Ground clearance is the distance from the lowest point of the body to the support (road). Another name is ground clearance. The closer the bottom of the car is to the road, the higher the stability and controllability of the vehicle. However, on bad roads the bottom may touch uneven surfaces and the body may sag. For this reason, the question of how to increase ground clearance is extremely important for drivers. Here are the 5 best ways to increase ground clearance, which will be useful to owners of modern cars with a ground clearance of 13-18 cm.
How to increase car clearance yourself
Ground clearance is actually a very important part in a car; the fact is that it affects first of all cross-country ability, then aerodynamics and handling. Some people want to increase it, most often in order to increase cross-country ability; it is inconvenient for them to pass where. Because of this, they are trying to solve this problem.
Content:
If you want to do this, then you must understand that the dynamics will deteriorate slightly, the handling will change slightly for the worse, and there is also a possibility that the level of rigidity will decrease. If all this doesn’t scare you, then let’s start analyzing the various methods.
There are several methods; in principle, any can be used, but for each pendant there is the most optimal option.
The concept of clearance and why increase it
From a technical point of view, ground clearance, also known as ground clearance, is the distance from the top of the road surface to the lowest point of the body elements. But the fact is that other parts and parts of the units protrude below the bottom level:
- exhaust pipes;
- cardan shaft with suspended bearing;
- front body kit;
- engine oil sump.
Ford Focus 3 low clearance
It is these elements that receive damage from impacts against obstacles that rise above the level of the road surface (for example, when driving along a rut).
Advice. The lowest point of the car is considered to be the engine sump or its protection made of a metal sheet. If you want to measure the ground clearance of your car, then it is better to start from this point.
Measuring ground clearance using the front body kit
The measurement is carried out using a regular ruler or tape measure, provided that the car is standing on a level surface. To avoid getting dirty, place an old jacket on the asphalt, sit down on it and look under the car. If the pan protection does not protrude below the “beard” of the front bumper, then you can take the measurement using the body kit, otherwise fix the ground clearance using the crankcase. Periodic checking of this parameter will allow you to determine the degree of shrinkage of the front springs during the operation of the car.
Increasing the ground clearance is a fairly popular procedure among owners of foreign passenger cars with low ground clearance - from 130 to 150 mm. Being new, these cars somehow cope with driving around the city, but after a few years their bumpers begin to cling to ledges on the road. This is one of the reasons for lifting the car, but there are others:
- excessive wear and shrinkage of springs;
- some methods of increasing ground clearance are cheaper than buying new suspension elements;
- when the car is constantly operated with a full load on bad roads or pulls a loaded trailer.
Hyundai Accent ground clearance is typical for foreign cars
Reference. The optimal ground clearance can be determined from Russian VAZ models - 170 mm under the engine. This is enough for driving in urban conditions and on the highway. To move confidently on country roads and dirt roads, you need a ground clearance of 190 mm or more.
What is clearance - video
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3aWXA3e1mGk
Spacer
Car springs have a certain distance between each turn; in this place you can insert a rubber gasket that is thicker than this distance. Such a gasket can be purchased at the store. As a result, after installation the car will sag less from its own weight. That is, the spring is initially compressed due to the fact that the body itself presses on it, and the gasket makes this compression less.
Where this spacer is installed, there will be practically no compression, and where it is not there, the compression will be greater. But despite this, most inexpensive cars, such as Ford Focus, Hyundai Solaris and so on, receive 3-5 cm to the previous ground clearance. Yes, you can install even more of these spacers and get an even greater increase, but it’s better not to do this.
This method will give you what you need, but there is a downside. Spacers will greatly increase rigidity, especially if your car is not particularly comfortable to begin with. Controllability will also deteriorate and ESP will not work as correctly as before.
All this is not particularly expensive, and you can do the whole procedure yourself. If you buy it for AvtoVAZ models, then on average they will cost you 500 rubles a set. If you don’t have a particularly expensive foreign car, then at least you will need 2,000 rubles for a set.
Suspension “bad roads”: we use the package ourselves
Many motorists have always been interested in the concept of the “bad roads” package, which is offered in showrooms for many brands and models of cars. In fact, it's just a set of suspension parts with slightly different characteristics. In particular, the package includes a different type of strut and spring, sometimes including spring stands certified at the factory. There are several important features of using such a package independently:
The modifications are quite simple, you need to buy struts and springs, replace them and enjoy the additional 2-2.5 cm of ground clearance. You can easily combine the first and second steps and get about 4 cm of increase below the bottom point. At the same time, the costs will be quite tolerable, since the struts will change sooner or later, as well as tires and wheels. Next time your struts need replacing, look into the bad roads package.
