Front wheel drives. Description of the Lada Granta design

What changed?

By “lucky coincidence,” the author was the owner of a Granta (a 2017 liftback, in the minimum Norma configuration) and came to the test armed for comparisons.

In 2022, VAZ carried out a restyling, designing the front in the “X-style”. The main pair in the transmission was changed from 3.7 to 3.9. All engines were made “non-plug-in” - if the timing belt breaks, the pistons do not meet the valves. Engine control program calibrations have been adjusted. For example, the eight-valve engine now picks up more confidently after the first outbreaks during a cold start. The temperature regime has also changed. If during the cold season you see that the operating temperature after warming up has frozen around 80–82 degrees, do not be alarmed. The thermostat in this case is working properly.

If you take a car without a radio, only with audio preparation, keep in mind that the speaker wiring to the doors is laid normally, and the antenna cable is a pure formality. It runs from the roof antenna to the bottom of the right A-pillar trim. Without an extension cable, you won't be able to reach the audio center.

Prepare in advance

Our traditional Slavic hope for “maybe” often leads to the fact that unexpected cold weather finds the car completely unprepared for use in conditions of snowfall and ice. You shouldn’t be like domestic public utilities - you need to go into winter fully armed:

1. Seasonal tires. A sign of the first cold snap is the queues of motorists outside tire shops. Don't tempt fate - choose a free hour, sign up in advance and change your summer tires to winter ones. The tread pattern of winter tires will improve traction on snowy and icy roads, and this is important for confident driving.
2. Spiking. Whether to use spikes or not is a debatable question. The fact is that on dry and clean asphalt, studded tires behave worse than regular tires. If you use a car in those regions where winter comes into its own in earnest until spring, then, obviously, studded wheels will come in handy. In mild southern winter conditions, when morning ice gives way to afternoon thaw, you can simply use high-quality seasonal tires.
3. Windshield washer fluid. Fill the windshield washer reservoir with antifreeze fluid in advance. It can be purchased both in the form of a concentrate and in a ready-made solution. Check the condition of the wipers - the better it is, the less fluid consumption will be.
4. Additional funds. Treat the rubber seals of the doorways with a special silicone lubricant, it is sold as a spray in car dealerships. This will avoid them freezing and difficulties opening the car. It is also worth treating door locks with water-repellent compounds. Equip your car with a snow brush and an ice scraper. If the climate of your region is characterized by heavy snowfalls, then a small shovel in the trunk will not be superfluous.
5. Parking brake. Forget about the habit of using the handbrake in parking lots. Evening driving through puddles and night frosts will lead to freezing of the brake pads to the disc, and running to the car in the morning with a hairdryer or hot kettle is not the most pleasant experience.

Victory over skidding: rules for driving on a snowy road

Liftback, sedan, hatchback or station wagon - which body should you choose?

Four body types for a budget car - an enviable variety. The wheelbase is the same for all, but then the demand for one or another modification largely depends on the rear overhang. That is, the size of the floor, and therefore the volume of the trunk in the standard configuration - with the rear seats not folded and the shelf in the headrest area not removed. The hatchback has a trunk of 240 liters, the station wagon - 360. Unfortunately, there is no “barn” with a large overhang, and in terms of cargo compartment capacity it is easily surpassed by the sedan and liftback with indicators of 500 and 440 liters. In this pairing, the sedan is a mathematical winner, but, say, the trunk lid stops still eat up some of the usable space.

In terms of ease of loading/unloading and the ability to accommodate large luggage, the victory goes to the liftback. Its fifth door rises up along with the rear window and opens a huge opening. It easily fits items that cannot be squeezed into a sedan.

The Granta liftback also has two hooks in the niches of the cargo compartment on which you can hang bags of goods from the supermarket. Very convenient - they don’t crawl on the trunk floor while driving. Needless to say, within the Grant family, a couple of sedan-liftbacks are in great demand.

Steering

The steering mechanism has not undergone any changes. The same rail is installed, which is highly reliable. It serves for a long time, does not make extraneous knocks, and does not become loose, like on Kalina.

