How High is a Car's Chassis Generally?
2 Answers
Car chassis should be no less than 140mm. Ground clearance: Ground clearance is a very important parameter when choosing a car. Most European passenger cars have a ground clearance between 100 and 140mm, while most Japanese and Korean passenger cars range from 140 to 180mm. Generally, off-road vehicles have a ground clearance between 180 and 220mm. Purpose of car chassis height: The higher the chassis, the better the vehicle's passability, but the stability is relatively poor. If you want to maintain stability while increasing the vehicle height, the tires need to have greater grip, which comes at the cost of higher fuel consumption. This is also why off-road vehicles consume so much fuel. A lower chassis brings comfort and lower fuel consumption, but when encountering ditches or bumps, the passability is not as good.
Yesterday, while washing my car, the shop owner was chatting with me about this. The ground clearance of ordinary sedans is generally around 10 to 15 cm, while urban SUVs are higher, roughly 18 to 23 cm. I have to slowly angle my sedan when going over speed bumps, and once when driving in the countryside, I scraped the exhaust pipe—it was heartbreaking. Actually, this height depends on the car model and its intended use. Sports cars have even lower ground clearance, just about 7 to 8 cm, while off-road vehicles can exceed 25 cm. Manufacturers consider factors like wind resistance and stability during design; cars that are too high tend to feel unstable at high speeds. It's advisable to measure the typical road conditions you frequently encounter before buying a car. My friend bought a low-slung car and had to repair the underbody protection plate three times in three months.
