What do you need to know about Chevrolet Niva wheels and accessories for them?

The Chevrolet Niva, which people affectionately shortened to “Shnivy,” has been produced from 2002 to the present. The presence of the famous American brand “Niva” in the name is due to the cooperation of GM and AvtoVAZ. True, in 2019, the Russian automaker bought a share in the joint venture from the Americans. Therefore, the Niva will soon be updated and will be produced as a LADA with a new factory index.

But let’s figure out what size wheels you have on your Chevrolet Niva and what options there are for replacement.

What kind of wheels does a Chevrolet Niva have from the factory?

Owners of Nivs received different wheels and tires in different configurations. So what kind of wheels does the Chevrolet Niva have from the factory?

Owners of fifteen-inch wheels received original tire sizes of 205/75 R15 and 205/70 R15. Owners of sixteen-inch wheels got size 215/65 R16.

Wheel bolt pattern Niva Chevrolet

The bolt pattern of Chevrolet Niva wheels is a parameter that is marked as PCD in the wheel markings. The bolt pattern of the Niva Chevrolet wheels is 5×139.7. These numbers marked PCD mean that the wheels on the Niva are mounted on 5 wheel bolts, and the distance between the centers of the holes for them is 139.7 mm. There is also information that in 2002, modifications of the Chevrolet Niva 1.7 and 1.8 i were fitted with wheels with a bolt pattern of 5×139 and an offset of ET 48. Please note that you cannot use wheels with a bolt pattern of 5/139 if you are prescribed to use 5 /139.7 !

Bolt pattern 5x139.7 on a cast wheel

Bolt pattern 5x139.7 on a stamped disc

The fact is that the difference in diameter of less than a millimeter is unnoticeable during installation - the disc will still sit on the hub studs. But when tightening the nuts, the wrong disc will not be properly secured. That is, the wheel can simply unscrew while driving! Therefore, carefully observe all parameters of the Niva Chevrolet wheel size.

Niva Chevrolet wheel size

What about other important disk parameters? If the diameter of the rims of your Niva Chevrolet wheel is 15 inches, then in addition to the PCD 5×139.7 bolt pattern, they have a width from 6J to 6.5J (in inches), an offset of 40 and a hub hole diameter of 98.5 mm. If you have 16-inch wheels, then they have a width from 6J to 7J, but other parameters are the same.

What is the original on the wheels of Niva owners? Judging by information from open sources, AvtoVAZ makes wheels independently. But the tires on the conveyor are most often supplied by the Altai Tire Plant. And in the tire rating they are not even in the top twenty...

Maximum and minimum possible parameters of non-standard disks

Some car owners strive to install beautiful wheels of a larger size on their car than those supplied by the manufacturer. The Nyva Chevrolet body allows this to be done thanks to the design of the car's wheel arches. Wheel sizes that do not require modifications to the body are considered 215/75 with a minimum offset of 35.

If the driver has installed a tire with a profile over 215mm, then the arches will have to be trimmed a little, and the ET offset should exceed 58mm. The most optimal reach size is 40-45. Therefore, when planning the installation of new wheels and tires, you need to carefully study this issue. To do this, special websites are offered to help the car enthusiast, where on videos and photos you can see in detail the entire procedure from choosing a wheel to replacing it.

Properly selected wheels and tires are the key to stable vehicle performance on the road.

Alternative wheels for Chevrolet Niva

Niva has always been popular among those car owners who love hunting, fishing and off-road driving. Often it is precisely these car enthusiasts who think about what wheels to put on a Chevrolet Niva in order to increase its capabilities, especially off-road. To do this, there are several methods that can be combined - install larger diameter wheels, install larger diameter tires, install tires with a more aggressive tread pattern.

So what wheels can be installed on a Chevrolet Niva? And which of them will fit into the car without making changes to the design, and which ones will you have to lift your Niva using spacers and possibly cut the wheel arches?

Taking into account the correspondence between the bolt pattern parameters and the diameter of the hub hole, the Niva Chevrolet P15 wheels can be replaced with rims of 16 or even 17 diameter. Which wheels to choose - steel, cast or forged - you decide for yourself. There are no restrictions or recommendations here. The main thing is that they match the size.

As for tires, in the operating instructions for the Chevrolet Niva, without altering the design, most of the wheel sizes become as noted in the table.

