Spacers to increase ground clearance, which material is better?

Material characteristics

This model is a cylinder shape that is mounted under shock absorbers and suspension springs. Different materials of manufacture, density and dimensions of spacers for increasing ground clearance are determined by the purpose of installation on the front or rear of the car body. As a rule, the choice of one spacer or another does not depend on the make of the car: most parts are universal.

The material used to make parts can be divided into metal (steel or aluminum) and non-metal (polyurethane, plastic). Metal spacers are mounted under the spring, and non-metal spacers are mounted above the spring.

To have a clear idea of ​​the subject, you can watch the installation of a spacer to increase ground clearance with your own hands in the video.

Real Driver Measurements

But how to determine the real ground clearance of a Zhiguli without a full load? Actual measurements using a tape measure (no load) show the following results.

a special experiment was carried out. Its essence is to compare the veracity of the authorization permission of a normal Zhiguli and a Cross. To achieve this, four subjective measurements were taken. The distance from the road to the side threshold under which the jack is located was measured.

For the experiment, the cars were placed in the same conditions. Both cars had an empty cabin, an empty trunk and the same minimum amount of fuel in the tank. The standard Lada station wagon was equipped with radial tires with a width of 175 mm, a profile of 55% and a seat diameter of 14 inches. The cross-version is “equipped” with tires with a width of 195, a profile of 55 and a diameter of 15.

First, we measured the distance of a regular Lada Kalina station wagon without a load. The resulting value is 198 mm. Thus, they received 217 mm as a result of a similar measurement on Kalina Cross. Before the second measurements, four people were asked to sit in the cars one at a time. A charged regular station wagon gave a result of 170mm. After loading Kalina Cross's distance was 192 mm.

The extra weight reduced the standard wagon's ground clearance by 28mm and the off-road version by 25mm. A modified suspension and wider wheels help.

What is it for?

There are two reasons for raising the vehicle's ground clearance:

1. off-road driving;
2. sagging of springs over time.

To restore the spring to its original position, special spacers are used. The ideal option would be to replace old springs with new ones at a service station; however, car owners widely practice installing spacers to increase ground clearance with their own hands. If previously, increasing ground clearance was achieved by introducing tennis balls into the springs, now car dealerships sell special spacers of various thicknesses.

Tow bar kit for Lada Kalina station wagon

Nowadays, such products, which can be purchased in specialized stores, are classified as collapsible devices. This option has a number of advantages over competitors, namely:

• easy transportation;
• simple installation;
• convenient storage.

The set of towed products for the hatchback includes:

• technical certificate;
• protective cap;
• fasteners;
• wires;
• socket with seven contacts.

Towbar kit for Lada Kalina 2 station wagon
Important to know! It is quite easy to purchase similar parts for Kalina station wagon, since they are sold in almost every car store. But, device models may differ significantly from each other in design and price terms.

The cost of trailed products ranges from $25 to $30.

Pros and cons of the clearance operation

Is there really a need to tune the suspension, and will such a change damage the car? Before installing aluminum spacers under the springs, let’s pay attention to the positive aspects of the changes:

• protection of the rear suspension, underbody and crankcase from breakdowns;
• protection of the rear wheels from impacts on the fender liner;
• increasing the vehicle's off-road capability.

The disadvantages of installing a spacer under the springs with your own hands include:

• failure of the lower shock absorber mounting;
• additional load on the bottom bracket;
• car instability on an icy surface;
• impairment of vehicle controllability due to a shift in the center of gravity;
• rapid wear of steering parts;
• imbalance of wheel alignment.

After tuning, the car owner needs to pay more attention to the suspension in general and shock absorbers in particular.

Purchase and installation of towbars on a hatchback

Here is a drawing of a coupling device designed for hatchbacks:

These towbars fit all berry hatchbacks

Here the fastening differs from that discussed above. For example, nothing is screwed to the side members. The towbar is attached to the rear channel, and three screws go through the holes in the niche. It, that is, the niche, is intended for a spare wheel, and the holes in it are closed with plugs.

The holes on triangle 2 will be closed with rubber plugs

There are a large number of towbars on the market, the installation of which requires that the “spare wheel” niche has to be drilled out. As a rule, three holes will have to be made in the niche, and two more on the underside of the channel. It may be better to buy a device that fits the standard body holes. We will let the owner make the choice.

So, we will be guided by the manufacturer's instructions. Installation is easier to perform by driving the car into a pit:

1. The rubber plugs from the holes in the niche must be removed;
2. The towbar is positioned along the central axis, aligning the holes in the “ears” with the holes on the rear channel;
3. Then, the device is fixed with M10 bolts, not forgetting to install the washers. The bolts are screwed into the threads of the rear channel;
4. Having installed the missing fasteners (M12 screws are screwed into the nuts), you need to tighten all the fasteners with a wrench. The force should be 30-50 N*m.

