Ground clearance is ground clearance, right? If you get a 4” lift, you get four inches of extra clearance all day long… right?
Not exactly.
Different kinds of lift give you that ground clearance in different ways. So we’re going to take a look at how portals affect the space below your machine differently than a standard suspension lift kit. Let’s dig in.
We need to start by getting on the same page when we talk about ground clearance.
Typically, ground clearance is considered the distance from the ground to the skid plate. If you use that definition, then yes, every 4” lift kit, regardless of what type, would give you the same ground clearance.
But this definition falls short because it doesn’t take suspension into account. Even if you have 12 inches of total ground clearance, your lower A-arms and radius rods stretch from your frame to just below the centerline of your wheels. So your effective ground clearance is much less than 12” as you move closer to your wheels.
To put it another way, if your machine has 12 inches of ground clearance, you’ll only be able to clear an 11-inch pole if you keep right in the center of your vehicle. Too far left or right, and it’ll hit your suspension.
Here are all the parts of your machine that limit your ground clearance:
That’s why we make such a big deal of our high-clearance A-arms. They get out of the way more than standard clearance A-arms so your suspension bonks into fewer obstacles.
Got it? So a single ground clearance spec doesn’t give you the full picture.
You probably know how traditional lift kits work, but let’s go over how a suspension lift kit actually lifts an ATV or UTV.
The basic trick, whether it’s a 4” lift or a 10” lift, is to push your suspension down, which then raises the floor of your machine. To push the suspension down, you either have to reposition the stock shock, install longer shocks, or a combination of both. It’s like doing a push-up.
Once a lift gets to a certain height, it also requires new A-arms, axles, and tie rods, which help the suspension push farther down, but the primary source of the lift is the shock. Adding longer suspension components is like doing a push-up with longer arms.
So if we’re pushing the suspension farther down and therefore raising the frame of the machine, here’s what a traditional lift DOESN’T do:
That’s not to say they don’t do a lot for your machine. They do lift your machine by the advertised number of inches, and they generally give you more room to run larger tires, but the lower suspension components must necessarily reach lower to reach your hubs than they do with GDP Portals.
GDP Portals don’t push your suspension down. Instead, they replace the hub at each wheel with a portal box that raises the axle input. This means that the suspension is raised evenly across the entire width—6” portals raise the ball joint in your lower A-arms by 6” and raise your entire chassis by 6”.
It’s a lift kit that actually lifts your suspension.
In practice, using a GDP Portal Gear lift gets you more consistent results than a traditional lift. Your suspension will be less likely to hit obstacles that aren’t perfectly centered, and that’ll make for a much smoother-feeling ride. The center of your machine will still have the most ground clearance overall, but you’ll have better-than-stock clearance across the whole width of the machine.
To sum up, GDP Portals give you more ground clearance than you think because they:
Basically, if you think of the ground clearance under your machine as a triangle, traditional lifts raise the top point of the triangle higher. GDP portal gear lifts take that triangle and put a box under it.
And here’s the kicker: you can get the benefits of both kinds of lifts by installing both simultaneously. Now that’s a win-win as long as you the lift you choose adds enough width to give you the stability you need. You can grab some wheel spacers to increase width and stability too.
So your ground clearance spec doesn’t tell the whole story.
A traditional lift might give you 4 extra inches on paper, but it doesn’t change the fact that your suspension still has to get to the same low point on your hub. It gives you a ton of capability, but it has limitations.
Portal gear lifts do it differently. Instead of using suspension to lift your machine, they lift the suspension itself. GDP Portals raise your lowest points and give you extra ground clearance across the entire width of the machine.
Where you get that clearance matters just as much as how much you get.
If you want to take your lift to the next level, check out all our GDP Portal Gear Lifts and suspension lift kits. We have tons of options for tons of ATVs and UTVs, so you can get the ground clearance you want.
Disclaimer: This article was written by an employee of SuperATV. The views, opinions, and recommendations expressed in this blog are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of SuperATV. This content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as safety advice or official technical guidance. Modifying vehicles and using aftermarket parts can impact performance and safety. Readers are responsible for ensuring proper installation, compatibility, and safe operation. SuperATV makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of this information and assumes no liability for any actions taken based on it.
