What is clearance, why and how to increase it?
In terms of price-quality ratio, the Niva is much more affordable and comfortable than most budget foreign SUVs. Add to this the relatively light weight of the machine, simplicity and even to some extent primitive design, excellent maintainability and a large selection of spare parts - and you get an ideal model for independent modernization. You can turn a Niva into an impeccable car for extreme weather and road conditions without spending fabulous money or a lot of time.
Many car owners consider increasing the ground clearance as one of the most affordable and effective ways to improve a car's cross-country ability. Ground clearance is the ground clearance or the distance from the road surface to the lowest point of the central part of the car. The larger this clearance, the larger the diameter of the wheels you can install on the car, but not everything is so simple. Each car has its own limit on how much ground clearance can be increased by increasing the wheel diameter. For the Niva, without additional modifications and design changes, the most optimal wheels are the size 235/75-R15.
If you try to increase the maximum permissible size, you will inevitably get a whole set of problems, and most importantly, wheels that are not the right size will begin to cling to all the body parts located under the frames. You will have to resolve issues with altering axle shafts, drives, find and install a suitable gearbox and switch box... Such “tuning” can cost more than the car itself.
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Owner reviews
- Vladimir, Moscow. I have owned a Niva since 2006, I bought it to replace a VAZ-2101. Inside, it feels exactly the same as in the classics. But the landing is incomparably high. Handling is much better thanks to all-wheel drive. By the way, all-wheel drive works constantly and cannot be turned off - because of this, fuel consumption increases. The car has excellent cross-country ability on any road, although I bought the Niva mainly for the city. The car is compact and maneuverable, it has a small turning radius, and the average fuel consumption is 12 liters per 100 km. The cabin is relatively spacious, you can even fit five people. There's also plenty of space in the trunk. Thanks to the ground clearance of 230 mm, you can overcome ruts and deep snowdrifts. In short, complete freedom of action. Another thing is frequent breakdowns in the chassis. And the body rots quickly. It needs to be treated with anticorrosive. I am generally satisfied with the car; I have it serviced at the official Lada service center. Spare parts are inexpensive, not like those for foreign cars.
- Dmitry, Primorsky Krai. Every fisherman-hunter, like me, probably dreams of a Niva. I bought a car in 2014 and received it to replace a VAZ-2107 (through the trade-in system). Now the mileage is 45 thousand kilometers. There are minor damages, but the car is in full working order. Everything in the cabin creaks and buzzes, but the car does not fall apart. I noticed that maximum comfort can be achieved when loaded - when the cabin is crammed with five passengers and cargo in the trunk. In this case, the car sags greatly, but becomes more stable in turns and rolls less. Acceleration is no longer the same, although the dynamics are already mediocre. The ground clearance is sufficient for off-road areas.
- Yaroslav, Tambov. I decided to share my impressions of my first SUV. Before him, I had only cars like Oka and Zhiguli. The Niva is a spacious car, despite its compact dimensions. I have the simplest version, without any improvements. After all, from a constructive point of view, it’s still the same thing. I bought it in 2022. I use the car not only in the city, but in rural areas - I have a large summer cottage there, and soon there will be a lot of work there (summer is just around the corner). For Niva, country roads are just seeds. The ground clearance is 230 mm, coupled with high body overhangs - the Niva was worth buying just for this. After all, in all other respects, the Niva is no different from the “classics” like the VAZ-2105. Noise, vibrations, etc. – I’ve already experienced all this, and I’m not used to it. It is convenient to park in the city, even near high curbs. The car is inexpensive to maintain and consumes an average of 11 liters per 100 km.
Lift kits: functions, features
To reduce the cost of increasing the car's ground clearance and improve the Niva's cross-country ability, it is enough to purchase a special lift kit, which was developed by VAZ designers.
Lift kit 40 mm Niva 2121, 21213, 21214, 2131 until 2009.
Art. SV.21.0000010
12000.00
— +
Buy
Lift kit 40 mm Niva 2121, 21213, 21214, 2131 after 2009.
Art. 21213-2919110-99
10000.00
— +
Buy
Its main task is to raise the body relative to the wheel axle of both suspensions by 40 mm. This is no longer possible, otherwise wear of the drives, cardan shaft crosspieces and other elements of the chassis cannot be avoided. Using a lift kit does not imply replacing the factory front and rear shock absorbers; the stock springs also remain in place.
To maintain the power and acceleration dynamics of an SUV after installing a lift kit, it is enough to replace the main pairs of the front and rear gearboxes from standard 3.9 to reinforced 4.44. This will improve dynamic performance and reduce the load on the engine and clutch.
The combination of all the components of this unit makes it possible to significantly raise the car body, increasing ground clearance. But the original geometric dimensions of the suspension in this case are preserved, as are the operating angles of the drives. To upgrade your SUV you may need:
- complete elevators;
- separate cups (front spring for lift);
- mounting transfer bracket (rear shock absorber);
- ball spacer;
- rear beam for elevator;
- extended rod for distribution of braking force;
- reaction rod;
- reinforced suspension buffer brackets;
- set of shock absorbers and springs.
