Lada Vesta is a car with the ability to do software chip tuning. Both gas equipment and turbocharging elements easily fit into the engine compartment of the Lada; this is another modernization. The model appeared recently, and there are already firmware options for the Lada Vesta. Chip tuning is an intervention in the electronic control unit of the car, reflashing the program, changing the specified factory characteristics, because sedan owners are often not satisfied with them.
Correct chip tuning is rebuilding the internal combustion engine of the Lada Vesta to new parameters, and not banal ECU firmware. To advance the ignition angle, you need to install the appropriate camshaft. To work with greater power, a reinforced cylinder-piston group is required. If we are dealing with an increase in horsepower, then we need a massive and fast air supply - we cannot do without improving the intake and exhaust systems.
- Why is chip tuning possible for Lada Vesta?
- ECU firmware process
- What do chip tuners promise?
- Increasing engine power characteristics
- Optimizing motor performance
- Reduced fuel consumption
- Vesta gas pedal sharpness
- Disadvantages of Vesta chip tuning
- Is Vesta's engine life decreasing?
- You may lose your factory warranty
- Famous firmware
- Firmware improvements by AvtoVAZ
Why is chip tuning possible for Lada Vesta?
Vesta is available in two versions: with a 1.6 (106 horsepower) and 1.8 (122 horsepower) engine. Both power units are quite powerful, their preset factory torque parameters are “averaged,” and chip tuning optimizes engine performance. VAZ makes engines with a small volume, because people do not want to pay a large transport tax. People want an "average", practical car. Squeezing maximum power from the engine is not the prerogative of AvtoVAZ. There are Euro 5 environmental standards that are not compatible with chip tuning. From the factory, the torque is adjusted so that the car drives from the bottom; this is necessary for urban driving. Chip tuning can spread the torque over the entire operating range of the engine.
Specifications
power 21129 (127) – 106 hp. (21126 – 98hp)
Torque 21129 (127) – 150 N.m (21126 – 145 N.m.) at 4000 rpm.
Mixed fuel consumption is 7-10 liters per 100 km. More details about fuel consumption
Recommended fuel – AI 95
Motor weight – 115 kg.
The table above shows the torque and power graph of the 1.6L 21129 engine and its comparison with the 21179 1.8L engine.
What do chip tuners promise?
For a regular Lada naturally aspirated gasoline engine, you should not expect a large increase in power - no more than 10%. A car with a turbocharged engine will have a noticeable increase in horsepower. The operation of the power unit will feel elastic, and the gas pedal will become more receptive to driver signals. With an increase in ignition timing, fuel consumption will decrease.
Increasing engine power characteristics
This is the main direction of tuning the heart of the Lada. It is impossible to increase torque without interfering with the motor design. Or it’s possible to add traction in the low and middle speed range, move, or completely remove the cutoff in the upper range. Chip tuning eliminates failures when turning on the air conditioner, the car accelerates more easily and “thinks” less. Everything about the place feels like an increase in engine power. In fact, it is small, approximately 5% (on expensive and competent firmware - up to 10%). The price for tuning ranges from 2500 rubles to 80 thousand. For this money you will get a complete upgrade of your car. Tuning the Lada Vesta engine depends on the program being filled in and the level of the technician.
Optimizing motor performance
With the factory settings, Vesta is prone to slow acceleration, a “stiff” ride, and one gets the feeling that the car is having a hard time driving. It does not immediately respond to a greater opening of the throttle with the gas pedal; people say: “the gas is dull.” This becomes noticeable after proper chip tuning. Well-written firmware eliminates dips during acceleration, makes the pedal more sensitive, and eliminates jerking during sudden changes in speed. The operation of the internal combustion engine becomes flexible, Vesta drives noticeably easier.
