Did not like:
- “Soft” windshield. Within six months it became worn out.
- Transmission. “Not a robot, but a KP. The second and third gears howl, this is innate. There is a worse problem - this transmission comes from the 80s, it was once a 4-speed, and the gear ratios in it are not optimal. Overtaking on the highway is strictly in 3rd gear; in 4th the car simply does not accelerate. Fortunately, there is a manual mode, and it is very convenient to overtake. But now I understand where there are a lot of tuning “series” for this gearbox.”
- Cheapness of used spare parts. “ All the rubber bands squeak. Racks work well for the first 50,000 km, then you can see a decrease in energy intensity. The same can be said about the stabilizer links.”
The owner considers the wear and tear of interior elements to be uncritical: the handles and buttons are like new, the seat is greasy, but there is no criminal pressure. “The most damaged thing is the steering wheel, it’s all scratched, although I don’t wear rings on my hands. There is one more “broken place” - the driver’s door trim. The new car had such a tight seat belt spring that it would literally fly out if you didn’t hold it with your hands.”
In general, the owner with the nickname serg1111 recommends the car for purchase, preferably a mechanic, since the robot is no longer made. “I would also take a variator - nothing will happen to it during the warranty period, but then how will it go.”
Read the full report here.
Turbo for Vesta: 200 hp. for 1.8 liter engine
Where did it all start?
It all started, no matter how funny it may sound, with AVTOVAZ. We have always had Ladas in our family. My father was a businessman, he was engaged in the sale of spare parts, he often traveled to Togliatti (I myself am from Chelyabinsk). You have the “Plamya” car market here, and we have the “Iskra” car market. Probably, this is the story all over the country, maybe somewhere else there is an auto market for “Ignition”, “Injection”, etc. ). My father always brought every new AVTOVAZ model from the factory. The cars were changed approximately every year. I had a chance to drive almost all AVTOVAZ models until 2014 and somehow they became like family. I tried foreign cars, but something was wrong! They are somehow soulless or something. Therefore, I still returned to VAZ models.
In general, it all started around the age of eight, when I first got behind the wheel. It was my Grandfather’s VAZ-2101, and for the first time I drove it entirely by myself! An unforgettable experience. I had four LADA Vesta. There were 2 SW Cross sedans in different bodies, and this is already the fourth Vesta and it became the flagship model of AVTOVAZ Vesta Sport. Before the first Vesta, I had a Volkswagen Polo sedan 1.6 AT in the maximum configuration. That is, in 2016 we changed Polo to Vesta. First impressions after buying Vesta: my wife and I were shocked that Vesta was so much bigger and so much more comfortable! That is, it was superior to our former car in everything, and it was also significantly cheaper. After that, I made a joke about Vesta specifically. Then we had SW Cross as soon as it came out. All cars were black. I like this color - it always looks more advantageous, more solid and always stands out. When the LADA Vesta Sport was announced, and I like “hot” cars, various media outlets said that the engine would be either 180 hp. or 150 hp. And some talked about a 200 hp engine. I hoped that perhaps the plant would decide to make another leap, since they decided to make the LADA Vesta so cool and generally went into stratosphere compared to what was released previously. I thought that maybe this time they would decide to install a more interesting engine! They developed a 1.4-turbo engine there a long time ago. But for some reason the project was buried. Although it’s clear why - everyone knows. I won't talk. As a result, Vesta Sport came out with 145 hp (at the stand it shows all 150 hp). The car is beautiful, controlled and balanced. The strong features of the LADA Vesta in the Sport version are further enhanced. It would seem, what could be even cooler to do? Design - not at your own expense. It just shocks and makes you fall in love.
In general, do you like the handling of the LADA Vesta?
It's cooler than the BMW-3 F30, and I've driven different cars. At one point I even wanted to try this new Bavarian sedan. They just gave a discount of 500 thousand rubles because this generation was on its last legs. I took it for a test drive, but it didn’t impress me at all, apparently my expectations were too high, there’s a lot of praise for this brand everywhere. But in fact: the interior is smaller, and the steering wheel is power-assisted. That is, the steering wheel is kind of like a steering wheel in general. What kind of handling does the BMW have? I still don’t understand what everyone is talking about. At that moment I was still driving a LADA Vesta SW Cross. The steering settings there are much more interesting, that’s 100 percent!
