The Chevrolet Niva is currently considered the most popular passenger SUV in the budget price category. This model is widely used in rural areas, as well as in “city-off-road-city” transit, showing high cross-country ability.
Nevertheless, the stock configuration of the Niva is not enough for many drivers to use comfortably - fortunately, the model is easy to tune.
Functional tuning - increasing the practicality of the car
As a rule, first of all, Chevrolet Niva owners begin upgrading their car with small parts that increase the practicality and functionality of the vehicle. After purchasing a Niva, it will not be superfluous to:
- Install body protection for off-road use - installing reinforced bumpers, installing power unit protection, as well as a guardrail can increase the strength of the car and reduce the risk of unpleasant grinding on the off-road. A set of bumpers with a reinforcing beam for the rear and front of the car will cost around 30-35,000 rubles, crankcase protection will require another 5-6,000, a steel guard - from 8,000;
- Replace the standard seats - the factory seats are quite comfortable, but driving the car off-road will quickly remove the elasticity of the padding. Standard seats quickly become loose, making them uncomfortable to use. A set of front pair of seats for a Chevrolet Niva will cost around 15,000 rubles, a set with a rear sofa will cost from 23,000. Also, after replacing the seats, it will not be amiss to install protective covers - the cost of a complete set will require another 5,000 rubles;
- Make sound insulation - if you want to travel into nature comfortably, you will have to improve the standard sound insulation of the car. It is imperative to increase the noise level in the engine compartment and lay a layer in the luggage compartment - in most cases, the manufacturer does not install vibration and noise absorbers in these places. Complete sound insulation of a vehicle will cost the owner from 15,000 to 25,000 rubles, depending on the quality of the materials used;
- Installing additional equipment - a winch, a tool box, an additional set of fog lights or spotlights - will greatly simplify life off-road. The average price of winches mounted in a car body is 8-10,000 rubles, a pair of powerful foglights or spotlights starts from 5,000 rubles and above, a box with a shovel, crowbar and ax will cost no more than 3-4,000.
It would also be a good idea to replace the head unit in the cabin with a multimedia complex with a navigation system, which, coupled with improved sound insulation, will improve the sound quality in the car. On the Russian market, a PG with navigation and a nice-quality screen starts at 4,000 rubles.
Note! A separate branch of tuning is the installation of larger tires. In most cases, wheels with a radius of up to 22 inches are installed on a Chevrolet Niva without modifications to the suspension - just install wheel arch extensions and choose the right wheels.
The total cost of converting a car to larger diameter tires will cost from 20 to 50,000 rubles turnkey. The difference in cost lies in the type and quality of off-road tires, as well as wheel materials.
Upgrading the suspension to match the new transmission
After tuning the transmission due to inertia, it is necessary to modify the suspension. Experienced Niva owners, even without changing the basic characteristics of the car, often replace standard suspension parts with more reliable ones that are resistant to operational loads. The practice of replacing rubber bushings with polyurethane ones is quite common and should be taken into account by each Chevy Niva owner.
Polyurethane silent blocks, couplings, seals, limiters and similar suspension elements last several times longer than conventional rubber ones. They are also not sensitive to temperatures and petroleum products, and work well in rupture and compression.
Installing double shock absorbers, contrary to the assurances of skeptics, will not make the suspension inert. Double shock absorbers will increase the car’s ability to withstand dynamic vehicle loads and make it possible to drive the car off-road at high speed.
On numerous forums that are dedicated to tuning the Chevy Niva, the issue of choosing the type of shock absorbers that is optimal for installation on an SUV with a short wheelbase is very often discussed. Fans of radical changes stick to gas-filled shock absorbers.
Niva operating experience shows that shock absorbers pay off only if they participate in cross-country racing. During normal operation, high-quality oil shock absorbers or conventional gas-oil shock absorbers from reputable manufacturers have proven themselves to be the best.
Technical tuning: how to increase car power?
The Chevrolet Niva is produced on the basis of a 1.7-liter naturally aspirated engine with a power potential of 80 horsepower. The power of this engine is not enough for comfortable off-road driving in all-wheel drive, but the design of the power unit itself has problems with any type of tuning.
