Which is the best self-locking differential for the Niva: review, reviews

• January 11, 2019
• Cars
• Eugene

The self-locking differential on the Niva, like any other analogue, is a device that serves to transform torque from the vehicle engine to the wheels using transmission elements. The factory free-configuration self-block cannot affect the other when one wheel slips. Blocking the part in question helps to obtain the necessary difference off-road. It increases the torsional moment on one of the wheels, which better grips the road. An alternative would be a forced blocking method. Let's try to figure out how effective the self-locking differential on the Niva is, as well as the method of installing this unit.

In what cases is Niva lifting done?

We are buying a lift kit for a Chevy Niva 4×4.
It is ideal for a lift. Making a Niva-2121 elevator with your own hands, the drawings, the dimensions of which are freely available, will not be difficult. Thanks to such a trick, you can make your car more stable on the road and overcome a lot of obstacles with it. Of course, to bring a truly high-quality Niva elevator to life with your own hands, you will have to work hard.

The process will take time and require effort, because even the easiest elevator requires a significant immersion in the technical aspects of the issue. However, the end result will live up to all expectations, allowing the modest Niva to show its exceptional side.

To increase ground clearance, it is best to use the factory lift kit and follow the instructions that came with it. In this case, to make a suspension lift, the Niva (VAZ-2121) will be upgraded in no more than 1 day.

Currently, there are 4 ways to lift a Niva car:

1. Installation of rigid long springs and a spacer over the upper ball.
2. Installing spacers under the spring cup and a spacer above the upper ball.
3. By installing large wheels (a significant disadvantage is that the arches will need to be cut).
4. Lowering the beam down to the desired height.

Further, for a better understanding, all methods will be considered separately.

The first two methods are the easiest to perform. However, at the same time, these methods are incorrect, since with this design the lower arm moves lower relative to the body, as a result of which the car is lifted.

Experts consider the third method to be more correct. Since when lifting is carried out, the suspension will retain the driving characteristics that were specified at the factory during manufacture. Therefore, by making a lift in this way, the driver does not sacrifice the speed of the car in any way. In addition, this will help avoid unwanted steering and changes in the operation of the braking system.

This way you can install large radius wheels without cutting the arches.

Lifting the front end occurs by installing directed washers under the lower spring pad (this creates the desired angle of the front spring). A washer is installed under the upper lever under the spring, in other words, we unload the lever. After this, you need to swap the steering knuckle arms. Thanks to this, the tie rod ends will go from top to bottom. Sometimes during the installation of an elevator, shock absorbers, springs, and spacers are changed.

In the rear, a lift is made by installing new rear spring cups, which are bolted above the standard ones. In addition, the brackets are changed to move the rear shock absorber mounting point higher by 5 cm.

The short upper rods of the rear axle are enlarged or adjusted so that the shank rotates more easily and does not bite the spider. In addition, the reaction rods of the rear axle are strengthened with an angle or by installing double ones.

Also, if the need arises, you can install a long brake hose, bleed the brakes, adjust the rear spool and adjust the spring bumpers.

1. For lovers of tourism and travel. It's no secret that most people like to get away from the city.
2. For various types of competitions: trials, rally raids, trophy raids.

Suspension lifting Niva VAZ 2121 21213 21214 2131

When a person buys a Chevrolet Niva, he rarely thinks about an extreme trip. Most often, a car is bought for a picnic with the whole family. That is, the car moves from one point to another.

Although the Chevrolet Niva is an SUV, it is noticeably inferior to its European and Asian competitors in cross-country ability in hard-to-reach places. It is because of this problem that fans of hunting, fishing and simply extreme driving choose to lift their car instead of watching videos while sitting at home.

Lifting is a type of tuning that increases the vehicle's ground clearance. They often do it with their own hands, in garages.

Chevrolet Niva

Proper modification will turn the Niva into a fairly solid car that will show excellent results off-road and in difficult terrain. We mentioned the word “lifting”, but did not say what it is.

Lifting is a set of changes made to the design of the car. They allow you to install larger diameter wheels on your car. Most often, cars with all-wheel drive are chosen to create such projects.

An all-wheel drive jeep is much more suitable for this task than a simple passenger car.

What does lifting give?

