We write here who overestimated and how.
Good afternoon. I saw during the drive how they inflated the Volga - I really liked it.
But on Grant - is such an idea utopian or is it also possible to implement something similar? What kind of constructive changes can we talk about, how much money is needed?
What could be the disadvantages of such an idea: the car will not hold the road, the entire chassis will fly apart, and it will consume even more fuel?
The Lada Granta's ground clearance or ground clearance , as for any other passenger car, is an important factor on our roads. It is the condition of the road surface or its complete absence that makes Russian motorists interested in the ground clearance of the Lada Granta and the possibility of increasing ground clearance using spacers.
To begin with, it’s worth saying honestly that the real ground clearance of the Lada Grant may differ significantly from that declared by the manufacturer. The whole secret is in the method of measuring and where to measure ground clearance. Therefore, you can find out the real state of affairs only by arming yourself with a tape measure or ruler. The official ground clearance of the current generation Lada Grant is 160 mm ; on the version with a 4-speed automatic transmission it is only 145 mm . However, with an empty car you will measure significantly more clearance. There is no contradiction here, the manufacturer simply indicates the ground clearance in a fully loaded car.
Some manufacturers use a trick and declare the amount of ground clearance in an “empty” car, but in real life we have a trunk full of all kinds of things, passengers and a driver. That is, in a loaded car the ground clearance will be completely different. Another factor that few people take into account is the age of the car and the wear and tear of the springs—their “sagging” due to age. The issue can be resolved by installing new springs or purchasing spacers for sagging springs on the Lada Granta . Spacers allow you to compensate for spring subsidence and add a couple of centimeters of ground clearance. Sometimes even an inch of curb parking makes a difference.
But you shouldn’t get carried away with “lifting” the ground clearance of the Lada Grant, because spacers to increase ground clearance are focused only on springs. If you do not pay attention to the shock absorbers, the travel of which is often very limited, then independently upgrading the suspension can lead to loss of controllability and damage to the shock absorbers. From the point of view of cross-country ability, high ground clearance in our harsh conditions is good, but at high speeds on the highway and in corners, serious sway and additional body roll appear.
How to increase ground clearance using spacers
Most of our drivers, when choosing a car, look with admiration at cars with low ground clearance. The way they are pressed to the ground and every part of the body is directed forward is, of course, fascinating! But healthy pragmatism and prudence force you to make a completely different choice.
Those who often travel outside the Garden Ring of our capital have to assess the condition of the roads close to reality. And therefore, when choosing a new car, we not only study power, fuel consumption and various functions. The vehicle's ground clearance, and the assessment of the need to increase the ground clearance, is one of the main criteria for choosing a car, which has developed at the current time.
And if your car is fairly raised above what we call the “road surface,” then neither the country roads in remote villages, nor the potholes and potholes that litter the routes in towns are scary for you. With such a car you feel even more confident when overcoming the rutted roads that form after being pushed through by heavy trucks. Winter weather is not terrible either, when our valiant road services again “successfully” fail to clear the roads in a timely manner.
How to correctly determine clearance
To understand whether an increase in clearance is necessary in your case, you need to be able to calculate it. The shortest distance from the road surface to the lowest point of the car, measured in its middle, is called ground clearance. The bottom of the car has a huge number of different protrusions, recesses, and hanging equipment, and therefore it is not so easy to find the bottom point by eye. To solve this problem, follow the rule: the lowest and most vulnerable point of the car is located under the engine. The box and exhaust gas exhaust system are installed slightly higher than the “engine”.
When calculating ground clearance, do not forget to take into account the presence of protection under the engine. As a rule, this is an iron or plastic skirt, which is moderately placed under the power unit and serves to protect the motor from breakdown. Obviously, the factory plastic protection will not be able to seriously protect the engine, for example, from a stone, but it will take away several cm of ground clearance.
Thus, taking into account the size of the ground clearance when choosing a car in the showroom or on the market, ask for the real size of the ground clearance, as many manufacturers indicate the ground clearance without taking into account protection. Thus, the indicated ground clearance may be, for example, 160 mm, but, taking into account protection, it will be significantly reduced to 140 mm.
Best clearance
- Each group of cars has different requirements for ground clearance. As well as making a decision on the need to increase clearance. So, for passenger cars, the distance to the lowest point from the ground should be between 140 and 200 mm;
- The now prestigious and frequent guest on the roads, the SUV is placed higher: from 180 mm to 250 mm;
- Well, the lord of the road - a real jeep has a ground clearance of 200 - 350 mm.
