Ground Clearance

[Theduke]

Hey everyone, I'm fairly new to the Overland Bound Forums/Community here so I'm not sure if this has been covered in the past. I tried looking to see if it has but couldn't find anything. So with that here are the questions;


What are y'all getting for ground clearance with your rigs?
What have you/do you put your rigs through?
What is your current suspension setup in your rig to get this clearance?


I'm trying to get a baseline on what kind of clearance I should shoot for with my 2014 Ram 1500.

 

[slomatt]

Personally I would not focus on ground clearance since there are so many variables involved.

- Type of terrain you are driving in. If you are in the dunes or on flat dirt roads then you don't need as much ground clearance as you do if you are rock crawling.

- Wheelbase. The relevant number is really the breakover angle, and a vehicle with a longer wheelbase is going to need to have more ground clearance to have the same breakover angle a vehicle with a shorter wheelbase.

- Type of vehicle. On some vehicles the lowest point is a small part hanging down that can be avoided, on others is it something large like a gas tank which is more likely to hit things.

- Center of gravity. Many people like to keep their center of gravity as low as possible to increase stability on side hills, and they depend on careful driving or solid skid plates to keep things safe.

My recommendation would be to take your truck out and see how it does on the types of trails you are going to be running. If you drive slowly and carefully you won't damage the truck, and you'll get a good idea of if you are having issues high centering on obstacles. You can then decide if you just need some good skids, or if you want to increase your ground clearance by installing taller tires and/or a lift.

- Matt

 

[TreXTerra]

Ground clearance is measured from the lowest hanging part on the vehicle to the ground, this is usually the rear differential; it also means that the only way to get more clearance is to fit bigger tires. A suspension lift will raise the chassis above the axle, but won't raise the axle off the ground.

For off road driving there are a few points of geometry that make a difference:

Approach Angle: This is the steepest angle you can drive up without knocking something on the front of the vehicle.

Departure Angle: The steepest angle you can drive off of without knocking the rear end.

Breakover Angle: I have seen this measured two ways, one is the graphic above, the other is simply the angle of the ramp you could crest without getting high-centered.

When you are off roading, you want to put your tires on the tallest rocks or obstacles to avoid scraping vital bits under the vehicle or getting hung up on a rock. You never want to straddle a tall obstacle. I've seen very built up vehicles driven very poorly fail to get up a climb that a much smaller, less capable vehicle in the hands of a good driver got up with no problems at all.

Experience and technique will do more than tall ground clearance.

 

[buckwilk]

Often lifts are used to get clearance for taller tires which will get that low point higher. Make sense?

 

[Renegade]

What are y'all getting for ground clearance with your rigs? 16 inches
What have you/do you put your rigs through? Trails, Mud, Water, etc
What is your current suspension setup in your rig to get this clearance? Stock

BLUE

I'm trying to get a baseline on what kind of clearance I should shoot for with my 2014 Ram 1500.

I would not focus on that. Get a good set of tires, perhaps a mild lift, and accept whatever ground clearance you get.

 

[Jeepney]

Plenty of places to explore on stock vehicles. Heck i've been some places only to see some compact car coming out of the trail. Do that for awhile and you learn what you really need for your rig.

There's lots of really nice rigs here but most are typically overbuilt for what we do here in the US. We are car lovers afterall so you have to balance between want vs need.

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

[1derer]

Stock ground clearance for 2014 Ram 1500 is listed at 8.6" where as stock ground clearance for 1997 LX450 (Land Cruiser) is 10.8" does that 2.2" buy you something, not sure? I have found the #1 assistance in larger tires is ability to break over an object and increased height of rocker panels to prevent damage if you don't have sliders. Personally I have always opted for milid lift medium upgrade in tires and under rig armor.

 

[Theduke]

Stock ground clearance for 2014 Ram 1500 is listed at 8.6" where as stock ground clearance for 1997 LX450 (Land Cruiser) is 10.8" does that 2.2" buy you something, not sure? I have found the #1 assistance in larger tires is ability to break over an object and increased height of rocker panels to prevent damage if you don't have sliders. Personally I have always opted for milid lift medium upgrade in tires and under rig armor.

Yeah once my tires wear out I plan to upgrade to 35" At's, still deciding between the KO2's or the Wrangler Duratracs. I'm also debating between keeping with my Bilstein 5100's I currently have in the truck (set at stock levels currently), while setting them at the highest settings; or getting a 4" lift. We will see when the time comes though.

 

[Theduke]

Plenty of places to explore on stock vehicles. Heck i've been some places only to see some compact car coming out of the trail. Do that for awhile and you learn what you really need for your rig.

There's lots of really nice rigs here but most are typically overbuilt for what we do here in the US. We are car lovers afterall so you have to balance between want vs need.

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

Very true, a lot of people underestimate what a stock vehicle can do. About 4 years ago I had a stock 2010 F150 Crew cab other than a brush guard and Rigid light cubes, that I used to take up into the mountains of Colorado. Never had a problem in the places I went and some places weren't even trails per say.


