Re:Suspension Lift and Ground Clearance?

Looking for some help. When reading about body lift and suspension lifts quite a lot of the info states benefit of suspension lift is that it improves ground clearance. But how accurate is this? My understanding is you cannot improve ground clearance without fitting bigger wheels/Tyres to lift the Differential and axles.

So when fitting a 2" suspension lift where do you get the improved ground clearance?



Am I correct in thinking when looking at the pic above all elements identified would be increased by 2" except the low point of the radius arm guards. They might increase a bit as the angle will change but certainly not 2". I have measured various parts ground clearance, see info below. Am I correct in that the parts marked with an * would be lifted but the rest would not?

Ground Clearance mm

Front Radius Arm Low Point 205
Front Differential 215
*Cross Member 245
*Front Radius Arm (Where you would fit the guard) 210
*Transfer Guard 245
Rear Radius Arm Low point 235
*Rear Radius Arm (Where you would fit the guard) 230
Rear Differential 205
*Rear Tie Down Point 245

I have also attached some more pics that show the various measurements. Tape measure was 85 mm in size.

Thanks in advance.

A lift does not improve ground clearance.

Larger tyres improve ground clearance

Every inch increase in tyres diameter gives half an inch of increased clearance.

A lift let's you fit the larger tyres.

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Sorry to contradict but a suspension lift does increase ground clearance under the chassis and body but not under the axles ie diffs, axle tubes and hubs. Bigger diameter tyres will increase clearance under everything as was mentioned. A true 50mm lift will raise the chassis and therefore the body by that amount. Certain fittings ie leading and trailing arms will see no lift at the hubs but the full lift at the chassis joint.

Roger

Of course a suspension lift improves ground clearance. Anyone saying otherwise simply isn’t thinking it through.

For more proof just look at variable ride height vehicles like any air sprung Range Rover. Raising the vehicle with the suspension, ie a suspension lift. Will improve approach, departure and break over angles. All things that are often super important when off road.

The trick however is, on how much to lift a vehicle by. How it is done and what impact and/or improvements can be made to the suspension flex and therefore, the stability of the vehicle off road.

But a range rover does not have an axle and we are Jimnys here.


A suspension lift only lifts everything above the axle.

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Btw clearance under the diffs often matters less. Except for when running in deep ruts/tramlines made by other vehicles with taller tyres.

For off roaring over obstacles, it is amazing how infrequent the diffs will come into contact with the ground.

For example my standard gen4 Jimny will happily impact the front bumper, front recovery point, transfer box and chassis end radius arm brackets (specifically the rear axle ones) with the ground off road. But I’m yet to notice a single mark or scrape on the diffs.

A suspension lift would most certainly increase the ground clearance on all of these vital areas that currently hit the ground.