If we compare it with the Vesta, which steers very well, the steering on the Lada Grant is more blurred. On Vesta, the steering rack is mounted on a subframe, and on Grant it is installed on the body panel. Therefore the structure is less rigid.

Lada Granta remains the most affordable domestic car, simple, without any innovations. But the cost of its ownership and maintenance will be low and quite adequate. Let's be honest - Granta is not bought for its consumer properties and technical solutions. They buy it based on their income.

Now the situation is such that for many, 400-500 thousand rubles for a car is a huge amount. Many people cannot afford anything more. Lada Granta is bought as a workhorse, a car for every day, based on the desire to have a new car, and not a pig in a poke on the capital's market.

At the moment, the Lada Granta can be safely called a quite worthy budget car. If earlier AvtoVAZ products were actively criticized, and deservedly so, today these cars have become better. This is evidenced by statistics on defects and positive reviews from car owners.

Which engine and which gearbox is better?

Eight-valve VAZ-11186 engine with a power of 87 hp. It is aggregated only with a five-speed manual transmission. An excellent pair for Russian operating conditions! Simple, reliable, maintainable. Let's call it the most universal and family-friendly.

The updated Grants with this power unit have become a little more high-torque. When driving under tension there is less detonation clanging. Fuel consumption has increased within reason. From the pre-restyling liftback it was possible to squeeze out 4.9–5.2 liters per 100 km on an empty country road. The current car in similar conditions “eats” 5.5–5.6 liters per hundred. But more realistic values ​​are still 5.8–5.9 in summer and 6.0–6.2 in winter. The short main pair and the updated engine control program had an effect.

The option is more likely for youth - a sixteen-valve VAZ-21127 engine with a power of 106 hp. with the same five-speed manual transmission. The faster it is, the more expensive it is. But on cars of lower trim levels the price tag is even more or less acceptable. But the same engine with a robotic gearbox cannot be called a great success. Although a robot is cheaper, it cannot replace a full-fledged automatic in terms of ease of control, comfort during switching and reliability (we are talking about clutch life). Especially in a metropolis.

Replacement of front wheel drive parts of Lada Granta

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Removing the front wheel drives

We carry out the work on an inspection ditch or overpass.

Drain the oil from the gearbox.

Unscrew the front wheel hub bearing nut from the side of the drive being removed.

Unscrew the two bolts securing the ball joint. We hang up the front of the car and remove the wheel. To remove the right drive, remove the lower cover of the clutch housing. An assistant will be required when removing the right drive.

1. Move the steering knuckle with the stand to the side and remove the splined shank of the outer hinge housing from the hub.

2. Place the drive on the stretcher.

We insert a chisel (preferably not sharpened) into the hole made in the bracket of the rear support of the power unit, so that the wedge of its working part falls on the beveled surface of the internal joint housing. To do this, you can turn the drive by hand.

From the flywheel side, we place the mounting blade under the housing of the internal drive joint.

3. Using a hammer, hitting the chisel, and squeezing the inner joint housing away from the gearbox with a mounting blade, we push the shank of the hinge housing out of the spline hole of the drive gear.

4. Remove the right drive.

When removing both drives, after dismantling the first one, it is necessary to insert a retainer into the hole of the drive gear, for example, a roller made of wood or soft metal, or an old internal CV joint. Otherwise, the differential drive gears may become misaligned and the drives may not be able to be installed.

5. When dismantling the left drive, it is convenient to rest the mounting blade through the spacer on the gearbox housing.

6. Remove the left drive.

7. Before installing the drive, use a screwdriver to pry up the retaining ring of the shank of the internal hinge housing, which

the drive is fixed in the gearbox.

8. Remove the retaining ring.

We install a new ring into the groove of the shank of the internal joint housing. Reuse of retaining rings is not permitted. We insert the splined shank of the outer joint housing into the hole in the wheel hub, install the washer and tighten (without tightening) the hub bearing nut. Then we insert the shank of the internal joint housing through the hole in the drive oil seal and, by turning the shaft, align the splines of the shank with the splines of the drive gear. Moving the suspension arm downwards, with a sharp movement of the rack with the steering knuckle towards the gearbox, we send the drive to its place.