Anyone who decides to drill the rear channel will encounter difficulties: access to the nuts will be blocked by the bumper. This unit, that is, the rear bumper, will have to be dismantled. It makes sense to choose towbars that are secured with five bolts. Then, the bumper will remain in its rightful place.

What to choose?

What are spacers made of to increase ground clearance? The choice of material depends on the design of your machine. In the front compartment of the car, spacers made of metals are mounted: steel or aluminum alloys. It is recommended to place rubber or plastic products under the rear springs.

Which spacers are best for increasing ground clearance? Firstly, you cannot install any spacers over 30 mm thick. Secondly, polyurethane products can cause damage to the body by steel bushings due to rapid wear.

Aluminum products are the most reliable, although they cause corrosion at points of contact with the body. In practice, plastic spacers have shown themselves to work well to increase ground clearance, without revealing any serious shortcomings. Rubber material is the cheapest, but is prone to tearing, deformation and rapid wear.

About the body and suspension lift

Advantages and disadvantages

If we consider the positive aspects of using spacers to increase ground clearance, then, in general, there are not so many of them:

• Increased vehicle maneuverability;
• Increasing spring stiffness;
• Increasing the vehicle's carrying capacity (the vehicle does not sag as much when loaded);
• The likelihood of damage to the underbody of the car is reduced.

There are much more negative sides to such suspension tuning, so you should think carefully about whether it is worth installing them.

Spacers in a car suspension are:

• Reduced vehicle stability on the road due to a change in the center of gravity;
• Increased wear of chassis components;
• Increased load on drive joints (in front-wheel drive cars);
• Changing the work fails in general (it becomes tougher);
• Deterioration in controllability.

But here it is worth noting that with the right approach to the issue of installing spacers, the negative impacts will be minimal and almost unnoticeable.

Installation Rules

To properly make spacers for springs with your own hands, you need to take into account some nuances:

1. Setting the ground clearance above 30 mm leads to wheel alignment problems.
2. It is not recommended to install metal products that have not been pre-treated against corrosion.
3. It is recommended to raise the front of the body by no more than 20 mm.
4. The rear compartment of the body is raised by no more than 30 mm.
5. If the shock absorber is not located next to the spring, spacers should be mounted under the springs and shock absorbers to balance the structure.

Parameters of Priora bodies

In any Priora body, the properties of its wheels and wheelbases will be similar, and therefore it makes no sense to indicate them separately everywhere. These are the same characteristics:

1. Wheelbase (distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels) - 2492 mm.
2. The front wheel track (the distance between the tire tread marks on the front axle) is 1410 mm.
3. The rear wheel track (the distance between the treads of the rear axle tires) is 1380 mm.

These dimensions are valid for all bodies except the coupe. Hatchback characteristics:

1. The distance from the rear to the front of the car is 4210 mm.
2. The front overhang of the machine is 770 mm.
3. The rear overhang of the car is 660 mm.

Station wagon and car characteristics:

1. The distance from the rear to the front point of the machine is 4350 mm.
2. The front overhang of the car is 740 mm.
3. The rear overhang of the car is 830 mm.

1. The distance from the rear to the front suspension of the car is 440 mm.
2. The wheelbase of the car is 2492 mm.

Front installation procedure

How to install spacers to increase ground clearance in the front part of the body? To do this, follow the recommendations:

1. We lift the car with a jack, remove the tire, disconnect the braking system and the stabilizer link.
2. We install other bolts of the required size on the rack (the old ones do not fit in length).
3. We fix the spacer to the bolt and assemble the entire structure to its original state.

For greater clarity, you can see the diagram for installing a spacer to increase ground clearance with your own hands in the drawings.

Rear installation procedure:

1. We disconnect the thresholds under the loading compartment lid and the rear door area.
2. Move back the rear seats.
3. We remove the panels and leave one body.
4. We remove the wheel.
5. We install the bolts according to the example of the front part of the body.
6. We assemble the structure in reverse order.

If the word “jack” causes you vague anxiety, and the idea of ​​​​the location of the bolts seems unclear, watch the procedure for installing a spacer under the springs in the video.

When creating a car, design engineers calculate every millimeter, establishing a certain balance between the parts and assemblies of the vehicle. Any change made to the design of a car in order to improve technical characteristics introduces a certain imbalance into the overall structure.

It is not always possible to increase the cross-country ability of a car designed to drive on asphalt. No matter how hard you try to change or improve the condition of the suspension using various manipulations, you will not be able to improve the design to the condition of an SUV. Either buy an SUV, or resign yourself to driving on city highways.