I tried different foreign cars, drove different classes. It’s not that I own them, but I often drive completely different cars and I have something to compare with. I can objectively assess what they did, for example, with Vesta, what they did with Vesta Sport, and what they did with SW Cross - how successful these cars are. Evaluate it based on the contrast of my experience. What is bad about foreign cars, in addition to their very high price (due to the exchange rate, it is absolutely not justified - in other countries they may be adequately priced), is the lack of the possibility of tuning them. Tuning is very stingy and expensive! Moreover, in this class there is not much you can do at all. Take LADA – there are a whole lot of possibilities for tuning. If you want an atmospheric version, assemble a million receivers, camshafts, whatever you want can be made to order, the car is very easy to tune. If you want turbines, if you want compressors, you can install anything. And I'm a creative person. I’m just not interested in driving, I always need to improve something! And I decided to take the best of what AVTOVAZ did, in my opinion, after the VAZ-21106. Vesta Sport, I think, is the TOP. It's like a diamond that needs to be cut.
What was good about LADA Vesta Sport? Yes, almost everything! There were some nuances, but the plant resolved them over time. Any foreign car, in principle, also has a lot of problems, I know firsthand and have encountered them myself. And in the same way I had to modify them myself, a lot of mistakes! Which, for some reason, is not customary to talk about in our country. For some reason, everyone only likes to criticize AVTOVAZ... All these modern “foreign cars” are marketing dullness, designed for the masses. But I wanted something unique, something of my own, so that I would be the only one. They often say: “I would rather buy a Skoda”, “I would rather buy a BMW”, “I would rather buy a Camry”. This mythical Mego Camry, which the entire Internet is “polishing” about.
3,5?
Yes, 3.5, naturally. By the way, we should organize a race to see what mother’s schoolchildren are praying for.
Everything is like everyone else. But I'm not like that. I am a bright personality. And the car should be bright and beautiful, like a woman. To make it pleasant to look at. And she was also unpretentious.
I decided that since AVTOVAZ doesn’t give us an engine due to the fact that it is a member of the Alliance and they don’t allow it to do too much, so that, as they say, “the dads don’t push forward,” then I’ll make it myself! A bunch of bloggers and journalists say: If only the LADA Vesta Sport had a turbo engine. But everyone is just talking, read the comments - everyone is exhausted in anticipation of the turbo engine. And there is no one to go and do something. Nobody went and did it. And I made the first LADA Vesta Sport Turbo, I wanted to make it exactly in such a configuration so that, first of all, it would not break down from the additional power received, under the hood everything would look as if it came from the factory. I wanted to create a “golden mean” so that the car would not lose its overall balance: in the suspension and brakes. That is, the suspension and brakes were initially a cut above the engine. I decided to approach it with an engineering approach, as if I were the director of the Vesta Sport project and my hands were free: I can do whatever I want, I don’t depend on anyone. The task: minimum intervention, maximum impact, and the Sport nameplate had to be fully consistent with this car.
Tell us about your education. Are you a “homemade Kulibin”? Or do you have a technical or engineering education that you received?
There is such a thing. I studied to become an auto mechanic. In principle, he could not have studied, because, as they say, “I bought a VAZ and became an auto mechanic.” There is such a joke.
Which VAZ?
My first car was a 2106. Then I had eights, nines, three tens (I also had a turbo ten). We were constantly working on something with the boys in the garages. We completely disassembled/assembled these machines inside and out. It was interesting then.
The first problems you encountered when designing a turbine for LADA Vesta? Because LADA Vesta Sport is already your consistent project. At first, there was probably an ordinary LADA Vesta?
I had SW Cross. We worked with our comrades in Chelyabinsk - with a rally team, when the 1.8-liter engine “21179” came out, no one knew how to tune it, let alone tune it, few knew how to properly adjust the phase shifter, no one knew the parameters of the camshafts either. One day I just wanted to “chip” my car, I drove probably 4 thousand kilometers on SW Cross. As I drive, I realize that the engine seems to be missing something, that it can do more, especially at the top, and then it’s like a parachute opens. And I thought it was time to go “chipping.” Although the motor is new and not particularly studied. But this did not scare me, and I decided to do this. Then we rolled out the program based on the logs for 3 months, changed the configuration, and the exhaust. Then I somehow got hold of a cold intake from Vesta Sport, which was in severe shortage (at that time, by the way, it was still possible to buy the original, but there were terrible queues for this part back then: people waited for several months). Here... They installed a cold intake, made an exhaust, and it took a very long time to write everything down. As a result, we removed 147 hp. and 205 Nm on standard shafts and standard injectors. The block was not opened at all. On a standard receiver. Then it caused a stir on the Internet. Many did not believe that this was even possible, many idiots wrote that we were “riding everyone’s ears.” As a result, after a year and a half, when others had already learned to do something similar, everyone was convinced that it was quite real. Again, we were pioneers in this regard. By the way, after modifications my SW Cross ran 9.6 seconds. That is, he drove like Vesta Sport. With more weight and worse grip at the start.