Installing spring spacers
Interturn spacers are another method of raising a car. They are made of polyurethane and installed between the springs. They have a greater effect on the hardness of the springs than on the ground clearance. It is better to mount through one or two turns so that they do not touch together.
Replacing shock absorbers and springs on a car
Replacing shock-absorbing springs is one of the most popular methods of increasing the ride height of a car. Old springs are replaced with new, larger ones. The main thing is that the diameter is uniform, but the hardness of the new springs should be greater. Higher parts, of course, will raise the body and provide increased ground clearance.
The spare parts market is quite saturated; choosing and installing the latest suspension is not at all difficult. But, if your car is new and under warranty, then you will automatically lose privileged service. Another problem is that raising the center of mass affects the driving characteristics, especially when performing maneuvers and turns at speed. Overall stability will be significantly lower.
How to increase clearance
Increasing wheel size
We increase the size of the wheel in such a way as to “raise” the car a few cm up. It may be that the brand new car you purchased already has wheels of a very acceptable size. In this case, increasing the ground clearance due to the wheel will not work. The fact is that by increasing the diameter, the manufacturer reduces the rubber profile of the tire.
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Example: 195/65 R15 and 225/45 R17. As we see, the radii of the wheels differ by as much as 2 inches, but due to the fact that the rubber profiles also differ, the ground clearance will be virtually the same. If possible, we increase the radius of the wheel without changing the size of the profile, such an action will lead to an increase in ground clearance.
But when deciding how to increase ground clearance due to the wheel size and tire profile, there is a high degree of risk of having a negative impact on traffic safety. It may be that the speedometer will not work correctly, the speed sensor may be damaged, or problems with Abs and ESP may appear. It is possible that with very high tires, the wheel will start to touch the fender liners.
Operation in the city and beyond
Based on my operating experience, I will say that the ground clearance of 16 cm is more than enough for the Lada Granta.
My house has a separate parking lot, which is difficult to get into. For example, one of my previous cars, Ford Focus 2 pre-styling, climbed this obstacle with great difficulty.
Comparison of Granta's ground clearance with the Ford Kuga crossover
Also, in terms of ground clearance, the Granta has one advantage - it is a B-class, which means it is smaller in size than its main competitors. We save on comfort, but get a plus in cross-country ability.
Going to the dacha, fishing (not too much in the bush), in the private sector, to the village - all this is within the capabilities of our hard worker Grant.
Ground clearance of Lada Granta on tires 205/50 R15
Measuring rear clearance (recess for spare wheel)
Photo on 17th radius wheels
Lada Granta on 17th radius wheels
Spacers for LADA Granta
And I’ll start, perhaps, with the little things. Everything that has happened to the car this day is one continuous adventure and just a string of events, and in no case were these changes planned. This blog entry will consist of 3 parts: about body plugs, wheel spacers and the obvious installation of snow-white turn signals.
Body sill plugs Of course, first I went to the garage to install spacers on the front wheels, but when my assistant took the jack out of the trunk, I came across this little bag of happiness:
It contained 4 plugs from the body sills. And guess now: either they were not installed from the interior, or they were not put back in after the anti-corrosion agent (the anti-corrosion agent was not done by the officials). Personally, I'm more inclined to the dealer's jamb. The plugs on the outside were just new. In general, I installed them in their places in a few minutes.
After installing the rear spacers, the logical continuation is to install the front ones. The only question was their thickness.
Let me remind you that at the back I have a sandwich of 10 mm LGS wheel spacers and 20 mm wheel spacers, which gives a total of 30 mm per side. Therefore, there are still options up to 30 mm ahead.
I decided to take either 20 or 25 mm, depending on what the new bolts were enough for. It turned out that they were enough for exactly 25 mm.
The speed of cornering on the same exits/entries on the Ring Road has increased significantly.
PS Friends! VAZ wheel bearings cannot withstand these spacers and fail after about 2 thousand km. At first my factory ones died, and later SKF ones too. In the end, I installed the 70 chassis from AP.
Comments and opinions of owners 54
Already 10,000 miles with 20mm spacers in front and 10mm in rear. Everything is fine pah pah pah)
It is perfectly. I'm sure I wasn't lucky. I ended up ordering AP 70 levers.
