Increasing Ground Clearance

[abcjayasinghe]

The ground clearance of the 2008 model vitz car I recently bought is too low for my liking. So, I thought of increasing the tyre size. The current tyres are 175/65R14.

I googled to check the maximum tyre size that could be fit in to my car but according to the recommendations of many sites the tyre diameter increase should not exceed more than 2.5%. So, the ultimate effect even if I used 185/60/R15 would be negligeable ( Not even one inch).

I learnt that the 1.5L vitz RS model has got 195/50R16 tyres. My questions is would it be safe to use 195/50R16 in my vitz 1.0L (F grade) car because it falls outside the 2.5% margin. Thanks in advance..!

[Rumesh88]

Two basic reasons for the 2.5% limit - your odometer is calibrated to the circumference of your tyres. If you deviate from the stock size you will get an erroneous reading - then, as you go on increasing the wheel size your complete drive train will come under more and more stress (ie. less mechanical advantage). This is more pronounced in smaller engines because you will begin to feel the lack of pulling power.

[MV-5]

The ground clearance of the 2008 model vitz car I recently bought is too low for my liking. So, I thought of increasing the tyre size. The current tyres are 175/65R14.

I googled to check the maximum tyre size that could be fit in to my car but according to the recommendations of many sites the tyre diameter increase should not exceed more than 2.5%. So, the ultimate effect even if I used 185/60/R15 would be negligeable ( Not even one inch).

I learnt that the 1.5L vitz RS model has got 195/50R16 tyres. My questions is would it be safe to use 195/50R16 in my vitz 1.0L (F grade) car because it falls outside the 2.5% margin. Thanks in advance..!

if the effect of 185/60/R15 is negligible for you, then 195/50R16 would be not effective.

(7.5 + 4.37) is very close to (8 + 3.83)

[VVTi]

Find a 70 sized tire. will increase the height slightly.

as in 175/70/14

[MV-5]

Find a 70 sized tire. will increase the height slightly.

as in 175/70/14

175*0.7 = 122.5mm = 4.82 inches

4.82 + (14/2) = 11.82

185/60/R15 = 11.87

195/50R/R16 = 11.83

[kush]

Best would be to change the suspension to high ground clearance setup.

Set up from Yaris hatch back might be compatible.

[abcjayasinghe]

Two basic reasons for the 2.5% limit - your odometer is calibrated to the circumference of your tyres. If you deviate from the stock size you will get an erroneous reading - then, as you go on increasing the wheel size your complete drive train will come under more and more stress (ie. less mechanical advantage). This is more pronounced in smaller engines because you will begin to feel the lack of pulling power.

Thanks Rumesh for the clarification.

[abcjayasinghe]

Find a 70 sized tire. will increase the height slightly.

as in 175/70/14

175*0.7 = 122.5mm = 4.82 inches

4.82 + (14/2) = 11.82

185/60/R15 = 11.87

195/50R/R16 = 11.83

Thanks for your suggestions. I also feel 175/70/14 would be a better option (as opposed to 185/60/15) as it doesn't increase the width and therefore no undue stress on engine. (correct me if I'm wrong)

Further, I would like to hear from anybody who went through the same process of plus sizing of tyres, just to see whether they've experienced the feeling of "lack of power"

[MV-5]

Best would be to change the suspension to high ground clearance setup.

Set up from Yaris hatch back might be compatible.

Yes, that is an option. but definitely there might be a good reason that manufacturer design this vehicle with this kind of ground clearance(probably from vehicle stability perspective).

So my suggestion is that "use the right vehicle for the right purpose".

[abcjayasinghe]

Best would be to change the suspension to high ground clearance setup.

Set up from Yaris hatch back might be compatible.

Please explain more as to how to it could be done. Will a normal garage be able to do such thing or should I take it to the agents? Thanks.

[MV-5]

Thanks for your suggestions. I also feel 175/70/14 would be a better option (as opposed to 185/60/15) as it doesn't increase the width and therefore no undue stress on engine. (correct me if I'm wrong)

Further, I would like to hear from anybody who went through the same process of plus sizing of tyres, just to see whether they've experienced the feeling of "lack of power"

No , my point is , any of those 3 sizes will not increase the ground clearance (those have roughly equal radius, only rim size is different).

