Honda Element Ground Clearance: What To Know
Honda Element by Rudolf Stricker — CC BY-SA 3.0
Ground clearance is an extremely important part of the car buying process that many new or less experienced buyers can often overlook. It can be the different between maintaining your cars for years or having unexpected damage and repair issues pop up unexpectedly.
Seasoned car buyers know the importance of this, and the Honda Element’s ground clearance is right on average with other mid-size SUVs. But what is ground clearance and why do car buyers need to know?
It’s essentially the distance between the lowest point of the vehicle’s underbody and the gap of the tire’s contact with a level surface. This is also known as ride height, and is how much your vehicle is separated from pavement, gravel, or other surfaces you’re driving on. It’s one of the most fundamental and important dimensions to research when looking at an off-road vehicle.
The higher that the vehicle sits off the ground the less likely the undercarriage and mechanical area is to be damaged by rocks, pavement, and other road debris. It’s also helpful for wintery conditions when snow builds up on the road and can get jammed and stuck under the bumpers and tires.
The total level of ground clearance is an important factor for the type of terrain a vehicle can manage to maneuver without ruining the undercarriage or bumper and vehicle’s exterior. Honda isn’t necessarily known for its pure offroading ability, but a higher ground clearance is still important for a number of different driving conditions, and the Element’s ground clearance gives drivers plenty of reasonable room while sticking with a non-offroad specific vehicle.
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It’s no surprise that car owners choose a higher ground clearance to avoid problems when driving over hills or rocky terrain. The Element’s ground clearance hasn’t changed all that significantly over the years, and the model’s average ride height varies from 157 to 175 mm.
All but two Honda Element models have a ground clearance of just under 7 inches, and the SC is the only model that comes in lower at just over 6.2 inch clearance. It’s subtle, but that extra inch can make a comfortable difference when driving through hazardous road conditions. Consider that a vehicle with a full tank of gas, people, or cargo can quickly lose about an inch of total ground clearance.
Most sedans have an average ground clearance somewhere between 4-6 inches, while SUVs have an average ground clearance of 6-8 inches. Some high-end luxury SUVs have an adjustable suspension to improve ground clearance in harsh driving conditions, such as snow, mud, or even trail driving. As a result, having more clearance is typically beneficial, but not always. The Element doesn’t come quite as loaded as other off-road specific brands like Subaru or Jeep, but there are a few things you can do to improve the stock clearance and get a little more adventurous.
Installing larger tires, a leveling package, coil springs, coilovers, airlift suspension, and suspension lifts, are other options available for raising or lowering your Honda Element. You won’t be able to boulder crawl but it will be able to handle trails and driving off the beaten path pretty comfortably.
There are a few different manufacturers that still support lift kits for the Element and can be found for under $500 (before service fees) to create an additional 1-3 inches of lift. It will depend on your model year and may have limited options since it was discontinued after the 2011 model year. While this can be applied to lift the Element’s ground clearance height, it does sacrifice some of the former stability and maneuverability that it generally has over its competitors.
The taller the vehicle, the better (typically) it performs on rough surfaces. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons and determine if you need a high-riding vehicle with sufficient ground clearance to manage your routine driving situations. Although many people enjoy the panoramic view provided by a sport-utility vehicle, some want a vehicle capable of serious off-roading and handling Mother Nature’s worst. Going higher in an SUV doesn’t always imply getting into the tiptoes.
Technical off-road scenery can be enjoyed on any outdoor adventure, and you as the adventurer might be looking for a difficult path or trail to put your skills and vehicle’s capability to the test, but overland travel is not the same as “weekend fighter” or casual “four-wheeling.” The key objective is to solve the most difficult challenges that are available.
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Get Bigger Tires
It may seem like a no-brainer, but getting wheels with a slightly larger radius can help lift the ground clearance by a few inches without getting an entirely different lift kit. It might not be extremely significant, but in the case of adding extra space between your vehicle an extra inch can go a long way when driving through mud or water.
Honda certainly has strengths to its craftsmanship and offers a pretty standard ground clearance with its other mid-size SUV counterparts. You won’t find any that have the ground clearance of a pickup truck, but at the end of the day probably wouldn’t be all that effective for this style of SUV.
If you’re new to car buying or aren’t as familiar with the importance of ground clearance, see the general list below to get a better idea on why it’s important and why it should be considered.
Advantages of Low Ground Clearance
Better Handling
Sedans typically have lower ground height and not surprisingly have a lower center of gravity. This can help to stabilize the vehicle and makes it very easy to drive at high speeds.The CRV isn’t high enough that you’ll significantly lose handling, but it may be a little noticeable.
Assists in Aerodynamics
When a vehicle is driving at a high speed, the air moving above it becomes denser than the air traveling beneath it, resulting in higher pressure under the road. Low clearance decreases the air under the car, lowering the pressure. This allows the vehicle to travel at fast and safe speeds.
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Disadvantages of Low Ground Clearance
Of course, the main drawback is that cars with lower ground clearance simply can’t handle the different types of surfaces like a truck or an SUV.
Cars with low ride height can be damaged more easily due to being lower to the ground. Catching rocks and debris and a general lack of maneuverability make it tough to drive on anything other than pavement on a clear day.
Advantages of High Ground Clearance
Vehicles with higher ground clearance are capable of traveling on more forms of terrain more easily, like bumpy and uneven roads. They are more likely to be able to go offroading and handle the elements better than a low-to-ground sedan. Being higher off the ground, there’s also typically more cargo space being off the ground and having a larger chassis.
Disadvantages of High Ground Clearance
Opposite to sedans, higher raised vehicles don’t have as much balance and generally can’t drive or accelerate as fast.
The Element comes with a horsepower range around 200 and gets mid 20s MPG. It’s off-roading capabilities are pretty decent with its standard base clearance, and its affordability and comfort. Maybe not the first vehicle that comes to mind when thinking about offroading, but the Element is a strong option when it comes to looking at offroading vehicles.
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