Ground Clearance

Hi:

Pending the arrival of my MKII, I have been giving all sorts of thought to practical issues, such as ground clearance, particularly at the front. My car will be mainly for road use, and, obviously, I will be extremely careful, but a general question I have is what have people's experiences been as to ground clearance issues, and would welcome any suggestions (I live in Houston, which has the worst roads on the planet). I find myself looking at every road I travel now with new concern, and stay awake at night at times plotting how to get from point "A" to point "B", what are acceptable roads etc.
:laugh:

Thanks!

/s/ Chris
 
I have about 3 1/2 inches of ground clearance.. Can noT go any higher. Going up the wrong driveway can result in a bad day.. No speed bumps, gas station tank covers.. Be careful.

I installed 2 nylon scrub blOcks on my chassis... They rub first.
 
Original prototype & Mk1 is 4.8", MK3 is 5.25", & MK2 is 3.9". So I guess you use what you choose, 'wisely' from day one.
 

Kirby Schrader

They're mostly silver
Lifetime Supporter
Hi:

Pending the arrival of my MKII, I have been giving all sorts of thought to practical issues, such as ground clearance, particularly at the front. My car will be mainly for road use, and, obviously, I will be extremely careful, but a general question I have is what have people's experiences been as to ground clearance issues, and would welcome any suggestions (I live in Houston, which has the worst roads on the planet). I find myself looking at every road I travel now with new concern, and stay awake at night at times plotting how to get from point "A" to point "B", what are acceptable roads etc.
:laugh:

Thanks!

/s/ Chris

Chris,

Houston? I'm near.
I have had my car for... wow.... 11 years now.
I tried being nice and planning and going at an angle, but there is always somewhere that will bite you.
The underneath of my front clip has 'rash', to say the least.

You'll be driving down the streets of Houston, as you say, and suddenly there's a dip and yep... you hear a bang/crunch/whatever.

The car is low, but the biggest problem is the front hangs out so far.

Hope that helps. The solution is raise the car up, but I refuse to do that.

FWIW,
Kirby
 
Chris,
I set my Mark II to 4.5" front clearance, 5" rear clearance (roughly). I've already scrubbed it in a few locations. I will have it filled and repainted, at some point. The choice is really whether you drive it and enjoy it (carefully) - or look at it. The choice was easy for me. If you can afford the car, you can afford a trip or two to the body shop for the front clip.

My two cents.
 
Chris,
I set my Mark II to 4.5" front clearance, 5" rear clearance (roughly). I've already scrubbed it in a few locations. I will have it filled and repainted, at some point. The choice is really whether you drive it and enjoy it (carefully) - or look at it. The choice was easy for me. If you can afford the car, you can afford a trip or two to the body shop for the front clip.

My two cents.

Thanks for the replies-----I fully expect scrapes and rash, my main concern was the likelihood of really serious disasters. My overall plan is to stick to the best of the main roads to get out of town and to keep to an absolute minimum any driving around town. Frankly, after I get the car inspected and registered I don't anticipate taking the car anywhere in town except to get out of town! I tell everyone that what I really want to do is to simply get lost with it "out west".

Regards,
/s/ Chris
 

Dave Hood

Lifetime Supporter
Chris:

Several years back, I had Dennis Olthoff install a front lift system called RamLiftPro.

ramliftpro

The system works well, and provides a few extra inches of clearance when I need it. But it's not cheap, and to install it you'd need to shorten your front springs. Not a problem for street use, but may not be good if you plan to do any track driving.

At a minimum, follow Walt Williams' advice and install scrub blocks to absorb any initial contact. When you drive over any speed bump or curb, always hit it at an angle.

I'm also a HUGE believer in 3M Paint Protection Film. While that won't help you with the ground clearance issue, applying the film in all the right places will keep your car looking new for years. And you really can't even tell it's been installed. Send me a PM if you want more detailed recommendations on where to apply the film. I've got 14,000 miles on my car, and it's been a life saver.
 
An aluminum Sheet metal piece pop riveted to the underside of the front nostril ( you can't see it when looking at the car) will take care of the road rash that peels away the fiberglass. Just replace it whenever necessary.
 
No picture but here is a drawing I used for the GTD.
 

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