[Rumesh88]

Just to put it on the right perspective, if you want to increase ground clearance by changing the wheel size, you need to increase the diameter by 2 inch (by changing the wheel size, tyre width, height factor, whatever). You can use something like http://www.csgnetwork.com/tiresizescalc.html to do the calculations. This will result in a deviation of around 10% from the stock wheel circumference. Hence your odometer will show 10% less than your actual travel distance and your speedometer will show 100 when you are actually doing 110. These of course you can live with but it is in fact the effect on the engine and drive train wear that you should really be worried about.

[WCW]

Found this AutorRunner thing in an another forum. Might be help

Find the whole story here;

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/98946-coil-spring-adjusters-vfm-fix-honda-civics-lousy-soft-rear-suspension.html

Edited November 27, 2013 by WCW

[peugeot407]

If you increase the height of the vehicle it will badly effect the driving characteristics of your vehicle so just sell your vehicle and buy a SUV!!!!

[Sylvi]

Members,

Most members have discouraged the increase of vehicle height. Correct you will lose the stability of the vehicle. No high speed driving.

Few years back I decreased the tire diameter 16 inch to 15 inch rims. Because unavailability of tires.

Pulling power increased. Mileage dropped for a gallon of Gasoline.

That vehicle gave me all wrong readings on the odometer.

Sylvi Wijesinghe.

[HardHat]

Thanks for your suggestions. I also feel 175/70/14 would be a better option (as opposed to 185/60/15) as it doesn't increase the width and therefore no undue stress on engine. (correct me if I'm wrong)

What matters for the stress on the engine and drivetrain is the wheel diameter (or in exact terms, the outer circumpherence of the wheel), not so much the width of the tyre.

[kush]

If you increase the height of the vehicle it will badly effect the driving characteristics of your vehicle so just sell your vehicle and buy a SUV!!!!

If done properly with correct parts this should not be a problem. Manufactures sell cars with different ride heights depending on the market.

For instance Toyota Corolla 141 would have 155 – 175 mm ground clearance depending on the market.

Ground clearance of the Suzuki Swift JDM and Indian model is different.

Of cause there will be a trade-off handling and may be on the ride quality.

Even the former BMW 3 series (E90) had a high ground package for SL.

If the low right height is something that you can’t live with better you look at this option or go for another vehicle. Most of the cars imported brand new to SL has ground clearance.

Compromising in extreme handling is better than damaging your under carriage.

[abcjayasinghe]

Ok, Guys, apparently most of you discouraged deviation from the stock tyre size. Thanks a lot all you guys for taking the trouble to explain things. All your comments are highly appreciated. It seems I got to live with whatever the specifics the toyota has decided in my car as switching to a SUV is not an feasible option to me.

Edited November 29, 2013 by abcjayasinghe

[Reckless]

The ground clearance of the 1st gen vitz is 150mm, 2nd gen is 145mm, 3rd gen vitz is 140mm!

http://www.tradecarview.com/specifications/toyota/vitz/

Edited November 29, 2013 by Reckless

[JadeyBlitzen]

The ground clearance of the 1st gen vitz is 150mm, 2nd gen is 145mm, 3rd gen vitz is 140mm!

http://www.tradecarview.com/specifications/toyota/vitz/

my first gen vitz rs has only 127 mm of clearance made even worse by its front lip. doesn't bother me.

It doesn't hurt to slow down a little more for bumps and ruts. Its all about knowing your vehicles shortcomings and learning to live with it.

Think about it. was ground clearance a top priority when purchasing a car for you? I'm sure there are other more important qualities you were looking for that the vitz offers in spades that a car with more ground clearance can't match.

All you need to do is be a little patient in the rough stuff and appreciate the car where it shines.

[Warlord]

my first gen vitz rs has only 127 mm of clearance made even worse by its front lip. doesn't bother me.

It doesn't hurt to slow down a little more for bumps and ruts. Its all about knowing your vehicles shortcomings and learning to live with it.

Think about it. was ground clearance a top priority when purchasing a car for you? I'm sure there are other more important qualities you were looking for that the vitz offers in spades that a car with more ground clearance can't match.