When you got this result, what were your emotions?
It was totally cool. It “undermined” very cheerfully, and the motor was very elastic and smooth. The character was very similar to a diesel engine, that is, an adequate pedal, the wildest lows and no tuning artifacts, which was very difficult to achieve with these ECUs. It took a long time to roll it out, burned a lot of rubber, and installed a lot of lambda probes. After that, I realized that, firstly, the SW Cross is definitely not suitable for racing, even though it is a comfortable, cool car and very convenient. But it’s very difficult to get a hold there, because the rear is heavy, the car is “raised,” and the suspension is soft. Although I set the suspension harder, I installed tires like on Vesta Sport (Conti Sport Contact 5) - nothing really helped. And I realized that further tuning is only a turbo. And it must be a sedan. What sedan? The most logical and suitable chassis that is available from the new Lada cars is, of course, the Vesta Sport.
Who did you “punish” first when you ran out of town in your upgraded car?
To be honest, I don’t even remember who I “dropped in” with Vesta Cross. It started with Kalina Sport in the first generation, with Vesta Sport, with Solaris. They generally say that Vesta is not coming. But they were surprised. I just wanted to make a comfortable car, add more power to it, because it is quite heavy and 122 horsepower and 170 Newtons are clearly not enough.
How did you understand that you need to change from Vesta Cross to Vesta Sport?
Having driven the naturally aspirated 150 horsepower on the SW Cross, I realized that I also absolutely missed this. Yes, it's a blast. But for her to drive straight, to get a specific thrill and to be able to “snack” with more expensive foreign cars, and just so that overtaking on the highway would be more convenient and comfortable - this was not the case. And I realized that I needed to “turbocharge”. LADA Vesta Sport is the best, this is the most suitable model, in which everything is already done from the factory and all that remains to be done is the engine, you just need to add a little bit of street magic!
What is street magic? In the turbine?
Yes, of course, street magic lies in supercharging, in excess pressure.
Why LADA Vesta Sport? Because here you don’t need to spend money on brakes, suspension, aerodynamic body kit, and the “buckets” are more interesting. She's just very beautiful. It is bright and attracts attention, people turn their heads, constantly come up and are interested in the car. When I first bought it, 2-3 people came up per day. They ask how much it costs and what kind of LADA is it? Many even thought that this was some kind of tuning of mine, and not a factory model.
There is no end to those who want to “drop in” with Vesta Sport: she provokes everyone with her nameplate and her entire appearance. Which is what he says: I’ll scatter you all, I’ll be left alone). Everyone wants to see how much of a sport it is. There were situations when you were just driving along the highway for 150 kilometers and some BMW or something even more interesting was driving along. And the driver smiles, looks, like: “What! Let's?". And you either don’t give him anything, or you go and he leaves you. But it's not right! – Sports must go! And I decided that I definitely needed a turbo. In the “atmosphere”, rocking will be a very small resource, this is a limited opportunity: the car will strain and you will have to turn it very hard, plus it will be very loud. It's just not comfortable. Because I just know what atmospheric tuning is. A car this big needs torque. And only a turbo can provide torque. Well, or a compressor. Turbo – more economical, more pleasant sound. This is a more advanced technology. The compressor is still a thing of the past. Therefore, the choice is obvious: only turbo!
What turbine did you use as a basis?
I decided to take the Chinese-made TD-04 HL 15T turbine as a basis. China already makes quite high-quality turbines. You just need to know where to get it. China can be different, as many people know. A Japanese turbine will cost 60-100 thousand. This is absolutely not real. This is half the cost of the entire revision and is absolutely impractical. A Chinese turbine costs about 20 thousand.