There is a rumor among inexperienced drivers that lifting increases ground clearance. Remember, this is not true. It should be understood that the ground clearance will be increased by large diameter wheels, and lifting will mainly allow them to be installed on the car.

In other words, this is a modernization of ground clearance and a significant increase in cross-country ability. This kind of car tuning can be done with your own hands without much difficulty.

To do this, you need to find time, a garage stocked with everything you need, and allocate a budget for the purchase of spare parts.

Ultimately, the ground clearance increases, and the car can easily overcome bumps and all kinds of holes. The first step is to install and upgrade the suspension lift and install larger wheels. Let's consider the advantages of Niva with lifting:

• More “hard” appearance of the car;
• Improving the cross-country ability parameter;
• Possibility of installing wheels with mud tires and larger wheels;
• Increased clearance;
• Increased protection of important mechanisms from physical damage and wear.

Subtleties of lifting

In this type of car suspension tuning, such as lifting, you always need to maintain common sense and be able to stop in time. It is important to know that during modification, the bend angle of the drives changes, which automatically leads to a reduction in their service life.

In most cases, such car tuning is done to order, since everything depends on the wishes of each car owner; an individual suspension modernization project is drawn up for each car. The center of gravity also shifts and, as a result, the overall behavior of the car on the road changes. It is believed that the maximum wheel size should not exceed 235/75 r15.

It is necessary to increase the ground clearance only with minimal load on the chassis, otherwise serious problems may arise.

Tuning the suspension of such a car is very popular among hunters and fishermen. The cross-country ability of this vehicle has already proven itself at a high level, and the suspension upgrades made increase them even more. This makes it even more popular and functional.

Modified all-terrain vehicle

You should only use a lift for a Chevrolet Niva if you spend time off-road, because a lifted car reduces the life of the suspension, transmission and the life of chassis parts.

If you know that you will spend time hunting and fishing, then it is worth carrying out such an upgrade. Remember that choosing wheels for your car is an important aspect of tuning. Lifting is also suitable for people who love wild nature and are not afraid of difficulties while riding.

But be prepared that parts will wear out faster during such extreme driving.

The outer CV joints are too little susceptible to this, it will be worse for them if the wheel becomes larger in offset, width and weight, and then they can “crunch”. Although even then the hub bearing has a hard time, especially if it had play before.

Although we have avoided this problem, since we install steering knuckles with 2 ball bearings (from the rear axle shaft), they do not need to be adjusted; they are tightened all the way, although it is much better with a torque wrench. The unit comes out maintenance-free, the hub is unloaded, rolling is easier and the dynamics of the car are much better. Steering knuckles are naturally of domestic production and with a guarantee.

When installing wide wheels after a lift, you will need to keep in mind the ball ones (when the weak ones “fly”), the pendulum will also be able to fly, and the installation of the latest gas shock absorbers results in a stiffening of the upper bracket of the lane. shock absorber (otherwise it tears, especially when the front end is heavier), the mounting of the rear shock absorbers can also be strengthened. It is preferable when lifting, replace the suspension with p/urethane instead of rubber.

Economical Niva suspension lift of 1.5-2 centimeters. In such a situation, we resort to replacing the rubber spacers for the springs with tuning ones (of greater thickness), installing washers, spacers for the upper ball joints and adjusting the spring bumpers (at the visitor’s request). In this implementation, the Niva gets wheels (correct) in size R15 215/75.

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Advantages

The main advantages of lifting are:

1. Increased ground clearance
2. It becomes possible to install larger tires
3. Improves its permeability and appearance
4. The mechanism becomes more secure

The key element in modifying the Niva is the installation of a lift kit.

In addition to the advantages, there are also disadvantages, these include:

1. Due to the fact that the bend angle of the drives changes, their service life decreases
2. The center of gravity of the car shifts, this leads to a change in response when cornering
3. The load on the chassis and transmission increases, which leads to rapid wear of all elements. Therefore, before converting your car, you should take into account all these disadvantages.

Installing a lift kit has an ambiguous effect on the driving performance of the car. The advantages of this type of tuning include:

• Increased ground clearance.
• Improved machine design.
• Possibility of installing larger wheels and mud tires with large lugs.
• Improving cross-country ability on rough terrain.
• Reduces the likelihood of damage to the engine crankcase, exhaust pipe or transmission.