The optimal solution in this case is to swap the engine with any suitable engine for crossovers made in China or Japan. The average cost of a contract engine for a Niva from a foreign car will cost no more than 50,000 rubles; installation and adjustment of transfer cases and gearboxes will take no more than 30,000, together with the necessary components.
This is interesting! An additional bonus when swapping the engine and strengthening the gearbox is the possibility of turbocharging the car, which will increase the power of the contract engine by another 25-30%.
Is it worth doing the repairs yourself?
Any repair requires not only experience, plumbing skills and a standard set of tools. Most operations are performed on an inspection pit or overpass.
To replace ball joints and silent blocks, pullers are required, and checking and adjusting the alignment angles of the front wheels is carried out only on special stands.
Repairing a car yourself is worth it only if you have the necessary equipment and tools. It is often cheaper to go to a service station than to buy pullers or keys for a one-time job.
Suspension repair is a serious process on which your safety on the road depends. If you are not confident in your abilities or do not have the necessary tools, it is better to turn to professionals.
What's the bottom line: why modernize the Chevrolet Niva?
Installing a more powerful engine will have a positive effect on the dynamics and cross-country ability of the car. An engine swap with a power of about 150 horsepower, driven to all-wheel drive, as well as the installation of large tires with powerful lugs, allows the Niva to be maximally prepared for off-road use. In its price segment, the pumped-up Chevrolet Niva has no competitors!
The Chevrolet Niva is a fairly popular crossover in Russia. One of its main disadvantages is called a too weak power unit. Therefore, today we will talk about the possibilities of tuning the Niva Chevrolet engine.
First you need to remove the engine of this car and disassemble it. The next step is to replace the piston rings and crankshaft. This solution allows you to increase the engine displacement to 1.8 liters.
After such tuning of the Niva Chevrolet engine, you will also have to install a new throttle body and injectors. Experts also advise installing larger diameter intake pipes and installing a flame arrester instead of a catalyst. Finally, it is necessary to replace the electronic control unit. With the help of such actions, you can achieve an increase in the performance of the Chevrolet Niva engine.
Changing wheels
Off-road tuning begins with changing the wheels. It is traditionally believed that the larger the wheels on a car, the better its cross-country ability. This is true, but sometimes replacing wheels with larger ones means enlarging the arches.
In order not to “damage” the arches, you need to know the appropriate sizes of off-road wheels that can be used painlessly for a car, for example, 215/75/R15 brands Forward, Safari, Goodrich and 205/80/R16: Kumho, Gordiant.
By installing wheels of this size, you will immediately notice the difference between the regular version of the car and the off-road version.
If you think that these changes will not be enough for you and you want even larger wheels, then cutting the arches is guaranteed for you. But you should know that in some cases you can simply bend the arches outward. This method looks better aesthetically.
Important! In any case, having enlarged the wheels, you will need to lift the car, or, more simply put, increase the ground clearance to the required off-road size.
Tuning the Niva Chevrolet engine by adjusting its geometry
One of the ways to modify the Chevrolet Niva engine is to change the geometry of the power unit, as well as change the cylinder head. Performing such procedures will result in the cylinders being filled with a large amount of combustible mixture.
First you will have to increase the size of the valve, the pusher well, as well as the exhaust and inlet channels. After this, you need to cut out the old valve seats and increase the diameter of the well intended for the pusher. For the camshaft, we select solid pushers whose diameter exceeds 1 mm.
After this, you need to make other valve seats. Before tuning the Niva Chevrolet engine in this way, you need to find out the dimensions of the corresponding holes. Then we place the seats in nitrogen, and send the cylinder head to the oven. Then the cylinder head seats are installed.
At the end, the cylinder head is assembled, and be sure to make sure the valves are tight. Using this method, you can increase the power of a Chevrolet Niva engine by about 10 percent, which is already good.
Application of a turbine on a Chevrolet Niva engine
This type of modernization of the Chevrolet Niva engine helps to achieve a 30 percent increase in its power. The cost of a turbine for a Chevrolet Niva reaches approximately 67 thousand rubles. This amount already includes the cost of performing all work.
The use of turbocharging provides an increase in engine torque at low speeds, as well as at medium speeds. Installing a turbine increases torque, power and has a positive effect on engine efficiency.
Some experts advise tuning the Niva Chevrolet engine using a GARRETT GT17 turbine. Installing such a turbocharger leads to a significant improvement in the torque flow parameters of the power unit.
