some impact on the overall performance of the car. So you will have to settle for a trade-off between performance and ground clearance.
2. Upgraded coil springs
Coil springs provide support to your car and help it to stay stable. They expand when you hit potholes or dips and contract when you hit bumps or climb over something. You can get a spacer (a piece of coiled polyurethane or rubber) fitted between the coils of the coil spring suspension to reduce its expansion and contraction. This will increase your ground clearance by up to 10-15 mm.
3. Suspension modification
Most garages in India, authorized and unauthorized, help modify the suspension of your car to improve ground clearance. If the car has a leaf spring system, then it can be bent suitably to increase the clearance. In some older cars, an extra leaf can be added to the leaf spring pack. In some cars, the entire leaf spring pack can be re-positioned and put over the axle. However, modifying the suspension might change the centre of gravity of your car and also have a significant impact on its performance. So check with the garage before you carry out any of these changes.