Increasing the ground clearance of a car with CROSS20 suspension

The SS20 company brings to your attention the CROSS20 suspension kit, which increases the ground clearance of your car by 30-50 mm. The CROSS20 suspension is installed on front-wheel drive cars VAZ 2108-2110, LADA Kalina, LADA Priora, LADA Granta.

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Applicability

• VAZ 2108
• VAZ 2110
• VAZ 2170-72 (LADA Priora)
• VAZ 1117-19 (LADA Kalina)
• VAZ 2190 (LADA Granta)

Advantages of the CROSS20 suspension

• increased geometric cross-country ability and high seating position;
• wide track;
• increased smoothness;
• improved driving properties;
• optimal ratio of the stiffness of the front and rear anti-roll bars.

• Description
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One of the important characteristics of a car suspension is ground clearance. Vehicle clearance is the distance from the lowest parts of the vehicle, such as gearboxes, exhaust system elements or unit protection, to the road surface. The amount of ground clearance or, as it is often called, ground clearance largely determines the versatility of the car. In fact, the increased ground clearance allows you to park anywhere without worrying about the bumpers and bottom of the car, confidently drive over speed bumps, drive out of town onto country roads and move normally on snow and ruts in the winter season. It is important that the high ground clearance allows for increased visibility, which increases traffic safety both in heavy traffic and on a country highway.

If you decide that your car should have increased ground clearance, then you can choose between full-frame SUVs, crossovers, or modifications of regular cars with increased ground clearance (for example, Renault Sandero Stepway). Each of these options has its pros and cons, and the large price difference between SUVs, crossovers and versions with increased ground clearance makes the latter quite a good buy.

What prompted us to create an off-road suspension for VAZ cars?

The appearance of crossovers with a single drive (pseudo-crossovers) on the car market is caused by the need to adapt popular car brands to more difficult road conditions in Russia. A pseudo-crossover - a car with increased ground clearance and wheel diameter, as well as reinforced suspension - is more suitable for our roads and winter road conditions. Creating a crossover with a significant improvement in driving properties based on the Kalina was the goal of creating the CROSS20 suspension.

If you decide to radically transform your car, significantly improving its handling, stability, comfort, reliability and cross-country ability, then the SS20 company offers you the CROSS20 suspension kit, in which changes have affected the following elements:

• front shock absorbers,
• rear shock absorbers,
• drives,
• lower arm,
• front stabilizer,
• steering gear,
• silent blocks,
• a rear stabilizer appeared.

As a result of these changes, when installing the CROSS20 suspension you get the following benefits:

1. Increased cross-country ability and high seating position, typical of crossovers, are ensured by increasing the ground clearance to 50 mm.
2. The track widened by 30mm gives greater stability to the vehicle.
3. The smoothness of the ride increases by changing the settings of the shock absorbers and the rigidity of the silent blocks.
4. The driving properties of the car are improved.
5. The optimal ratio of the stiffness of the front and rear anti-roll bars reduces body roll when turning and maneuvering; This ensures reliable traction between the wheels and the road.

An increase in ground clearance of 30 mm is ensured by the design of front and rear shock absorbers with an elongated body and special settings of the valve system. An additional increase in ground clearance by 20 mm is achieved by replacing the standard 175/65 R14 tire and R14 rim with a 185/65 R15 tire and R15 rim.

Thanks to the modified design of the front arms and mounting brackets, the track is widened by 30 mm.

A strut-mounted front stabilizer is more effective; it increases vehicle stability on the road and reduces roll when cornering. To further counteract roll, the CROSS20 suspension includes a rear anti-roll bar, which is not included in the car's factory equipment.

The modified design of silent blocks in the front and rear suspension with changed rigidity and geometric dimensions somewhat improves the kinematics of the suspension and is also aimed at increasing comfort during the trip.

Currently, the CROSS20 suspension, which increases ground clearance, is manufactured for the following cars:

• VAZ 2108,
• VAZ 2110,
• VAZ 2170-72 (Priora),
• VAZ 1117-19 (Kalina),
• VAZ 2190 (Grant).

The warranty for the CROSS20 suspension is 1 year without mileage limitation. Warranty service is provided regardless of whether the ground clearance system was installed independently or at a service center.

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The quality management system of NPP Sistema Technologies LLC complies with the requirements of GOST R ISO 9001-2015 (ISO 9001:2015)

What is it about

Before you figure out what spacers are to increase ground clearance, you need to figure out what ground clearance is. clearance, in other words ground clearance , is the distance between the lowest point of the car body and the road.

Actually, why does a motorist need to increase the ground clearance? As already mentioned, various situations can lead to the fact that the ground clearance is reduced (damage to springs and fasteners, for example), or the factory one was not high enough. A car is, first and foremost, a means of transportation. A vehicle that sits tightly to the ground will not be able to drive without damaging the underbody. This can have a serious impact and make the car unsuitable for driving, which is why the question arises of increasing the distance to the road. Also, increasing the ground clearance is of interest to people who like to drive off-road.