All you need to do is be a little patient in the rough stuff and appreciate the car where it shines.

+1 to JDB. My 212 had its' suspension elevated by nylon plates the prev user. Had a tough time with the car with all sorts of unexplained noises and bad drive quality. Once, removed started riding like a dream, although bumps and tough roads took of lot of concentration & tolerence. But still one of the best machines I had.

[vladhorror]

Good afternoon, I installed in the springs "air cylinders"

This allows me to adjust the height of the clearance

I put myself the first option, but there is more

v.1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AirLift-Up-Suspension-AirSpring-Air-Lift-Good-Ruber-Air-spring-/152238145029?hash=item237219be05:g:IY0AAOSwdIFX1a4X&vxp=mtr

v.2

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Air-Lift-60744-Air-Lift-1000-Coil-Spring-/252786027083?hash=item3adb38aa4b:g:C84AAOSwtfhYsKrb&vxp=mtr

[vladhorror]

Good afternoon, I installed in the springs "air cylinders"

This allows me to adjust the height of the clearance

I put myself the first option, but there is more

v.1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AirLift-Up-Suspension-AirSpring-Air-Lift-Good-Ruber-Air-spring-/152238145029?hash=item237219be05:g:IY0AAOSwdIFX1a4X&vxp=mtr

v.2

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Air-Lift-60744-Air-Lift-1000-Coil-Spring-/252786027083?hash=item3adb38aa4b:g:C84AAOSwtfhYsKrb&vxp=mtr

[vladhorror]

On 27.11.2013 at 10:05 AM, Rumesh88 said:

Two basic reasons for the 2.5% limit - your odometer is calibrated to the circumference of your tyres. If you deviate from the stock size you will get an erroneous reading - then, as you go on increasing the wheel size your complete drive train will come under more and more stress (ie. less mechanical advantage). This is more pronounced in smaller engines because you will begin to feel the lack of pulling power.

 

On 27.11.2013 at 10:21 AM, MV-5 said:

if the effect of 185/60/R15 is negligible for you, then 195/50R16 would be not effective.

(7.5 + 4.37) is very close to (8 + 3.83)

 

On 27.11.2013 at 10:27 AM, VVTi said:

Find a 70 sized tire. will increase the height slightly.

as in 175/70/14

 

On 27.11.2013 at 10:45 AM, MV-5 said:

175*0.7 = 122.5mm = 4.82 inches

4.82 + (14/2) = 11.82

185/60/R15 = 11.87

195/50R/R16 = 11.83

 

On 27.11.2013 at 11:23 AM, kush said:

Best would be to change the suspension to high ground clearance setup.

Set up from Yaris hatch back might be compatible.

 

On 27.11.2013 at 1:05 PM, abcjayasinghe said:

Thanks Rumesh for the clarification.

 

On 27.11.2013 at 1:25 PM, abcjayasinghe said:

Thanks for your suggestions. I also feel 175/70/14 would be a better option (as opposed to 185/60/15) as it doesn't increase the width and therefore no undue stress on engine. (correct me if I'm wrong)

Further, I would like to hear from anybody who went through the same process of plus sizing of tyres, just to see whether they've experienced the feeling of "lack of power"

 

On 27.11.2013 at 1:26 PM, MV-5 said:

Yes, that is an option. but definitely there might be a good reason that manufacturer design this vehicle with this kind of ground clearance(probably from vehicle stability perspective).

So my suggestion is that "use the right vehicle for the right purpose".

 

On 27.11.2013 at 1:29 PM, abcjayasinghe said:

Please explain more as to how to it could be done. Will a normal garage be able to do such thing or should I take it to the agents? Thanks.

 

On 27.11.2013 at 1:31 PM, MV-5 said:

No , my point is , any of those 3 sizes will not increase the ground clearance (those have roughly equal radius, only rim size is different).