Yes, none of my acquaintances and friends complained about such a problem...
The wear rate of wheel bearings will also increase significantly...
Yes, with these spacers they don’t hold anything at all!
Do you mean the bearings are rapidly falling apart?
Looks great, but it’s a pity about the suspension geometry naturally
Approximately 500 g/piece. Two weigh about a kilogram.
An increase in unsupported masses leads to a decrease in dynamics and fuel consumption increases, was it worth it?
Well, what kind of decrease in dynamics is there due to the kilogram? Sometimes when moving from one disk to another, the difference is greater.
Well, people are fighting for every gram of lowering of non-suspended tires)) but here half a kilo is thrown from a bush onto each disc) or rather, it would be like people wrote with a set of auto products to increase the track without sacrificing the weight of the wheels.
The mass will also be greater, because levers, drives, etc. are made of steel, not aluminum.
Unsprung masses are important when driving over uneven surfaces. On the most even asphalt they play the least role.
The wear rate of wheel bearings has increased even more noticeably... and the steering wheel will tear out of your hands in ruts and uneven areas. What is this collective farm for? If you want a larger track, Avtoproduct has a set of other 35 mm levers per side, extended drive “sticks” and 35 mm spacers per side on the rear support. And everything is ok. The wheel bearings work as intended and the running-in shoulder is still near zero...
With Autoproduct, not everything is so simple: drive shafts and an axle are needed for the levers. The whole thing comes out to 17 thousand, not counting work.
I do not argue. But it will be made humanly. Anything that goes wrong leads to something wrong...
With Autoproduct, not everything is so simple: drive shafts and an axle are needed for the levers. The whole thing comes out to 17 thousand, not counting work.
Not 17,000, more...4795 — spacer for the rear support. 6995 — levers for a larger track. 4795 — extended shafts for the shaft. 2995 — extended control rods. 4495 — shaft. Total excluding delivery: 24,075 rubles. With delivery it will be 25,000. Not such a huge amount of money for an excellent and correctly made tuning. Nowadays, fine boys spend much more on prestigious body kits and bigger wheels. Why, boys... 25,000 these days is the cost of a fairly solid set of 15′ wheels (tires). This is what you are buying...
Py. Sy. In the list of works, not counting the wheel alignment at the end, in principle, I don’t see anything that is impossible to do independently in “one snout”. It will be more troublesome to remove CV joints from old “sticks” and put them on new ones. Out of habit, it’s not so hot. But if you have a vice and a cumbersome drift, everything can be solved...
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Granta's ground clearance or ground clearance, like for any other passenger car, is a fundamental factor on our roads. It is the condition of the road surface or its complete absence that forces Russian car owners to be interested in the ground clearance of the Lada Granta and the possibility of increasing ground clearance using spacers.
To begin with, it’s worth honestly saying that the actual ground clearance of the LADA Granta may differ significantly from that declared by the manufacturer. The whole secret is in the measurement method and location of the ground clearance measurement. Therefore, you can find out the real state of affairs only by yourself, armed with a tape measure or ruler. The official ground clearance LADA Granta is 160 mm, on the version with a 4-speed automatic transmission it is only 145 mm. But on an empty car you will measure significantly more clearance. There is no contradiction here, the manufacturer simply shows the ground clearance in a fully loaded car.
Some manufacturers use a trick and claim the amount of ground clearance in an “empty” car, but in real life we have a trunk full of various things, passengers and a driver. In other words, in a loaded car, the ground clearance will be completely different. Another factor that not many people take into account is the age of the car and the wear and tear of the springs, their “sagging” from old age. The issue can be resolved by installing new springs or purchasing spacers for sagging LADA Granta springs. Spacers allow you to compensate for the sagging of the springs and add a couple of cm of ground clearance. From time to time, even an inch in curb parking makes a difference.
But you shouldn’t get carried away with “lifting” the ground clearance of the LADA Granta, because spacers to increase ground clearance are aimed only at the springs. If you do not pay attention to the springs, the travel of which is often very limited, then upgrading the suspension yourself can lead to loss of maneuverability and damage to the shock absorbers. Based on the beliefs of cross-country ability, high ground clearance in our formidable conditions is excellent, but at high speeds on the highway and in turns, severe rocking and additional body tilts occur.
Detailed video of installing spacers to increase ground clearance on LADA Granta / Kalina.
