Of course that made me want to go out to the garage and measure the ground clearance on my car. It's got 5.5" where the lowest part of the front bumper trim would hit snow first. On the side where the jack points are the clearance is just barely 6".

They say we might get a foot of snow tomorrow, haha...

To get back on topic, my '04 just finished a tank at 44.4mpg today. I guess it likes the number 4. Hopefully we only get 4" of snow tomorrow.

 

Steve, online research may yield higher numbers, but I'd suggest trying for yourself. Just stand a tape measure on end and push it under there. Center of the plastic air foil under the engine is the nadir.

I've got a little over 40 psi on all corners.

Addendum: Ok, I took my own advice and went out and rechecked: the very lowest point, just an isolated low point, is 4.5". The more general area is around 5". I'd guess a regular is about an 1" better, without the aero shield.

 

Another thought, Mendel – could you possibly have worn suspension components – either springs or shocks – that might account for a lower-than-expected ride height (ground clearance)?

 

Yes and no: I first measured clearance over a year back, when considering snow tires, ground clearance, etal, and it was thus then, I believe. Recently we were in an accident and had front suspension components replaced, but I don't believe ride height has been affected.

But really:

Check for yourself what your ground clearance is. Set up a tape measure with a tentative dimension, stand it on end and slide it around under there. It obviously helps to be on a concrete slab. I have one tape measure whose body adds exactly 3" to the measurement, and it is very handy. Tape measure body dimensions tend to be a variety of obscure and awkward numbers, so if you can find one that's (say) 3", it makes it much easier to set a number.

When I say "clearance", I mean to the first thing you encounter, typically the aero shield. This puts the hybrid version at a disadvantage, looks to be reducing clearance by around an inch. OTOH, it's a smoother surface.

 

I measured the snow that fell just outside my garage today: 5". I drove onto it prior to shoveling to see what part of the car would touch the snow first. Then I backed the car back into the garage to look at the pattern on the snow. It looks like it might have touched the undercover, since the snow seemed to have a broad flattened area on it with grooves. But when I looked under the car in the garage, there was no snow on the bumper air dam or the engine undercover, but further back, about halfway under the car you could see some snow on the undercarriage. If snow is freshly-fallen and powdery I can drive through it at this height. I wouldn't want to hit anything hard or frozen though. (I did that about a month ago. Had to drive my daughter to her job. It was still snowing, and the parking lot hadn't been plowed. In all the "white out" I drove up onto a raised curbed surface. When I heard the scraping sound I backed up off of it. grr...)
Keep in mind this is an HCH I. Your parts may vary.

 

This ground clearance talk is quite interesting. I haven't measured mine yet, It's too **** cold and I don't have a garage. Thing is though I almost tore off the engine cover on something. Had to get a sheared bolt replaced on one corner of the cover. Just for a laugh I have been looking at videos on youtube of a popular little 4 x 4 over here, the Suzuki Jimny. It sells real cheap new and has some decent kit for the few bucks you have to spend. Thing is, it is so small but, some of the videos show it ploughing through 15 to 18" of snow - uphill. I haven't driven one but, would love to have a go through some deep snow in it. I used to drive Weatherill loading shovels (an American breed of heavy plant) and they were such fun when ploughing through some very deep mud and stuff. Almost as good as a dozer.

 

Just got a tweek from my Hotmail account asking what I've been up to.....

Just back from a road trip to PEI (in my HCH II naturally).

Results:

4147.5 km (2571 miles) total round trip.

193.326 liters (51.14 US gallons, 42.53 Imperial gallons) of fuel used (full tank at departure from home, full tank at arrival back home).

Fuel economy: 4.66L/100 km. (50.47 statute miles per US gallon, 60.5 statute miles per Imperial gallon).

This trip had 2930 highway kms and 1217.5 city kms. AC used 75% of time.

Highway driven at 100 kph (except New Brunswick, where legal limit is 110 kph).

Current odometer reading: 84583 km.

Cheers

Mike

 

Very good results Mike. Pretty hard to criticize that. What did you pay on average per liter? H

 

"All prices are $CDN per liter"

Harold,

The average cost was 0.993;

Top up at home (start and end) was .999;

Riviere-du-Loup (QC) (eastbound) was 1.024;

Miramichi (NB) (I took the Plaster Rock Road bypass eastbound-old habit) was 1.000;

Oyster Bed Bridge (PEI) was .989; and

Saint-Leonard (NB) Shell at exit 58 (I took the new for me freeway westbound) was .949 (!).

Cheers

Mike

 

Mike
We are 108.9 here and much more in Vancouver. I think it was 122.9 last week. Did you motel it or tent it on this trip? I,m thinking of a trip across Canada with my HCH2 and tenting it. During bad weather could motel it or B&B. H