Without altering the design, Chevrolet Niva owners install tires on their cars: 205/70 R15, 205/75 R15, 215/65 R16 and 215/75 R15. But with other models there may be nuances - the wheels may catch on the fender liners or other body parts. This is evidenced by reviews from car owners. And, by the way, the manufacturer recommends using 215/75 R15 tires only if you constantly drive off-road and prohibits accelerating on them above 90 km/h.

The maximum speed of the car according to the passport is 140 km/h. This means that when choosing tires, you can focus on the speed indices N (140 km/h), P (150 km/h) and Q (160 km/h). It is pointless to install higher-speed tires, and it is unsafe to install lower-speed tires. Although in the operating manual the manufacturer recommends tires up to T (190 km/h) and H (210 km/h) indexes. Apparently, with a reserve.

As for the load index, choose for yourself based on the range of tires and the operating conditions of the vehicle. Standard options are indexes from 95 to 100, which corresponds to 690-800 kilograms of load per tire.

Maximum Niva Chevrolet wheels

What are the maximum Niva Chevrolet wheels that can be installed on this car? Judging by reviews on popular sites and forums, Niv owners manage to install wheels up to a diameter of 35 inches. True, for this you need to use spacers to increase ground clearance and raise the car. And also trim the fender liners and wheel arches.

Maximum wheel size without lifting Niva Chevrolet

Tire marking numbers indicate the following indicators:

• Tire width. The value is indicated in millimeters.
• The height of the tire as a percentage of the width.
• Tire inner diameter.

The maximum total height of a wheel that can be installed without any problems is 31 inches. According to reviews from car owners, the following standard sizes can be installed without lifting:

• Sixteen-inch: 265\75\16 - 31.6", 285\70\16 - 31.7".
• Seventeen-inch: 205\60\17 - 31.4", 265/70/17 - 31.6", 235\85\16 - 31.7".

Winter tires for Chevrolet Niva

What winter wheels can be installed on a Chevrolet Niva? If we talk about wheels, it is a common practice to change tires to steel wheels in winter. They are the cheapest and it is not so bad to kill them in winter, when they are affected by aggressive road reagents.

The best wheels for the Chevrolet Niva for the winter are presented in the table. Please note that the price of wheels for a Chevrolet Niva may vary depending on the season. Prices also differ for different standard sizes - we have listed only a few of them.

Dunlop Grandtrek Ice02

Nokian Tires Nordman 7 SUV

Wheel caps

Car owners often decorate steel wheels with decorative plastic caps.
You can install linings with a radius of 15 or 16 inches on standard Chevrolet Niva wheels. However, you need to take into account that the hubcaps often fall off when driving on rough roads. You can try to save them in a simple way - fasten them to the disk with a plastic tie.

However, this method does not help on serious off-road conditions. Plastic does not withstand heavy loads when driving in deep mud, sand or snow.

All-season tires for Chevrolet Niva

When can you install all-season tires on your car? In two cases. First, your region should have mild winters without much rainfall. Secondly, if you do not have the opportunity to buy separately winter and summer tires.

Sometimes “mud” tires for Chevrolet Niva are also classified as all-season tires. But this is not entirely correct. Yes, such tires are adapted for all-season use, but they are primarily designed for harsh off-road conditions and will not be as effective on asphalt. The selection of such tires is a very individual matter, and they are most often produced by manufacturers specializing in such tires.

See the table for several popular all-season tires.

Maxxis AT-771

Goodyear Wrangler HP

Owner reviews

Vladimir, 42 years old

I discovered the STT Discoverer for the first time this year. Now I’m driving happy, because the tires paddle perfectly even in serious mud. Yes, at high temperatures and long driving on the highway they float a little, but the Niva is not created for this. Besides, I rarely travel like this. Some will say that the price is high. But if you count two sets (summer + winter), then the claim becomes unclear.

Evgeniy, 37 years old

I’ve been driving the Amtelach Nord-Master for three years now. In winter, of course. Very good tires, especially considering their cost. Because for 12 thousand you can put shoes on a car for five years. And even driving on ice is very confident. When fishing, I feel simply irreplaceable - where others give up, my Niva drives very confidently. Yes, there are problems with noise, but in the Chevrolet line this is not the most comfortable model, and it was created for something else. So I'm willing to put up with these disadvantages in favor of the advantages.