 

On 27.11.2013 at 2:03 PM, Rumesh88 said:

Just to put it on the right perspective, if you want to increase ground clearance by changing the wheel size, you need to increase the diameter by 2 inch (by changing the wheel size, tyre width, height factor, whatever). You can use something like http://www.csgnetwork.com/tiresizescalc.html to do the calculations. This will result in a deviation of around 10% from the stock wheel circumference. Hence your odometer will show 10% less than your actual travel distance and your speedometer will show 100 when you are actually doing 110. These of course you can live with but it is in fact the effect on the engine and drive train wear that you should really be worried about.

 

On 27.11.2013 at 3:55 PM, WCW said:

Found this AutorRunner thing in an another forum. Might be help

Find the whole story here;

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/98946-coil-spring-adjusters-vfm-fix-honda-civics-lousy-soft-rear-suspension.html

 

On 27.11.2013 at 4:23 PM, peugeot407 said:

If you increase the height of the vehicle it will badly effect the driving characteristics of your vehicle so just sell your vehicle and buy a SUV!!!!

 

On 28.11.2013 at 0:38 AM, Sylvi said:

Members,

Most members have discouraged the increase of vehicle height. Correct you will lose the stability of the vehicle. No high speed driving.

Few years back I decreased the tire diameter 16 inch to 15 inch rims. Because unavailability of tires.

Pulling power increased. Mileage dropped for a gallon of Gasoline.

That vehicle gave me all wrong readings on the odometer.

Sylvi Wijesinghe.

 

On 28.11.2013 at 3:43 AM, HardHat said:

What matters for the stress on the engine and drivetrain is the wheel diameter (or in exact terms, the outer circumpherence of the wheel), not so much the width of the tyre.

 

On 28.11.2013 at 4:30 AM, kush said:

If done properly with correct parts this should not be a problem. Manufactures sell cars with different ride heights depending on the market.

For instance Toyota Corolla 141 would have 155 – 175 mm ground clearance depending on the market.

Ground clearance of the Suzuki Swift JDM and Indian model is different.

Of cause there will be a trade-off handling and may be on the ride quality.

Even the former BMW 3 series (E90) had a high ground package for SL.

If the low right height is something that you can’t live with better you look at this option or go for another vehicle. Most of the cars imported brand new to SL has ground clearance.

Compromising in extreme handling is better than damaging your under carriage.

 

On 29.11.2013 at 10:21 AM, abcjayasinghe said:

Ok, Guys, apparently most of you discouraged deviation from the stock tyre size. Thanks a lot all you guys for taking the trouble to explain things. All your comments are highly appreciated. It seems I got to live with whatever the specifics the toyota has decided in my car as switching to a SUV is not an feasible option to me.

 

On 29.11.2013 at 0:16 PM, Reckless said:

The ground clearance of the 1st gen vitz is 150mm, 2nd gen is 145mm, 3rd gen vitz is 140mm!

http://www.tradecarview.com/specifications/toyota/vitz/

 

On 30.11.2013 at 4:20 PM, JadeyBlitzen said:

my first gen vitz rs has only 127 mm of clearance made even worse by its front lip. doesn't bother me.

It doesn't hurt to slow down a little more for bumps and ruts. Its all about knowing your vehicles shortcomings and learning to live with it.

Think about it. was ground clearance a top priority when purchasing a car for you? I'm sure there are other more important qualities you were looking for that the vitz offers in spades that a car with more ground clearance can't match.

All you need to do is be a little patient in the rough stuff and appreciate the car where it shines.

 

On 01.12.2013 at 9:47 PM, Warlord said:

+1 to JDB. My 212 had its' suspension elevated by nylon plates the prev user. Had a tough time with the car with all sorts of unexplained noises and bad drive quality. Once, removed started riding like a dream, although bumps and tough roads took of lot of concentration & tolerence. But still one of the best machines I had.

Good afternoon, I installed in the springs "air cylinders"

This allows me to adjust the height of the clearance

I put myself the first option, but there is more

v.1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AirLift-Up-Suspension-AirSpring-Air-Lift-Good-Ruber-Air-spring-/152238145029?hash=item237219be05:g:IY0AAOSwdIFX1a4X&vxp=mtr

v.2

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Air-Lift-60744-Air-Lift-1000-Coil-Spring-/252786027083?hash=item3adb38aa4b:g:C84AAOSwtfhYsKrb&vxp=mtr