To increase the ground clearance at the rear of the LADA Granta, so-called “houses” are used, see the photo below.
Relocating the lower shock absorber mounts allows you to very quickly raise the rear of the body. With all this, you can use different holes in the “houses”, thereby choosing the increase in clearance you need. Installation of houses takes a minimum of time.
Every car manufacturer, when designing the suspension and choosing the ground clearance, finds the golden mean between maneuverability and cross-country ability. Perhaps the most common, harmless and simple method to increase clearance is to install wheels with “high” tires. Changing wheels allows you to simply increase the ground clearance by another centimeter.
Do not forget that severe changes in ground clearance can damage the CV joints. After all, the “grenades” will have to work from a slightly different angle. But this only applies to the front axis. Not only that, a severe change in ground clearance can lead to uneven tire wear.
"Houses" on the rear suspension
More popular is the use of stands, popularly called “houses”. This method was very popular due to its low cost at Samara in the 90s.
The stands were installed to raise the rear of the car, to increase the volume and weight of the loaded cargo into the luggage compartment (trunk).
Spacers
A more popular method to increase ground clearance is to install spacers made of polyurethane. They take up space between the pillar support and the vehicle body elements themselves. This achieves a significant increase in ground clearance. Yes, and here there are some peculiarities.
It is understood that the difference in materials on rough roads does not have the best effect on the longevity of the vehicle. Polyurethane can shrink, which causes the bushings to impact the car body, which then becomes deformed.
However, aluminum spacers They occupy the same space as the polymer elements and increase ground clearance in the same way. However, their strength will be much higher, and the comfort of movement will not be lower. Apart from everything else, the car body will not be deformed.
As for the negative aspects of this method, we are talking about the likely activation of corrosion processes, especially when driving on roads where a mixture of sand and salt is intensively used.
Spacers can also be made of plastic. They increase ground clearance and can withstand long-term use, because their strength can be considered one of the greatest. In addition, ride comfort will remain unchanged, and corrosion such as this will not be observed.
And, of course, do not forget about the ability to install rubber inserts of increased thickness. They are made from high-strength material, so they will not deform during operation.
Rubber spacer ( LADA Granta shock absorber assembly)
Drivers note the preservation of ride comfort and excellent performance properties.
Using the stand
The cheapest option that allows you to increase the ground clearance by a couple of cm
The stands allow you to achieve a usable result without significantly affecting the vehicle's stability characteristics. The result is achieved by lowering the spring compression ratio. This leads to the fact that the working stroke of the shock absorber becomes smaller, and often the shock absorber stops working almost completely. This also applies to the spring itself.
In addition, there is another significant flaw in this method, which virtually everyone complains about. We are talking about a significant increase in driving rigidity, as well as a decrease in ride comfort, especially on sections of the road with large irregularities.
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SUV from Kalina sport / Spacers to increase ground clearance of vases
Why is it necessary to increase clearance?
This photo is from the roads of “Germany”, they have places “like in Russia”. A car with low ground clearance, after falling into such a hole, risks being left without a bumper
Increasing this parameter is necessary in almost all everyday situations, and not just when you want to stand out in traffic. For example, if a significant load on the rear axle leads to sagging of the car and the risk of damage to the bottom, then increasing the clearance may be a more pressing option.
“Powerful” speed bump with traces from cars. Someone did a great job on it
The need to increase ground clearance in most cases appears when driving on uneven roads, places with speed bumps, etc. And, taking into account the quality of the road surface in our country, increased ground clearance can be considered a more necessary option, which is used over time from time to time even on production cars aimed specifically at our market.
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Lada Granta technical specifications ground clearance
We are increasing the ground clearance on the LADA Granta, how much higher?
The concept of ground clearance implies the distance from the lowest point of the car, not counting the wheels, to the road surface. In our country, this parameter is often called ground clearance.
The vehicle's cross-country ability and the ability to move on uneven surfaces directly depend on it. Many people want to increase the ground clearance of their own car in order to make it more adapted to Russian roads.
Non-standard spring
But, if you delve deeper into solving the problem, you can also use the option of installing an unusual spring. It is made by third-party manufacturers as a replacement for industrial springs. Of course, this raises the car by a few cm, but a very powerful spring with increased stiffness can lead to the fact that the shock absorber's rebound performance will be significantly reduced or absent, such as one hundred percent.