Summer tires for Chevrolet Niva

Which summer wheels on Chevrolet Niva do car owners choose? We have shown several options in the table below. But the range is very wide and everyone chooses according to their taste and budget. We also remind you that in summer it is important to monitor the level of tire pressure, which can change depending on the temperature. Excessive or insufficient pressure leads to accelerated tire wear. The choice of the desired pressure level is also influenced by the vehicle load. Don't forget to take this into account and keep an eye on your tire pressure to ensure your tires last longer.

MICHELIN Latitude Cross

Nokian Tires Nordman SX2

Basic rules for choosing tires

To make it easier for consumers to understand the assortment offered today, all tires have markings, after studying which, one can draw a conclusion about the advisability of the purchase.

In addition to the brand name, country of manufacture and tire model, which also largely determine the cost of the product, it is important to pay attention to several aspects.

• Tire size. The height and width of the profile, as well as the diameter of the rim, are indicated on the tire.
• Speed ​​index. Driving style largely depends on it.

Those who like to race should choose a model with a high index.

• Load index. This indicator determines the maximum permissible load on the tire at maximum internal pressure. Exceeding the maximum permissible value may result in damage to the wheels. Therefore, when choosing winter tires for the Chevy Niva, it is recommended to consider models with some reserve in terms of load capacity.
• Wear resistance index. The higher its value, the longer the service life.
• Marking confirming the safety of the tire. The abbreviation DOT indicates that the product has been approved by the US Department of Transportation. The ECE marking confirms compliance with European standards.

Winter tires today are available in two versions: studded and friction. Tires that do not have studs are divided into two types (depending on the tread pattern):

• European. The main purpose of such rubber is maximum grip when driving on wet or snowy roads. For this purpose, the tread is a pattern located diagonally. The pattern is formed from a large number of slots to drain water and dirt. The lugs are located along the edges of the tread.
• Scandinavian. These tires have good grip on icy roads, as well as on snow-covered roads. Unlike the diagonal composition of European protectors, Scandinavian ones have rectangular checkers placed in a checkerboard pattern. If you are choosing which winter tires to put on a Chevy Niva for operation in harsh weather conditions, it is recommended to give preference to this type of pattern.

Studded tires cope well with icy crust, breaking it up. Unlike most friction tires, tires equipped with studs are characterized by increased noise levels when driving.

What tires can be installed instead of the factory ones?

The reasons for installing tires with other sizes may be different, for example, the driver wants to increase the speed of the car, or increase its maneuverability and weight load. It all depends on the conditions in which you will operate the car. An option to replace factory tires in the summer can be 215/75R15 tires, and for a wheel with a diameter of R16 in the winter, 215/65R16.

Usually, after indicating the size, the tire is marked with a load index and a speed index. The speed index is indicated by Latin letters, the load index is indicated by a number. For a Chevrolet Niva, you need to install a tire with the Q index, which means the maximum safe speed on such tires is no more than 160 kg. There is no point in installing a tire with a high speed index, since the car engine simply will not support it.

The load index characterizes how much weight the tire will bear when driving at maximum speed. Under normal conditions, you can install a tire with an index of 95-97, which means 690-730 kg. If the machine is used to transport cargo, then it can be supplied with index 100, this is a load of 800 kg. on rubber.

When selecting a tire, you must strictly adhere to the seat diameter. You cannot put an R16 tire on an R15 rim, or vice versa, an R15 tire on an R16 rim. In the first case, the rubber will simply dangle on the disk, and in the second case, it may burst during installation or while driving.

Answers (2)

Cross-country ability is only affected if the wheels are larger than the standard ones, and they will still be slightly wider than the factory ones. Yes, and the most important thing for cross-country ability is a good mud tread, and not even the width. In some off-road situations, wide tires reduce the pressure on the ground or snow and reduce the chance of digging in.

And of course, wide wheels just look gorgeous on the fields, this is one of the factors why they install just such wheels on the fields.

For high-quality tuning of the Niva, it is advisable to install not only wider and higher wheels than the factory ones, but also to make a certain suspension lift, that is, to raise the car. This will increase the vehicle's ground clearance. Well, wide wheels can also touch the arches when turning, and if you lift the car, then touching can be avoided.