Yeah that want vs need will get you every time, I don't plan on going crazy with my setup but would like to be able to go some places I can't currently go in my stock form (got a few around where I'm at now).

 

[000]

I'm a fan of a shorter lift and reasonable sized tires myself for a rig that's not an off-road dedicated vehicle. Real bullet proof sliders are key for this. If Most vehicles with this set up can do a lot though I'm finding that the departure angle for my Tacoma is lacking so I will be upgrading to a higher clearance rear bumper that loses the hitch that drags on steep stuff and integrates it into the middle of the bumper and I will also be adding a 3 piece skid to protect the engine, trans and transfer case. I'd rather not have giant tires and lift and scrape armor once in awhile. This Definitely depends on what kind of terrain you travel on. I like the granite trails in the Sierras so ground clearance is an issue with boulders everywhere. Losing side steps, front bumper balances, etc helps a lot without spending money.


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[Mike W]

I probably would have put more of a lift and larger tires on my rig, if I didn't have a Land Rover LR4... it kinda forces a certain setup just due to the limitations of the platform.. but it turns out that I think it is a pretty great setup. So mine is stock suspension even after all the other crazy stuff I put on mine. Full armor now, working on front bull bar, oem engine skids, trans skids, gas tank skids, sliders with skids to the frame rails, full steel rear bumper....

For tire sizes.. they just don't leave a lot of extra room past 32" tires... without cutting into frame horns and trimming wheel wells. So... 32" it is. That gives me an additional inch or more over stock.

For lift, well you get the full IFS setup.. but it is a "cross linked" air suspension. If you put a wheel up on one side, it forces air across the axel to the other side, acts a bit like live axel... So the three normal modes you get are access height which is low for parking garages and for when your wife breaks a leg and needs help getting in.... Normal height, which is actually still like 9" or more at the lowest point.. and Off Road height, which is 2"+ over normal. So in off road I think it is close to 11" ground clearance.

If the rig detects that you are high centered . (the air suspension sensors are magic!).. it gives you extended off road height. And if that doesnt work.. you get SUPER extended off road height.

Would be really hard on the CV joints and other parts to run in off road height all the time.. and less comfortable. So the philosophy is actually great... normal, safe, low-ish height for 90% of your driving.. and at the push of a button (or with my IID Tool and a phone/tablet).. I can raise it up another 4"+ (or more.. not sure). Land Rover claims its a long travel air sprung setup, and it does articulate pretty well.

So ya.. that was long, sorry. But its an alternative setup from what most people have. If you see a Land Rover LR3/LR4... don't be surprised if it doesn't look that high... if it looks kinda low and pathetic. They will surprise you.

Bottom line though, I agree with others.. Stock for most vehicles is enough to go MOST places. Just protect your bits.

Here is a very long time ago, me learning that the rack lifts the garage door before the wheel even lifts off the garage floor...

 

[Brasky]

Personally I would not focus on ground clearance since there are so many variables involved.

- Type of terrain you are driving in. If you are in the dunes or on flat dirt roads then you don't need as much ground clearance as you do if you are rock crawling.

- Wheelbase. The relevant number is really the breakover angle, and a vehicle with a longer wheelbase is going to need to have more ground clearance to have the same breakover angle a vehicle with a shorter wheelbase.

- Type of vehicle. On some vehicles the lowest point is a small part hanging down that can be avoided, on others is it something large like a gas tank which is more likely to hit things.

- Center of gravity. Many people like to keep their center of gravity as low as possible to increase stability on side hills, and they depend on careful driving or solid skid plates to keep things safe.

My recommendation would be to take your truck out and see how it does on the types of trails you are going to be running. If you drive slowly and carefully you won't damage the truck, and you'll get a good idea of if you are having issues high centering on obstacles. You can then decide if you just need some good skids, or if you want to increase your ground clearance by installing taller tires and/or a lift.

- Matt

This is a great answer. I would also add that a lift is usually one of the later things on my list of mods. Armor, skids, lockers, and a winch will usually be more helpful in the long run.


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[clmautz]

I don't plan on going crazy with my setup but would like to be able to go some places I can't currently go in my stock form (got a few around where I'm at now).

What is preventing you? That might help with what you need.



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[robrtsmtn]

You already have some great answers. I'm a proponent of approach and departure angles. That's always where I have done the most damage on any of my vehicles. I'm currently building my second Jeep ZJ, and have gone with the same lift as I did on the first. 3.5 lift with 31x10.50s as it gets me over the rocks, but doesn't really feel like it effects my center of gravity for side hilling while the tires stuff really nicely. Also, as others have said, rock sliders. they will do wonders for your confidence on the trail.

 

[Rexplorer]

depending on how your truck currently sits, you might find some added approach or departure angle by installing a leveling kit instead of a full on lift. it just lifts the front (or rear) to give equal height in the front and back. usually can be done pretty cheaply but you may gain an inch or so of bumper from the ground height.