Lada Niva (VAZ 2121) is a domestic SUV that can drive almost anywhere; these cars have been produced for more than 40 years, and it has almost no equal on off-road terrain. Especially if you choose the right wheels for the Niva. After all, the right tires for a Niva are already half the success of a car off-road.
Although they are outdated in appearance, they do their job perfectly. You won’t find a better car for hunting or fishing trips. Nivas are good because they are unpretentious and inexpensive to maintain. The price of the Niva is not particularly high, especially if we consider used cars; in general, you can buy a domestic SUV for little money. Today we will deal with such issues as the correct choice of tires for the Niva, what sizes should be, and so on.
Standard wheels for Niva
If you don’t do a lift, then the Niva will have standard arches, so only standard wheels with standard tires will fit here. Initially, the factory installs wheels with VLI-5 R16 175/80 tires. Basic tires are not a particularly good option; they have the following disadvantages:
- if the car drives on a hard road at a speed of more than 60 km/h, then the noise from the tires will be normally audible;
- in winter, rubber becomes less elastic;
- the base tires are tube tires, which can also be considered a disadvantage;
- Handling on a flat road leaves much to be desired.
But this tire also has its advantages: it rides well on wet off-road conditions, especially on clay. And the most important advantage is the low price of these tires for Niva. But for those who have the money and the desire to install more serious tires on the Niva, there are many interesting alternative options.
Wheels 29 inches for the field
Installing a lift on the Niva and Chevrolet Niva will not raise questions among traffic cops on the road, the 29-inch wheels look organic, and no one will suspect that it was not like that from the factory. Problems may arise during re-registration, but our elevator is completely reversible, i.e. it can be removed at any time. It is very important that all replaced suspension elements (springs, shock absorbers) remain original.
29 inches is the maximum wheel size at which your lifted Niva remains similar to stock in terms of handling and fuel consumption. Further increase in wheel size will require large investments, and the cross-country ability will increase slightly. In addition, it may be necessary to install reinforced transmission elements (drives, axle shafts). If you do not plan to convert the car into the “hunting/off-road only” category and drive it every day, you should opt for the 29-inch wheel size (235/75R15, or 225/70R16).
It must be remembered that when lifting the Niva and Chevrolet Niva to install large wheels, the engine thrust will drop. The larger the diameter, the lower the gear ratio, and the harder it is for the motor to turn such wheels. The drop in thrust can be compensated by installing main pairs with a higher gear ratio, and ideally, if finances allow, by installing turbocharging.
To install wheels with a diameter of 29 inches on a regular Niva, cutting the wheel arches will be required. There is no need to cut the arches on a Chevrolet Niva.
– Chevrolet Niva: 20,400 rub. more details
– Niva 213: 18,900 rub. more details
– Niva-M, 214: 20,200 rub. more details
To find out the detailed cost of work, spare parts and consumables, fill out the form.
What is an SUV lift?
One of the most effective ways to increase the cross-country ability of a car is to install larger diameter wheels on it. This allows you to increase its ground clearance (from the English clearance - gap) or, in other words, increase its ground clearance. The words “clearance” and “ground clearance” mean the same thing, namely: the distance between the lowest point of the car and the road. It is clear that the higher the ground clearance, the better the vehicle's cross-country ability.
It will not be possible to significantly increase the diameter of the wheels without modifying the car; they simply will not fit into the arches, or they will “cling” to the body in turns or on bumps. To avoid this, the car is raised (lifted).
Lift or lifting, lifting an SUV (from the English lift - to raise) is a set of changes made to the design of the car, which make it possible to install larger diameter wheels on it. A common misconception is that a lift increases ground clearance. This is not true, you should understand very well: ground clearance is increased only by wheels of larger diameter, and the lift only allows you to install them on the car.
There are two main types of elevator:
– Bodylift (from the English body – body). Body lift is only possible for frame cars and involves lifting the body above the frame using special spacers. Body lift is one of the simplest lifting methods, and if the spacers are of a reasonable thickness, no further modifications to the car are required.