So, increasing ground clearance is often done using special spacers. This is especially common in the case of subsidence of “native” springs. These spacers are spring mechanisms or additional fasteners. They cope with the task of increasing the clearance very well. Moreover, the procedure for attaching such magnifiers is the most accessible, since they themselves are not expensive - one spacer can be purchased for a price of 1000 rubles .

Air cylinders also cope just as well as spacers . It turns out even cheaper, and a “healthy” car with working springs does not suffer.

However, to decide whether such a modification is necessary, risk factors must also be taken into account. Of course, this idea has plenty of advantages, but it is not without its disadvantages - one way or another, any change in the “native” design always lies on the conscience of the motorist, and no one gives guarantees for its effectiveness. Before deciding to modify to increase ground clearance, weigh the pros and cons.

Kalina's stated ground clearance

The “bottoms” of all bulky units are collected under the bottom of the car. Some are visible to us from under the hood or from the side of the wheels. But the lower part does not go away; the manufacturer must move it as far as possible from the road surface. Under the car are concentrated hanging parts of the engine compartment, levers, a beam, a suspension stabilizer, as well as bulky structures of the exhaust system with its muffler and catalyst.

From the outside we only see the opening of the fuel tank. And this 50-liter Kalina tank also needs to be rationally placed, because its shape is important for the correct operation of the power system. In addition, the space for placing the tank is limited. Don't forget about the spare tire, which is attached to the bottom of the trunk.

AvtoVAZ indicates several points from which the ground clearance of the Lada Kalina is measured. The manual for a regular Kalina prescribes in the section “Basic parameters and characteristics of a car with a hatchback body (station wagon)” (pages 133–136), two clearance values:

• from the road surface to the bottom of the engine crankcase;
• to the gearbox housing.

It should be borne in mind that these parameters were measured at the moment when the car receives full load. We also calculate the full load value specifically for your Lada Kalina from the instructions. It is necessary to subtract the curb (empty) weight from the maximum permitted weight. The column with this indicator is located above the clearance column.

Depending on the type of engine and configuration of the Lada, the weights vary slightly. On average, the full load of Kalina is 450–500 kg. Therefore, the distance from the road to the engine crankcase/gearbox will be specified if there is an additional weight of 500 kg on board your car.

For both Lada Kalina 2 bodies, the ground clearance for the internal combustion engine is 160 mm. To the bottom point of the manual transmission - 160 mm, automatic transmission - 145 mm. The numbers for the off-road version of Kalina Cross are much higher. The passport data from the 2022 operating manual states that the clearance to the engine crankcase is at least 182 mm, and to the gearbox - at least 187 mm. This value is for all engines and both transmission options, manual and robotic.

Pros of this idea

A modification that has only disadvantages usually disappears quickly. The installation of spacers continues to this day. Therefore, there are significant advantages to this.

The advantages of spacers include:

• Increased cross-country ability . It will become easier to drive the car off-road; various bumps and unevenness will be overcome without difficulty. The likelihood that a car driving over hillocks will “sit on its belly” is reduced. In such unpleasant situations, the help of outsiders is usually required.
• Reducing the likelihood of damage . When actively driving off-road or even sharply braking on a flat road with low ground clearance, the percentage of damage is always high; you can accidentally scratch the bottom, damage components: fuel lines, wiring, small parts, etc. There may not be anything “vitally important” located in the lower part of the car, but serious damage can cost the life of your iron friend.
• Preventing "accidental touches" . The car’s bumper or lower body will no longer touch various bushes, curbs and other objects that can be found on uneven terrain.
• Improving the appearance of the car . One way or another, with high ground clearance, even a Soviet passenger car will look more impressive.
• The ability to maintain normativity . There is a certain standard for ground clearance for each brand of car. When it decreases excessively, the vehicle becomes uncontrollable or difficult to control, which is rarely liked by the owners. When installing spacers, it is possible to maintain the standard.

Higher, and higher, and higher: how and why to raise the car body with spacers

Looking at the cars that drive around Russian cities, you might think that all the car manufacturers have colluded and are producing cars of the wrong height. How else can we explain the fact that a huge part of our population has a desire to either lower the car or raise it to an unattainable height? Let’s put aside the questions of lowering for now and talk about how and why car enthusiasts lift their cars with spacers.

What is clearance?

