Lada Granta suspension: description, malfunctions and solutions to the problem

Front suspension "Lada Grants"

It has an independent suspension with wishbones and a stabilizer bar. Damping of vibrations is carried out by hydraulic shock absorbers. The main structural element is the stand. It includes a swivel bearing, shock absorber and spring. The latter uses coils of variable diameter. The spring itself is made of a metal rod with a circular cross-section. It can have variable and constant hardness.

The front suspension of the Lada Granta is designed so that the lower part of the strut rests on the steering knuckle. When the wheels turn, the spring and shock absorber rotate with it. The stand itself remains motionless. Thus, the engineers achieved an increase in the service life of the elastic element while maintaining the inlet hole in the shock absorber body.

The pillar support has also been improved. Suspension creaking on the Lada Granta appears much less frequently than on Kalinas and Priors. To reduce roll, the design includes a stabilizer bar. It is made of spring steel. The stabilizer is installed with its ends to the lower suspension arms. Its middle part is fixed to the body.

Possible faults

Malfunctions and breakdowns can occur in any car, especially with regard to the suspension. This is explained by the fact that the suspension endures constant vibration when driving, softens shocks, and takes the entire weight of the car, including passengers and luggage, on itself. Based on this, a Granta in a liftback body is more susceptible to breakdown than a sedan, since the liftback body has a larger luggage compartment designed for greater weight.

The first problem that is most often encountered is the presence of knocking or extraneous noise. In this case, it is necessary to check the shock absorbers, as they need timely replacement and can often fail. Also, the reason may be that the shock absorber mounting bolts are not fully tightened.

If this is not the case, then check the rubber bushings on the suspension support arms. They very often break when they fall into a hole, especially on a liftback body. Also, with a strong impact, not only the bushings can be damaged, but also the struts themselves. Then the repairs will be more serious and expensive.

The final cause of suspension knocking may be a broken spring. It is replaced literally within 5 minutes.

In addition to knocking noises, you need to check the suspension mechanism for leaks. If such traces are found, then this can only indicate one thing - a malfunction of the shock absorbers. If all the fluid leaks out and the shock absorber dries out, then when it hits a hole, the suspension will provide poor resistance, and the vibration from the impact will be very strong. The solution to this problem is quite simple - replace the worn element.

Since the Lada Granta in the liftback body is more subject to overloads, its owners often experience such trouble as: puncture of the rear suspension. This is due to exceeding the permissible weight on the rear axle of the car. With constant use in such conditions, shock absorbers and springs will very quickly become unusable.

failed shock absorbers are not uncommon

The last malfunction that occurs on the Grant is that when braking or accelerating, the car pulls to the side. This indicates that on this side, one or two shock absorbers are worn out and sag somewhat more than the others. Because of this, the body has an overweight.

Rear suspension

Unlike the front, it has undergone virtually no changes. Here, just like on the first Soviet G8s, a semi-independent beam is used. It is attached to the body on hinges (fortunately, there are no “crabs” in the design). A helical spring with constant stiffness is used as an elastic element. To dampen vibrations and prevent swinging, two shock absorbers are used.

The elements come from the factory are oil type. The spring is fixed together with the shock absorber. This greatly simplifies maintenance work, but has a negative impact on handling. Often the rear axle skids when cornering. But despite the archaic design, the owners speak positively about this suspension and highlight a number of advantages:

• High reliability. The design does not have additional levers, which, in addition, can bend when falling into a large hole.
• Energy intensity. The Lada Granta absorbs all bumps perfectly, especially if oil shock absorbers are installed at the rear.
• Cheap maintenance. Due to its simple design, this pendant can be rebuilt even with your own hands. And the cost of new rubber-metal elements is unlikely to empty the pockets of even the most stingy car owner.

The main difference between the “Grant” suspension is the wheel alignment angles.

They have a positive camber of about 0.1°). On Priora, for example, this figure is -1 degree. Next, we will consider the main malfunctions of the chassis on the Lada Grant.

Basic faults

To recognize faults in the chassis of the Lada Granta, it is not necessary to seek help from specialists. Problems can be easily identified on your own. The main suspension faults are presented in the table:

Most of the problems described can be easily diagnosed without the need to visit specialized service stations. You can do the repairs yourself, but after all the manipulations you definitely need to do a wheel alignment.

Shock absorber

This element is a damping device. The shock absorber serves to reduce the range of vibrations of the car body. In other words, the element prevents spontaneous rocking. The work of the shock absorber is based on hydraulic resistance. Inside it there is a liquid of a certain viscosity. It moves through a special valve. Thus, the device absorbs sharp impacts while preserving vulnerable suspension parts. Therefore, the shock absorber is one of the most important components in the chassis. On our roads, this element lasts about 60-80 thousand kilometers. But this period may be shorter, even with careful driving. It is enough just to damage the protective boot, and all the dirt will accumulate in the rod seal.

