KiK alloy wheels for Niva - models for R16 offroad with the correct offset

Reading time: 8 minutes

VAZ 2121, popularly called “Niva” or “Lada 4×4”, first rolled off the assembly line more than 40 years ago - in 1977, and since then has won the hearts of tens of millions of its owners throughout the country and even abroad, since The AvtoVAZ concern successfully established the export of these cars to countries friendly with the USSR.

The audience for this SUV varies from the youngest drivers to the elderly, and this suggests that the market has always been in demand for a variety of tuning options for the Niva, both in terms of the exterior and interior. One of the most noticeable bells and whistles for this car has always been unusual wheels, from simple options to exclusive products.

VAZ 2121

What kind of wheels are there for Niva?

Throughout the history of the brand, various Russian and foreign manufacturers have produced a huge number of rims.

Wheels for Niva, 16 radius. First of all, this is the wheel size, which at the manufacturer level was set larger than that of other Lada models - 185/75/R16.

However, many drivers of this car are not satisfied with the too small width of the rim and, accordingly, the tires - only 185 mm. Because of this, Niva owners often change their original wheels to those recommended by the factory, namely 195/80/16, 195/70/R15, 205/70/R15, thereby increasing the adhesion surface of the treads to the road surface.

Based on the material, as a rule, AvtoVAZ installs original black stamped wheels in most trim levels. However, they are not always suitable for drivers, since ventilated brakes require a lot of air from the street to cool the surface, and the perforations on such wheels do not provide this access.

In addition, similar wheels on the Niva are much inferior to competitors in their appearance, and the owners cover them with decorative plastic caps.

The most popular wheels are “cast”, made in almost any size and design, which gives the car owner the opportunity to choose the necessary product to suit his taste. In addition, these products are often painted in black, white and other colors during manufacturing.

Many Russian cars before 2000 had problems with tire punctures, which was quite life-threatening, especially at high speed. Thus, a tire that did not fit tightly to the rim with an inflated chamber installed inside often exploded during a puncture, causing the car to lose control. But with the advent of technical progress, the auto industry began to increasingly use tubeless tires and special wheels adapted for it, and the VAZ 2121 in this case was no exception.

Standard tires for VAZ-2121

The base body is considered to be one that has not been subjected to lifting and has standard wheel arches. At the factory, the cars are equipped with VLI-5 tires with indicators of 175/80 R16. It must be said that this is not a very good option and it has very conflicting reviews:

• increased noise when driving on a hard surface at speeds over 60 km/h;
• at low temperatures loses elasticity;
• the big drawback is the presence of a camera;
• poor handling on clean asphalt.

Its high ability to overcome wet off-road conditions, especially on clay soils, is also noted. Another plus is the low price. The number of disadvantages of rubber outweighs its positive qualities. This is why most owners decide to use alternative options, especially since the possibilities for this exist.

Wheel size for white Niva 4×4

Since 2006, a more advanced model of the VAZ 2121, the Lada 4×4, has become available to the population, which has plug-in all-wheel drive without locking the center differential clutch. Fans of the brand began to actively look for this modification, and more often in the traditional white color. Around this time, specialized wheels with the following characteristics began to be produced for it:

• The main size installed in the basic configuration was stamped black wheels with parameters 5Jx16 ET58 5x139.7, which was suitable for tires with dimensions 175/80/R16. The central drilling and bolt pattern remained unchanged compared to models of previous years - the wheel was traditionally mounted on a hub with 5 studs of 139.7 mm each.
• The owners of these cars often tried to change only the width of the seat on the rim for mounting the tire, and almost never changing the radius, because the target audience of the brand was completely defined - the SUV was used for its intended purpose. Thus, the most popular wheel sizes installed on Niva 4x4 are 6.5Jx15 ET15, 6.5Jx15 ET35, 7Jx15 ET15, 7Jx16 ET15, which corresponded to wheel widths of 185, 195, 2015, 215 and 225 mm, and the profile at the same time it remained within 75-80 mm for better cross-country ability.

Exclusive wheels for Niva

Also, car enthusiasts often turn to paint shops, where their alloy wheels are professionally painted by craftsmen in the required color both over the entire surface of the steel and locally. The driver just needs to drive the car, agree on a paint sketch with the designer or offer his own, for example, from a catalogue, designate the required color (usually black or white), and the next day pick up the finished product and use unique wheels.