Other springs
This method is used most often by car enthusiasts, since it can be figured out even without using an Internet search. Increasing ground clearance using this method is not difficult, but if you do not have a particularly popular car, then you will have a very difficult time finding springs.
This method has a lot of disadvantages. Firstly, you will not find such a spare part from the manufacturer, that is, you cannot be sure of the quality of the spring and the materials from which it is made. Secondly, handling suffers greatly, with increased roll and poor stabilization on the highway.
This is very easy to do, you buy new springs and install them. It is difficult to discuss the cost, since the amounts depend on the manufacturer and the specific model. As a result, you will get plus 6-12 centimeters. But such increases will have a very bad effect on your driving safety.
Video instructions for lengthening shock absorbers
For a motorist who has at least once changed the struts on a car with his own hands, it will not be a problem to increase the ground clearance using spacers and new springs. The procedure does not imply radical intervention in the suspension design and does not require the use of special equipment or welding. In the first days after lifting the body, you may have to get used to small changes in the car’s behavior on the road and reduce your driving speed. These are natural consequences of increasing clearance that you need to get used to.
Source
Big wheels
This is a rather expensive method, but at the same time simple to implement. You can do it yourself without any problems, as it is as simple as possible. Your task is to buy other wheels and tires of a larger diameter and install them.
For example, you can easily increase the ground clearance by removing your 15th wheels and installing 16th ones, respectively, installing the same tires. But be careful, take tires with the same profile as it was. The fact is that if it is less, then the ground clearance will either not change, or, on the contrary, will decrease.
Look at what wheel sizes are suitable for your car, as if they don't match, problems will arise. When turning, the wheels can touch the arches, thereby damaging the tires and the arch itself, which is not particularly encouraging.
You also get an improvement in appearance, but that's a plus. The speedometer will display a lower speed, and the vehicle's mileage will be lower according to the instruments than in reality. In addition, dynamics and maximum speed will decrease, and consumption will increase. The fact is that wheels with a larger diameter are simply heavier. But these changes will not be particularly big.
Most cars will allow this method to increase their ground clearance by a maximum of 3 centimeters. This is not so much, but maybe someone needs it, plus they wanted new wheels.
An expensive way to increase ground clearance
And, of course, there is a way to increase the clearance between the car and the road surface, for which you will have to shell out a considerable amount of hard-earned money. This, as you probably already guessed, is an air suspension. Why is it so expensive? And everything is very simple. In addition to expensive installation work, it involves the purchase of various additional modules, which include a receiver, pressure sensors, a control unit and, most importantly, air springs for the rear and front parts of the body.
The main advantage of this method is the variable ground clearance of the car. In other words, at high speed and driving on excellent road surfaces, your car will have a reduced ground clearance, and when driving off-road, it will be possible to raise it to the maximum, thus increasing the vehicle’s cross-country ability. There were some shortcomings. So, in addition to the high cost of such pleasure, the air suspension cannot boast of a long service life, which, you see, is not good for residents of some regions of the country, which still have two problems on the roads.
Tell me everything. Increasing ground clearance is not such a difficult thing, especially if you have good guides at hand. But remember that before starting work, it is better to calculate the budget prematurely and weigh all the pros and cons than to go broke later on the consequences.
Video on how to increase ground clearance on a Kia Sid:
Spacer in shock absorber struts
One of the best ways is this one. The point is that there is a place where the shock absorber and the body meet, and in this place you can install a special spacer that will raise the body up. Open the hood if you have a popular sedan or hatchback and you'll take this place away.
There is only one downside: the center of gravity will be higher and this will have a slightly negative impact on handling. It is difficult to say what the result will be, since spacers come in different thicknesses.
You can install them yourself if you know a little about cars. You can purchase this spacer for 600 rubles. They come in plastic and aluminum; aluminum ones are a little more expensive, but they are more reliable.
How to raise a car's suspension
Unfortunately, the quality of our roads requires some design changes to be made to most cars. This article will discuss how to raise a car's suspension. We will consider in detail several options for performing this operation. From the technical side, such tuning is not accompanied by any difficulties, and can be performed by anyone who knows the design of their model.
Ways to raise the suspension
The problem of how to raise the front or rear suspension can be solved in 5 ways:
replacing spacers on springs;
replacement of wheels and tires.