If you think that a car's ground clearance, also known as ground clearance, is the distance from the lowest point on the bottom of the car to the supporting surface (road surface), then you are mistaken... This lowest point is not sought for measurement over the entire area of ​​the bottom of the car, but only on its so-called “central part”. The concept seems vague, but there are simple formulas for calculating it. There is no point in delving into them. For ease of understanding, the “central part” of the average sedan, used to determine ground clearance, looks something like this (marked in red):

As we can see, many points of the lower part of the body (suspension elements in the wheel area, marked with arrows, mudguards, sill plates, muffler tips and some others) are not taken into account when determining ground clearance and can (and do turn out to be!) noticeably closer to the asphalt than that point , which is taken as a reference when determining the official value of ground clearance. And if you consider that the factory clearance figures for foreign cars are most often valid only for an empty car, without cargo or passengers, then you shouldn’t be surprised when a city car scrapes its bottom on a completely harmless dirt road on the way to the country.

As a result, many car owners, who are not ready to buy an SUV or at least a crossover, seek to “raise” their sedan in order to make it more versatile. By installing tires with a larger diameter from the list of sizes allowed by the manufacturer, an honest centimeter and a half height is gained, however, purchasing new wheels is expensive, and some sizes are even rare. Therefore, the method of raising the body with spacers has gained significant popularity. Let's look at its features, pros and cons.

Spacer design

Spacers are divided into front and rear, differing in design. For a full “lift”, necessary to increase the vehicle’s cross-country ability off asphalt, all four are installed. But sometimes they make do with a pair of rear ones for partial lifting, which is usually required when there are frequent suspension breakdowns and the bottom touches uneven roads from carrying heavy loads in the trunk or three passengers on the back seat.

Front spacers (we are talking about MacPherson suspension) are installed between the shock absorber strut support and the body. They are rings made of hard plastic or aluminum. Rear spacers are installed between the body and the spring of the rear axle or beam. They look like “steering wheels” made of dense rubber or polyurethane with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the spring.

What does a spacer change?

A spacer mounted above the A-pillar mount raises the body above the A-pillar, thereby increasing the angle of the lower A-arm. As a result, the body and those “clinging” parts that were actually lower than the official ground clearance figures (sills, bumper edges, mudguards, etc.) “rise” above the road by the size of the spacer (value “B” in the picture). It is important to note that the position of point “A”, located on the lever in the area of ​​the ball joint, does not change. Where you would have caught a stump or cobblestone under the lever on a non-lifted car, you will catch it on a lifted one. The lift of point “A” can only be increased by installing wheels of larger diameter.

The picture above is of the front axle of the car. In the case of the rear axle, everything is not so clear. No, if the rear axle also has an independent suspension - the same MacPherson strut or multi-link - then the effect of increasing the ground clearance will be exactly the same as in the first case. However, if the rear of the car has a “cart design” (a U-shaped torsion beam or a continuous drive axle), then the effect of increasing ground clearance does not occur even in the central part. The body is raised above the bridge, and the gap between the bridge and the road remains unchanged.

However, this does not mean that rear spacers in the case of dependent or semi-independent suspension are useless. The body still rises, which means the likelihood of the back of the sills, bumper or muffler touching the ground on bumps is reduced.

Of course, like any abnormal intervention in the car’s design, installing spacers is a double-edged sword. She gives one thing and takes away another...

The first thing you will probably lose is the chassis warranty. In addition, you must clearly understand that the suspension behavior initially calculated by the engineers will change. Cross-country ability will increase slightly, but at the same time, the vehicle's handling at high speeds and during maneuvers will inevitably deteriorate. However, widespread practice shows that if you don’t get carried away with height, but limit yourself to 15-20 millimeters that are considered the most reasonable for a sedan or hatchback, then the negative impact will not be too significant.

In the case of tired, sagging springs, which, for example, there is no money to replace yet, spacers of small height will not provide additional lift at all, but will only return the original position of the body in relation to the asphalt. Although this measure is, of course, temporary: neither “shrunken” springs nor dead shock absorbers can be healed by any spacers.

Installing spacers

If you nevertheless decide to install spacers, we will tell you about the technical nuances of this procedure, which will allow you to evaluate your capabilities and decide on the order of its implementation.

To install spacers on the front of a car with MacPherson struts, it is necessary to completely remove the two front struts. There is no need to disassemble the removed stands.

In the standard upper supports, the mounting studs are extended. To do this, you will have to knock out the original studs, and hammer in longer ones from the kit in their place. Another way is to screw threaded extensions onto the original studs, which are often included with spacers. After this, the spacer is “clapped” onto the extended fasteners, and the rack together with it is installed in place.

All of the above is a fairly simple task that a handy car enthusiast with a suitcase of wrenches and a jack can handle without much difficulty. However, what was an ordinary activity for fathers and grandfathers, today can cause horror among their descendants, and in this case, it is probably better to entrust the procedure to an unofficial car service center. Moreover, after “lifting” the suspension geometry changes, and a mandatory procedure for adjusting the toe-in and camber angles will be required.

