Lada Priora - everything you need to know about increasing ground clearance. Part 1

Pros and cons of houses

The houses have several advantages that will entice every Priora owner to install them.

Pros:

• Increased ground clearance allows you to overcome previously inaccessible obstacles;
• Ability to load heavier cargo into the trunk;
• After installing the houses, the car becomes more versatile;

Minuses:

• The car’s center of gravity shifts slightly and when the trunk is empty, the car’s controllability is lost;
• After installation, headlight adjustment is necessary;

On the left is Priora without houses, on the right with installed houses

How to benefit from increased ground clearance?

Of course, neither the doubled nor tripled ground clearance of the Priora can compare with the ground clearance of any SUV. However, we should not forget that, in tandem with the improvement of some other characteristics of the car, the Priora’s ground clearance can give good results. Let's clarify now.

The distance from the ground to the bottom is 165 mm. However, knowledge of this fact alone is not enough to draw any conclusions. The motorist must take into account the following characteristics, such as:

1. Full length of the machine.
2. Distance from front overhang to rear.
3. Wheel base.
4. Vehicle track width.
5. The presence of any parts protruding from the bottom of the machine.
6. The extent to which the ground clearance changes when the vehicle is fully loaded.

Only working to jointly improve all these characteristics can lead to benefit from increasing the Priora's ground clearance.

Installation

There is nothing difficult in installing houses; you just need to have the necessary tools and a little skill in car repair. The work will take no more than 40 minutes on both sides of the car.

Required tool:

• Set of keys or sockets;
• Penetrating lubricant WD-40 or similar;
• Two jacks
• Hammer and goatee;

Work process

The easiest way to install it is from an inspection hole, but if you don’t have one, you can do without it.

• We lift the car on jacks on both sides and remove the wheels, do not forget to fix the front wheels of the car using a rollback.

• We treat the bolt securing the strut to the beam with WD-40 penetrating lubricant and wait for 5 minutes. Then unscrew it.

• Remove the bolt from the silent block of the rear shock absorber

• We install the houses by first screwing them to the beam, and then insert the shock absorber into the house mount and fix it with a bolt.

TIP: It is recommended to install the stand in the middle hole on the house, this will allow you to achieve the optimal height and center of gravity of the car.

• We carry out similar work on the opposite side of the car.

The process of installing spacers for the rear shock absorbers of the Priora is completed, do not forget to adjust the headlights.

Ways to increase clearance

It should be noted that people find benefits not only in increasing clearance, but also in reducing it. For example, by reducing ground clearance, motorists achieve a reduction in car roll to the right or left when cornering at high speed. However, if you are not a racer or do not have a passion for driving fast, then the idea of ​​​​increasing the ground clearance is more suitable for you.

How we will increase the clearance depends on its final length planned by us. At the same time, the ways to influence the ground clearance of the Lada will be different, and some of them will affect the improvement of other characteristics of the car.

Installing spacers on a car

Spacers are parts installed between the car body and its racks. They are attached directly to the support. Since so many motorists resort to increasing ground clearance, some manufacturers include spacers directly with the car struts.

However, if you do not find them while inspecting your existing factory parts, do not despair. Spacers can be found in any automotive market. Just don't expect any incredible miracles from them. The ground clearance will increase by only 12-15 mm. Although this is not enough when crossing deep holes and potholes, it can quite help out during a meeting with a speed bump.

Moreover, tampering with the car using spacers is considered completely safe, and therefore you don’t have to worry about the fact that it will negatively affect the car’s behavior. Developing the topic of safety, we should remember the advisability of purchasing plastic spacers as they are more reliable.

Design parameters Priorities affecting ground clearance

When analyzing geometric parameters, it should be understood that some of them, such as the wheelbase, remain unchanged, while others will depend on the type of body.

The general characteristics of the car are as follows (with the exception of the coupe body):

• wheelbase - 2475 mm (for sedan cars - minus 5 mm);
• front wheel track - 1440 mm;
• rear wheel track - 1410 mm.

Car dimensions

A car with a hatchback body has the following individual characteristics:

• total length of the car - 3905 mm;
• front overhang - 770 mm;
• rear overhang - 660 mm.

The Priora variant with station wagon and sedan bodies has the following characteristics:

• total length of the car - 4040 mm;
• front overhang - 740 mm;
• rear overhang - 830 mm.

A car with a coupe body has the following indicators:

• the total length of the car is 4210 mm in the basic version or 4243 mm in the more expensive version;
• wheelbase - 2492 mm.

But the manufacturer does not indicate the car’s overhangs as a sportier option.

Analyzing the presented indicators, the Lada Priora with a hatchback body is better than other options that allow the use of a ground clearance of 165 mm. With a short body, a large wheelbase allows for good cross-country ability. The only warning for the driver is the need to carefully park near high curbs, especially if the car is fully loaded.

Difficult to drive off-road

A car with a coupe body, due to its long wheelbase and large front overhang, cannot be used as a conqueror of forest roads and country lanes. This is still a purely asphalt car. At the same time, you need to be careful about both large potholes and overcoming artificial bumps. Priora has no protruding elements or inconveniently placed components that could negatively affect the maintenance of ground clearance.