Standard wheel sizes LADA Niva 1.8 2121x

The LADA Niva 1.8 2121x model was produced from 1997 to 2003. Table of standard and suitable wheel sizes for LADA Niva 1.8 2121x.

Disc drilling parameters are usually called bolt pattern:

• LZ (number of holes)
• PCD (hole center circle diameter)
• ET (disc offset)
• DIA (hole diameter)

Useful articles and reviews Announcements of certificate drawings among subscribers. Subscribe to VK group

Despite the fact that this information is taken from the websites of auto manufacturers, our catalog is for informational purposes only and does not guarantee full compliance of the proposed sizes with your car.

Disc parameters for Niva 21214

A special place in the line of famous Russian SUVs is occupied by the Lada 21214, which is more adapted than others for working in off-road conditions and is often used by law enforcement agencies, as well as tourists, hunters and fishermen. This car has a transfer gearbox, which at critical moments allows you to block the center differential clutch and force all 4 wheels to rotate at the same time, so this car can get out of almost any mud.

R15 wheels for Niva

Of course, the wheels for this car have slightly different geometric characteristics in order to fully meet the technical capabilities of the power unit, namely:

• The most popular wheel size, as well as for the regular Niva 2121, is the R16 size, when wheels without any modifications to the body, wheel arches or suspensions are installed under tires 185/75/R16, 175/80/R16 or 215/ 65/R16, however, the latter option will no longer look like an SUV, since the length of the side part of the rubber is quite small.
• Alloy wheels 15 for Niva 21214. In order to emphasize the status of an SUV, many owners try to install huge tires with a maximum level of air injection and, accordingly, wheels of a smaller radius, and the most popular size in this case is R15. By a lucky coincidence, the joint development of American and Russian engineers, also produced on AvtoVAZ conveyors under the name Chevrolet Niva, has in its basic configuration exactly these wheels, the dimensions of which are 205/75/R15, which is quite convenient for off-road use , and in urban conditions.
• Some drivers want to have really huge “rollers” and purchase wheels with an offset of up to 245 mm, which is why the wheels protrude very far beyond the car body. In principle, such tuning does not pose a danger to the “iron horse” when operating it in conditions where there are no roads at low speeds, but it is necessary to take into account the installation of powerful mud guards on the sides of the body, since otherwise dirt sticks to the body in a matter of seconds.

Advantages and disadvantages of Niva as a result of installing 29 tires

Undoubtedly, the majority of car owners, in their desire to tune the Niva, want to achieve increased cross-country ability, because most often these are people who lead an active lifestyle, are fond of hunting or fishing, or simply live in a completely off-road situation, for example, farmers or rural residents.

The main parameters for assessing cross-country ability are:

• Clearance value;
• Overhang angles;
• Angles of roll and longitudinal passability;
• Angle of transverse static stability.

Installing 29-inch wheels will increase the ground clearance from the existing 228 mm to 232 mm, which is especially important for the Niva Urban with a low ground clearance of 190 mm. This is especially noticeable when you compare the location of the bumper. Difference in ground clearance as a result of switching to 29 tires

The difference in ground clearance is a result of switching to 29 tires.

The overhang angle is the maximum slope angle at which a car can move or drive on its own without the body touching. For Niva this is 32° on the way up and 37° on the way out. A larger wheel diameter improves the lift angle to 35, but due to a shift in the center of gravity, it reduces the departure angle to 33°. And the losses and achievements are not so significant as to seriously increase the level of cross-country ability.

The longitudinal flotation angle is the maximum possible angle that a car can overcome when moving from a slope to a horizontal surface. The roll angle reflects the opposite situation, leaving a horizontal plane with a downward slope. These figures are mainly affected by the wheelbase distance. But Niva drivers noted an improvement in driving down an inclined plane due to an increase in ground clearance as a result of replacing it with 29 tires.

The angle of lateral static stability determines the maximum trim of the vehicle from the central axis, which will be followed by a rollover on its side.

For Niva, this angle is 6.5°. The wheel diameter increased to 29 inches, on the one hand, should theoretically worsen stability indicators due to a shift in the center of gravity of the car; on the other hand, a larger wheel offset and wider tires compensate for this, especially on straight sections. In areas with a large curvature of the trajectory, the Niva loses its dynamics. Reduces the dynamics and deterioration of the parameters of the body's streamlining by wind flows when driving, by increasing the ground clearance.