Installing the rear spacers, oddly enough, is somewhat more difficult than the front ones. Formally, it seems simpler: you need to completely remove the springs, pre-compressed with special ties, and push them back in with spacers. However, this is only half the battle.

You will still have to lengthen the shock absorbers, because due to the changed suspension geometry, the working stroke of their rods will shift. In a static position, they are extended almost all the way, which when working on rebound (for example, when a wheel falls into a hole) causes a hard impact. Therefore, the shock absorber must be extended by the thickness of the spacer (or better yet, plus another ten millimeters). This is done in three ways.

The first is replacing the shock absorber with a longer one, from a different car model, but with similar upper and lower mounts. You can find out about the existence of such on the thematic forum for your car. It depends on your luck, because extended shock absorbers suitable for what is called “bolt-on” may simply not be available in nature. In this case, the second method is practiced - lengthening the shock absorber rods using extensions, often called “soldiers”. And the third is extending the shock absorber from below by installing eye extensions.

Disadvantages of spacers

But, of course, there is a fly in the ointment in this barrel of honey. The question “to put it or not?” would not have arisen if spacers had only advantages.

The following factors may serve as arguments for rejecting this idea:

• , which was provided by the manufacturer, shifts Because of this, some extraneous processes occur during operation, which one day may result in serious problems with the car.
• Stability and maneuverability deteriorate significantly, and control problems appear: problems with turns. This is partly due to the shift in the center of gravity.
• High percentage of incorrect alignment or camber . This leads to inevitably rapid wear of the tires on the wheels and the tires themselves, and sometimes even ensures the death of the car without wheels - it depends only on the “zeal” of the installers. More about wear – the tires will begin to wear unevenly, which often causes the thought “I’ll replace them if they’re completely damaged.” But wear continues precisely at the point of first manifestation.
• Installing spacers is a direct waiver of the warranty on shock absorbers and an agreement to be ready to replace them at any time.
• Reviews from car owners who have undergone this procedure say that after installing the enlargers, the components of the car's chassis wear out significantly .
• There is always the possibility of going overboard . With self-modification, there is a high percentage of cases when the ground clearance is increased too much, the car becomes even more unstable and uncontrollable.

Towbar for station wagons and its installation

Let's look at the installation procedure, following the standard instructions. Please note that all towbar mounting screws are metric and have a standard size of M10. You'll need a spanner, but that's not all. Considering the weight of the product, it is better to carry out installation by two people: one mechanic holds the towbar, the second tightens the screws.

We remove the mastic from the holes in the side members.

First of all, before installation you need to find the standard threaded holes. Using a Phillips screwdriver, they are cleaned of anticorrosion.

The towbar assembly itself is placed under the body so as not to damage the muffler mount. Then, hand screw in the six bolts that should be included in the kit. Don't forget to install the washers supplied by the manufacturer.

Getting to the bolt heads will be difficult. Use a socket wrench to tighten all the screws last.

Depending on the qualifications of the installer, the entire installation operation takes 10-20 minutes. Additionally, you may need to connect an outlet that will power the trailer's electronics. Here it is better to contact an official dealer. You cannot connect the wiring yourself - this may void the warranty. We wish you success.

The result of all efforts may look like this:

Installed tow bar, Lada Kalina Cross car

What is shown here is not a station wagon, but a crossover, but the body of these cars differs little from the station wagon.

The problem of insufficient clearance

A lot of owners of passenger cars during operation are faced with one problem - the low ground clearance of the car, which is why, when overcoming bumps, the car clings to the bottom until it hangs on its belly. This is especially true in winter.

Moreover, the problem with insufficient ground clearance can arise both with new cars, which are structurally designed with low ground clearance (such cars are popularly called “puzoterki”), and with models with ground clearance that is, in general, quite acceptable, but due to shriveled springs suspension, there was a decrease in it.

And anyway, what driver doesn’t want to bring his car at least a little closer to crossovers and SUVs in cross-country ability.

And the easiest way is to increase the ground clearance.

What ground clearance did the manufacturer claim for Kalina?

Any manufacturer faces the difficult task of keeping the components located along the bottom “line” of the Lada Kalina car body away from the road surface as much as possible in order to protect them from damage. These are not only suspension components, but also unit trays, exhaust pipes, etc. The issue of “hiding” the fuel tank is especially pressing, since it is no secret that the consequences of its damage will occur.

The manufacturer indicates the clearance value, indicating several control points from which the measurement was made. So in the manual, or more precisely in its section on “main parameters and characteristics” (pp. 133-136), two clearance values ​​are clearly indicated, measured as follows:

• from the road surface to the lowest point of the engine crankcase;
• from a similar point of the transmission unit to a flat road surface.