The main advantage of a body lift is the fact that the geometry of the steering, drives and suspension remains unchanged, and such a lift does not reduce the service life of the car. However, with an increase in the size of the spacers (the size of the lift), a bunch of related problems “come out”: hoses of the cooling and brake systems, handbrake cable, steering shaft, gearbox and transfer case handles, fastening of bumpers - all this goes down along with the frame and power unit, so the number and cost of modifications increase sharply.
R15 tires with size 215/75
These tires fit into the Niva without any modifications at all, but only if the right disc is selected. The tires need to be 27-28 inches, and the offset should be 35-58 mm. But sometimes it is possible that the wheels will touch the fender liners, especially if:
- the car is heavily loaded;
- The car drives over strong bumps that the suspension reaches the extreme points of its travel.
But what advantages do you get when you put R15 215/75 tires on the Niva:
- cross-country ability becomes better;
- fuel consumption decreases;
- there is no need to do lifting.
With this dimension, you can choose tires from this list:
- Michelin Latitude X-ice North;
- Dunlop Grandtrek AT3;
- Cordiant Off Road;
- Yokohama Geolandar;
- Nokian Hakkapeliitta SUV 7;
- Kumho Road Venture.
Dunlop Grandtrek AT3 and Yokohama Geolandar are all-season tires that fit perfectly into the wheel arches of the Niva, and they also go well with the Niva suspension. Kumho and Cordiant are off-road brands that are great for dirt and more serious off-road riding. Nokian Hakkapeliitta SUV 7 and Michelin Latitude X-ice North are winter tires that are great for driving on ice and deep snow, which is insurmountable for sedans.
Acceptable wheel sizes for Chevrolet Niva without modifications
Tire markings are deciphered as follows:
- tire width in millimeters;
- percentage ratio of the tire height to its width;
- inner (landing) diameter of the tire in inches.
Tire sizes are directly related to their performance. Wide tires have a larger grip area and a shorter braking distance. In addition, wide wheels have a lower specific ground pressure, which improves the vehicle's maneuverability in off-road conditions. That is, the advantages of wide tires are obvious. However, there is also a downside to the coin, which worsens the good picture of using wide tires:
- As tire width increases, rolling friction increases proportionally, which requires additional fuel consumption.
- A large area of contact with the road provokes aquaplaning, that is, sliding through puddles, which is less likely with narrow tires.
- Reducing the specific ground pressure, which improves the vehicle's off-road performance, simultaneously worsens the vehicle's handling on country roads.
- Wide tires weigh more than narrow tires, which puts additional stress on the suspension.
That is, the use of wide tires is justified only when the vehicle is primarily used in off-road conditions.
Based on the ratio of the height of the tire to its width, tires are divided into:
- low profile (from 55% and below);
- high-profile (up to 60–75%);
- full-profile (from 80% and above).
At the factory, high-profile tires are installed on the Chevrolet Niva car. In order to install full-profile tires on it, it is necessary to carry out a suspension lift. If you install low-profile tires on standard wheels, the ground clearance can reach a dangerously low level, which threatens the car’s components with damage.
If the car does not undergo any modifications, then it is allowed to use wheels with the following dimensions:
R17
205\60\17 with a total wheel height of 31.4 inches and 265/70/17 - 31.6 inches.
R16
235\85\16 - 31.7 inches, 265\75\16 - 31.6 inches and 285\70\16 - 31.7 inches.
R15
215/75 R15 - 31.3 inches.
Maximum wheel size for Chevrolet Niva 4x4 without a lift
Without using lifting, you can install wheels on a Chevrolet Niva 4x4 with the dimensions discussed above. It should be taken into account that although these dimensions fit normally into the standard parameters of the car, when using, for example, “mud” tires, problems may arise with the wheels catching the wheel arch liners or bumper. Most often, Shniva owners install UAZ wheels with a diameter of 31 inches on their cars.
Tires for even greater cross-country ability: 235/75 R15 and 240/80 R15
For those for whom standard cross-country ability is not enough and want to go into the real wilds, then you just need to take R15 tires with this dimension (235/75) and put it in the Niva. These dimensions will make the car a real jeep, which will essentially go everywhere it can go. So whoever has such goals should put such wheels on the Niva.
But it’s not so simple, in order for such tires to become normal, you will have to do a lifting, this is a kind of tuning of the Niva. You'll have to raise the suspension and widen the wheel arches. But this is not a problem at all, because even at the plant in Togliatti there are special lifting kits, thanks to which the wheel axle can be made lower by 4 cm, which will be enough to install such off-road tires R15 235/75.