Reduced fuel consumption
The calibration of Vesta engine operating parameters provides for changing the ignition timing to a larger one. An increased ignition timing significantly reduces the consumption of gasoline or other fuel. With the new OZ, less combustible substance is required, however, it burns (oxidizes) longer. This releases more harmful nitrogen and oxygen compounds (oxides) into the atmosphere, resulting from the combustion or explosion of fuel. This does not meet the environmental standards of our country and even more so of the EU countries.
Vesta gas pedal sharpness
Lada owners are unhappy with the responsiveness of the accelerator pedal. By installing chip tuning on a car, the problem is solved. The fact that the electronic gas pedal slows down is not a reason for chip tuning. In principle, the electronic pedal cannot help but brake. That's why it's electronic. The ECU decides whether to go faster or not. By pressing the pedal, a signal is sent to the controller; it has a preset program. He cannot leave the program and opens the throttle valve completely when the engine reaches the required speed. In the case of a mechanical pedal, the valve opens when pressed whenever you want it. To make the gas pedal responsive, an electronic corrector is installed in front of the ECU. The corrector is a “fake” - it gives a signal that the pedal is pressed harder than it actually is, providing the necessary connection between the driver and the accelerator.
Common engine problems
The set of characteristic problems for 21129 has remained unchanged since the days of 21126 from the Lada Priora, of which it is a descendant. Engine tripping may occur: the reason often lies in clogged injectors, faulty ignition coils or spark plugs. Sometimes there are situations with valve burnout.
Another common problem with most 16-valve VAZ units is floating speed. Possible causes of manifestation:
- breakdown of the mass air flow sensor;
- throttle valve contamination;
- failure of the damper position sensor;
- Broken idle speed controller.
Another malfunction is that the engine may not reach operating temperature. The reason often lies in problems with the thermostat, or simply low temperature outside (then the engine needs insulation).
The engine refuses to start: you should check the electrics - coils, battery, spark plugs. The fuel pump or gasoline pressure regulator may fail, or the fuel filter may become clogged.
Knocking and extraneous noises from the engine compartment: hydraulic compensators are worn out, pistons, main and connecting rod bearings may also need to be replaced.
Engine vibration: the idle speed control or the armored wire is faulty; another probable cause is dirty injectors.
Disadvantages of Vesta chip tuning
The Lada Vesta model is young and talk about chip tuning is just starting, however, debates about the pros and cons are already heated. There are plenty of supporters, as well as opponents. Reviews about chip tuning of Lada Vesta are mostly positive. Mostly those who don’t do it speak badly about modernization for a number of reasons. And the reasons are:
Engine life is reduced. Chip tuners also talk about this, although not all of them. The increase in torque affects the transmission elements - the gearbox. The robotic version of Vesta is especially vulnerable. To synchronize the operation of the engine and gearbox, it is recommended to upload a new program to the robot. This is a minus of chip tuning. Warranty service is void. In rare cases, it is possible to hide the fact that a car has been chipped. Cunning car owners, before going to an official dealer, return the original characteristics to the ECU, or have two of them - with old settings and with new ones. There is a big risk of uploading a low-quality program.
Disadvantages of modernization
There are some unpleasant aspects of such work.
- There is an assumption that a chipped internal combustion engine will wear out faster. Some upgrade masters deny resource reductions, others honestly talk about minor losses (about 5%). This, albeit minor, minus may discourage owners from tuning their car.
Important!
The torque upgrade will also affect the transmission, which will have to be adjusted. All this makes the process quite complicated.
- When taking your car for tuning, you can lose the warranty if, when the engine breaks down, it is discovered that it has been upgraded.
- There is some risk of running into unbalanced and low-quality firmware when contacting an unscrupulous technician.
You may lose your factory warranty
If you run into an unqualified Lada chip tuning specialist. The program may install with errors. Sometimes programmers change only one characteristic, for example, fuel delivery. A constantly enriched air-fuel mixture breaks down the catalyst. Excessive thrust significantly reduces the resource of the Lada CPG. And so on.
Unqualified specialists write a program without making changes to the operation of the motor; it remains unchanged. It's not nice to pay for zero results.