Front spring cup for lift 40 mm VAZ 2121-2131, 2123 Chevrolet Niva (set)
Art. SV.213.2902700
4900.00
— +
Buy
Rear shock absorber mounting bracket 2121, 21213 (up to 2009)
Art. SV.21.3512001
300.00
— +
Buy
Spacers for ball joint for lift 30 mm VAZ 2121-2131, 2123 Chevrolet Niva (set)
Art. SV.21.2904034.30
1000.00
— +
Buy
Rear beam cup bracket for 40 mm lift VAZ 2121-2131, 2123 Chevrolet Niva (set)
Art. SV.21.2912400
1800.00
— +
Buy
Extended brake force distribution rod for a 40 mm lift VAZ Niva 2121-2123
Art. SV.21.3512000
350.00
— +
Buy
Reinforced reaction rods for 40 mm lift VAZ 2121, 2123 Chevrolet Niva (set, 5 pcs.)
Art. SV.21.2919010.03
3700.00
— +
Buy
Upper front suspension buffer bracket. Reinforced VAZ 2121
Art. 21210-2904242-10
750.00
— +
Buy
Lift Kit Niva +50 Shock Absorbers “Rod Auto”+Springs
Art. SV.21.THP._50
14500.00
— +
Buy
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About the clearance of the Niva 2121 car
As mentioned above, an important quality of all SUVs is the vehicle’s cross-country ability, or, in other words, the car’s ability to pass various kinds of obstacles. The Niva 2121 is considered the most popular SUV, since with proper preparation and operation it deftly overcomes even the most serious obstacles.
One of the main factors that influence the cross-country ability of a Niva 2121 car is considered to be ground clearance. The Niva 2121 SUV has a fairly large vehicle clearance - 228 mm.
The best ground clearance for a Niva 2121 car should be provided at the front by an independent suspension with wishbones and the presence of a stabilizer bar. At the rear of the car, a dependent suspension on longitudinal and transverse arms must be installed.
Later, Niva 2121 manufacturers began to pay great attention to car safety. Now the jeep is equipped with a diagonal brake system, as well as an anti-lock braking system.
Front and rear axle gearboxes
Although the design of the Niva is simple, it is still necessary to know how and how the main components and elements of the “filling” of an SUV are connected before changing its characteristics for the better. The Niva has a front gearbox attached to the engine block. To improve driving performance and reduce wear on components, you can organize independent mounting of the front axle. This step will make it possible to make the gearbox mounting more rigid, and thus the vehicle’s cross-country ability will increase.
Some novice car owners confuse the gearbox and differential. In fact, these are two completely different parts and their functionality is also different:
- The gearbox is used to reduce the torque transmitted from the crankshaft and transmit this torque to other transmission components.
- The differential distributes the incoming torque between the axles.
SUVs, and therefore the Niva, have two gearboxes: front and rear. Both work as normal, being especially effective on loose surfaces (snow or soil). At the same time, oil and fuel consumption is consistently high. These figures can be reduced by installing a decoupler on the front axle.
Independent fastening of the front axle 2121, 2123 (decoupling) with oil seals TechnoPark
Art. SV.213.2303084.10
3700.00
— +
Buy
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Self-locking differential
This is indeed an excellent option that really helps solve the question: how to increase the cross-country ability of the Niva. The vehicle's handling, as well as its maneuverability and stabilization, almost entirely depend on what type of differential the vehicle owner prefers. It is the differential that determines the main parameters of the transmission. The most efficient and productive is the screw-type self-locking differential. The main task of this part is to accurately distribute torque and transfer power from the engine to each wheel of an SUV.
Self-locking differential for VAZ 21214, 2123 screw 3-piece (24 splines) SV-PARTS
Art. SV.23.2303018
7750.00
— +
Buy
Why is it important? When a car makes a maneuver, the wheels move along a different path: the inner wheel travels a shorter distance than the outer one. If the connection is rigid and the angular speeds are equal, then the inner wheel will begin to slip, the tires will wear out faster, and controllability will decrease.
A self-locking differential allows you to intelligently distribute torque and synchronize wheel movement, maintaining vehicle stability. How to improve the Niva's cross-country ability in snow? Choose a composite differential design, which has three parts that ensure the accuracy of the original parameters, minimize losses due to friction and greatly extend the life of all transmission elements.
The self-locking differential provides:
- improved controllability and maneuverability of the car on any road surface;
- a noticeable increase in the cross-country ability of an SUV on difficult terrain;
- improved dynamics during acceleration.
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Gearbox: the difference is obvious
The gearbox is also one of the weak links in the Niva’s standard equipment. Of course, many Nivovodys believe that there is no point in replacing, they say, the factory version is quite consistent in terms of gear ratio, but, frankly, it can be better.
Install a reinforced traction box adapted to the Niva, and the difference will become obvious: the traction version is more durable, since the quality of the components is an order of magnitude higher. In addition, all speeds except 4 are reduced by about 10%, which adds endurance to the car and improves handling.
In addition, an improved gearbox allows:
- reduce vibrations on the body and gearshift knob;
- extend the service life of the box and make it more obedient;
- almost completely eliminate oil leakage and maintain the switching range even at low temperatures “overboard”;
- Reduce oil consumption by almost half.
By the way, if you are going to change the gearbox, it is better to do it together with the bell. The completeness of the part will ensure its full compatibility with other structural elements. Here's how you can increase the Niva's cross-country ability with your own hands, simply by changing the gearbox.
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Advantages of the Niva 2121 car
The Niva 2121 car has a number of advantages:
- passenger car with increased cross-country ability of a small class;
- the car has a monocoque body, three-door, universal;
- all-wheel drive and four-speed manual transmission;
- two-speed transfer case and locking system;
- excellent cross-country ability due to high ground clearance;
- small body overhang;
- short wheelbase.
As a result of this, the Niva car demonstrated its excellent technical performance, for which motorists loved it so much. Some drivers want to make their car even more powerful. You can change the characteristics of a car by increasing the ground clearance.