The Chevrolet Niva turbocharged engine demonstrated the following results:
- torque increased to 170 Nm (standard – 120 Nm);
- power increased to 105 “horses” (in the base – 80 forces).
Thus, the modified Chevrolet Niva engine provides much better dynamic performance of the car. Thanks to such improvements, car owners are able to use larger rims and feel more confident off the asphalt surface.
As you can see, there are different methods for tuning the Niva Chevrolet engine. Their choice depends on the allocated budget, as well as the required results.
We also recommend that you pay attention to the article about the features of the Chevrolet Niva with a diesel engine.
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There are many points of view about our Russian automobile industry, and most often negative. But despite everything, our compatriots, despite any “jambs” of the domestic automaker, continue to drive VAZs, UAZs and all other masterpieces of their native automotive industry. When buying a domestic car, we often hear: “It would be better to take an old foreign car”! Or: “What the hell to pay so much money for a “basin with eyes”! It’s not worth it!”
Signs of trouble
Chevrolet Niva suspension parts are designed for different service life.
The levers, beam and anti-roll bar do not need to be changed even after 100-200 thousand kilometers.
Also interesting: Tuning a Niva 4x4 with your own hands: updating the interior of the Lada VAZ-2121
But rubber-metal hinges, boots and bushings gradually lose their properties even while parked.
VAZ-2123 owners have to deal with the following malfunctions:
- Wear of silent blocks, ball joints.
- Damage or cracking of anthers.
- Reduced performance of shock absorbers.
- Breakage of jet rods.
In addition to replacing faulty parts, it is necessary to regularly check and adjust the angles of the front wheels.
Otherwise, the car's handling deteriorates, and the tires begin to wear out rapidly. Wheel alignment is checked every 10-15 thousand kilometers and after very strong impacts when falling into road potholes.
Some problems can be identified by hearing while driving. Worn ball joints or silent blocks, faulty shock absorbers or broken rods knock, squeak or ring when driving on uneven roads.
In addition to extraneous sounds, suspension malfunctions manifest themselves as follows:
- Rocking or jumping of the body when driving over uneven surfaces.
- Pulling the car to the side.
- Increased braking distance.
- Deterioration in controllability.
- Accelerated or uneven tire wear.
Chevy Niva tuning. Start
The most unusual thing in this situation is this: a person who has purchased a foreign car simply drives it every day... at first he enjoys it and then gets used to his “horse” and doesn’t care anymore. But the lion's share of car enthusiasts from our country buy domestically produced cars for the sake of, so to speak, sporting interest. These are maniacs in the good sense of the word, they love to get under the hood or under the bottom and smoke something there in their own way... And the craving for thrills among many car enthusiasts is so great that it simply leaves no options in choosing another car. And the low price, of course, matters. The expanses of our country do not shine with roads, and what scope opens up for creativity and alterations in domestic models, it’s just a joy and that’s all.
Well, we're done with the lyrics, let's move on to specifics.
Here are the most common modifications carried out by owners in the process of tuning a Chevy Niva:
- installation of an alarm system with auto start;
- electric windows with interface;
- music;
- additional noise and vibration insulation of the car.
Often, home-grown car creators customize their Nivas by installing body kits on them.
Practice shows that boring the cylinders and replacing them with pistons of larger diameter makes it possible to increase the engine displacement from 1700 cm3 to 1900 cm3. Power increases significantly.
Pistons are either cast or forged. When choosing pistons, you need to take the balancing of parts especially seriously. Replacing pistons for a Chevy Niva is, first and foremost, optimizing combustion chamber ventilation. It is necessary to bore the seats and install valves of larger diameter. The use of T-shaped valves provides a noticeable effect without experimental boring.
Detailed processing of the valve locking surface ensures high-quality sealing of the cylinder. Reducing the mass of the plate during Chevrolet Niva tuning helps stabilize the valve temperature. The T-shaped valve does not burn out, and due to its unique shape it works with greater efficiency.
Transmission modification
Most often, transmission tuning involves some measures to reduce vibrations that occur in the front gearbox and are transmitted to the entire car body. Attempts to install self-locking gearboxes are also no less common. But if measures to reduce vibration are clearly necessary for the car and passengers, then all kinds of differentials with a high coefficient of friction and ball “self-blocks” will significantly complicate the use of the car.