Installing the stand on the support
Special stands allow you to raise the clearance without structural changes or replacement of parts. The only drawback is that they add only a few centimeters to the height. These elements are installed between the supports and the body. They are made from several materials: polyurethane, aluminum and plastic. The first bushings, with frequent driving on uneven roads, begin to compress, which leads to deformation of the body under their influence. The latter do not lead to the consequences described above. Instead, they provoke corrosion when in contact with a sand-salt mixture. The disadvantages of the latter elements include only a limited service life.
Spring replacement
It is known that springs have a direct effect on the amount of clearance, since the body practically weighs on them. When choosing them, it is necessary to take into account the design features of the car. For example, for a VAZ 2110 car, segments from model 2112 or 2111 are suitable. The former are more elastic, the latter are higher, but softer. It is necessary to take into account the fact that if you choose a spring that is too powerful, it can reduce the shock absorber stroke. In other words, this may cause the last method to exit due to its blocking. The consequences are expressed in a decrease in ride comfort and rapid breakdown of the above-described segments.
More springs
If you have a leaf spring suspension, which is rare in the modern world, then you can solve your problem by simply adding one or two leaf springs. Most often, such a suspension is used on old SUVs or Gazelle. Among the minuses, it is worth noting a slight increase in rigidity and a change in the center of gravity, but the maximum load on the suspension will become greater, that is, you will be able to load a little more cargo.
If you have an SUV, then most likely you can install other wheels that are significantly larger than the standard ones. But in fact, it will be better to install several new plates, since there are much fewer disadvantages.
Spacers to increase ground clearance: pros and cons
Hello, dear friends! Are you bored? Me too. Today we are considering a rather interesting issue - spacers to increase ground clearance.
I know that car owners often try, on the contrary, to lower the car, to make it as low as possible. But you yourself understand who is doing this. Especially when it comes to cars such as VAZ 2109, 2110, etc.
Take any car, Peugeot, Honda, Opel, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota, Audi. Only a few of them have really high ground clearance, that is, ground clearance. And then, this mainly applies to crossovers.
I agree that cars like Renault Logan and Skoda Octavia Tour are high.
But the Chevrolet Lacetti, Ford Focus, Kia Sid or Rio, Mazda 3, Hyundai Accent, Volkswagen Passat sometimes clearly do not reach the height that is needed for our roads.
It is the poor quality of roads that forces car owners to change their clearance sizes. One method is spacers. They are installed in the rear and front wheels. Moreover, many do it with their own hands. A bunch of relevant training videos to help you.
Buying yourself a set of spacers is not as expensive as completely changing the springs or replacing a set of wheels with a larger diameter. Although spacers have their drawbacks.
What are they needed for
I won’t be unfounded, but I’ll just give simple examples from life. I think they will allow you to understand why it is worth considering the issue of installing spacers to increase ground clearance.
Installing spacers is the most optimal solution to the problem, if you look at it from a price-quality perspective. They increase rigidity and increase the distance from the bottom to the ground.
Fortunately, my car is quite high, but this problem is very close to me, since my friends do not have such ground clearance.
Actually, I would like to install inserts for them too, since I have to constantly take my car if we go somewhere in nature or outside the city. But let's not talk about sad things.
I think it’s very clear to you why these spacers are needed and what function they perform. But before you install and even purchase these elements, which are sold not only in Volgograd, but also in any cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, etc., I suggest you find out what these spacers are.
Varieties
There are three main types of these elements used to increase ground clearance and increase the rigidity of a car's suspension.
Materials used
Reviews from friends, online users and personal observations made it clear that it is extremely important what spacers you buy. When we install the first elements we come across, bought for pennies, we greatly risk our own health and the health of our car.
Go shopping, go to the same Aliexpress, look carefully at the drawing of the proposed spacers. But the most important thing is the material they are made from.
Today spacers are produced on the basis of three different materials.
Summarize
I cannot advise or dissuade you from installing spacers. Much depends on the specific car, its condition, driving style, operating conditions, and so on.
The reason to refuse spacers may be the fact that after their installation the levers are lowered and are constantly in this state. As a result, the geometry is disrupted, the suspension system works differently, and changes for the worse, the previous sensitivity of the steering is lost, and the car can skid at high speeds.
Spacers also increase the load on the suspension itself; silent blocks, shock absorbers, and steering rods wear out.
It's up to you to decide. Think about where to buy spacers and whether it is worth buying them specifically in your case. It may be easier to change the wheels or the springs themselves. It's more expensive, but safer.
