What can and should be done
Types of modernization work:
- Make noise insulation of the interior;
- Change seats;
- Re-upholstery;
- Install a “non-native” dashboard;
- Remodel or replace appliances;
- Cover with film (carbon, wood, aluminum);
- Make neon interior lighting;
- Install electric windows;
- Replace the rear side windows with opening ones;
- Install air conditioning;
- Cover the floor with aluminum;
- Carry out auto sound preparation;
You can read more about much of this list in the Interior Tuning section.
To imagine the entire scope of work on internal tuning and visualize the result of such changes, we recommend looking at the corresponding photos and videos at the bottom of the page.
Changing vehicle height
Increasing the elevator is considered the most common and necessary tuning for driving over rough terrain. For serious changes in ride height, it is better to contact specialists. To install new shock absorbers, springs, lever stands and other parts, you will need an inspection pit, or better yet, a professional lift. The disadvantages include a reduction in service life during a radical modernization. An easier way to increase clearance is to replace the wheels with larger diameter models.
Interior improvements
Despite a wide range of modifications, the Niva's interior requires improvement. When tuning the Niva's interior you need to:
- produce high-quality sound insulation using modern technologies and materials;
- secure the torpedo better, eliminating squeaking when moving;
- improve the interior trim, it is advisable to get rid of the original plastic, which tends to crack;
- A good advantage for the driver will be an armrest, a comfortable steering wheel, and pedal pads.
It all depends on the wishes of the owner. You can improve the heating system and install seat heaters.
Another example of cool tuning of a VAZ 2121 on your own
This car is distinguished by its simplicity of design, easy accessibility to all components and mechanisms, as well as its increased reliability.
If you wish, you can do the tuning of the Niva yourself. To do this you will need:
- have your own garage for work;
- purchase the necessary tools, become familiar with the production process that should be performed;
- consult with specialists; advice from a highly qualified specialist can protect you from possible troubles.
By completing modifications to a car on their own, a person can verify the quality of the work performed, receive great pleasure from the achieved result, and save his money.
If you have insufficient experience, you can involve a master in performing important operations, and become his assistant yourself.
In this case, high-quality work will be done at minimal cost to the family budget.
Also interesting: Repair and replacement of Niva Chevrolet power windows, as well as connection methods without ignition
Other improvements
You will also need to buy hijacks and sandtrucks.
Without them, you will have a very difficult time off-road. By the way, what is this anyway? In general, a hijack is a reinforced rack and pinion jack. With its help, you can raise the car a meter (or even more) above the ground. In addition to its useful off-road function, the rack can also be used as a hand winch.
Of course, it is unlikely to be able to replace a full-fledged electric winch, but it can easily help it when pulling your all-terrain vehicle out of the mud. Sandtracks are plates made of durable metal with hooks over the entire surface. Simply put, iron slats. They are placed under the wheels when the car is pulled out. The simplest devices, and how much effort they can save!
Modern tuning of Niva 21213
Not so often, but still among Niv owners there are those who do not ignore such “noticeable parts of the interior” - such as the instrument panel, dashboard and the instruments themselves. Which, in turn, can either be slightly modified (for example, changing the color of the scales or the backlight of standard sensors), or completely replaced with others, both from domestic cars and parts from foreign cars.
How to make a dashboard with your own hands?
The process of making a homemade dashboard from plywood is literally “on the knee”.
This instrument panel can be purchased from sellers of tuning parts and accessories. It seems that the choice of alternative plastic dashboards for the VAZ-21214 in online and online stores is relatively large. And if you search, you can find some pretty decent panels.
Often, fans of tuning a domestic SUV decide to completely replace the dashboard or instrument panel with appropriately sized panels from foreign cars. And more often than not, such a replacement is completely justified. Since, in addition to a clear improvement in the visual perception of the interior, comfort and ergonomics are significantly improved.
The first thing you should do in your car so that daily trips in it within the city (and not only) do not lead you into a sad state of a squeezed lemon is to carry out comprehensive sound insulation of the interior.
Before disassembling the entire interior, find the front seats from a foreign car. Seats from Japanese cars have proven themselves well in domestic SUVs. The fact that you need to find rather rare seats from a coupe car should not confuse you.
Any front seats from a foreign car can be easily converted into folding angle grinders with a slight movement - you just need to cut off the stop that limits the forward movement of the backrest.
For safety, we strongly recommend that you do not weld new seats into the body of the Niva, but redesign the slide of the seat itself in order to integrate the lower rails from the original ones. Then the new comfortable chairs will become standard installation locations.
For high-quality sound insulation, you will also need to remove the front panel. Here you will find another key point included in high-quality tuning for Niva 21213 - the dashboard. It can be replaced with a more modern version. A radical solution to changing the appearance of the interior would be to completely replace the front panel with another one.
There is a “comfort” version of the front panel on sale. Its advantages are that there is no need to redo the fasteners, adjust them to size, etc. It has space for both an on-board computer and a tape recorder. The new dashboard and steering wheel will create the complete feeling that you are driving another car. Moreover, every car enthusiast can do such tuning of Niva 21213 with his own hands (photo above).
Power steering
For comfort, you cannot do without this unit. But don’t follow the lead of the dealers - take the kit for installing the hydraulic booster. The electric booster in a domestic jeep may not cope with the assigned tasks.
In addition, you can easily do this tuning of the Niva 21213 with your own hands (photo above in the text). Just follow the instructions for installing and connecting the power steering. After doing this, you will immediately feel the difference in control.
Accessories for interior tuning
Steering wheels, pedal covers, non-standard transfer and gearbox shift knobs, as well as other controls. This is only part of the list of accessories to improve the interior, the installation of which instead of standard ones already transforms the interior, and sometimes makes the operation of the car more ergonomic and comfortable.