As you might guess, if the shock absorber is not working, the suspension will not work normally, which will lead to a decrease in ride comfort. In addition, the time of normal operation of the suspension system will decrease by a couple of times, increasing additional costs for repairs.
Tuning standard for Grants
This is where the limitation comes from - in Kalina Cross the ground clearance is 205 mm, in the base Kalina - 195 mm. In principle, the base Granta has the same 205 mm of ground clearance and this should be enough. A grant with a machine gun may differ by a few millimeters depending on the load, but this does not play a significant role. By the way, we are talking about purely hypothetical ground clearance, without load. But with a full load of 400 kg, the situation is somewhat different.
In a liftback body with an automatic transmission, at full load the vehicle's ground clearance is 156 mm, and under the automatic transmission housing the distance to the ground will be even less - 145 mm. At the same time, a Granta with a manual transmission will have a ground clearance of 160 mm at the maximum permissible load, and 145 mm under the gearbox housing. Taking these data into account, you can try to raise the Grant by a few millimeters so that at full load the ground clearance is no more than 200-205 mm. Tune correctly and good luck to everyone!
We install spacers to increase the ground clearance of Kalina (rear)
In the west, most of the modifications to the chassis involve lowering the ground clearance , raising the rims and reducing the tire height. In general, everything is to increase suspension stiffness and reduce ground clearance ( clearance ). With us, everything is exactly the opposite! Everyone is trying to increase the ground clearance in order to install bigger, thicker, and softer wheels!
There is nothing surprising here if you look at it, but it’s better to take a ride along “our” roads once. Factory wheels and ground clearance are sorely insufficient for normal movement on public roads; there is always a risk of hitting the pallet, breaking the bumper, etc. As a result, spacers for increasing ground clearance have become almost the most popular product for the majority of Russian motorists.
The price of spacers to increase the ground clearance is ridiculous compared to how much it costs to repair the above-mentioned body parts. The solution to this issue was the so-called spacers , which allow you to increase ground clearance. Spacers to increase ground clearance are installed at the front above the springs and at the rear, either under or above the strut.
In this article I will tell you how to raise the rear of a VAZ 2117 using spacers. The work is not difficult, and anyone who has an idea of what do-it-yourself car repair is can do.
To work we need to prepare:
- Two jacks;
- Set of keys (standard);
- Liquid WD-40 just in case;
- And, of course, the spacers themselves to increase the ground clearance of the VAZ.
Rear suspension
The rear suspension is equipped with reinforced springs, which, together with hydraulic shock absorbers, give stability and stability to the entire pendulum structure, thereby ensuring good vehicle handling. As a result of the successful balance of the entire chassis, the Lada Priora, whose ground clearance of 145 mm implied the development of dynamics, was able to achieve high speed indicators. On the highway, the maximum speed of the car is over 180 km/h. The VAZ Priora accelerates to 100 km/h in 11 seconds, which is a good result for a car of this class. The model's CO 2 emissions are minimal due to the use of a magnetic-strictive catalyst, which reduces the CO 2 content in the exhaust to Euro-3 and Euro-4 standards.
Source
Actually, the installation process.
- Unscrew the fastening bolts. Problems often arise here, since the chassis is constantly in contact with the road, where there is dirt, water and, as a result, corrosion and soured bolts.
- After the bolt is unscrewed, remove the shock absorber from the mounting socket.
- Install the spacer as shown in the photo or according to the instructions.
Important! There are many examples online where, due to improper installation of spacers, the strut mount broke off while driving. After this, the owner “got” to replace the struts and, as a rule, became an opponent of all kinds of spacers. However, as practice shows, the problem is not in the spacers, but in the “crooked” hands of the installers. Therefore, in order not to repeat this, be vigilant! Install spacers correctly, according to the manual or as shown in the photo.
- We combine the ear of the stand and the ear of the spacer, and then tighten the bolt. It is better to lubricate the bolt itself with graphite grease or “extreme” grease; this will simplify the process of unscrewing it in the future.
Next, we repeat all the above steps in relation to the second rack. Then we put the wheels in place, remove the jacks and check the work.
Sources:
https://avtovestie.ru/info/prostavki-na-lada-granta/ https://carfrance.ru/uvelichivaem-klirens-na-lada-granta-kuda-uzh-vyshe/ https://vaz-remont. ru/ustanavlivaem-prostavki-dlya-uvelicheniya-klirensa-kalina-zad/