Share your impressions if you have used spacers. Don't forget to leave comments, invite your friends and tell everyone you know about us. This is not difficult for you, but we are incredibly pleased!
Air suspension
This method is the most expensive of all listed, but in terms of security it is the best. This option allows you to adjust the ride height using buttons in the cabin, this happens thanks to the inflation of the airbags.
For this you will have to pay more than 100,000 rubles, the amount may be slightly less, or it may be much more. It all depends on your car, since the entire chassis is subject to changes and the more complex it is, the more expensive the procedure.
As a result, you can raise the car if necessary, and lower it to normal in normal mode, but this is expensive.
Spacers for springs to increase ground clearance: 6 installation tips
In order to protect the car's suspension from damage while driving on domestic roads, spacers are increasingly being used to increase ground clearance . There are several modifications of these devices, which are installed under the front struts and rear springs. How effective is their use?
Depending on the make of the car, spacers of a certain modification are installed. For front shock absorbers, they are made of steel and aluminum. For the rear springs, devices made of special types of rubber of increased density, as well as plastic and polyurethane, are used.
As for the price, a set of spacers to increase ground clearance costs from 1000 rubles or more - it all depends on the material and the manufacturer. Installing them at a service station does not take much time. The design of the front spacers is a bracket in the form of a box with mounting holes, the rear ones are made in the form of rings with three eyes.
Along with undoubted advantages, such as increasing ground clearance and increasing the vehicle's cross-country ability, such a modernization of the suspension design is fraught with a number of serious disadvantages :
Installing spacers to increase ground clearance can be justified only if it is necessary to return the original ground clearance, which has decreased as a result of shrinkage of the springs. These changes are most suitable for motorists who often have to drive on rural roads.
However, even this fact does not justify the use of spacers with a thickness of more than 30 mm; moreover, it is necessary to take into account what material they are made of.
For example, polyurethane spacers to increase ground clearance, which are installed between the body and the pillar, have one significant drawback. Since their body is made of polyurethane, and the bushings are made of steel, during operation it is the polyurethane that wears out most quickly, as a result of which the steel parts cause damage to the car body.
MRoad › Blog › 7 real ways to increase ground clearance
In the last article, we figured out why it is necessary to increase the car’s ground clearance, what are the advantages and pitfalls in this procedure. This issue is especially important for owners of foreign cars, since not all foreign models adapt well to Russian conditions. Today we will list you, in fact, the means to increase the ground clearance of your car. Each method also has its own indications and contraindications.
How to increase ground clearance: 7 ways
Installing Stiffer or Longer Springs
One of the most expected ways to increase ground clearance, which has fallen due to spring subsidence, is to install new springs with higher rigidity or an increased number of turns. We just want to remind you that if your planting grows by more than 5 cm, the consequences can be unpredictable.
Arguments for:
Depending on the chosen springs, you can seriously “lift yourself” - up to 8-12 cm. Long-term effect.
Arguments against
Such an addition to the design usually has an unfavorable effect on the car’s handling: the angles of the rear and front suspension change, roll when cornering increases; Buying springs and, if necessary, new shock absorbers is not the cheapest thing; It is difficult to find original extended springs for the model; you have to buy either from other cars or from a third-party manufacturer. Such tuning is completely at your own peril and risk.
Mounting high profile tires
It is possible to raise the ground clearance relatively inexpensively by installing higher profile tires. You can choose the maximum permitted size specified by the manufacturer, or you can install even larger tires and widen the wheel arches. Simple, but not exactly brilliant.
Arguments for
Relatively inexpensive method; Long-term increase in clearance; The design of the car does not change; The result of the increase is 1-3 cm.
Arguments against
The speedometer displays errors of up to 5 km/h; Fuel is consumed more cheerfully. New tires and wheel arches will wear out quickly if friction occurs. When unloaded, the tires may seem to fit, but when loaded, the tires will rub against the arches or wheel arches when cornering.
Installation of larger diameter discs
Replacing discs can give you a couple of extra centimeters with a permanent effect, but replacing them is much more expensive and difficult. The kit must be selected to match the dimensions of the wheel hub; they must have the appropriate mounting bolts.
Arguments for
Small, but growing; Permanent effect.
Arguments against
Difficulties in selection; Same disadvantages as tires. how to raise ground clearance
Spacers for shock absorber strut
The essence of the method is that a spacer made of metal, ABS plastic, polyurethane or rubber is installed at the junction of the shock absorber strut support with the body. They are cheap and give an increase of 3-5 centimeters. This method is not considered a change in the design of the model. However, spacers have a negative impact on handling and also wear out quite quickly.
