[vox_alienus]

Related Thread - Increasing Ground Clearance

I have had a Polo for the last four years and am generally loving it. But the low ground clearance is a major problem. A few days ago I was driving around in the Dalma hills of Jharkhand, through adivasi hamlets and forests, and wanted to take a particularly scenic route. But locals advised me against it, as the surface was bad in places and my car is too low-slung. I am, therefore, thinking of "lifting" the car. Is this advisable? If so, are lift kits of good quality available in India? Searching the web I see these are available in the UK and Australia, but don't see anything in India.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by vox_alienus

...thinking of "lifting" the car. Is this advisable?...

I have a Vento and the same thought has crossed my mind . I personally dont think it's advisable to play around with your suspension set up unless you absolutely know what you are getting into. For height, you just cant get away with changing the shocks, you might have to change the springs and more..

The cost involved would make it beneficial to sell the car and buy one with a better clearance, like a used Duster. Which will get your job done, unlike a lifted Polo.

[Kosfactor]

In Jungles and Hills, locals will discourage you from venturing into places if your vehicle looks different from what is usually found in such places. It is wise to park your vehicle and take a local Jeep etc to continue.

Suspension mods to lift and lower the vehicle significantly will need changes to many other things rather than just springs and dampers, going to be very expensive and won't make much difference once you are in places like that.

[VKumar]

Originally Posted by vox_alienus

But the low ground clearance is a major problem. A few days ago I was driving around in the Dalma hills of Jharkhand, through adivasi hamlets and forests, and wanted to take a particularly scenic route.

I had the same problem, due to my work profile and my habit of not engaging the reverse until the situation turns threatening - I frequently end up getting into the places where a Polo is not supposed to be (my farms, ice, dreaded Kaza-Manali route via Kunzum Pass, covered nearly entire Himanchal, under construction sites with no roads etc). My reason is simple, I love the way this car drives in the hills, has enough power, awesome dynamics, small enough to drive like an Alto and still strong enough to make me feel safe. So, I too had to find a solution.

And the solution that worked for me was:

• 195/60 R15 tyres
• Underbody protection shield

I did this on both of my cars, and I tell you. The mud flaps of both of my cars are broken due to bad roads itself, in fact running board of the petrol one has a decent dent too. But since the day I moved to 195/60 R15, underbody hitting is more or less a thing of past. Mud flaps I have 5 sets at home, as the VW ones are quite large and low, hence they frequently keep on getting cracked/broken; so, I simply do DIY replacement now when one breaks.

Still, if it's a Jeep trail, then a Jeep is needed. Else if it's a route that can be covered in an S Presso , a Polo with upsized tyres will cover it - if driven carefully.

This is how it started!



Let the wet tyres and wet running board tell the story!


Look at the front and rear mud flaps, that's all the damage I have been facing since the day I shifted to 195s'. What's hardly 1 cm of GC increase, it has made a difference of two worlds to my car.

What I would suggest is, just upsize the tyres slightly, and get the underbody shield installed (It's really useful, I have faced some hits). No suspension issues, no warranty issues, and the car becomes far more usable. See, we BHPians are a bit over sensitive people towards our cars, and moles do look like hills to us when we drive low slung vehicles, but, a mole is a mole; we need to look at one like what it is.

[Turbohead]

I second VKumar!

195/60 R15 tires are the way to go! This gives an additional sidewall height of 6mm which translates to higher ground clearance.

Many a times I wonder why people go out and buy SUVs when I hardly have any issue with GC at all, even in rural roads.

Another positive with the 195/60R15 size is that you have more tire choices- especially performance oriented. The MRF Perfinza we're using is pretty rugged for the bad stretches and gives more than enough grip on the twisties.

Downside? Loss of small amount of power because of the bigger wheels. Can be felt at higher speeds and the gear ratios become taller, which means you'll be shifting a tad later than usual.

[vox_alienus]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

The cost involved would make it beneficial to sell the car and buy one with a better clearance, like a used Duster. Which will get your job done, unlike a lifted Polo.

Thanks, @dhanushs. In fact, I had been looking forward to the launch of the BS-VI Gurkha, but it's nowhere to be seen. In any case, I may not buy it even if it is launched in the near future, because on another road trip recently - this one in the Darjeeling hills - I experienced some difficulty with the size of the self-drive rental car I was driving, namely Creta. (Also, that Creta felt distinctly underpowered even with just one occupant - me.) I think I should wait for a good 4-metre or sub-4m SUV to hit the market.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Suspension mods to lift and lower the vehicle significantly will need changes to many other things rather than just springs and dampers, going to be very expensive and won't make much difference once you are in places like that.

Thanks, @Kosfactor. Clearly, it's a bad idea.