The lifting kit includes:
- cross rod,
- upgraded spring cups;
- spring spacers;
- reinforced longitudinal rods;
- spacers for the ball joint.
If you install this kit correctly, the shock absorbers and springs will fit as they should. But that’s not all, for a full ride you still need to make some changes: change the pairs of front and rear gearboxes. If they come from the factory 3.9, then you need to put 4.44. The result will be increased acceleration dynamics, and there will be less load on the engine and clutch.
You also need to remember that there is also an offset of the wheel rims, this parameter needs to be increased slightly, for this you need to make special spacers from aluminum alloy and install them in the hub. Masters usually know how to do this.
Advantages and disadvantages of Niva as a result of installing 29 tires
Undoubtedly, the majority of car owners, in their desire to tune the Niva, want to achieve increased cross-country ability, because most often these are people who lead an active lifestyle, are fond of hunting or fishing, or simply live in a completely off-road situation, for example, farmers or rural residents.
The main parameters for assessing cross-country ability are:
Installing 29-inch wheels will increase the ground clearance from the existing 228 mm to 232 mm, which is especially important for the Niva Urban with a low ground clearance of 190 mm. This is especially noticeable if you compare the location of the bumper
The longitudinal flotation angle is the maximum possible angle that a car can overcome when moving from a slope to a horizontal surface. The roll angle reflects the opposite situation, leaving a horizontal plane with a downward slope. These figures are mainly affected by the wheelbase distance. But Niva drivers noted an improvement in driving down an inclined plane due to an increase in ground clearance as a result of replacing it with 29 tires.
The angle of lateral static stability determines the maximum trim of the vehicle from the central axis, which will be followed by a rollover on its side.
The negative consequences of installing 29-gauge tires also include an increase in the load on the hub units due to spacers to increase the offset of the wheel rims. In order to slightly relieve the unit, double-row bearings are used in the steering knuckle. Such modernization increases the cost of the entire tuning.
The improved exterior of the body, increased cross-country ability with a general improvement in driving performance, exceeds the negative aspects of increasing the wheel diameter to 29 inches. Installing 31-inch wheels is undesirable, as it will require mandatory modifications to the suspension components.
Trimming the arches of a Chevrolet Niva has a similar algorithm.
Which all-season vehicle for Niva 4x4 is better?
It is a well-known fact that you can’t install winter tires in the summer, as they will begin to melt due to high temperatures, and in the winter you can’t install summer tires, because you can’t avoid trouble on the road in icy conditions. All-season optimal tires size r16 for Niva 21213 4x4. The main manufacturers of all-season 4x4 tires are: Kumho (South Korea), Cordiant, and domestic ones: Belshina OJSC and Nizhnekamskshina. The latter brand is widely known throughout Russia.
The Cordiant brand produces all-season tires for Niva in 15 and 16 inches. Thanks to the solid base of all-season wheels of sizes r15 and r16, the model is protected from any minor damage. According to reviews from car owners of 4x4 size r16 all-season vehicles using this type, they talk about the following advantages: cross-country ability, accessibility and softness when driving in any weather.
Another tire model is Toyo Open Country A/T Plus. This tire is suitable for both off-road and asphalt roads. The cost of tires is about 4000 rubles. Due to the wide drainage channels existing in these tires, moisture and dirt are easily removed.
When choosing an all-season tire, it is better to follow the recommendations from the manufacturer and do not forget that such tires will have to be changed more often than summer or winter tires.
Winter tires for Niva 4×4
With the onset of winter, the owner of a Niva 4×4 is thinking about winter tires for his car, since the car’s behavior on the road will depend on the quality of the winter wheels. Let's consider suitable winter tire models for car 21213.
Toyo Taiers 215 x 65 x 16
Let's focus on the foreign model of winter tires - Toyo Taiers 215 x 65 x 16, since the most positive reviews are about it. The manufacturer of these winter tires is Japan. The size of components with a diameter of r16 on wheels 15 gives the Niva 4x4 car stability in winter. These winter tires for your car have a regular tread. Tires last for at least three seasons, or even more. On the plus side: the tires behave confidently on ice, but on the minus side: on wet snow the car starts to slip. One can argue that you should use only manufacturer's tires on Niva 4x4, however, car enthusiasts complain that winter tires manufactured by the manufacturer are not safe on the road. The Toyo Taiers 215x 65x16 model during operation does not affect the amount of fuel consumed by the car.
