Ground clearance is a vital consideration for off-road enthusiasts for so many reasons, including the obvious! High ride heights are crucial for safety and performance across a wide range of off-road terrains, with rough and rocky ground conditions having the potential to cause serious damage to the underside of your 4×4 without adequate clearance.
Maintaining suitable ground clearance has its benefits both on the road and off too. The increased visibility offered by a higher ride height is advantageous across a selection of settings, including traffic-packed city streets. A higher ride height has its downsides, however, with the raised centre of gravity making the vehicle unstable and increasing the risk of rollover accidents.
Striking the right balance is therefore essential for those looking to reap the rewards and minimise the risks off-road. Here we delve deeper into the minimum ground clearance for safe off-roading across several terrain types.
Snow
If the off-road route you want to take on involves snow-covered tracks or sections, you’ll need a minimum ground clearance of 8 to 10 inches to negotiate it safely. The addition of snow tyres may also be useful.
Rock
For rock crawling adventures, you’ll need the highest ride height of them all. A minimum ground clearance of at least 10.8 inches is preferable for rock crawling, whilst additional underbody vehicle protection will help to preserve performance and boost protection.
Gravel
Green laning is a popular pastime for experienced off-roaders and those just starting out. Green laning is undertaken on routes that don’t have sealed surfaces, with everything from sand, mud and gravel tracks typical green laning territory.
When taking on the gravel routes commonly found on green lanes, you’ll generally need between 6.6 and 8.7 inches of ground clearance to ensure safe driving.
General overlanding
The minimum ground clearance requirements for general overlanding are much higher, with 8.8 to 9.4 inches the benchmark many off-roaders aim for.
It is important to note that factory standard ground clearance varies depending on the make and model of your 4×4. The Jeep Gladiator 2020 for example has 11.1 inches of ground clearance as standard, whilst the Jeep Grand Cherokee 2019 has a pitiful 6.6 inches. This means your choice of 4×4 matters if you have grand off-roading plans.
Does your 4×4 have enough clearance?
Measuring the ground clearance of your 4×4 vehicle is the first step to defining whether adjustments need to be made to increase or decrease the ride height for safe off-roading. Four Wheel Trends shares their advice on measuring ground clearance:
“If you modified something on your vehicle, including the exhaust system, bumper, or anything else, you should measure the actual distance yourself from the bottom-most part of the modified part to the ground. We suggest a flexible tape measure for the purpose if you are able to physically fit under your vehicle. Using a roller board might be easier for some people to get underneath.”
There are a variety of adjustments or upgrades you can make to maximise or minimise your 4×4’s ground clearance. To reduce your ground clearance, you can deflate your 4×4 tyres and increase the weight of the load you carry (within limits), whether that’s as additional fuel, passengers or off-road supplies.
Increasing your ground clearance can be achieved with the addition of taller tyres, a suspension lift kit upgrade, or a body lift modification. Shop our suspension upgrades today to achieve the lift you’ve been looking for.