By pulling the internal hinge housing towards you or prying it with a mounting blade, we make sure that the housing shank is fixed in the drive gear. We carry out further assembly in reverse order.

How does it go and, most importantly, where?

Grant is not a champion on the race track. It does not shine with refined handling on the “parquet” floor. Here it is reliable in taxiing, but no more. But in Russia there are few truly smooth roads. To understand Granta's abilities, we need to shift the coordinate system. How to compare a car with a ground clearance of 195 mm in running order and 160 mm when fully loaded? Yes, with a single-wheel drive crossover!

The Granta has an almost impenetrable suspension, excellent ride quality on crushing and undulating surfaces, excellent cross-country ability for a single-wheel drive and very good handling for such a tall passenger car, and even with high-profile tires.

How much are they asking for Granta and Priora now?

Jokes aside, when you operate with a budget of 300-700 thousand (Granta) or 240-470 thousand (Priora), it’s no laughing matter. Here you need to solve a complex equation with a bunch of variables - the condition of the car, and whether it drives at all, what will be included for that kind of money, how to service it all, and so that there is still change left for buckwheat.

And from this point of view, Priora is better than Granta, because the price range according to the advertisements is higher, and you can save quite a bit on purchasing a LADA Priora. But are the savings worth it?

Also read: Review of used Lada Priora: is it worth buying

Is there somewhere to put the phone?

Eat. Especially in cars with minimal configurations. Let's count: a box with a lid at the top of the instrument panel, a shelf for the tunnel lining under the center console, a shelf under the handbrake lever, a shelf in the glove compartment and a very convenient slot above the single-din audio center. Two large cup holders are available. There is a socket. But, unlike the pre-restyling Grant, it is powered only “by ignition”. For those who often go “autonomous”, I recommend replacing one of the plugs on the panel with a USB slot (there are plenty of them in online stores), powering it with a constant “plus”. You can easily charge your phone during long stays in nature.

Is it comfortable to sit?

The front seats are a compromise. Relatively high rise, not very long cushion, but overall decent back support. However, after restyling, the chairs became more pleasing to the eye, but less pleasing to the back and legs. The old-style padding was a little more comfortable - on a long journey the desire to stretch did not come as often. And of course, restyling did not correct the main drawback of the rear of the Granta - the narrow space in the area of ​​​​the lower part of the doorways. But this inconvenience of getting on/off is an inevitable price to pay for stamping the floor under a large fifty-liter tank.

What if you service the car yourself?

The plant's obligations are a useful thing. But to maintain the warranty, you must undergo regular maintenance from authorized dealers. The amounts from the first to the fifth maintenance are as follows: 1900, 7700, 7300, 7700, 10,000 rubles. This is for five years or 60,000 km. There seem to be no super complex manipulations, the price of consumables is cheap, but still expensive. The machine is generally reliable. Hmm!

I won’t advise, but I’ll give you a calculation for those who want to spit on the guarantee. With self-service, 2,500 rubles for maintenance costs you a fair amount. This will include the price of work at a garage service, good domestic oil, and branded consumables from Lada Detail. Yes, in general, and valve adjustment for 87-horsepower engines. Moreover, many online stores offer ready-made sets of consumables for specific maintenance. Which is convenient and cheap.

see also

Comments 38

thought it up? four-wheel drive

AleksG - this person sells an all-wheel drive kit for front-wheel drive cars. Money very good sane. Write to him, he will help.

there is the option of installing a second power unit on the rear axle, in the end there are two gearboxes and two engines, the advantages are double power and dynamics, there is no drive in the tunnel, if one breaks down you will get to the second one, variations are only in the front or only in the rear; the disadvantages of the car become a coupe are the rear doors can be boiled down) there is a problem with the synchronization of units, two engines consume twice as much gasoline, the cost of maintenance doubles, the traffic police won’t understand you, so you can experiment if you don’t mind the money and time, and flights of fancy haunt you)

Got in and drove off or what?