The TD-04 HL 15 T turbine is the optimal solution in terms of the “A\R” ratio for this engine size, taking into account its sport camshafts, lift, phases and a good cylinder head - it is very well ventilated. The motor has high efficiency. We also have a standard bottom. Low pressure 0.5 bar. What’s good about this engine: mechanical losses have been reduced by the factory, that is, everything is as lightweight as possible. Camshafts, T-valve, 5mm foot. That is, large valves 32 by 27 mm seem to be on the exhaust, channels between the pistons are drilled, which improves the cooling of the block and cylinders. everything has already been done very competently. This is the only way to “blow” into such a motor, but wisely. The radiator itself on Vesta has a reserve. It’s difficult to even warm it up to 90C. There is a reserve in everything. Large engine compartment. There is a place where all this can be arranged very competently so that it does not get hot, touch or rattle. There is also room for an intercooler. It's as if it was all laid out from the factory. The body didn't have to be cut at all. Usually, when tuning a LADA, you need to redo everything: everything is cut, everything is adjusted, everything is bent. Here the body remains completely factory. Everything fits very well and ventilates well. It turned out very cool.
We blow into the motor that is already decompressed, that is, we decompress it with a special plate. Our compression ratio from the factory on Vesta Sport is 10.7. We are “dropping” it to 9.3. Why 9.3? because this compression ratio is the most optimal and effective for our excess pressure of 0.5-0.6 bar. Now the configuration is completely ready. We also installed an additional front support on special guitars so that the car would not lose comfort. We tried to install more rigid supports - the result was vibration that even the mirrors kept shaking. It was a loss of comfort and that, of course, didn’t suit me. After all, I wanted to achieve exactly the factory version, so that there would be no disadvantages, but only advantages. As a result, we made all 3 factory supports moderately rigid and strengthened them to the same rigidity with an additional support at the front. Thus, the longitudinal movements of the engine under load were reduced and comfort in terms of vibration load was maintained. As a result, it remained the same as it was from the factory, and the engine sat more firmly and stopped wandering around the engine compartment so much.
We came across thermal protection and thermal screens. There was very deep work with the placement of pipes. All this was slightly replayed in the process to reduce the intake temperature. As a result, they reduced it to very cool performance, just like on foreign cars from the factory. I won’t reveal which ones and what. I've already said a lot of things. We selected injectors, selected “DAP” so that it fits our boost as correctly as possible, so that it consumes less gasoline and drives as efficiently as possible, and of course allows us to fine-tune online. I approached this like an engineer. A big word - engineer, what do I care about engineer. However, we play with Lego for adults). It’s just that, in my opinion, no one has approached tuning LADA like this until now.
Here we have a stock box from Renault JR-515. It keeps 210 Nm from the factory. I understood that I needed to make a slight overload so that it would hold this excess torque. As you know, the plant always puts additional resources into its nodes. And this resource is simply not used. The manufacturer, so to speak, plays it safe and the hardware from the factory will never work beyond its capabilities. For example, VAZ manual transmission-2181. The plant claims that it is designed for 160 Nm according to the passport, but in fact, they found out a long time ago through scientific research that it holds 250 Nm. No breakdowns during long-term hard use. Such configurations have been running on turbo vases for years. This overload is almost 100 Nm. We have even less overload. Despite the fact that the box itself is initially stronger. And from the factory it holds, as stated, 210 Nm, as does the clutch, which is already 215 mm. For reference: when turbocharging VAZs, this was previously used as tuning for turbo cars with 300 hp. And we already have it from the factory! We proceeded from the possibilities so that it would not increase the budget and speed up the assembly. It’s just that on front-wheel drive, I think more than 200 horsepower is unnecessary. The machine weighs 1240 kg on the scales. With a turbo kit and half a tank of gasoline, 200 horsepower is enough for her. It goes very easily, very responsive, good pickup with these sports bikes, the wildest top end, the engine has a very cool character, I would say explosive! And I really like him! The car now directly provokes you to go and fight with someone on the road). Now the car - its appearance, its chassis, suspension and steering settings, brakes - they are in complete harmony with the engine. Everything comes together here. The exhaust here is already a bifurcated 60th from the factory. It doesn't need to be remade. Simply remove the resonator and throw a straight line through the downpipe. And everything is a complete thrill. Minimum investment. The factory did the rest for you. Why spend a lot of money to make a Vesta Sport from an ordinary Vesta, when you can buy a ready-made car and modify what, unfortunately, the factory does not yet provide. It turns out that this is, in my opinion, a competent, beautiful, cool configuration!