Difficulties when using this kind of units, as a rule, rest on the not very high resistance of structural materials. Barely surmountable design flaws of modern devices prevent their effective use. Many Chevrolet Niv owners note the negative results of such DIY modifications. In some cases, repairs are required altogether.
It’s not for nothing that reviews from fans of this kind of modifications recommend putting the factory rear axle gearbox in the trunk and always carrying it with you, i.e. one day it will definitely be needed. But Chevy Niva tuning is very often narrowly focused and is carried out with the goal of improving the road properties of the car. The installation of wheel gears is quite reasonable here.
It should be noted that wheel gearboxes make it possible to equip a car with special softer tires, which will make it possible to move through swampy areas or deep snow. A slightly raised body, large-diameter wheels, high cross-country ability and an aggressive appearance are the result of installing the following final drives:
Chevrolet Niva interior tuning
The car interior is practically an apartment. Just like at home, the driver should feel comfortable and pleasant inside his own car.
The atmosphere inside the salon should provide aesthetic pleasure and please the eye. The designers of the Niva Chevrolet did not bother much about the design, but this also has an advantage for car enthusiasts. They can confidently realize any of their fantasies.
For example, you can add chrome trim to the gear knob and door handles. They will add style. You can also make your own covers from the most unexpected fabrics with the most original images. Chevy Niva is a more masculine car than a feminine one, so it is well suited for military, hunting, and biker attributes.
Music in the interior of the Niva Chevrolet
Music on the road is a certain form of life drive. The installation of an acoustic system must be approached responsibly and creatively. We need to install the most modern radio with high-quality sound in the Chevy Niva. Experts recommend paying attention to systems with built-in navigation. A cool fashionable subwoofer and fashionable speakers will decorate the interior and make the sound of the radio more perfect and pleasant.
Tuning a Chevrolet Niva basically involves, first of all, engine tuning.
Tuning the Niva Chevrolet engine has several options. First you need to dismantle and completely disassemble the engine and replace the crankshaft and piston rings. After which the engine volume will increase to 1.8 liters. The factory Niva engine, which has been chipped, greatly improves and improves its capabilities. The modified engine increases the volume of the combustion chamber and reduces the weight of the crankshaft and connecting rods.
After this alteration of the cylinder head, you need to change the injectors and throttle assembly, and then increase the diameter of the exhaust pipes and replace the catalyst with a flame arrester. At the end of the upgrade, you can replace the control unit. Such manipulations help increase the power of the Chevy Niva engine. Serious reworking of the Chevrolet Niva engine improves the quality of the cylinder head and improves its geometry. A chic option for upgrading the Niva Chevrolet engine is the cylinder heads and modernization of the engine geometry. After such transformations, the filling of the cylinders with the combustible mixture will improve.
By the way, the Chevy Niva has been seriously modified at an industrial level. And in this improvement of the car, folk tuning played a significant role. Over several years of modifications, the car's suspension was modernized, this reduced noise when driving, the safety and reliability of this unit was increased, the glass cleaning system was changed, and the seat belts were changed. A new jack was added to the car kit. I would like to believe that until the release of the new version of the Chevrolet Niva, specialists will not stop there and will not stop adding further improvements to the car. Well, home-grown tuning specialists will continue their creative activities in this direction.
The Chevrolet Niva is quite popular, which is explained by its reliability, excellent cross-country ability and ease of maintenance. However, not every car owner is satisfied with the appearance and technical parameters of this vehicle as standard. Therefore, many car enthusiasts prefer to tune the Chevrolet Niva.
Tuning Chevrolet Niva
Any shortcomings of the Chevrolet Niva can be easily compensated for by tuning capabilities. Absolutely all car models can be modified according to the owner's ideas.
External tuning of a Niva usually involves installing a body kit that improves the car’s aerodynamics, aesthetic appearance and comfort. As a rule, the body kit includes running boards, sills, ladders, roof rails, kangurins, spoilers, and so on. You can install entire sets of tuning body kits, for example, “Street Rally”, “Niagara” and others.
Technical tuning
Technical tuning of the Chevrolet Niva improves the car's driving performance and transmission performance. It is carried out with the aim of increasing the Niva’s cross-country ability in off-road conditions, as well as in difficult natural conditions. Currently, there are a number of improvements, there are solutions that can satisfy any need.
