Please explain to me ground clearance

This makes absolute no sense to me if you get a 3 in lift and get more ground clearance vs getting a 4' in RCD DB lift or Fab or Pro comp and get less with the higher lift please explain to me:/

 

This should be fun to watch. Let's see how long it takes someone to get to the right answer.

 

Neither lift gains you ground clearance , that comes with bigger tires

 

Tires are what give you clearance, lifts give you room for bigger tires.

 

repost , Canadian

 

If theyre talking about differential clearance then yes, DB lifts don't get as much clearance as a 3" lift if both were to have the same tires

3" and below lifts raise the entire truck, including the front differential, (which is why you don't see 3" lifts with straight CV axles) while DB lifts lower the front diff to keep the CVs in line.

However, lifting a truck lets you clear larger tires, which is actually where a lot of the "lift" happens- you can fit way larger tires with a 6" lift then you can a 3"

EDIT:
Did it really take me that long to type that? i need a nap

 

You are too fast for me...

 

Pretty much the winner.

Depending on how "ground clearance" is measured, there are a lot of answers here.

And suspension travel is the same, meaning the higher lift has rendered the truck more prone to rollover due to the higher center of gravity.

So running clearance may be increased, but I would argue actual offroad capability is LESS than a 3" lift.

 

Hey OZ-T...Is it true that canadian ground clearance generally higher due to being farther north of the equator?

 

Yes , but that doesn't factor in the snow .

 

Also just by virtue of being Canadian...9.8 inches American is something like 13.2 Canadian...

 

we use metric inches

 

Wow okay Thanks TW PEOPLE!!

 

Any suspension lift increases approach angle, departure angle, and breakover angle.

 

Feh.

The problem is in trying to reduce all the variations of clearance to a single number.

LOOK under your truck. Is everything the same height? Of course not.

You need a "minimum" ground clearance, and a "maximum" ground clearance number.

Minimum would be the number where you start rubbing something (rear differential) when you're driving in deep wheel ruts.

Maximum would be the tallest rock you can drive over with careful driving without "putting a wheel on it."

Given the same size tire, a "drop bracket" lift will probably have a lower "maximum clearance" than a 3" lift created with extended length struts, because the height under the drop bracket will be lower than the highest point on the rear axle, while for a 3" strut lift, the opposite is likely true.

Tire size is the only thing that affects minimum clearance.

But there are so many other ways to hit, and rub rough objects on the ground.

Any suspension lift will get the frame, and the front and rear bumpers further off the ground, increasing the variation in terrain you can traverse without dragging some part of the truck on the offending terrain.

A 3" lifted tacoma with 33" tires, traction aids such as lockers, and sliders to protect the rocker panels is quite capable on quite a variety of trails.

Also, once you start wanting to attack trails that are "too difficult" for a 3" truck with 33" tires, you're really starting to cross over into the realm of trails where body damage becomes a seriously likely possibility. Just my observation, but it tends to appear to me that most guys running drop-bracket lifts seem to like to keep a clean, undamaged looking truck.

Finally, drop bracket lifts don't increase suspension travel, but do increase overall rig height and center of gravity. Rollover is always a risk offroad, so keeping CG as low as possible is desirable.

The best advice is not to make any off-road modification to your truck until you've driven somewhere that it would have been useful. Sliders are a possible exception - but the counter argument says: drive to the place/trail/obstacle, assess, then take the bypass or turn around rather than risk damage. Come back next time with the appropriate armor.

 

Well said Steve

 

Portal Axles.


Fuck your logic.

 

My 2010 min. ground clearance (cement floor to bottom of rear differential) was 9.25 inches when new, with the 265/70-16 (31") stock tires. The exhaust crossover by the transfer case was also the same.

When I installed the 32" Hankook Dynapros (265/75-16) my ground clearance increased to 9.75" (1/2 of the difference in tire diameter).