No one has ever made such average, competent resource options in terms of tuning a VAZ engine when turbocharged. Everyone is trying to get as many numbers as possible so that it all breaks down, screams, that is, is extremely unreliable. Yes, it will show some numbers once or twice. But you won’t pass it on to the road. And then it all breaks! It will slip and ring. And under the hood, as a rule, it always looked like an outright “fawn.” There are people who try. But it all comes out, and I tried to hide it all and do it very carefully. With a lower location, the piping is all powder coated - we took it to the factory so that it would not peel off. Piping is all stainless steel. We tried to do everything as efficiently as possible. Black silicone so that there is no glare when you open the hood. That is, it looks as if it was there.
What's the result?
The result was the buzz that should have come from the factory. The car drives comparable plus/minus to the Octavia 1.8 on Stage 1. For a VAZ model, this is very cool, I think. Many compare LADA Vesta with Polo 1.4 turbo. That is, the 1.4 turbo on the Stage is already lost, it is no longer a rival to my LADA Vesta Sport. The car is already ready to stand on a par with more expensive models, with more advanced and larger engines.
I'm very pleased with how it turned out. What I planned is what I got. Since I already had experience building a turbo VAZ, I already roughly understood how the car would drive. The result was a specifically verified configuration.
What resource?
I think it will be like the standard 1.8. So much will pass and pass. Turbine - I don't know. How to change oil. Ideally, on a turbo engine, the oil should be changed every 5, or at most 7 thousand mileage. If you “fry” especially, in the summer – even more so. And, in principle, nothing will happen to the motor, because the excess pressure is very small, as is the load on the motor. Including thermal ones. The point here is that there are sport camshafts, volume, light piston, light valves, good purging. In general, I repeat, this motor has high efficiency. You don't have to blow much here to get it going.
Tell me, how long do you blow?
0.5 bar. In third or fourth gear, 0.65 bar may “fly” for a short time.
How long does it take for your Vesta Sport to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h after modernization?
In hot weather (+33C) acceleration is 7.2 seconds. In a drag racing distance of 402 meters at a temperature of +25C, acceleration takes 14.3-14.5 seconds.
That is, it turns out that good grip in hot weather means the tires work?
The wheels are very heavy from the factory. 18 kg wheel. But I really like them. They have a very good design. They were painted by Steve Mattin and I don’t want to spoil the maestro’s picture with any slicks. Yes, I understand that I might gain something by overclocking, but I don’t want to spoil the overall design of the car. Firstly, it’s expensive, and secondly, it’s impractical, because I don’t want to drive it from a place. This discipline is purely for racing, but in everyday life we calmly get underway and it’s much more interesting how the car moves when there is a grip. There is no goal to collect a korch or a dragsetr-korch, which could break at any moment and I will be left without wheels. It's of no use to me.
How much money do you need to invest to make a 200-horsepower LADA Vesta Sport?
To get 200 hp. you need to spend 200 thousand rubles. No more and no less. This is the optimal price for a turbocharged VAZ engine. Wherever you go, they often ask for even more. And the execution leaves much to be desired. As well as reliability and overall layout. Considering how traffic cops are now going to “cheer up” for tuning, then such tuning is not “fawn”. Now more than ever it is important to do tuning hidden, without any blue silicone, chrome pipes, or a turbine, which is located at the top and is immediately visible. All this needs to be hidden and “mowed” into a factory. This is exactly what I did in my project. Until now I have not seen such an approach anywhere.
Is it possible to make a turbine without any “fawn” at all? So that it doesn't squeak on the bypass?
If we develop the theme of Stealth, I call it Turbo-Stage 1- Stealth (Stealth - inconspicuous, secretive), then you can make an almost completely secretive turbine not on the Blow Ofe, but on the Bypass with a closed system. And she won’t fuss at all. Or you can make it squirt. This has no effect on money. This can always be easily and quickly redone. Tired of zilch - you can remove it. I prefer to ride with zilch, because it’s very cool, everyone is watching, you get a kick out of it. It's like Fast and Furious, like Underground. We all played these games. This is firmly stuck in our heads. And now we play this in reality, and not on the computer.