The sports steering wheel is an excellent replacement for the standard one. Metal pedals with rubber inserts. A set of knobs for the gearshift lever and transfer case.
In addition, the list of accessories can be supplemented with door sill covers, all kinds of shelves, fasteners, bottle holders and other small things, sometimes useful.
Another example of cool tuning of a VAZ 2121 on your own
There are a large number of Niva tuning videos where you can get step-by-step instructions for performing the work. This will allow:
- perform all planned work technically correctly;
- avoid possible difficulties;
- save significant money.
This opportunity to get a clear example will be of great help in planning appropriate improvements.
Niva is an amazing car with excellent technical characteristics.
In some respects, this SUV outperforms renowned foreign cars of this class, while its cost is significantly lower. Experiment and enjoy the work done!
Air conditioner
This option is especially relevant for city residents. Standing in a traffic jam in the summer heat, not breathing in the exhaust fumes of neighboring cars and not sweating, is the height of bliss for those who have experienced all of the above in a regular Niva.
To solve this issue, you will have to purchase a complete set of air conditioning for the Lada Frost. Its cost is a little more than 30 thousand rubles. The kit contains installation instructions, with which you will make climate tuning for Niva 21213 with your own hands in just one weekend.
After the work done, you will feel that you are a man with a capital M, and the barely hidden envy of your neighbors in the garage will only confirm the correctness of your decision to make the old Niva a modern car.
Upholstery with alternative materials
Tuning the interior of a VAZ-2121 will be incomplete if you do not transform the door cards and the headliner. From the factory they do not differ in particular aesthetics and are made of inexpensive materials. These elements can be upholstered with a material that suits you (in color and structure). This is a simple job, and you can do it yourself. You can also change the shape and material of the door handles, making them suitable for the design of other elements.
Also interesting: Relays and fuses for Lada 4×4 (VAZ 21214, 21314) » Lada.Online
In addition to the materials that are used for upholstering seats, ceilings, door panels and, in some cases, dashboards - fabrics, leather, Alcantara, etc., other upholstery materials are also used for internal “upgrades”. For example, carpet (with a higher pile than the pile laid at the factory) or corrugated aluminum are chosen to cover the floor.
At the same time, the carpet covering, in addition to improving the appearance, also provides additional sound insulation, and the aluminum covering makes the interior more suitable for cleaning, which is very important and practical in case of off-road use. Also, it will not be superfluous to have plastic trunk upholstery with a rear parcel shelf, upholstered in carpet (fleecy material), which will also make the interior more comfortable, quieter and more attractive.
Installing and connecting music in the cabin
To one degree or another, it is difficult to do without this with any approach to improving the interior (starting from ascetic options and even more so in the case of serious alterations). Car audio and multimedia in Niva are real, although in some cases it is extremely irrelevant, taking into account the peculiarities of off-road operation.
Therefore, during internal tuning, in any case, you will have to deal with the installation of music. Moreover, not only the head unit of the system itself, but also all the accompanying car audio components - amplifiers, acoustics, subwoofers and other “bells and whistles”. Usually a simple Niva gets by with a minimum of such equipment, but there are exceptions that amaze with the originality and power of the equipment.
Amateur and professional approach to car audio installation.
Various aspects of this type of modification can be found in the Car Audio section of our article catalog.
Other improvements and changes
- Sliding or lifting sunroof;
- Opening side windows;
- Electric windows;
- Air conditioner;
- Neon lights;
You can read about all these areas in the following materials. .
Taiga base
VAZ 21213 “Niva” is a classic representative of a bygone era of the Soviet automobile industry. The main difference from earlier versions of the SUV is the rear brake lights and the design of the third door. Everything else in the car is an echo from the past. It is not surprising that many owners, instead of buying a more “dressy” Niva Urban car, prefer to tune the Niva. 21213 is the model that replaced the first version of the domestic SUV.
“Niva Taiga” (this is the additional name the car received) had a number of advantages that distinguished it from its predecessor:
- new engine and transmission;
- efficiency.
All the beneficial aspects of the car immediately catch the eye where the road ends. On rough terrain, it is capable of performing miracles of maneuverability, limited only by the courage of its driver.
But as soon as you go on a long road trip on the highway, within an hour you will understand that you simply need to do tuning of the Niva 21213. You will be annoyed by the noise of the interior, the constant creaking of various decorative trims, and the not-so-comfortable driver’s seat. It's not easy for the rear passengers either - they feel all the unevenness of the road, and the inability to stretch their legs even a little leads to rapid fatigue.
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Off-road features
To overcome off-road conditions, Niva Chevrolet uses:
First of all, all-wheel drive capabilities. To overcome difficult off-road conditions, the driver can engage a lower gear, thereby directing the torque to the traction capabilities of the vehicle.
The factory all-wheel drive system is somewhat imperfect, which is why some people are upgrading it. The main components and assemblies are replaced with similar ones, but with an enhanced resource. In rare cases, the entire system is replaced with a more reliable and high-quality one (a very labor-intensive process);
short wheelbase and small overhangs. Geometric cross-country ability is the most important factor when overcoming off-road conditions. In this regard, the Niva Chevrolet is second only to the classic Niva. Having a short body length, combined with small overhangs, the car can easily overcome steep climbs that are inaccessible to conventional vehicles. The base of the car cannot be changed, but the overhangs can be changed by installing different thresholds and trims, thereby increasing the “off-road” capabilities;
high ground clearance
This figure is 205 mm, which also greatly contributes to the cross-country ability of the model. An increase in ground clearance will have a positive effect on cross-country ability, but when traveling on the highway, the car will lose stability and acquire excessive “windage” on the road surface.
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