However, the suspension lift not only has a positive effect on the characteristics of the Chevrolet Niva.

A change in the factory design manifests itself in the form of the following disadvantages:

• The breaking angle of CV joints increases. This reduces the service life of the drives.
• The center of gravity rises. The car's behavior when cornering worsens and the likelihood of capsizing increases.
• The load on the transmission and chassis is growing. As a result, parts wear out faster.

If you lift the front suspension, the result is an increase in the distance to the surface in front. However, this will be enough to prevent squats on the beam, since the front takes up more than 60% of the total weight of the car.

In addition, the vehicle's airtight permeability improves. This occurs as a result of an increase in departure and entry angles and a decrease in the radius of transverse and longitudinal maneuverability. But lifting in this way significantly reduces the performance of CV joints and factory boots.

Types of devices and technical specifications

Taking into account the design features, there are 2 types of self-locking differential. The DAK model (Krasikov automatic differential) belongs to the first category, and the “Togliatti” model belongs to the second category. The name itself says that the first option is used more often on foreign-made machines. There are certain differences in the financial component.

That is why when choosing a cross-axle differential you need to be guided by financial capabilities and the desired result. By default, the device is installed on the rear axle. Installation on the front wheel control element is allowed, but in this case the load on the steering wheel will increase significantly.

Using the power steering (power steering) system will become impossible. As soon as the power steering is turned on, the functioning of the self-locking device becomes more complicated. Studying the features of each locking system will help you avoid many problems:

What will you need for the job?

In order to slightly increase the ground clearance, it is advisable to use a factory lift - a kit for Niva-2121, sold both in company stores and in car markets. Using the included instructions, you can carry out the desired tuning in just 1 day. However, there is one significant drawback: the suspension lift is produced exactly as much as the manufacturer considers necessary.

At the same time, if there is an urgent need to tailor the car to specific needs or the specifics of the road, you can make a lift kit for the Niva on your own.

You just need to prepare the following set of tools:

• rear and front springs (the best parts on a Chevrolet Niva are 31.5 cm long and 1.57 cm thick, but these parameters can easily be changed according to the owner’s requirements);
• rubber spacers for springs with special metal cups;
• shock absorbers;
• spacers for the upper ball joint (not sold in stores, so they can only be made to order);
• brackets for rear shock absorbers;
• washers for the Niva-21214 cup of an enlarged type with an internal diameter of 1 cm and an external diameter of 3 cm;
• jack;
• boards;
• spring ties.

When choosing spacers for springs for rear shock absorbers, you don’t have to go too deep into the search and make them yourself from an ordinary metal corner. The internal diameter of the product is 13.2 mm, the external diameter is 32 mm.

In addition, during the work you must refer to the diagram (Fig. 1).

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And, if all the subtleties of the technical stuffing of 2131, as well as 2121, are agreed upon and ordered, you can immediately get to work. Just a few hours of painstaking work, and the Niva tuning will be completed.

Assembly of the unit

When you have decided on the best self-locking differential for the Niva, you can begin assembling the unit. Initially, they adjust the gaps, which is not so simple. For this purpose, special washers of different thicknesses are used. Alternatively, accuracy is determined using a steelyard. One edge of the cord (about a meter in length) is wound around the flange, and the second is fixed to the scales. Pull the device in the winding, not forgetting to mark the turning point.

To ensure correct functioning of the gearbox, the elements are sealed before assembling the parts. If this is not done, soon after installation defects may appear, even to the point of complete breakdown of some parts. After treating the surfaces with sealant, wait until it dries completely. Next, the gearbox is filled with new oil. All sealing components with deformations and a hint of leakage are replaced. The mechanisms are assembled in a mirror order. After the replacement and installation of parts is completed, you should check the operation of the brake unit. This is very important, since malfunction of parts affects road safety.

Factory Niva elevator

How to raise a cornfield? The easiest way to lift a Niva is to use an already tested lift kit that was manufactured in the factory. When using the kit, you can increase the ground clearance by 5 cm. We change the tires from R15 to R16. This is the most economical option. Ground clearance increases by 4-5 cm. Suitable for village roads and fishing.

