PSA: don't go offroading in your clarity

V

victor_2019

Active Member
The ground clearance on this car is too damn low! It's at least 1 inch less than a freaking mazda 3, ffs!

I didn't realize i was driving a ****ing Lamborghini.

I was driving my 1 week old clarity on a country road going to a regional park and there was the top of a boulder sticking out of the road... No warning sign on the road or anything like that, just a flat piece of rock sticking out a few inches.

I slowed down to maybe 20 mph and as i passed over the rock i sheared off the ****ing metal plate under the engine.

There's no damage anywhere else but that engine cover is sitting quite low.

I never would have expected this car to not be able to handle a road my mazda 3 would be fine with, but... At least it's just the splash guard.

Other sedans passing in that road didn't seem to have the same issue. So now I'm a bit pissed.

Does anyone know the part number to that metal splash shield? Just the metal, the plastic portion is fine.
 
victor_2019 said:
The ground clearance on this car is too damn low! It's at least 1 inch less than a freaking mazda 3, ffs!

I didn't realize i was driving a ****ing Lamborghini.

I was driving my 1 week old clarity on a country road going to a regional park and there was the top of a boulder sticking out of the road... No warning sign on the road or anything like that, just a flat piece of rock sticking out a few inches.

I slowed down to maybe 20 mph and as i passed over the rock i sheared off the ****ing metal plate under the engine.

There's no damage anywhere else but that engine cover is sitting quite low.

I never would have expected this car to not be able to handle a road my mazda 3 would be fine with, but... At least it's just the splash guard.

Other sedans passing in that road didn't seem to have the same issue. So now I'm a bit pissed.

Does anyone know the part number to that metal splash shield? Just the metal, the plastic portion is fine.
Click to expand...
Looks like it's a Honda thing. The Accord Hybrid (5.5), Civic (5.2) and the Clarity (5.38). The Mazda 3 (6.1) and the Toyota Corolla (6.7), Toyota Camry (6.3) Camry Hybrid (5.7). Some of these numbers are hard to find, particularly the Honda numbers.

Perhaps Honda is trying to improve handling at the expense of some practicality. I suppose if you want higher ground clearance then you are supposed to get an SUV. I personally would prefer more ground clearance.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Ouch!

Yes, if you look at the sides, you will see a rut or channel that will cause the car to ride lower.
Combination of the lowered sides plus that protrusion in the center will cause the clearance problem.
From your high angle of view, it's hard to see but if you place the camera on the road you will see the depth differences.

I would have driven over the rock with the wheels.

BTW my knowledge is based on an off road instructor led Land Rover course last year and they taught me the proper way to approach clearance issues.
 
This isn't off-roading; it's an unpaved road. I grew up and learned to drive on these types of roads in rural Texas. Folks can get lured into too much speed on the smooth sections and not slow down enough for the rough patches or not see them in time. BTDT got the scars.

Put the car on some ramps and repair the aero shield and move on. I see lots of cars of all makes around here with flapping or dragging shields.
 
I know this isn't off-roading, I was being sarcastic.

I didn't know about the trick of driving over the rock with the wheel, now I know.

but in either case that rock didn't look big enough to warrant avoiding it, I thought slowing down was enough.

I've driven on dirt roads in much worse conditions with a mazda 3 and a subaru STI in the past without scraping the bottom of the car, I really didn't expect this to happen on this car and this road. Road didn't seem to be in bad shape otherwise, very few ruts in it.
 
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