These values ​​were measured after the weight load on the Lada Kalina car was increased to the regulatory maximum. This parameter can be easily calculated: it is necessary to subtract the curb weight from the total weight value. The load size is affected by the type of motor and level of equipment. On average, this parameter reaches a value of 450-500 kg. The ground clearance value shown in the manual will only indicate its value if the vehicle is loaded with a 500 kg load.

For both body versions of the hatchback and station wagon of the Lada Kalina model in the second generation, the ground clearance is as follows:

• from the lowest point of the motor – 160 mm;
• from the same point of the mechanical transmission – 160 mm;
• from an automatic unit - 145 mm.

If we touch on the Kalina Cross variation, then its ground clearance differs favorably in a larger direction. Here the regulatory values ​​state that this value from the engine crankcase to the road surface is 182 mm, and from the transmission unit - 187 mm. This value is valid for all versions of engines and gearboxes.

Ways to increase clearance

There are several methods for increasing ground clearance, but when choosing the optimal one, you should take into account what problem is being solved - increasing the ground clearance to improve cross-country ability or eliminating the consequences of flat springs.

One of the easiest ways to increase ground clearance is to install larger diameter wheels on your car. This solution can really help add a couple of centimeters between the bottom and the road.

But there are many negative aspects here - installing such wheels will be expensive, the clearance will increase, but the distance between the wheel and the arch will decrease, and the load on the suspension and transmission will increase. In general, this method is not the most optimal.

You can increase the stiffness of worn-out springs, thereby reducing body vibrations when driving over uneven surfaces, not only by replacing them (which is also not always cheap), but also by installing elastic elements between the coils of the springs.

Their main task is to resist compression. Previously, ordinary tennis balls were used for these purposes (and now for some, such tuning is quite relevant).

Now you can simply buy special rubber spacers that are installed between the turns. This modification of the suspension only increases the stiffness of the springs and has virtually no effect on ground clearance.

You can also increase ground clearance by completely reworking the chassis and installing an air suspension instead of the usual one. But this is a very expensive option.

Installing spacers is the easiest way to increase both ground clearance and spring stiffness.

There is no need to modify anything in the car suspension, they are inexpensive, or you can make and install them yourself.

The essence of this method comes down to adding special substrates under the shock absorber struts between the body and the support (increases ground clearance), or between the support and the spring (increases rigidity).

It's simple: the spacer will prevent the shock absorber strut from becoming all the way (resting against the body), as a result the load-bearing part will rise relative to the wheel, thereby increasing the ground clearance.

As for spacers to increase rigidity, after assembling the strut the spring will be in a more compressed state.

Lada Kalina Universal › Logbook › Spacers for rear pillars

I noticed that when fully loaded, the towbar socket touches the ground (in some cases), the wheels touch the arches. The car sank. I'm thinking of changing the rear springs or installing spacers.

And so on June 9, 2022 I installed spacers. I put 4 cm on the second hole. I also changed the anthers 0 rub. (taken from work), bumpers and bagels 447 rubles. I checked the condition of the “autobuffers” installed since 2014. The anthers are all torn, the bump stops have deteriorated a little.

I bought spacers for 190 rubles.

After the work was done, the car lifted, I forgot to measure it before and after. It all took 2 hours, a broken key for 6. My wife drove her Kia to the store and bought 2 keys for 6.) I changed it in the evening, and stores are open until 20.00.

What are spacers made of?

Manufacturers of auto parts and accessories have already noticed that spacers are in demand, so they have already started producing them.

Moreover, different materials are used for their manufacture:

Polyurethane and rubber are elastic materials themselves, so they can compress during use, which allows vibrations to be dampened to a greater extent.

At the same time, polyurethane is very resistant to negative environmental influences, so it can last for a long time.

But the design of such spacers often uses metal bushings in the bolt holes, and this is their disadvantage.

When compressed, these bushings come into contact with the body, and corrosion may appear at the point of contact.

Although rubber is subject to “aging,” such spacers do not contain any metal elements, so they do not have any negative effects on the body.

On a Suzuki Escudo it looks like this:

Aluminum spacers are highly durable, but since they are metal, corrosion may occur at the point of contact with the body.

Plastic is better in this regard. It is also durable, but will not rust. Therefore, rubber and plastic spacers are optimal for installation on cars.

Moreover, it is noted that it is advisable to use spacers made of durable materials on the front suspension, and elastic ones on the rear suspension.

In addition, you cannot increase the ground clearance indefinitely using spacers.

Their thickness should not exceed 3-5 cm; the use of thicker substrates will lead to a significant deterioration in the car's handling.

Real car clearance measurements

The ground clearance is determined without applying the previously specified standard load. How to do it? We use a tape measure. We summarize the results of real measurements in a table.