Everything for the elevator can be purchased separately. For example, we buy springs from a Chevy Niva 2123, they are longer than those on the regular Niva 2121 model. Then we take 5cm polyurethane gaskets back, gas-oil shock absorbers from a Chevrolet Niva, they are longer than on the regular model, and accordingly they have more travel. The rear also needs an adjustable rod so that the bridge does not go away.

For the front of the car we also take springs from the Chevy Niva, they are one turn larger than the usual springs on the Niva 2121. We put a round gasket under the ball, then we file it down ourselves so that there is no friction from the wheel when driving. We install a gas-oil shock absorber from a Chevrolet Niva on the front and back. It is important to understand that if the Niva is old and the suspension is not known when it was changed, during lifting all the “sores” come out and you need to be prepared for this.

And a few more important points

1. When upgrading the suspension, it is also important to install stronger springs on the vehicle. You can buy special reinforced rigid products, however, their price may not be very low. Most often, springs from Volga are purchased for Niva. Before installation, one and a half turns of the spring are cut using a grinder. Thus, the car's suspension will be more protected for a long period.
2. Reinforced axle shafts are also a necessary purchase when strengthening the suspension. However, relief-type axle shafts will only fit disc brakes. If your vehicle is equipped with rear drum brakes, then you will have to replace them with disc brakes. Moreover, disc brakes have significant advantages over their predecessors.
3. When strengthening the front and rear drives of a car, choose only domestic parts that are durable, have a long service life, and are characterized by low wear.

Making a Niva 2121 elevator with your own hands, drawings, dimensions

Conventionally, the installation can be divided into 2 stages: installation of the rear and front suspension. It all starts with a fairly ordinary procedure - removing the wheels and releasing the silent blocks. Now, in order for the Niva-21214 to be securely fastened, a jack should be installed under its ball joint and the car should be raised until the spring is completely compressed.

All that remains to be done in the future is to unscrew the ball joints and remove the stabilizer. During operation, it is very important not to damage the brake hoses located in the immediate vicinity. Those bolts that are located at the wheel must be replaced with their extended equivalents.

A stabilizer is installed on the lower and upper ball joint. Now the front suspension lift can be considered fully improved and ready for work. It remains to do a similar, albeit slightly more complex, lifting for the rear suspension.

For these purposes, you will need another tool - a semi-automatic welding machine. With its help, additional parts will be installed on top of the standard cups, which will definitely have to be welded. Such a lift of the rear suspension can lead to its movement forward, which is strictly unacceptable. To prevent such a development of events, all rods need to be slightly lengthened.

It would be a good idea to lengthen the size of the brake adjuster rocker arm and move the lower cup slightly. Particularly vulnerable at this moment is the driveshaft crosspiece, which is more than easy to touch in the heat of work. And it is the new size of the cups and filigree work that will protect it from premature failure.

The final battle is the attachment of shock absorbers and a mandatory visit to the service station. Now the rear and front springs of the Niva are reinforced. Any, even the most harmless tuning needs vigilant monitoring by a professional. And even more so, an improved Chevy Niva with your own hands.

Hello, dear friends! Today I propose to talk to you about the elevator kit for the Niva. This could be a Chevrolet Niva, that is, series 2123, or the more “our” Niva Urban, 2131 or 4x4, and representatives of the 2121 series, that is, 21213, 21214. It all depends on what kind of car you have at your disposal.

Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and a number of other countries are the greatest admirers of Niva cars. They are affordable and provide many benefits.

Some people prefer to do everything themselves. I can’t say that modifying the front and rear suspension of a Niv car will be an easy job in a minute. No, you will have to spend a lot of effort, time and patience on this.

You can find out how much such a service costs at a service station. The price for a professional lift is steep, so not every owner of a not-so-expensive crossover like the Niva is willing to spend that kind of money, having the opportunity to do everything themselves. And if you put a power bumper and an expeditionary trunk on top, it will turn out great. At least now on a round-the-world trip on Niva.

Peculiarities

Just because a vehicle comes with all-wheel drive does not mean it has all-terrain capabilities. Often, due to their design features, SUVs fall into the treacherous traps of sandy and washed-out roads. Domestic cars are far from an exception. There is an assumption that the self-locking differential on the Niva will be an important addition, especially if the owner plans to actively use the car in off-road conditions.