Do you want to go to the Kulibins' garages? We strongly do not recommend doing this.
Malfunctions
When the timing belt breaks, the engine, like its brothers in the line, bends the valve.
Preface.. There are rumors, and I can’t call it anything else, that there are supposedly instructions from the factory that the fuel line needs to be changed due to the fact that there are some pulsations in the fuel rail and with a sharp opening of the throttle due to insufficient fuel, a “plug” occurs "or failure in speed. And what happens is supposedly jerking, failures during switching, and the like. My opinion on this is not even an opinion, but the belief that this is all just “Nonsense” with a capital “B”. After the correct approach and recalibration of the system, the dips and jerks practically disappeared and it became quite playful during switching. In general, everything is as it should be.
It is now possible to configure a Vesta with a 21179 engine. That is, a 1.8 engine with a phase shifter. After several hours of analysis and test drives, it became clear why people were not enthusiastic about this innovation.
The car is clearly more dynamic, unlike Vesta with the 21129 engine (1.6l-106l.s). But it is clearly far from perfect in terms of dynamics. During acceleration it is very sluggish, there are twitches and twitches at almost any throttle position, except for “slipper to the floor”. When pressing the pedal high, the damper floats incomprehensibly...
I measured the state of the inlet and outlet using an oscilloscope using a pressure sensor. Unlike factory standards, the maximum acceleration of the HF, that is, the peak torque occurs at 4800-4900 rpm.
The backpressure at the exhaust is noticeably increased, at 5600 rpm, and is already practically backing up. There is clearly something wrong with the exhaust system. Well, what about Euro 5 or 6, you have to choke it)) It was decided to replace the exhaust. After removal, I measured the diameter of the pipes.
Exit from the Catcollector
49-50mm Entrance to corrugation
43-44mm After corrugation
41-42mm and before the resonator After the resonator
37-38mm to the end. In general, it became clear why the oscilloscope showed higher exhaust pressure...
The exhaust pipes were changed to 51 diameter, the resonator and rear tank were from STT performance. The catalyst was left in place. The car clearly “came to life.” At the inlet, the oscilloscope showed large fillings; at the outlet, the pressure clearly dropped. In general, only advantages!
After recalibration, the car is simply unrecognizable. It has become very dynamic. On shifts, all the dips are removed, it picks up the revs and accelerates perfectly. The engine clearly began to “breathe”.
Due to the great complexity of the mathematical model of the calibration system, unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to put everything in place as it should be. There are minor flaws. But the problems are being solved and I hope to solve them in the near future.
In terms of dynamics, there are no complaints at all either from me or from the owner of the car. The maximum speed that I managed to reach in this car was 209 km/h. Approximately 187 km/h until the firmware is installed. But the acceleration time makes a huge difference.
And in the end, there are no problems with the fuel line and there is no need to change it! All cars drove to the village, incl. and on turbines with this line, and here on you. A stuck Euro5 engine needs fuel more than any other... On the net and on some forums, there are a lot of people who have “bought” into this business. All this is not true! There needs to be more fuel there, not more. Here's an example! This is standard firmware, the log was taken before replacing the exhaust.
Many authors of firmware calibrate according to the “January” template, UOS in + and pour fuel on top, without even looking or studying the real state of affairs in the system!
Famous firmware
What firmware for Vesta optimizes engine performance? Well, first of all, the author is known. Such programs have a guarantee; in case of problems with the engine (and they are rare), you contact the manufacturer. Such firmware is tested on cars and engines displayed on stands. The author makes the product competently, otherwise he would not have announced the name. Secondly, the firmware must be developed for the car. Universal for all cars, or does not fit with a similar model. This should be chip tuning for Lada Vesta.
A good program gives a big increase in engine power. Its price differs from “no name” chip tunings. We will offer several options for proven firmware.