An interesting experiment was conducted, the purpose of which was to test the reliability of the ratio of the gaming cost of the Lada Kalina in the standard version compared to the “Cross” version. For this purpose, 4 measurements were carried out. The distance was measured from the road surface to the side sill of the body using a pre-installed jack. For the purity of the experiment, we had to bring both cars to the same state. Both Kalina cars came to the test with empty cabins and luggage compartments, as well as with a minimum of fuel in the tanks.

The regular version of Kalina was equipped with 14-inch radial tires with a width of 175 and a profile of 55. The “cross version” received 15-inch tires, the width and profile size of which were respectively “195×55”.

The first to measure was Lada Kalina 2 in standard configuration. In an unloaded state, the ground clearance reached 198 mm. When measured, the “cross” version received a ground clearance of 217 mm.

At the next stage, 4 people took turns sitting in the test cars. After charging, a regular station wagon emitted a distance of 170 mm. When Kalina Cross was loaded, the footprint level dropped to 192 mm. As a result, the additional weight made it possible to reduce the ground clearance of the regular version by 28 mm, and the Cross by 25 mm. The modified suspension and large-diameter wheels played a role here.

Installation algorithm

Installing spacers to increase ground clearance (in the case where they will be placed between the strut support and the body) is not difficult, and it can be done independently.

The following is the general sequence of work for their installation. It is suitable for almost any car, but it is worth considering that each model has its own specific nuances.

To install spacers at the front you need to:

• Jack up the wheel and remove it from the car;
• We disconnect the levers and steering tips from the rack;
• Unscrew the nuts securing the strut to the body;
• We lower the rack down and turn it so as to provide access to the upper support;
• We remove the “original” bolts from the support (knock them out), put elongated ones in their place (to prevent the bolts from turning when tightening the nuts, it is better to weld them to the support);
• We put a spacer on the bolts;
• We install the stand in place and secure it with nuts;
• Let's put everything back together.

Then the operation is repeated on the other side. After installing the spacers, the wheel alignment angles must be adjusted.

The underlays are installed on the rear suspension in approximately the same way. That is, we disconnect the rack from the body, change the bolts, install a spacer, and put everything back together.

The only thing is that after assembly work, adjustment of the angles will not be required.

But this describes the installation of spacers on passenger cars, where MacPherson struts are mainly used at the front.

But there are also machines that have a different spring design, which is why the supports are often installed under the springs. This is all shown more clearly below.

How to install spacers on viburnum

Good day to all. After the winter, I had a desire to make the car taller... The first thing that came to my mind was to change the tires. I calculated it using a tire calculator and chose the optimal size in my opinion, despite the doubts of the salespeople in the store, the wheels fit snugly;

But Kalina has a drawback: on standard wheels, when loading 60 kg into the trunk, the face rode up, and the rear mudguards caught the sun loungers. I went to the market and bought spacers for the rear shock absorbers (houses, earrings, whoever calls them) and installed them on the bottom hole.

The new protective spacer, developed by the SS20 company, is both a reinforcement of the strut supports and protection of the body shell from mechanical damage during punctures and strong shocks in the suspension.

Benefits of using rack support reinforcements (protective spacers) from SS20

• strengthens the body glass and protects against deformation in the area where the strut support is attached;
• prevents the appearance of cracks, damage to the integrity of the paint and varnish coating and the subsequent formation of rust on the body shell;
• significantly reduces the level of noise transmitted from the suspension to the car body due to the rubberized surface;
• It is recommended for installation both when deformation has already begun to prevent further squeezing and tearing out of the glass of the car body, and on new cars to prevent the appearance of a defect.

Guarantee

When using VAZ 1117-1119 (Lada Kalina) cars, in a fairly large number of them, metal is extruded on the body shell, in the area where the supports are attached. Such damage leads to the appearance of cracks on the glass, peeling of the paint and varnish coating and corrosion. This defect appears even when the car is used carefully, regardless of whether the car has a factory suspension installed or from other manufacturers. The SS20 spacer for protecting the body shell on the VAZ Lada Kalina allows you to preserve the body without deformation, as well as prevent the already begun extrusion of the glass.

Homemade spacers

Any spacers are structurally simple, so they are not difficult to make. Moreover, this process is quite creative.

Some make them by simply cutting them out of an old tire, others use ebonite, steel, polyurethane and other materials.

Any tools are good for making. At home, a drill, jigsaw, files, etc. may be useful for this.

Those who have the opportunity to use a lathe simply turn them from blanks.

In general, any suitable material can be used for manufacturing, and it can also be processed with different tools and equipment. The only important condition is compliance with the dimensions.

For cutting, you can try to find drawings, and if they are not there, then focus on the dimensions of the components of the suspension (for example, a spacer for a spring is made based on the diameter of the spring itself and its seat).

In general, if you want to make spacers at home, it is quite possible.