Arguments for
Cheapness; Increasing clearance by 3-5 cm; Big choice.
Arguments against
Loss of directional stability; The occurrence of rolls; The suspension changes the angle of the suspension; Increased shock absorber travel, which creates a risk of breakdown.
Installing additional plates in the springs in a car with leaf spring suspension
There are fewer such cars, but for similar models (including the Gazelle) this method remains effective. If you are the owner of a spring SUV, it is quite possible that your arches will allow you to install larger diameter wheels and add 1-2 springs.
Arguments for
An effective method for these types of cars, especially if you need to increase suspension stiffness.
Arguments against
Increased center of gravity; The suspension becomes less comfortable; The load on the springs increases.
The use of interturn cushions - buffers
Buffer is an interturn cushion made of polyurethane. There are cheaper productions - from TPR, ordinary rubber. The insert fits onto the medium wide coils of the springs and supports them, preventing compression to a critical level. MRoad brand buffers are durable and effective pillows with a full range of sizes. They are made of high-quality polyurethane, which has the ability to restore its shape, its properties do not depend on temperature. Installing buffers in the springs is a simple and affordable way to increase ground clearance yourself. You can buy MRoad buffers on our website.
Arguments for
Simple installation, affordable prices Buffers are organically integrated into the work of the spring, without changing the load distribution The driving performance of the car is improved: reduced sway, roll, collected and soft ride Ground clearance increases by 2 cm Warranty on MRoad buffers - 100,000 km!
Arguments against
A lot of low-quality pillows from China do not justify the expense of air springs for increasing ground clearance
In our review, we deliberately omitted the topic of adjustable air suspension, since this is too expensive an option for those who do not shy away from spending. For budget and middle class cars, suspension installation will be estimated at around 100,000 rubles, which is 1/4 - 1/5 of their price. However, recently a means has appeared to raise the ground clearance, comparable in effect to air suspension - these are air cylinders. Rubber cylinders up to 1 cm thick are inserted into the rear hollow suspension springs and inflated with air. Their installation increases the ground clearance by up to 5 cm, depending on the pressure inside. The use of PB also results in improved handling and increased load capacity: the car can be fully loaded without sagging the rear part of the body. The MRoad company is currently working on launching air springs under its own brand to make these useful devices available to Russian motorists. MRoad pneumatic cylinders will be available for purchase within a month.
Pneumatic cylinder
Installing air suspension is a fairly popular method of increasing ground clearance. However, it is the most expensive. Sometimes the price can be a fifth of the total cost of the entire car.
Now there is an alternative to air suspension - an air spring. It is inserted into the rear springs and then inflated with air. The method has the following advantages:
- increased ground clearance (by an average of 5 cm) and the possibility of its adjustment;
- increasing the vehicle's load capacity and handling.
The only disadvantage of this method is the need to manually inflate the air cylinder. If you exceed the permissible limit when inflating, the balloon may simply burst. However, if you act carefully, the product can function properly for many years, effectively increasing the vehicle's ground clearance.
Methods for lifting a car for repairs without using a pit or a lift
A large number of car owners prefer to repair their vehicles themselves, using tool kits and a regular garage. Some people even do this in the yard, although this option is not the most acceptable. But certain repair work requires lifting part or the entire car, otherwise it will not be possible to get to the problem unit. If we talk about car services, then there is specialized equipment in the form of powerful lifts, as well as equipped inspection pits, from where a technician can easily get to the required part, remove it, replace or repair it. Few ordinary motorists own a service station, and therefore you need to look for alternative options for lifting your car so as not to overpay for car service services only because of the lack of means to lift the car. But if you decide to take on such work yourself, follow all safety rules very strictly. Not every method discussed will be right for you. Analyze carefully and take into account your technical and physical capabilities. There's no point in taking unnecessary risks. Sometimes it’s really better to go to a trusted car service center.
Methods for lifting a car for repairs.
Raising the rear of the machine
Installation of spacers and high springs in the rear suspension of a car is carried out in the same way as in the front. Even the set of tools remains unchanged, and a puller for pressing out ball pins is not needed at all. The difference lies in the order of disassembling the chassis:
Advice. During disassembly, use WD-40 spray lubricant to help loosen stuck threaded connections.