When it comes to tuning Vesta, the first thing that comes to mind is Paulus. Chip tuning with this firmware reduces acceleration time and reduces fuel consumption. The changes are aimed at increasing traction in the middle engine speed ranges, changing the ignition timing, fuel supply and others. The advantage of Paulus chip tuning is the ability to disable the lambda probe control sensor. It is important if you are planning to remove the catalyst (to create more power, or simply because it is clogged and a new one costs money). Some owners notice poor detonation and have to increase the octane number of the fuel being poured. After all, the ignition timing has changed, but the air intake system remains the same.
Chip tuning from Ledokol changes the idle speed, the maximum throttle opening value, changes the throttle angle (there is a lot of controversy on this issue, some claim that the angle becomes smaller than the standard one) and fuel supply. The increase in acceleration with the firmware is small; in first gear you can reach 7000 rpm or higher.
Chip tuning from Adakt is good for robotic gearboxes. There is better controllability of the Lada robot in manual mode, smooth and quick switching of speeds. The sensitivity of the accelerator pedal improves, the gaps between second and first speeds disappear, and power increases along with acceleration. Reviews about the reduction in fuel consumption are different. For some it decreases greatly, for others it increases. It has to do with the driving style of the car driver.
The RSW firmware for the Lada Vesta focuses on the car's handling. Gas pedal response and acceleration are noticeably improved. In addition to changing the usual characteristics (as with similar firmware), the stabilization system is weakened, which makes it possible to drive off with a slip. Among amateurs and professionals of chip tuning, there is an opinion that, in fact, the calibration angles remain the same, only the throttle opening phase has been changed.
Reduced fuel consumption
We often hear from service station technicians that an upgrade helps reduce fuel consumption. This is not entirely true.
Each car owner must choose: a significant increase in power or a decrease in fuel consumption. It is impossible to keep up with “two birds with one stone” at the same time.
Inexperienced service specialists insist on the opposite. Inexperienced drivers willingly believe what is said.
Reducing consumption
Firmware improvements by AvtoVAZ
There are no factory versions of software for the Lada Vesta with increased power characteristics. But AvtoVAZ plans to improve it, although only in relation to the AMT Lada.
Testing of the new firmware is already underway on cars with an automated transmission (robot). Perhaps she will appear soon. This is the “creeping mode” firmware. The point is that when you release the gas pedal, the car starts moving at idle speed, like an automatic machine.
There is no final opinion on the benefits and necessity of chip tuning of the Lada Vesta. It is up to the owner of the car to decide whether it is worth installing new software on the car or not. In this article you read how to do it correctly so that there is less disappointment about it.
Problems VAZ 21129
1) Overheating. The problem lies in the thermostat that is failing. In winter, another problem may occur: the engine takes a long time to warm up.
2) When the timing belt breaks, the pistons bend the valves. It is necessary to regularly monitor the condition of the timing belt to avoid breakage.
3) Triple. The injectors are clogged or the spark plugs or ignition coils are faulty.
4) Knocks. Knocks in the engine come from hydraulic compensators.
Tuning
You can read about how to increase power here. If you want to increase the power a little, then you can do chip tuning and install a 4-2-1 exhaust system on a 51 mm pipe.
External styling spoiler, bumper and door sills
Tuning Vesta, in our opinion, begins with visual changes. It is more pleasant to see and feel the changes first than to feel them while actually driving the car. Fortunately, the body kit of the domestic Lada Vesta costs adequate money. We would start refining the interior with yarplast, we are tired of the constantly dirty coating, but here we just wipe it with a rag - it shines. Rear tuning for the Lada Vesta bumper involves installing Xmug, there is the same bumper in front, together they look harmonious. Recently, sedans from VAZ have begun to please with their appearance - Vesta is direct proof. It’s far from ideal, it requires a lot of work on styling and on the engine, but it’s a level higher than what it was before. The appearance of the body is acceptable, I just want to see a trim, sporty look. It will suit the average user, but there is no tuner. We think it is necessary to change the front bumper. It’s too boring and there’s also a rook in the middle.