The limited slip differential, or self-block, as the part in question is also called, provides wheel stop automatically at the required time interval. It can be described as an intermediate option between the free analogue and complete blocking. The capabilities of both devices are optimally combined in the self-block.

How to lift a Niva yourself

If you want to do the Niva lift yourself, then take this procedure very seriously, since despite the simplicity of the work, the slightest mistake will result in irreversible consequences in the future. Therefore, no matter what the car becomes unusable for use, you must strictly follow all the rules, and if there are any doubts, then it is better to turn to a professional.

In order to carry out all the work, it is enough to buy a ready-made lift kit, but there are car owners who upgrade the parts themselves, if you are one of them, then you need to stock up on the following parts:

1. Set of springs
2. Rubber spacers for springs with steel cups
3. Shock absorber kit
4. Special spacers for ball joints, the thickness of which should be approximately 30 millimeters

5. Make a special mount for the rear shock absorbers
6. There are twelve spacer washers under the cup with the following dimensions:
7. For cups and long ball bolts
8. Two jacks and a spring tie

You also need to additionally make special spacers for the rear shock absorbers. They can be made from corners, and bushings whose thickness should be approximately 32 millimeters are welded to them.

Self-locking differentials

To make driving even easier, self-locking differential mechanisms are used.

Currently, there are 4 main types of blocking systems:

1. Disk.
2. Viscous.
3. Screw lock. It is currently most often installed on the Niva.
4. Cam.

As for modern developments, they already use electronic wheel slip control systems, which are based on the use of standard brakes, as well as on the use of rotation sensors. Such systems, as a rule, are combined with anti-slip and anti-lock systems.

Let's look at some of them in more detail.

How is the installation carried out?

To lift the front suspension of a Niva Chevrolet, you need to do the following:

1. Raise the car with a jack and remove the wheel. We take the second jack, install it under the bottom of the ball and lift it until the spring is compressed. When the spring is compressed, it must be tightened with a special device
2. We loosen the bracket at the shock absorber and remove the two ball joints along with the stabilizer
3. We remove the spring. We move the hub to the side and install it on the holder
4. We change the outer wheel bolts to longer ones, to do this we bend the bump stop by 4 millimeters
5. We install washer spacers between the cup and the lever
6. Install the spring, cups and spacers. Center them relative to each other and jack up the lever
7. The stabilizer and ball return to their place, screw the shock absorber
8. The hub returns to its place and then we install the wheel back

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At this point, the installation of the lift kit on the front suspension of the Niva is completed; in the same way we perform all the actions on the other side.

In this case, you will need a welding machine. When everything is ready, perform the following steps:

1. Cups are placed under the springs
2. We install a set of rear shock absorbers and attach the bracket by welding, as a result the rear axle will move slightly forward. To prevent this, it is advisable to lengthen all rods
3. The lower cup is cut off and moved 3 centimeters. This must be done carefully, as the crosspiece may be damaged.
4. We take the cups and weld them to a new place
5. We lengthen the rocker arm of the brake system, as a result of which it should lengthen by 3 centimeters
6. We weld fingers under the shock absorbers

The work can be considered completed.

After all the lifting work, you will need to install the main pairs, which will have completely different gear ratios, and if you had alloy wheels, they will need to be replaced with regular stampings. It is also advisable to purchase and install a self-locking differential on rear-wheel drive.

The domestic SUV VAZ Niva is an excellent analogue to modern imported SUVs and even some all-wheel drive jeeps. This machine was initially distinguished by its light weight, high ground clearance and high maintainability. However, for more confident off-road driving, some car owners make their own suspension lift. “Niva” then rises another ten centimeters and is able to overcome a lot of obstacles.

Now we move on to the second stage of our lifting work - modernization of the rear suspension. Here you need to prepare a semi-automatic welding machine, and drive the car into the inspection pit. The first step here is to install a few more cups under the springs. These parts are installed on top of the standard ones using bolts.

If you use this method of modernization, the suspension (Niva VAZ-2121 and Chevrolet Niva) will, of course, become more reliable and suitable for off-road driving. However, at the same time, you will have to forget about alloy wheels - only stamped ones can be installed on such a car. It is worth paying attention to the fact that increasing the diameter of the wheels will lead to greater torque - then you will have to change the gear ratios of the main pairs. In addition, after such an upgrade you will need to install a limited-slip differential on the rear axle, and this is again an additional expense.