The rear multi-link suspension is disassembled using the same algorithm as the front one: first, the lower shock absorber mount is unscrewed, then the lower arm is released, the spring is tightened and removed from the socket along with the extensions. When assembling, be sure to install extensions for the shock absorbers so that the rod has enough travel on an elevated body.
Security issue
Quite often, car owners are faced with a problem when they do not have a special overpass, lift or pit in the garage for repair and restoration work. For many, the only option is to use a jack. But this method can hardly be called absolutely safe. Before you get to work and crawl under a raised vehicle in your own garage, there are a few things to consider that are directly related to your safety.
Safety comes first. Before carrying out any repair work in your garage that requires lifting the car, create all conditions for safe work. This is not so difficult to do, but it is extremely important for the safety of your health and life.
Let's sum it up
There are several dozen methods to increase the ground clearance of a car. A number of them are used for all cars, some options exist only for certain types of transport. There is always the opportunity to use the option that is most suitable for your case and get the maximum positive emotions from its use. Therefore, it is important to choose a method of working with the suspension that will be safe and will not cause any problems in the operation of the car. Otherwise, a car trip will not turn into the most pleasant moments of your life. Sometimes it will be very difficult to redo everything back.
Ways to lift in the garage
If repair work is planned to be carried out in a garage, then you need to think about how best to lift the car when a powerful lift is not available. There are several methods for lifting a vehicle in a garage. And sometimes there is no need to lift anything at all, since many of these rooms have holes. They are the ones who help car owners carry out repairs and maintenance work on their own, without turning to car service specialists for help, thereby significantly saving their budget. But the problem becomes relevant again when you don’t know how to lift a car in a garage without an inspection hole. It is not available everywhere, so we have to look for alternative solutions. If there is no hole, you can use:
Each method should be described separately so that you can take into account important nuances and follow certain rules.
Using a jack
Almost every motorist has a jack. This device should come as a basic package when purchasing a car. If the car was taken from the secondary market, and there was no jack there, one of the primary tasks of the new car owner is to buy a good lifting device. The danger of a jack lies mainly in violating the rules for its use. Some drivers simply overload the device, not calculating the load on the mechanism from too much weight of the car. Others buy low-quality models that cannot withstand even several cycles of operation under load. But there is another problem: when the jack is good, its quality does not raise any questions, it still breaks on the car. This is due to improper installation of the device. There are 2 key rules to follow here.
When the jack rests on strong metal, and itself stands on a flat and solid surface, the work becomes much safer. Yes, do not forget about fixing the car itself, its wheels, as well as carefully performing all tasks in order to avoid strong swinging of the car when it is on a jack. Combining these rules with the use of additional security measures allows you to achieve excellent results.
Available means
Sometimes the driver finds himself in situations where there is no good jack at hand, or it is broken. And the car needs to be lifted for urgent repairs. Here your intelligence will come to the rescue, as well as the materials at hand around you. If possible, ask for help from several men from neighboring garages. They will help you lift the car so that you can place some boards or bricks under it in the meantime. You can also use the rims on which the car will stand, and this will allow you to carry out the necessary repairs. But you shouldn’t always count on help. In this situation, being in the garage, you can solve the problem on your own. Moreover, it is not as difficult as it might seem. You will need to find a meter-long wooden board of sufficient strength, as well as several bricks. The bricks should be laid on top of each other, and the board itself should be placed on top. As a result, one edge of the board rests on the bricks, and the other touches the floor. Thus, you have made a small slope.
Now all that remains is to carefully push one side onto the resulting structure. This will allow you to raise the car above the floor level in the garage. Next, get out of the car and place a wooden stand under the side members. Bricks with boards can be removed. That's it, the car is raised and secured. Proceed with planned repair work. But this is a method that is recommended to be used in extreme situations, when there is no other choice, and you need to start restoring the car as quickly as possible. It would be better if you go out and buy a good jack to replace the one that is broken.
Wooden coasters
This is a safety element that is definitely recommended for use when doing your own garage repair of a vehicle. But you still can’t do it without a jack. The point of the procedure is to make the car as stable as possible. To do this, you need to take strong wooden boards of sufficient thickness. Next, the necessary part of the machine is jacked up and boards are placed under it. The jack itself can be safely removed, since the boards took the entire load upon themselves, and their stability is much better than that of a lifting device. Linings in the form of a wooden board or piece are installed under the side members. If necessary, the procedure is carried out on the other side of the vehicle. This allows the car to be completely suspended with all 4 wheels above the floor. The main thing is to have a sufficient number of stands. Therefore, it is worth taking care of this in advance.