There are things that I recommend doing right away. It is advisable to check the wheel alignment without delaying

. I had no questions about the pre-restyling car - I drove it without problems with the wheels up to 50,000 km. But the updated liftback and similar Grants from friends were slightly eating away at the outer part of the tread on the front tires. Exactly so much that it can be attributed to the imperfect quality of cheap tires. Indeed, the steering wheel is straight, the car does not pull anywhere while driving, the run-out is good, and fuel consumption is low. But I stopped by to check so as not to guess on the coffee grounds. The officials announced about five thousand rubles for the operation! Result: caster and camber are normal. Moreover, the parameters for the left and right wheels have very minimal discrepancies. The problem was with the toe-in - a slight fall out of the tolerance range. Simply put, the wheels were spinning a little. The shoes have been rehabilitated. I understand that two new 14-inch Artmotion tires from Belarus will cost less than checking wheel alignment angles from the officials. But there is also a winter set.

I’ll mention a couple of very useful and inexpensive modifications that are best done in the first days of operation. The first is a self-adhesive seal for the gap between the upper edge of the windshield and the roof

(pictured above).
In this area, the paint is highly susceptible to abrasive wear. The second is cheap plastic tubes for upgrading the seals of the sliding windows
. Grant has one drawback - the slightly open windows rattle unpleasantly in the openings. The tubes are pushed into the seal and the itching disappears. The modification does not interfere with the operation of the power window.

Ride Safely

According to statistics, more accidents occur in winter than in summer. However, during the period of dry roads, their consequences are more tragic. This is due to the fact that in icy conditions, drivers lose the desire to drive. The main victims of accidents are car fenders and bumpers. The causes of accidents are the wrong choice of distance and the driver’s inability to cope with driving on a slippery road. To improve your skills and drive confidently in winter, you can take additional driving courses in extreme conditions. Experienced instructors will teach you to instantly react to a car skidding and instill safe driving skills on a snowy road.

What about sound insulation?

When measuring the noise, I didn’t expect any revelations from Granta. But in vain! Already at idle, it easily outperformed the Datsun on-DO and Renault Logan that took part in the “Behind the Wheel” test. I tried it on several times. I deliberately stood closer to the traffic lights, where the flow of traffic starts, truck engines growl, and semi-trailers clank. In vain: a short burst on the device, and then averaged readings around 42 dB.

Let's get going. Fourth gear, flat road, speed 50 km/h. Granta and I again easily “wash” a couple with an automatic and a CVT. Lada produces 61.5 dB versus 66 for on-DO and 64 for Logan. Moreover, Granta is on itchy studded tires, and this is the loudest measurement of several.

Well, you give a hundred in fifth gear! And again a victory: 61.9 dB versus 73 and 68.8. So far, in our tests, only Vesta is quieter. Idling unconditionally. In operating modes too, but on summer tires the gap over the Granta should be reduced.

And now the fly in the ointment. The Granta is averagely quiet on smooth roads. But after changing gears, the hum of gearbox gears began to be heard in the general background, the trunk lock clicked in a small hole, when the next stop and transition to neutral the clutch began to rattle, and on the coarse-grained asphalt the plastic lining of the cabin “speaked.” All these are barely noticeable emissions on the sound level meter indicator. They don’t spoil the overall picture, but the ear can hear them! It would be nice to get rid of the annoying “crickets” in the unexpectedly quiet interior of the updated Granta.

Lada Granta front suspension device

An option for reducing noise or hum from wheel arches is a non-trivial method, i.e.
in a way that is not usual for everyone (additional sound insulation of the arch area of ​​​​the Lada Granta and Lada Kalina 2 with our own hands), we use vibration dampers. This technology for reducing structural noise is used on some business class cars. Let's look at the design of the front suspension of the LADA Granta

. The front suspension is independent with telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers, coil springs, wishbones, two braces and a stabilizer bar. The basis of the suspension is a telescopic hydraulic shock absorber strut, which serves as a guide and load-bearing device for the front suspension. The transverse arms of the suspension are connected to each other by a stabilizer bar through struts with rubber and rubber-metal hinges.