Varieties

There are two main groups of self-locking differentials. The first type works depending on the angular speed parameters along the axes of the vehicle. In turn, these modifications are divided into several subtypes, namely:

• disk versions;
• models equipped with a viscous coupling;
• options with electronic action.

The second type includes mechanisms that are locked in accordance with the torsional moments on the axes. This group includes worm modifications.

In addition, there are inter-axle and inter-wheel self-blocks. With their help, torque is distributed between axles or wheels, respectively. The design of the mechanism, which can be symmetrical or asymmetrical, directly depends on the moment of force dispersion. On all-wheel drive SUVs, three sets of differentials are installed simultaneously, two between the wheels, one between the axles.

Materials and tools

In order to produce a suspension lift (Chevy Niva diesel) ourselves, we need to prepare the following set of spare parts:

1. Set of front and rear springs. Here parts that are 31.5 centimeters long and 1.57 centimeters thick fit perfectly on the Chevrolet Niva. You can buy springs and other parameters - it all depends on your taste.
2. Rubber spacers with metal cups. We will install them under the springs.
3. Shock absorbers. As practice shows, the products of the Premium and Excel-G brands are the most suitable for Niva. But again, it all depends on how stiff the suspension you want to get in the end.
4. Spacers for the upper ball joint. You can hardly find them in a store, so it would be wiser to order them from a familiar turner. The thickness of the spacers is about 2-3 centimeters. In this case, you will have to make the brackets for the rear shock absorbers yourself.
5. Enlarged washers for the cup. Their internal diameter should be 1 centimeter, external - 3 centimeters. We will need 12 of these washers in total.
6. You should purchase special extended bolts for the upper ball joints and cup. Parts from the G8 muffler (M8x65) and from the VAZ suspension arm M10x75x1.25 are suitable here, 6 and 4 units, respectively.
7. Several jacks, spring ties and boards for backing.

I don’t argue that in Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow or cities like Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg there are many companies ready to do any amount of work on your car and suspension in particular for your money.

If you decide to do everything yourself, I have nothing against it. I only advise you to use only factory-made, high-quality kits for the Niva elevator.

Kits from Izh Techno have earned good reviews; you can also find excellent options in the store on Sedova Street in St. Petersburg. This store is called Niva 4x4. The T 34 lift kit also showed excellent performance. Each of them is excellent for the Niva, which is why it is widely used by car owners when modifying the front and rear suspension.

There is an option to assemble the kit yourself. But this will require accurate drawings and even more time and effort. I don’t see the point in this, since it is better to take a ready-made set after looking at a review of different sets.

To work you will need to take:

• front and always rear new springs;
• spacers made of rubber for springs with a metal cup;
• spacers for the Nivov ball joint (upper);
• shock absorbers;
• brackets for rear shock absorber springs;
• cup washers;
• set of tools;
• jack;
• durable boards;
• ties for working with springs.

Sizes are selected individually, based on what kind of car you have and what results you are aiming for. You can buy something without any problems. Although some elements will have to be ordered or done yourself. That's why buying a ready-made lift kit seems preferable to me.

Get ready to go. Photo and video instructions will help you.

Characteristics and selection rules

The choice of a self-locking differential is determined by the car model, its operating conditions, driving style and many other parameters. For example, a ball differential increases steering load, which actually changes the driving style of whoever is behind the wheel. This is mainly felt when making U-turns and turns, but can lead to breakdowns of transmission components.

If you approach the choice of a self-block correctly, then you need to take into account which axle of the car the mechanism will be installed on, since the number of splines for different models is different - twenty-two or twenty-four.

The marking on the device packaging will tell you whether it can be used for a given car brand. The blocking coefficient also varies: for example, 0.5 or 0.7. These numbers show the amount of torque transmitted. What to choose is up to the driver.

In what cases is Niva lifting done?