Getting Started
Before actually performing the work, you should take into account the level of suspension wear, because such tuning can significantly reduce it. This can be easily determined by the vehicle's mileage. It is best to initially replace parts with new ones or carry out repair work on them, and only then begin reconstruction.
You will need to use special stands for shock absorbers - you can buy them at a car dealership. They allow you to influence the properties of the vehicle without changing the design features. They are made from aluminum and polyurethane, so they are quite durable.
The stands should be placed between the shock absorber and the beam located in the rear. You also need a set of keys and blocks, thanks to which the car will be held at the required level for the suspension. It is important to follow safety rules, because this is a dangerous procedure.
Final stages
Once the required height has been reached, the machine must be securely fixed. Then you need to gain access to the nodes on which the main work will be carried out. Next, using a suitable wrench, unscrew the mounting bolt for the shock absorber to pull it out of the bracket.
On the resulting part you need to attach a stand, which will be located near the lower shock absorber. It must be remembered that fastening according to the “bevel back” principle will give a rise of 5 cm, and “forward” - by 4 cm. When the required level and position are selected, the structure is installed back. The bolt is tightened with a force of 85 N/m. Similar work is carried out with the second shock absorber.
After completing these procedures, the suspension is considered complete. She needs to conduct testing, and if defects or unequal volume are detected, she needs to correct the problem. After this, the high and low beam headlights are adjusted. To do this, you can draw a straight line on the wall that will serve as a guide. Experts also recommend changing the position of the brake levers.
Thus, you can easily raise the vehicle’s suspension on your own. To do this, it is important to follow the instructions and safety rules. But it is important not to increase it too much, because this not only spoils the appearance of the car, but also significantly impairs the handling of the vehicle.
If you want to change the suspension, decide whether there is really such a need. This is not a “harmless” procedure, because the wear of the machine greatly increases and the maneuverability properties deteriorate. It should be carried out only when really necessary.
Ways to lift on the street
Some will be surprised, but in street conditions there are no less opportunities for lifting a car than in a garage. And some argue that there are even more of them on the street. The street provides more space than a cramped garage. Plus, not everyone has it. Therefore, you often have to work on the street, in the courtyard of a private or multi-story building. The advantage of having other motorists in the neighborhood is that you can ask them for help and borrow a working jack for a while. If you need to lift the car, a number of special devices or simply improvised means are used that will help in solving the current problem. Some provide for the need for independent repairs in advance, while others act according to the situation and solve problems as they arise. And for these purposes you can use:
When you stop on the street, you can take your own jack out of the trunk, which must be in the car. But it happens that it is not there, or it is in an unusable condition. Then you can turn to your fellow motorists for help. Practice shows that a fairly large number of people are ready to help. But some are simply embarrassed to ask for help, and therefore try to solve their problem on their own.
Mini overpass
Prudent motorists make their own mini-overpass in advance. You can assemble it yourself if you have the appropriate skills, or ask for help from professional welders. The procedure for making a mini-overpass is quite complicated and requires a lot of time and effort. But often the result is completely justified. The only question is which overpass you will use. Structures are conventionally divided into collapsible and solid. If you have a garage or a spacious utility room in a private house, where you can store a structure that is quite impressive in size, then it is better to make a solid mini-overpass. It is more reliable and durable, although it takes up a lot of space. Collapsible ones are also practical and functional, but in terms of reliability and durability they are somewhat inferior to solid ones. Much still depends on what materials were used in manufacturing and how well the overpass was assembled. All such compact overpasses for personal use are divided into several categories:
Having even the simplest version of a mini-overpass at your disposal, you can take it at any time, install it on the street and carry out planned or unscheduled repair work.
Racks
There are other situations when a motorist’s capabilities are somewhat limited. That is, he cannot afford to use an entire mini-overpass for objective reasons. Therefore, one of the lifting options would be to use special racks. These devices can be easily found in almost any automotive supply store. And more experienced motorists prefer to make such devices with their own hands. This saves a lot of money and also allows you to gain additional experience. Factory versions can withstand a load of about 5 tons. But if you approach the issue of making a homemade stand wisely, it will withstand no less. Here, each motorist decides for himself whether he will make the rack himself, or whether he will give preference to ready-made factory designs. The lifting scheme itself looks exactly the same as in the case of using wooden stands. That is, you first need to lift the desired part of the vehicle using a regular car jack. And the racks are already installed under the side members. This procedure can be performed on all 4 wheels. Thus, the rack will hold the car above ground level, providing the necessary stability. With the help of racks, it is possible to raise the car by 60 centimeters as much as possible. Often this is more than enough to carry out repair, preventative or restoration work in outdoor conditions.