Originally Posted by VKumar

Still, if it's a Jeep trail, then a Jeep is needed. Else if it's a route that can be covered in an S Presso , a Polo with upsized tyres will cover it - if driven carefully.

Look at the front and rear mud flaps, that's all the damage I have been facing since the day I shifted to 195s'. What's hardly 1 cm of GC increase, it has made a difference of two worlds to my car.

What I would suggest is, just upsize the tyres slightly, and get the underbody shield installed (It's really useful, I have faced some hits). No suspension issues, no warranty issues, and the car becomes far more usable. See, we BHPians are a bit over sensitive people towards our cars, and moles do look like hills to us when we drive low slung vehicles, but, a mole is a mole; we need to look at one like what it is.

Thanks,@VKumar! You give me hope. In fact, I wouldn't like to get rid of the Polo if it can be helped. Your solution sounds just the thing I need. By the way, some years ago I drove an old, beaten-up hatchback (Palio) on what was then a a jeep track with no underbelly protection - from a point 1 km from Chakrata to Deoban (Uttarakhand). There were a few hits below and I cringed, but no harm was done. So the bigger tires and underbelly protection should do it!

Originally Posted by Turbohead

I second VKumar!
......
195/60 R15 tires are the way to go!
Downside? Loss of small amount of power because of the bigger wheels. Can be felt at higher speeds and the gear ratios become taller, which means you'll be shifting a tad later than usual.

Thanks, @Turbohead. I think I can live with the power loss (if it is small) so long as the car is protected from serious damage.

[Kosfactor]

Once upon a time there was this terrible stretch of state highway under construction, this hatchback was able to manage without problem.

On the next trip I was not alone, car had 5 adults and some luggage, here I am high centered on a state highway in a Swift VDi , my friends had to get down to set it free.

But such things were common during those days, we used to jam pack the Zen and reach my friend's coffee estate in Wayanad, as we make our way through their estate road the vehicle will sit on the undercarriage, we will get down and walk the rest, all in good time.

These days a Brezza will make this trip without issues as long as it does not rain heavily.

[vox_alienus]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

These days a Brezza will make this trip without issues as long as it does not rain heavily.

Yes, rain may be a problem for a 2WD, but one can't have everything.

[tirumalavoleti]

Few things which could add better handling bad roads:
-Increased sidewall with higher profile tyres with in acceptable limits
-Suspension modulator (jupitune / rogerab) to increase slight GC and also dynamics in cornering
-underbody protector

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by tirumalavoleti

Few things which could add better handling bad roads:
-Increased sidewall with higher profile tyres with in acceptable limits
-Suspension modulator (jupitune / rogerab) to increase slight GC and also dynamics in cornering
-underbody protector

Things like rogerab can increase GC, but more often than not, decrease your handling and cornering abilities, especially for a good handling car like the polo.

[viXit]

POLO cross suspension should be a direct fit.
that should solve your problem.

[vredesbyrd]

Originally Posted by VKumar

And the solution that worked for me was:

• 195/60 R15 tyres
• Underbody protection shield

I have the factory 195/55 R16's on my Vento. What size should I upgrade to for just for a bit of bad/no road confidence? 205/60 R16 (same size as my Superb) was already on my mind since the car will undergo a remap and downpipe once the warranty is over. Will that size help?

[thehacker]

Upsizing the tyres might void warranty, but then changing the suspension would also do the same. However, post upsizing the tyres, speedometer and odometer re-calibration should be required to keep the readings accurate.

Originally Posted by viXit

POLO cross suspension should be a direct fit.
that should solve your problem.

If I am not mistaken, Polo Cross had the exact same ground clearance as that of the regular Polo.

[OctYFAN]

Raising it using aftermarket spring and shocks is definitely not recommended unless you are ready to lose ride quality and on-road comfort. Volkswagen has spent a lot of money developing the car's suspension geometry. You just can't go ahead and change it unless you are spending that kind of money in testing and stuff like that.

Bigger tires are a better and more pocket friendly option. I am running much larger tires on my Octavia and they work pretty fine. I think they are actually Innova spec tires. I haven't lost any comfort or drivability due to this. I think it must work for you pretty well.

Cheers
OctYFAN

[viXit]

Originally Posted by thehacker

Upsizing the tyres might void warranty, but then changing the suspension would also do the same. However, post upsizing the tyres, speedometer and odometer re-calibration should be required to keep the readings accurate.



If I am not mistaken, Polo Cross had the exact same ground clearance as that of the regular Polo.

I just googled to be sure and the first result said Normal polo has 168mm whereas polo cross has 165. I don't know what to bang my head against. Going to request mods to delete my previous post. Thank you for pointing out sir. What the hell was VW thinking.