Increasing clearance is a labor-intensive procedure. It requires special skills and tools. Therefore, lifting is usually performed at a service station. However, if you have the skills, you can install the elevator kit yourself. In this case, it is necessary to pay attention to the following points:

• Lifting requires an integrated approach. Simultaneously with the increase in ground clearance, it is necessary to change the shock absorbers and thrust rods. Otherwise, the suspension lift will make the car unusable.
• On the right side of the rear of the body there is a gas tank with ventilation pipes. This must be taken into account if, in addition to lifting, you decide to enlarge the wheel arches.
• If there is a significant change in ground clearance, you should install an extended brake hose and adjust the bump stops. You will also have to reconfigure the pressure regulator in the rear brake circuit.

For tuning at home, it is better to use ready-made factory-made lift kits.

Installation of wheels with a large outer radius. In this case, the craftsmen are faced with a limitation - tires that are too large do not fit into the wheel arches. You have to widen them or move the wheel outside the car, installing extended hubs.

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Installation of spacers. This method allows you to slightly raise the body and does not require much labor.

Installation of larger springs. This method is more expensive, but allows you to achieve a greater lifting height of the body.

Installation of wheel reducers on the rear axle. These parts allow the hubs to be lowered and increase the distance from the axle to the ground.

Downward displacement of the front beam. To do this, you will have to weld special fasteners onto the side members and install extended arms.

Installation of extended springs and spacers under ball joints. A simple and inexpensive way to greatly increase ground clearance.

We will divide all the work into two parts. At the first stage we will modernize the front suspension, at the second - the rear. So, let's get to work. First, remove the wheels and release the silent blocks. Next, install a jack under the ball joint, place a board under the latter and raise the car until the spring is compressed.

After this, we install the ties on the spring, tighten it and unscrew the shock absorber mount. Next, remove the lower and upper ball joints and remove the stabilizer. Release the lever and remove the spring. How is the suspension lift done? The Niva remains stationary for now, and at this time we turn the wheel hub to the side and place it on a stand. It is important not to damage the brake hoses.

The Niva lift can be carried out either independently or in a car repair shop. In special stores you can purchase a kit for Niva, which was produced at the factory. However, it is worth remembering that this is still an intervention in the car. Therefore, you need to carry out this process yourself only if you have knowledge and experience. If you are in doubt, it is best to turn to professionals.

Why is downshift needed?

It is difficult to imagine a transfer case without the main functional component - a reduction gearbox. Positioning the lever in the rear direction reduces the transfer case value to 1.2.

By fixing the lever at the front, the gear ratio can be increased to 2.1. The lever in neutral indicates gear ratio 0.

Clearance value

Ground clearance, or otherwise Niva 4X4 ground clearance, is relevant not only off-road, but also in the city. The higher the Niva 2121’s ground clearance, the higher the seating position and the better the visibility. The driver of an SUV receives earlier and more information about the road situation. This means it can react to it in a timely manner. If the ground clearance is higher on a Niva 4X4, then there is a greater chance of avoiding an emergency.

The large glass area and good visibility of the Chevrolet Niva helps to spot holes in the asphalt. Speed ​​bumps and other obstacles. Most obstacles can be overcome by walking without slowing down. Long-travel suspension is famous for its energy intensity. After all, it is designed for off-road driving.

Why do you need a self-block for Niva?

The presence of all-wheel drive in a car does not always give it the status of an all-terrain vehicle. Sometimes, due to the nature of their design, vehicles designed for off-road driving can become trapped on washed out roads. A self-locking differential is an important component of the car if the driver plans to use his Niva to drive on bad roads.

What is a self-block, or limited slip differential? This is a device that ensures wheel locking, and automatically, at the right time. It is an intermediate option between a full lock and a free differential. The self-block combines the capabilities of both of these devices.

Lift options

How and where you will make a lift for your crossover, decide for yourself. I will try to tell you about all the nuances of this procedure so that you understand what to expect and what to prepare for.

I will say right away that a body lift lifts the entire body by using stands, modifying the hose and other parts. In theory, such tuning is very simple, but in the case of the Niva it is not used. And why all? Yes, because the Niva 2121 and other representatives of the series do not have a frame. If there was a frame, then there would be no questions.

From this we conclude that for our Niva the optimal solution would be suspension lifting. It provides the following benefits:

• increases crossover cross-country ability;
• lifts the entire machine;
• allows you to install larger wheels without having to trim the arches;
• provides the car with a more attractive appearance;
• makes the Niva an ideal car for fishing, hunting and driving on the most difficult sections of roads and off-roads.