Theoretically and experimentally, it was found that the effect of the vibration damper should most effectively be applied to the shock absorber and to the areas where the levers are attached to the body. The photo shows a vibration damper used for installation on the front suspension side member brackets and a support cup for the shock absorber spring, weighing 350 g. The dimensions are selected to optimally fit into the space. Attached to the existing front spar bracket and directly through the existing hole onto the shock absorber suspension spring cup (depending on the model and brand of shock absorber, wheel offset, tire width - through an existing hole or a newly drilled one with a diameter of 8 mm).

Appearance of the vibration damper on the front suspension shock absorber (on the left is a new-style vibration damper, on the right is an old-style damper):

Appearance of the installed vibration damper on the front spar brackets:

Vibration dampers must be used on a car with a technically sound suspension; they do not eliminate all noise, but only reduce their negative influence and impact.

List of useful accessories

for: ✔Kia Rio 3 - link; ✔Kia Rio 4 - link; ✔Hyundai Solaris - link; ✔Hyundai Solaris 2 - link; ✔Lada Vesta - link; ✔Jetta 6 - link;

The mileage at the moment is a little more than 87 thousand km, it's time to update the front suspension. The struts held the blow when hitting large holes, but on the ridge and a series of small holes it was felt that the wheels were losing contact with the road (the wheel bounces due to the fact that the shock absorbers are no longer able to dampen small vibrations), especially on the right, and there were knocks I'm pretty tired of lights out. Before compiling a list of everything needed, I considered three options: 1. Don’t change anything in the suspension, just buy everything new for the Kalina1 suspension. 2. Buy a Kalina1 stand and install a better-designed support from Granta. 3. Install both the stand and support from Granta. After much deliberation, the third option was finally chosen. Since I have a car with a 16kL engine, the so-called “barrel” spring was installed from the factory; the same ones are installed on the Grant. Below is a list of part numbers for the Grant suspension assembly. Taken from Lada Kalina Club.

My list turned out to be as follows (prices are indicated for both sides): 1. Nut M14x1.5...21080-2901056-00 - Installed from an old rack. 2. Compression (rebound) stroke limiter...21700-2902834-00 - 80 rub. 3. Cup reinforcement (protection of the rack support)…SS20 SS50108 — 757 rub. 4. Telescopic support support...SEVI EXPERT assembled with bearing art. 1130 - 1338.90 rub. 5. Bearing support strut 1118 Kalina... Was complete with supports. 6. Compression stroke limiter ...21700-2902834-00 - 80 rub. 7. Front spring cup ...21700-2902760-00 - 400 rub. 8. Upper spring insulating gasket...Rosteco 20082 - 106 rub. 9. Front suspension spring (so-called barrel)…11196-2902712-00 (or equivalent) - Has not been changed. 10. Compression stroke buffer...SS20 SS74103 - 420 rub. 11. Protective casing for the pillar...Rosteco 20277 - 338 rub. 12. Telescopic stand ...SS20 SS20194 Granta - 5813 rub. Also additionally purchased: — BelMag Conveyor steering tips VM9519 — 554 rubles. — front suspension arms Rosteco 20337 — RUB 1,423. — stabilizer cushions SEVI EXPERT art. 2208 - 50 rub. — braiding of the spring coil SS20 SS64107 — 448 rub.

Lada Granta is one of the cheapest and most affordable cars on the Russian market. The vehicle is built on a common platform with Kalina and has similar technical characteristics. However, as for the suspension, the Lada Granta has been slightly modified. Read more in our article about how the chassis on the VAZ 2190 is designed and what its malfunctions are.

Evenly

Here are the results of measuring the thickness of the factory paintwork at the points indicated in the diagram:

1. Hood - 116 microns.
2. Wing - 94 microns.
3. Threshold/door - 93 microns.
4. Trunk lid -96 microns.

The car is painted normally. Save within reason. The roughest guideline for the thickness of paintwork on most cars is from 80 to 160 microns. Grant's numbers are not at the very edge of the tolerance range. This is good. The variation in thickness on vertical body parts is minimal. The parameters of the Lada are more modest than those of the Renault Logan taken as a reference model. With the Datsun on-DO that was tested, with the exception of the hood (the Granta is a little “fatter” here), the difference is within the measurement error. It’s not surprising - they have the same platform, and they come off the same assembly line.