DIY front suspension upgrade
The procedure for replacing springs and adding spacers is divided into several stages:
If you purchased a car second-hand, it is recommended that you follow this sequence. You should not purchase parts without disassembling the suspension mechanism and seeing what is currently there. The previous owner of the car could also have added body-raising elements so as not to have to change the sagging springs, then the pre-purchased parts will be unnecessary and you will waste your money.
It’s another matter when the car was purchased at a showroom and you know that there was no outside interference in the design. Then buy a set of spacers in advance.
What tool do you need to make high ground clearance?
Among the special devices, you will need a puller designed for squeezing out the ball pins of the steering rods, and spring ties in the form of pins with grips. Both are sold for little money and will be quite useful in the future if you are used to repairing your car with your own hands. The list of other tools looks like this:
Advice. Do not ignore gloves and work with bare hands when disassembling the chassis of a car. It’s not scary to get them dirty with dirt and grease; it’s much more unpleasant to knock your hands loose when loosening the nuts and breaking off the keys.
Disassembly procedure
First of all, place stands under the rear wheels of the car, open the hood and install a jack. Then unscrew and remove one of the front wheels, and then proceed according to the following algorithm:
Note. If a tube with brake fluid is attached to the rack, as is done on Russian front-wheel drive VAZs, then it also needs to be carefully disconnected and moved to the side.
After dismantling, all that remains is to release the spring, to do this, compress it with ties and unscrew the nut holding the support bearing. After this, remove the spring with the standard fittings to take it with you to the store for comparison with the new parts.
Is it worth installing spacers to increase ground clearance?
The modern car market offers a huge number of cars. There is an iron friend for every taste, any color, any power. Various lowered cars look very fashionable, which seem to be completely adjacent to the ground, completely driving along the road.
However, sometimes the main part of the car becomes lower and closer to the ground not because of fashionable purposes and assembly features, but because of time. And sometimes everything is intended that way, but the owner of the car is not happy with it. But there is a way out - spacers to increase ground clearance will come to the rescue in such a situation.
Are they effective and does it make sense to install them?
What is it about
Before you figure out what spacers are to increase ground clearance, you need to figure out what ground clearance is. clearance, in other words ground clearance , is the distance between the lowest point of the car body and the road.
Actually, why does a motorist need to increase the ground clearance? As already mentioned, various situations can lead to the fact that the ground clearance is reduced (damage to springs and fasteners, for example), or the factory one was not high enough.
A car is, first and foremost, a means of transportation. A vehicle that sits tightly to the ground will not be able to drive without damaging the underbody. This can have a serious impact and make the car unsuitable for driving, which is why the question arises of increasing the distance to the road.
Also, increasing the ground clearance is of interest to people who like to drive off-road.
So, increasing ground clearance is often done using special spacers. This is especially common in the case of subsidence of “native” springs. These spacers are spring mechanisms or additional fasteners.
They cope with the task of increasing the clearance very well.
Moreover, the procedure for attaching such magnifiers is the most accessible, since they themselves are not expensive - one spacer can be purchased for a price of 1000 rubles .
Air cylinders also cope just as well as spacers . It turns out even cheaper, and a “healthy” car with working springs does not suffer.
However, to decide whether such a modification is necessary, risk factors must also be taken into account.
Of course, this idea has plenty of advantages, but it is not without its disadvantages - one way or another, any change in the “native” design always lies on the conscience of the motorist, and no one gives guarantees for its effectiveness. Before deciding to modify to increase ground clearance, weigh the pros and cons.
Pros of this idea
A modification that has only disadvantages usually disappears quickly. The installation of spacers continues to this day. Therefore, there are significant advantages to this.
The advantages of spacers include:
Disadvantages of spacers
But, of course, there is a fly in the ointment in this barrel of honey. The question “to put it or not?” would not have arisen if spacers had only advantages.
The following factors may serve as arguments for rejecting this idea:
Conclusion
Of course, the idea of installing spacers is as rich in advantages as it is in disadvantages. Any modification of an iron friend must be approached responsibly. If the springs in the factory design are weak, spacers will serve as an excellent solution; to increase the clearance of a working car, you can choose something else that is less dangerous for stability and maneuverability.