But with standard suspension elements, you can reduce the ground clearance by 20 mm when the car is fully loaded. A fully loaded Priora can easily hit an element protruding above the road, such as a speed bump, so you need to force the obstacle with extreme caution.

General characteristics of the car

Standard wheel clearance

Few passenger cars can match SUVs in terms of ground clearance, but high ground clearance is only important in combination with other vehicle characteristics. If we consider the Priora’s ground clearance, then, on the one hand, everything is very clear here: this figure for this model is 165 mm. But in order to assess its sufficiency, it is necessary to additionally consider the following characteristics:

• total length of the vehicle;
• front and rear overhang length;
• wheelbase;
• vehicle track width;
• the presence of protruding elements under the bottom of the car;
• change in ground clearance for a fully loaded car.

How to properly increase a car's ground clearance

Russian roads make us think about how to increase the vehicle's ground clearance. Such topics can even be found on forums dedicated to the Chevrolet Niva, to say nothing of cars of the tenth family. You can raise the suspension in different ways and to different heights, let's try to understand the advantages and disadvantages of all methods.

The vehicle's ground clearance is a parameter that does not happen much on our roads. Although, if you look from the other side, it is not uncommon to come across a car on the street with a lowered suspension.

Most often they decide to increase clearance due to the following cases:

1. A loaded car hits the fender liners with its rear wheels or the mudguards on the ground, so they want to lift the rear of the car.
2. It touches the bottom or crankcase protection on uneven roads, so they want to raise the front of the car.

In some cases, they decide to raise the rear and front suspension at the same time. It is no secret to many that after such actions some troubles may arise, wear of some components may increase, and the characteristics of the car may change. Let's try to find the answer to the question: how to increase ground clearance without negative consequences.

If you think about what affects the ground clearance of a car, it becomes clear that it is a number of ways:

1. screw suspension.
2. install spacers between the body and the strut support.
3. install non-standard strut supports, springs (longer) or shock absorbers.
4. install interturn spacers in the springs
5. install higher rubber bands under the springs
6. replace tires and wheels

If you install “house” spacers under the pillars, you will be able to raise the rear of the car.

As you might have noticed, there are many ways to make a car taller, but how is increasing ground clearance and car performance related?

Replacing springs to increase ground clearance

The car body hangs on springs, so they have a direct impact on ground clearance.

Springs 2108 are installed on the front suspension of the VAZ 2110 car as standard. “Tens” with 16kW internal combustion engines are equipped with reinforced springs 2112. In addition, suspension springs are divided into two classes “A” and “B”.

The rear springs of cars of the tenth family are also different. For example, springs 2112 are lower, but more elastic, and 2111 are higher, but softer. Anyone interested can check out the selection of rear springs on the forum or in the topic “which springs are best to choose.”

Do not forget that if the spring is very strong, then the rebound stroke of the shock absorber decreases (the shock absorber does not work, the suspension does not function), and there is a lack of ride comfort (the car is “goat”). As a result, rapid failure of the shock absorber.

Spacers for springs

The third case is when the spring is normal, but the ground clearance has decreased due to body aging. In this case, the spacer will not harm the car.

It is worth noting that VAZ did not approve the spacers.

How much will the ground clearance increase after replacing the wheels and tires?

It is important to know what size of wheels and tires is the maximum permissible for a particular car (data for wheels/tires according to VAZ 2110). I wouldn’t be surprised if, after installing high tires, the wheels start to touch the fender liners

Negative consequences of increasing clearance

When the center of gravity rises and the car rolls and sways while driving, it increases

To prevent a rollover, it is important that the vehicle's suspension is adjusted correctly. An example would be a tall Mercedes A class when it capsized in front of journalists during the “moose test”

Then they delayed the release of the car and began to modify the chassis. It all ended with increasing the elasticity of the suspension and replacing the wheels with low-profile ones. You can combat vehicle roll by installing various additional stabilizers.

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If you think about what affects the ground clearance of a car, it becomes clear that it is a number of ways:

1. screw suspension.
2. install spacers between the body and the strut support.
3. install non-standard strut supports, springs (longer) or shock absorbers.
4. install interturn spacers in the springs
5. install higher rubber bands under the springs
6. replace tires and wheels

If you install “house” spacers under the pillars, you will be able to raise the rear of the car.

As you might have noticed, there are many ways to make a car taller, but how is increasing ground clearance and car performance related?

Shock absorbers and ground clearance, where is the truth?

When the car is standing still, the shock absorbers will not lift the body - after all, it hangs on springs. The role of the struts can be understood in motion, when the car sways and “pecks” on soft or dead shock absorbers. You drive off the curb and your car’s nose hits the asphalt! If the shock absorbers are in good condition, they will “catch” the car halfway. Thus, shock absorbers do not affect ground clearance, but have the same effect as increased ground clearance.

Alternative shock absorbers may have a longer rod, which will provide more suspension travel. We discuss these subtleties in the topic “which shock absorbers are better to choose.”

Replacing springs to increase ground clearance

The car body hangs on springs, so they have a direct impact on ground clearance.

Springs 2108 are installed on the front suspension of the VAZ 2110 car as standard. “Tens” with 16kW internal combustion engines are equipped with reinforced springs 2112. In addition, suspension springs are divided into two classes “A” and “B”. If you prefer to load your car to capacity, then perhaps you should choose class A springs (yellow), because... They hold a little more load.