If your budget allows, then, of course, it is better to buy winter tires from foreign manufacturers. However, among domestic ones there are popular models: Cordiant, Kama, Amtel, Rosava and Belshina (the last two models of tires from a Ukrainian manufacturer and a Belarusian one).
Kumho I'Zen KW22
Another modern model of winter tires Kumho I'Zen KW22 for Niva 4x4, made in China. Winter tires have a universal tread; the car performs well on both ice and snow. This is inexpensive for Niva 4x4 winter tires. The cost is 2990-3600 rubles depending on the size of the product. For example, for 15-inch tires, a Niva 4x4 car owner will pay an average of 2,900 rubles. , and for 16-inch Niva 21213 tires the car owner will pay 3,600 rubles. According to reviews from car owners, the tires are excellent, although there is one drawback that sometimes the studs fall out. Moreover, such winter tires are suitable for those who do not want to drive on the roads, as the studs wear out less often.
Amtel NordMaster ST-310
There is an even cheaper option: Amtel NordMaster ST-310. Prices for such winter tires are around 2000 rubles. What should you expect from tires of this price? Firstly, when the speed exceeds 70 km/h, the lack of tires manifests itself - noise. However, there are also a lot of advantages - the stability of the car, since you can brake from speed on ice or wet snow, and excellent cross-country characteristics. Still more suitable for driving on asphalt than in snowdrifts.
Which wheels are best to install on a Niva 4×4?
As such, there are no separate summer tires for this type of car, that is, in most cases these are factory, standard passenger wheels for driving on asphalt roads.
For winter, the manufacturer offers VLI-10 or Voltyre VLI-5. These are fairly cheap tires and therefore the disadvantages include the short service life of such wheels.
In general, when choosing tires for your Niva 4×4, you should take into account not only prices, but also the area where you will be driving. For example, wide low-profile AT wheels are suitable for all types of surfaces, while narrow wheels are only suitable for asphalt. Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires are suitable for off-road use, and Radial tires for cold climates. The owner of a Niva 4x4 has plenty to choose from, since there are many manufacturers of wheels for such vehicles and for different climatic conditions, both domestic and foreign. Among Russian ones, these are factories in Nizhnekamsk, Kirov, Barnaul and Altai, and among foreign ones, these are at least China and Japan.
Selection of tires for non-standard wheel sizes
For 15 inch wheels the choice of tires is much larger than for 16 inch ones. According to reviews from Niva 4×4 drivers, the YOKOHAMA 215 r16 (summer tire) model is in demand. These are budget and reliable tires that are suitable for both asphalt and off-road.
They are installed without unnecessary manipulations with the car, that is, lifting is not needed. Although, for tires on 16-inch wheels, lifting is still required. Moreover, whether to install such wheels or not can be decided by answering the question “Is everything okay with the car’s ride?” and if so, then, of course, it is possible. According to reviews of the Niva 4×4 with this tire model, the car drives smoothly and there are no potholes felt. The downside is that the tread on this model is wide and collects all the small stones on the road. The price is in the range of 4700-5000 rubles.
The following tire models are suitable for winter: Nokian Nordman 5 (Finland), Hakkapeliitta 7 and 8. Hakkapeliitta is more expensive than Nordman, but in general both models exceed the price tag of 5,000 thousand rubles.
The Russian manufacturer Cordiant offers a cheaper model for 3,500 rubles. Tires from foreign manufacturers are much more expensive and are not always available in stores. If you only drive in the city, then it is better to buy Kama I-511 tires, and the price is around 3,400 rubles apiece.
Adviсe
In conclusion, let’s say once again about tires for Niva 21213 and which ones are better. Tires for the field in sizes 16 are difficult to obtain and the choice of such wheels is not large and you will have to make a lift to make such wheels fit. Still, when purchasing all-season tires for 4x4 fields, size r16, more often than others, sizes 185/75 R16, 175/80 R16, or 215/65 R16 are purchased. One of the best budget and reliable tires. Winter tires for Niva 4x4 size r16 option from the Nizhnekamsk plant, tires Kama I-511. They were written in more detail in this article above.