The negative consequences of installing 29-gauge tires also include an increase in the load on the hub units due to spacers to increase the offset of the wheel rims. In order to slightly relieve the unit, double-row bearings are used in the steering knuckle. Such modernization increases the cost of the entire tuning.

The improved exterior of the body, increased cross-country ability with a general improvement in driving performance, exceeds the negative aspects of increasing the wheel diameter to 29 inches. Installing 31-inch wheels is undesirable, as it will require mandatory modifications to the suspension components.

Trimming the arches of a Chevrolet Niva has a similar algorithm.

What cars are rims suitable for Niva?

“Niva” is a special car of the Russian concern, however, when producing many units in Russia, specialists try to adhere to some kind of unification in order to ensure the maintainability of vehicles, ease of tuning, and also reduce the cost of the finished product, which will affect the formation of prices for the consumer. Thus, the hubs, countersinking of the central hole, set and length of studs for the Niva have the same characteristics as on a number of other cars, in particular:

• The Chevrolet-Niva joint production has the same data as the VAZ 2121. In addition, all previous generations of the SUV may well act as donors of auto parts for the latest models, including rims.
• The Gorky Automobile Plant, which has an even richer history than AvtoVAZ, was the first to produce a bolt pattern, which the developers later adopted for the Niva. Thus, wheels from the famous Volga GAZ 31024 will also fit easily on a domestic SUV. However, over the years, steel tends to wear out, and before using the old wheel, you need to carefully measure the fit size, since it could become a little larger, which will not allow the wheel to be securely fastened to the hub.
• Oddly enough, the Niva has the same wheel mounting parameters as some cars of the Japanese concern Suzuki, which produces a number of models with off-road qualities, which in appearance and technical characteristics are strongly reminiscent of the Russian competitor. This means that rims from models such as Suzuki Eskudo and Suzuki Jimni are perfectly adapted for use on the VAZ 2121 without any modifications to the landing platform.

VAZ 21214

Modification can mean either additional drilling of the wheel rim using a milling unit if the wheel has a smaller drilling, or rearranging the solid hub to another, more suitable bolt pattern. You should be aware that cutting off studs and then installing them in a different order using welding is extremely dangerous for the further operation of the vehicle.

The Niva has long become a cult car among Russians, but this was largely due to its low cost. This means that too expensive tuning of this brand is at least impractical, because really high-quality exclusive wheels with a radius of R16, complete with huge high-profile tires, can cost up to 25-35% of the base price of the car itself, while they are not insured by anyone from damage or theft, which can be a heavy loss for the owner.

Adviсe

In conclusion, let’s say once again about tires for Niva 21213 and which ones are better. Tires for the field in sizes 16 are difficult to obtain and the choice of such wheels is not large and you will have to make a lift to make such wheels fit. Still, when purchasing all-season tires for 4x4 fields, size r16, more often than others, sizes 185/75 R16, 175/80 R16, or 215/65 R16 are purchased. One of the best budget and reliable tires. Winter tires for Niva 4x4 size r16 option from the Nizhnekamsk plant, tires Kama I-511. They were written in more detail in this article above.

Due to the paucity of choice, drivers choose wheels on the r15, as the choice of tires will increase significantly. On r15 you can buy Russian or foreign manufacturers, depending on the budget, these are Kumho (South Korea), Cordiant, and from ours: Belshina OJSC and Nizhnekamskshina. When purchasing mud tires for a 4x4 field, Mud Terrain Lite is perfect. This is an American manufacturer. If you only drive off-road, then Niva 4x4 Silverstone MT-117 tires will do. When buying winter tires for a Niva 4x4 16, the factory studded tires Voltyre VLI-5 and VLI-10 will go, since they are cheap, but it depends on the area in which you plan to drive. From foreign countries there will be Cordiant Business, Hakkapelitta, Michelin Agilis X-ice North, but again the question is the budget.

For off-road work, special equipment such as an all-terrain vehicle manipulator is used. For digging pits, transportation of oversized cargo, rental for any period. This will save your time, deliver your cargo safely, it is possible to perform several types of work at once and operate it in any conditions.