The best all-wheel drive cars. Lada 4×4 was included in the ZR rating

Specialists from the magazine “Behind the Wheel” decided to find out the strengths and weaknesses of all-wheel drive transmissions of various car models. To do this, they used special platforms (micro-overpass with rotating rollers). Over the entire period, we managed to test more than 30 cars, among which was the Lada 4×4 Urban SUV.

All-wheel drive vehicle testing was carried out in four stages:

Overall rating of all-wheel drive vehicles according to Za Rulem magazine

Lada 4×4 has permanent all-wheel drive. Additional transmission features include reduction gear and center differential lock.

Such tests allow us to determine not the best all-terrain vehicle, but the most advanced all-wheel drive system.

Let us remind you that earlier another publication tested the cross-country ability of the Kia Sportage 2022, Chevrolet Niva and Lada 4x4 Urban. The Lada 4×4 performed the worst in the tests. Biased tests or harsh reality?

What do you advise?

There is no better offer in the budget segment of our market than Granta of lower and mid-range configurations. The design, which is far from being fresh, has been brought to a very respectable level. The common cliche - a lot of car for your money - is about her. Plus crossover cross-country ability, efficiency, adaptation to Russian operating conditions, tolerable comfort, and the ability to quickly repair almost every pole.

In short, if you are not a snob and drive not only on capital roads, the Granta with an eight-valve engine and a manual gearbox is one of the most reasonable options.

IMPORTANT

• 1.6 8V MT: 455,900–575,800 rub.
• 1.6 16V MT: 552,500–609,800 rub.
• 1.6 16V AMT: 557,500–634,800 rub.
• 1.6 16V AT: 607,500–645,800 rub.

• 1.6 8V MT: 472,900–590,800 rub.
• 1.6 16V MT: 567,500–624,800 rub.
• 1.6 16V AMT: 572,500–649,800 rub.
• 1.6 16V AT: 622,500–660,800 rub.

• 1.6 8V MT: 482,900–600,800 rub.
• 1.6 16V MT: 577,500–634,800 rub.
• 1.6 16V AMT: 582,500–659,800 rub.
• 1.6 16V AT: 632,500–670,800 rub.

• 1.6 8V MT: 574,900–597,900 rub.
• 1.6 16V MT: 612,900–638,900 rub.
• 1.6 16V AMT: 637,900–663,900 rub.

Guarantee

Data from the warranty card: 3 years or 100,000 km (whichever comes first), 6 years against through body corrosion. Shock absorbers, bearings, exhaust system, oxygen sensors - 1 year or 35,000 km. Batteries - 2 years. Ends, ball joints, silent blocks, wheel drives, hoses, pipes, water pump, expansion tank, switches, manual brake system cables and a number of other parts - 3 years or 50,000 km.

dimensions

Length/width/height/wheelbase

4250 / 1700 / 1500 / 2476 mm

4483 / 1706 / 1474 / 2602 mm

4359 / 1733 / 1517 / 2634 mm

Prices for some consumables and spare parts

Cost (original / non-original)

Valve cover gasket

Spark plug kit

Front brake pads

Timing repair kit (VAZ-11186 engine)

Manufacturer's recommendations

Change engine oil - once a year or after 15,000 km. Viscosity is selected according to the table in the instructions, taking into account operating conditions. The most universal option: 5W-30 and 5W-40. API quality level: SL, SM, SN. Oil volume: in engines with a manual transmission - 3.2 l, with an automatic - 4.4 l.

Tire sizes: 175/65 R14, 185/60 R14, 185/55 R15, 195/55R15 for the Cross version.

Insurance and taxes

OSAGO (for Moscow, for 10 months or more, unlimited number of drivers, class 3, Kbm=1

Transport tax (for Moscow)