Ground Clearance Needs

swrider

Observer
Hello everyone,
I just wanted to reach out to the hyve for it's opinion on how much ground clearance is really needed for normal, i.e. not rock crawling, over landing???
i have a 2014 Silverado which recently had a 2" leveling kit installed. Looking to put probably 275/70R18 tires on it, if they will fit.
I think this should be enough, but again, I haven't really gone out and explored much since purchasing the truck...
 

Alloy

Well-known member
Ground clearance on our car and truck are around 8". Clearance on the car is front to back while the differential is low on the truck. No issues taking either one on maintained logging roads but once there are slides, washouts, deep (30") drainage cuts and side tracks the low approach and departure angles restricts the car. 500-600lbs in the back of the truck makes a big difference. Issue with the truck is high centering in sand&snow.
 

rruff

Explorer
Looking to put probably 275/70R18 tires on it, if they will fit.
I think this should be enough, but again, I haven't really gone out and explored much since purchasing the truck...

Totally depends on where you want to go and how much damage to your undercarriage you will tolerate. When I go looking for a remote camp, I often wish I had more... but that's in the west with lots of rocky trails. I have 35s now.

Looks like you are going up ~1.6" in diameter, .8" in radius... 31.6" to 33.2". Not a lot... but it may be plenty. And if you go any bigger, tires get expensive.

Using stock rims?
 

swrider

Observer
Looks like you are going up ~1.6" in diameter, .8" in radius... 31.6" to 33.2". Not a lot... but it may be plenty. And if you go any bigger, tires get expensive.

Using stock rims?

Yeah, stock rims and using a 2" rough country leveling kit for now. I was told that i should be able to fit 33's with no rubbing. We'll see.
Ultimately i want a 3" lift with better upper control arms and either fox or bilsteins all around, but local and online shops seem to be out of stock. Covid


Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk
 

tacollie

Glamper
I always run the largest tire I can fit on stock rims and no extra work. Everytime that hasn't been enough a winch, tug, shovel, or pile of rocks fixed my problems. People worry so much about getting stuck but if you spend enough time off pavement it happens. I would invest in a shovel, a good jack, and a cooler. It's important to have snacks and cold water while you figure out how to get unstuck?
 

Grassland

Well-known member
And good skid plates!
I went with RCI full aluminum package, but I don't think they support the GM market at all.
A full front, trans, transfer case and fuel tank package is great insurance.
With some bigger tires and slight lift, and armor, you can get a lot of places with less stress than being stock.
Keeps the budget manageable as well vs 4+ inch lift and 35s and new wheels etc.
 

jadmt

ignore button user
I'm in a Ram 1500 with 33" tires and a 2" lift . Cost no object I don't have a desire to change anything about its suspension. I've been traveling throughout the west for the past 6 years in it and my skidplates still have all their paint even at the low spots. Yes I actually take it off pavement.

The front bumper took a beating pretty often so I replaced that with a high clearance bumper.

I'm a big fan of only changing things enough to produce the desired result - that eliminates most compromises. Example I could run 35" tires but then I'd need different offset wheels and have a large scrub radius which would make the highway drive busier and a 35 won't fit in the under bed spare location so I would need to carry the spare somewhere else.. not to mention the cost of 35s and the hit to fuel efficiency. 33's haven't let me down so the only reason to change would be some cosmetic desire which isn't really what motivates me.
geez where I live that would be considered a driveway..but I get it we all consider different things off pavement.:)
 

deserteagle56

Adventurer
How long is your wheelbase?
I have a crew cab Dodge heavy duty with the 8' bed. No lift, stock tires, so the breakover angle is terrible. Biggest obstacle I found is "humps" in the road - dropping down into or climbing out of creek beds, or other sharp dips which land me hard on my transfer case bash plate. So if you have a short bed standard cab you don't have a problem but a crew cab long bed is a different story.
 

ramblinChet

Well-known member
Coming from three decades of Jeeping, wheelbase considerations have always been important to me. My CJ-5 (83.5"), TJ (93.4"), XJ (101.4") and ZJ (105.9) all appear to be short wheelbase when compared to HD RAMS (140.5-169.5"). Looking back, 80% of the time I became stuck off-road was because I was high-centered. Front bumpers were bashed and rear bumpers dragged over all sort of things but it was always easy to back up or gently pull forward to become unstuck. Most of this took place on trails in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Utah and many places in between.

When building my overlanding rig I took a slightly different approach since I was no longer going to be running technical trails 95% of the time. Much of my time would be on paved roads while the remaining majority would be on maintained dirt or gravel roads. Surprise - I am running AT tires instead of MTs! Yes, there would be times I encountered some mildly technical obstacles but those would be few and far between. Despite that, I still considered wheelbase an important part of my decision making process so I selected a regular cab with a long bed (140.5").

A mild lift and moderately sized tires help breakover angle quite a bit. Pushing the limits and going with more lift and larger tires introduces you to the law of diminishing returns. When a lift goes above three inches costs skyrocket, critical steering and driveline angles become wonky and the ride suffers greatly. I went with a 3" lift and 37" tires which still is not necessary for 99% of my travels although it does buy me some breathing room for clearing most obstacles. There are thousands of men who easily navigate countless miles of trails in stock vehicles with tiny street tires and they do just fine.

One final bit of information - I wheel in 2WD 99% of the time and do not have any problems. Driving like this keeps me tuned in to how much traction is immediately available and also sharpens your off road skills. If I need it my next step is 4WD with factory rear limited slip and that takes care of much of the rest. If I am still having problems I have the selectable locker in my front axle. My final option is my Warn 16.5 winch and I always use a snatch block, even on short pulls. There is no need to strain the motor and electrical system to save a few seconds. My electrical components will thank me in the long run.

In conclusion, don't over-analyze the wheelbase issue. It's reasonable to consider what would be best relative to your plans but I think most folks are running a crew cab with short bed (149.5"), no lift, stock tires, no locker...and they are all having fun and doing just fine. Will mine go absolutely everywhere and climb over everything...nope. But I am not building rock crawlers any more. I am overlanding and enjoying the back country. Here is my rig mildly modified rig:

232582327_4262968317104220_5156522520734339324_n.jpg
 
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jadmt

ignore button user
My buddy has a newer F150 and never has any issues going anywhere that is reasonable. He had no problems on any part of white rim or similar stuff in Moab ie 7 mile or fins and things etc.
 

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