Tuning a Chevrolet Niva in urban conditions means a smooth ride, absence of vibrations, light steering, on-board computer, comfortable seats, and so on.
Chevrolet Niva engine tuning
Many car enthusiasts tend to install body kits first, but they should start with internal tuning, namely the engine compartment. By replacing the factory camshafts and pistons, modifying the cylinder head in terms of improving the valve system and gas distribution mechanism, installing high-flow output systems and lightweight balanced flywheels, you can achieve a significant increase in the torque and power of the Nivov engine.
It wouldn’t hurt to install a lightweight flywheel to make starting and spinning the engine much easier. You can replace the standard shock absorbers.
To improve the performance of the Chevrolet Niva engine, it is best to carry out chip tuning. Serial Niva engines, which have been chipped, demonstrate truly superior performance to all generally accepted standards. The engine, in the design of which quite serious changes were made, as a result of which the volume of its combustion chamber increased, the mass of the crankshaft and connecting rods decreased, a tuning camshaft and a split gear timing drive appeared, needs even more improvements to the program that controls it.
Installing kengurin on Chevrolet Niva
Many tuned Chevrolet Nivas are equipped with kangurin, despite the fact that automakers do not recommend making such changes to the design of this car.
Kengurin will not only make the car more solid, but will also help in case of an emergency, however, in a collision with a pedestrian, it poses an increased danger to the latter. The kengurin is installed either on four studs welded to the bottom of the car on the bumper amplifier, or in two holes for attaching the standard protection to the amplifier. Extended bolts are usually sold complete with kangurin.
Rear bumper protection
On a Chevrolet Niva, it is advisable to install rear bumper protection corners, which are secured with two bolts to the reinforcement in the rear bumper.
Chevrolet Niva interior tuning
You can’t ignore the interior of the Chevrolet Niva, because it will constantly surround the driver. There is no limit to the car enthusiast's imagination - it could be a leather interior with heated seats, a car computer, original neon lighting, a stereo system with a subwoofer and other accessories that are fashionable today, which are available in any tuning parts store. As a result of all the upgrades, you will receive a completely exclusive interior that will fully correspond to your individual preferences.
The effect of the work done is especially noticeable if you compare the photo of the standard interior and the photo of the tuning of the Chevrolet Niva.
Tuning the Niva Chevrolet engine can be done in several ways. First, let's consider the option of completely changing the engine, as well as the intake and exhaust.
The first step is to remove and disassemble the Chevrolet Niva engine, then change the crankshaft and piston rings. After which the engine volume will increase to 1.8 liters.
After such modification of the cylinder head, it is necessary to change the injectors and throttle assembly. Next, you need to increase the diameter of the exhaust pipes and replace the catalyst with a flame arrester. After all of the above, you can replace the control unit. All these actions help increase the power of the Chevrolet Niva engine.
Tuning the Niva Chevrolet engine by improving the cylinder head and engine geometry An excellent option for tuning the Niva Chevrolet engine is changing the cylinder head (cylinder head) and correcting the engine geometry. After such transformations, the filling of the cylinders with the combustible mixture will improve.
First, you need to increase the diameter of the pusher well, valve, as well as the inlet and outlet channels. Then the old valve seats are boldly cut out, and the diameters of the well for the pusher are increased. The camshaft requires solid pushers with a diameter greater than 1 mm.
Then we need to make new valve seats. But first you need to measure the holes for the saddles. Then these seats are placed in nitrogen, the cylinder heads are placed in an oven, and the cylinder head seats are installed in place.
Next, you need to assemble the cylinder head and check that the valves are tight. This simple procedure will increase the power of the Chevrolet Niva engine by 10%.
Peculiarities
In addition, perform the following actions:
- The exhaust pipe is placed on the roof, which avoids exhaust gases from entering the cabin if the car gets stuck on a water obstacle. This placement of the outlet element complements the external modernization, making it more impressive.
- Installation of branch cutters (trophy cutters). These elements prevent sudden impacts of branches on the windshield and help navigate through wooded areas. The structure consists of steel cables stretched from the corners of the hood to the roof. They are purchased at specialized retail outlets or made with your own hands.
- They install lattice protection for the light elements, protecting the optics from mechanical stress.