If you raise the car by about 45 mm, achieve a lift of 50 mm, or even take the height to a bold 60 mm, you can easily insert wheels with a diameter of up to 29 inches into the factory arches. Do not forget that installing large wheels affects fuel consumption.

Many people mistakenly believe that it is easier to cut out the arches, insert 33-inch tires there and thereby raise the car. In practice, with such solutions the machine rises slightly. Most importantly, this does not greatly affect the geometric cross-country ability. I would recommend installing 31-inch wheels and lifting at the same time. This combination will provide the best result. Just choose your car wheels wisely and don’t forget about the seasonal rules for storing tires.

I'll make one remark. When lifting the car, the service life of the internal CV joint and the factory boot is reduced. To fix the problem, try replacing the internal boots on the CV joint with external ones, and also lower the FRM (front axle gearbox) by 10 mm. This way it will be possible to reduce the angle of operation of the CV joint.

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When to use and how to disable blocking

It is preferable to enable forced blocking in various modifications of the Niva in the following situations:

1. The blocking must be turned on in advance if you have to overcome a difficult route.
2. On sharp climbs uphill or when driving downhill.
3. While crossing terrain with a top layer of sand.
4. When you have to drive on snow drifts or an icy road.

Wheel locking is not necessary when driving quietly on a flat road within the city. Grip on asphalt surfaces will be decent, and traction will be distributed evenly by default.

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7. Torque distribution in the gearbox.

This question comes up quite often. Misunderstanding arises due to the fact that completely different physical phenomena are incorrect: force (moment) and motion (rotation).

First, a few starting points.

1. A non-locking symmetrical differential distributes torque from the input shaft to the output shafts exactly evenly: 50/50. This is because the gear ratios between the input and output shafts are equal. The output shafts can rotate at different speeds, but the average speed (half the speed) is equal to the input shaft speed divided by the gear ratio.

2. A locked differential is no longer a differential. The movement (rotation) of the input shaft is uniformly transmitted to the output shafts. The rotation speeds of the output shafts are equal to each other, and their sum is equal to the rotation speed of the input shaft divided by the gear ratio.

3) If the total torque applied to the shaft (wheel) is not zero, the rotation will speed up or slow down. This is Newton's second law of motion. If the shaft or wheel rotates uniformly, the total torque acting on it will be exactly zero. The absence of movement is also uniform rotational movement, but with zero speed.

The Niva has three symmetrical differentials. When all are unlocked, each wheel receives 25% of the torque. The rotation is transmitted by the gearbox from the engine. The rotation produced by the engine is also transmitted to all four wheels, but not necessarily equally. For example, when cornering, the rear wheels travel less distance (smaller radius) than the front wheels, but all four wheels are still pulling equally.

Consider a situation where one wheel is slipping while the others are standing still. All engine speeds are transmitted to the slip wheel. As strange as it may seem at first glance, the sliding wheel receives 25 percent of the torque, which is exactly the same as all other wheels. However, this torque is small: it is equal to the friction torque (only in the gearbox when the wheel is completely shifted). So the torque on the other wheels is also very small, it cannot move the car. The vehicle is stationary and the unloaded wheel rotates at four times the speed of normal driving, at the same engine speed and the same transmission and transfer case ratios.

Now let's turn on the center differential lock. The rotation speeds of the drive shafts must be balanced. The total speed of the front wheels should be equal to the total speed of the rear wheels.

It turns out that a locked differential transfers most of the torque from the input shaft to the output shaft, where the torque is greater, i.e. the torque will go in the direction of greatest resistance.

Differential locking is necessary to ensure synchronous rotation of both driveshafts in difficult conditions when

Advantages and disadvantages of disc differential

Its advantages include the following:

1. With such a differential mechanism, you can achieve maximum acceleration of the car on any road surface, that is, it does not matter what the level of grip is.
2. The controllability of a vehicle depends on preload.
3. As for the blocking coefficient, it varies over a wide range.

The main disadvantages include the following:

1. High price. The cost exceeds 10 thousand rubles.
2. It works quite quickly.
3. Very expensive service.

It is best to use this type of differential mechanism in the following cases: during circuit racing, rallying, rallycross, drifting.