Ford Transit Ground Clearance: What To Know
Ford Transit by Vauxford — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Ford Transit van can be utilized in many different ways. It’s great for cargo, great if you’re going to use it as a work truck, or it can even be transformed into a transportation truck. One thing it is not known for is a lifted ground clearance. Read this article on Ford Transit ground clearance: what to know.
What is Ground Clearance?
Ground clearance or sometimes referred to as ride height is the distance from the ground to the lowest point on the vehicle. When measured, from the lowest point of a vehicle to the ground, whatever that number turns out to be is your ground clearance.
Sometimes vehicles can have different ground clearance numbers for the same vehicle. That’s because some vehicles are lower in the front than they are in the rear or the middle of the vehicle or vise-versa. This is understandable, but the true ground clearance should still be measured from the lowest point of the vehicle to the ground no matter where that’s at on the vehicle.
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How Much Ground Clearance Can You Expect From the Ford Transit?
You’ll find depending on your year, model, and what options are installed on your Ford Transit Van, you will have a ground clearance of 5.2-inches to 5.7-inches. This number can also vary depending on how loaded down your van is. If you haul a lot of people or tons of cargo for your business, it’s very likely you will start to lose ride height quickly.
The ride height is kind of low for a van, but this is for accessibility more than anything. You can order a Ford Transit with a wheelchair lift, you can order one with only rows of seats, or you can order one with just front seats, that leave the rear space for all your cargo needs. Either way you go, your ground clearance will be affected, by how much, will depend on how much weight is added to your Transit van.
Stiffening Up Your Suspension and Raising the Ford Transit Ground Clearance: What to Know
Rasing the ground clearance on the Ford Transit isn’t as easy as it might be for other vehicles. Some vehicles almost come ready for a quick and easy suspension raise. The Transit is not one of those vehicles.
One of the most common ways to beef up the ground clearance on your suspension is fitting your vehicle for a taller set of tires. This might work for the Transit, but don’t expect too much out of it. The wheel wells are so small that it leaves little room in way of adding bigger tires to the Transit.
What seems to be the most favorite solution among Transit owners is using an aftermarket air-ride system. An air-ride system will not only give you around three inches of ground clearance, but it will stiffen up your suspension. With the correct suspension upgrades installed correctly, you shouldn’t notice a change in the way the Transit rides, but you will notice that adding extra weight to it (cargo, people, work material) will have much less of an effect on the van’s ride height or ground clearance.
The Ford Transit Ground Clearance Advantages and Disadvantages
The major advantage is the lower sitting Ford Transit makes loading and unloading the van much easier. Another advantage is People have no problem getting in and out of the vehicle, and if you have a wheelchair access lift, it doesn’t have to move very far up and down extending the life of the lift.
If you use the Transit for work, getting cargo in and out of your van is much easier, even if you spring for an air ride lift suspension. Going up a long way and back down all day long, especially if you’re carrying work equipment, can make your vehicle being lower better sometimes.
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Being low to the ground also helps prevent roll-over accidents. The van is pretty tall and can promote a top-heavy environment when it is empty. This van being lower to the ground helps prevent most worries of any type of roll-over problems. Even if you have an air-ride lift suspension, you would have not much to worry about.
The disadvantage of Ford Transit ground clearance: what to know: The lower a vehicle is to the ground, the more likely very important underbelly parts could be damaged. Under the van are parts that are vital to the van’s mobility. If damaged, it could leave the van stuck somewhere needing a tow, and possibly lots of money in repair.
An air-ride lift suspension is a great way to help avoid this situation. Although you may only get 2-3 inches out of a lift, it can make a huge difference. Plus, the stiffening of the suspension will help the van from bottoming out on uneven roads. Bottoming out is a huge reason why underbelly parts get damaged.
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How Does the Ford Transit Do Against its Competition in Ground Clearance
For 2021, there are four other transit/cargo vans that fall into the Ford Transit’s category: The Mercedes-Benz Metris with a 4.4-inch ground clearance, the Ram Promaster has 6.9-inches of ground clearance, the Mercedes Sprinter has 8.1-inches, and the Ford Transit Connect which has the same 5.2 - 5.7-inches of ground clearance as its sibling that we write about in this article.
How to Shop for the Right Ground Clearance
Every shopper has its own criteria when it comes to what will best fit their vehicle needs, but finding the perfect vehicle to fit those needs isn’t always easy. We find that little things like ground clearance can become bigs things depending on what plans you have for the vehicle.
Try to remember when you’re shopping for a vehicle everything you need to use it for. Maybe a car can get you back and forth to work every day, but can it get your whole family around town on the weekends? Can carry all the stuff you need to take with you when you’re doing your weekend hobbies?
Ford Transit Ground Clearance: What to Know
We think the Ford Transit has a very suitable ground clearance for a van designed to handle many different situations. We also like the optional wheelchair lift, symmetrical doors in the rear, and the option we mentioned above about lifting the van with an air-ride lift suspension.
We don’t recommend having anyone other than a professional perform the aftermarket upgrade, it can be dangerous for your vehicle, you, and others.
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