Due to the paucity of choice, drivers choose wheels on the r15, as the choice of tires will increase significantly. On r15 you can buy Russian or foreign manufacturers, depending on the budget, these are Kumho (South Korea), Cordiant, and from ours: Belshina OJSC and Nizhnekamskshina. When purchasing mud tires for a 4x4 field, Mud Terrain Lite is perfect.
This is an American manufacturer. If you only drive off-road, then Niva 4x4 Silverstone MT-117 tires will do. When buying winter tires for a Niva 4x4 16, the factory studded tires Voltyre VLI-5 and VLI-10 will go, since they are cheap, but it depends on the area in which you plan to drive. From foreign countries there will be Cordiant Business, Hakkapelitta, Michelin Agilis X-ice North, but again the question is the budget.
For off-road work, special equipment such as an all-terrain vehicle manipulator is used. For digging pits, transportation of oversized cargo, rental for any period. This will save your time, deliver your cargo safely, it is possible to perform several types of work at once and operate it in any conditions.
Lada 4×4 3D Persa › Logbook › All wheel sizes for Niva with and without modifications
I systematized the information for myself, but it may be useful to someone else. I did not include rare sizes and low profile tires in the plate.
Standard wheels are now installed 185/75 R16 with a 5J wide disc and an ET offset of 58 mm. In inches this is 26.9" In the same size you can put: 175/80 R16 - (27") disk 5-5.5J ET 40-58 205/70 R16 - (27.3") disk 6J ET 40 215/ 65 R16 – (27”) wheel 6J ET 20-40 195/75 R15 – (26.5”) wheel 5.5-6J ET 40-58 205/70 R15 – (26.3”) wheel 6J ET 40 215 /70 R15 – (26.9") wheel 6J ET 20-40
All this will fit without modifications and without significant violation of factory specifications. But this is not enough, despite the good geometric cross-country ability of the short one, the ground clearance for more or less serious off-road conditions will be too small. Therefore, we are looking to see what can be built without an elevator and cutting arches.
Maximum wheel size for stock Niva
215/75 R15 - (27.7") disc 6J ET 40-45 195/80 R16 - (28″) disc 5J ET 58 mm (model K-139) may slightly catch the rear fender. And it's all. That's why if you are not going to cut the arches, then it is better to use R15 wheels
With elevator and cutting arches
You can, in principle, fit in any wheels (depending on how much you are willing to cut from the wing)) Standard cutting (along the edge of the arch) allows you to stick in 28" without a lift or with a slight lift. In general, the lift for the Niva is not a very good thing, because it limits the already small travel of the front suspension. And this will negatively affect cross-country ability.
My choice is this: cutting the arches along the edge and a 1” lift, preferably not with spacers, but by replacing the springs. But here you need to choose springs with similar elasticity, so as not to make the suspension stiffer and not get a negative effect of goat.
So, the size of wheels on a Niva with arches cut along the edges:
205/75 R16 – (28.1”) disk 6J ET 20-40 215/70 R16 – (27.9”) disk 6J ET 20-40 225/70 R16 – (28.4”) disk 6J ET 0- 20 215/75 R15 – (27.7") disc 6J ET 20-40 225/75 R15 – (28.3") disc 6J ET 20-40 235/70 R15 – (28") disc 6-7J ET 0 -20
To install 29 wheels or more you need to make a suspension lift
. I have come across statements that say that on a Niva without a lift, size 29 wheels do not rub anywhere. I don’t know yet how true this is. Perhaps their wings are clipped more. Or somewhere they carefully worked with a sledgehammer =D
By the way, I think that the maximum tire width for a Niva should not exceed 225 mm.
Otherwise, cross-country ability worsens and the weight of unsprung masses increases. I allow exceptions for sports where the speed of the route is more important than the quality. There, large and wide wheels will play a positive role, but overall off-road performance will noticeably deteriorate on many types of soil. I have already given a clear example where the Pajero on wide rollers with blocking is inferior to the stock Shnivy.
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