The rear shock absorbers suffer the most wear because they have much longer stroke. When driving quickly through potholes, the hydraulic fluid may simply boil. This is one of the reasons why a shock absorber fails. But most often it leaks - the valve loses its tightness due to a strong breakdown or impact. As a result, the outer side of the cylinder becomes coated with an oily liquid. How to determine that this element has failed? It’s very simple - you will hear a characteristic knock in the suspension of the Lada Granta. Moreover, it is clearly visible in the cabin. From the outside, you can hardly hear a broken shock absorber. This knock is so strong that even good music cannot interrupt it. You will hear a broken shock absorber immediately.

Also note that the damping element changes in pairs. That is, in the event of a breakdown of the rear left shock absorber, the rear right shock absorber also changes. As for the front struts, they are more durable. Often they are replaced already assembled with a spring, since they fail no earlier than after 150-200 thousand kilometers.

Chassis

Brake system

The Granta has brakes: discs at the front and drums at the rear. We could have ended there, since the service life of disc rotors, pads and calipers is not very long, but sufficient, and their price is low. ABS is common, fortunately all trim levels above the “Standard” relied on it, although the “Norma” sedan version may not have it.

The bulk of the complaints concern the rear drum brakes and frankly unsuccessful drum cylinders. The design itself is not bad, although the high efficiency is achieved due to the large diameter of the composite drums with an aluminum body. But they “sag” a little over time, and therefore they are often replaced with all-cast iron ones, which are very heavy, which affects the driving characteristics. True, it is not the housing that fails, but the historical hydraulic cylinder, without limiters, with poor sealing and a short service life. It can leak over runs of up to hundreds of thousands of km, but whatever! – and at 40-50 mileage there are enough cases of leaks. Well, replacement, as you understand, involves a complete overhaul of the mechanism. It's not that expensive to rebuild, but often the rear brakes on cars without ABS are simply disabled. And some owners are trying to improve braking by turning off the rear axle brake force regulator. Numerous videos of Grants skidding when braking are precisely the result of such intervention.

Against the backdrop of problems with the rear brakes, increased noise from the front calipers, weak pins and boots that require constant monitoring are trifles. Fortunately, the consumables cost just a penny: for a hundred rubles you can buy a pack of spare parts in the nearest store. Buying a new caliper of quite decent quality, and even more so - fresh rotors and pads is also not a problem, prices are extremely low with generally good quality. True, fakes and frankly “crooked” copies are very common. At VAZ, alas, they still rivet the consumables “on the knee”.

Rotting tubes and swelling hoses are found mainly on cars in “advanced” years - all these elements serve their five years honestly, but after that it’s up to you to see how it goes.

For those who lack the standard brake system, and there are many of them among Grant owners, literally everything can be redone. Fortunately, there are certified HA kits, and enlarged rotors for the front wheels, and options with notches, perforations, and simply from good brands. Every whim for your money.

The main thing to remember is that all alterations often actually lead to a decrease in the efficiency of the brakes, because the standard ones were not so bad and were still made by engineers, and not by garage “practitioners”.

Suspension

The Granta also has a suspension, and what a charm it is. It is precisely for these suspensions that people in the outback still love VAZ. Here the ground clearance is good, the moves, and the energy consumption are quite decent. Cars in the “Standard” configuration are usually equipped with a basic suspension with classic twin-tube shock absorbers, while the “Norma” and “Lux” have gas-filled ones. Both the springs and the stabilizer are different. In any case, the brand is SAAZ, the markings of the first suspension elements, shock absorbers and springs start at 2190, and the second - from 21980.

In theory, the second option should handle better, but in fact both are designed more for confident driving on very bad roads and comfort. If you need controllability, then there are modification kits. Moreover, the scale is impressive; you can even buy a front subframe with wishbones. Thanks to the “factory tuning” in the person of Granta Sport with its sports tubular arms on the subframe and Demfi struts, which set a good standard for the quality of suspension tuning.

As in the case of brakes, in practice it is not so easy to obtain excellent handling by installing any tuning elements; many modifications lead to its deterioration. But installing upper and lower braces and stiffer crabs usually gives the maximum result for a car without special preparation of the body and rear suspension.

The peculiarity of the Granta suspension is that its front MacPherson strut is very archaic in design. There is no subframe, the rack is located high on the engine shield, and a scheme is used with the main support arm and a stretcher arm attached to a forward bracket (the so-called “crab”).

The main advantage of such a suspension is comfort and low quality requirements for rubber products in its composition. The disadvantages are the high compliance of literally all attachment points of the levers relative to the engine shield and rack and, as a consequence, the difficulty in adjusting the handling and its dependence on the design solutions of the body.

At Grant, the designers already understood the basic principles that gave the 2108 sharp steering, and the 2110, on the contrary, jelly steering, so that even the basic cars had taxiing and comfort characteristics that were quite acceptable at the beginning of the 2000s. But with an emphasis on comfort, of course.

In addition to constructive ones, there are other disadvantages. Thus, high bending moments acting on the strut support cup are not supported by the strength of the body, and as a result, the standard support amplifier and the cup itself bend. And the strut support suffers, although modern Grant ones are made with a large bearing, similar to foreign ones.

The high variable load on the front end of the spar does not have the best effect on the durability of its seams, and the strength of the tension brackets is always insufficient; making them stronger means worsening the already poor passive safety of the body. And for confident movement in the style of “more speed - fewer holes”, the strength of the standard one is not enough.

The rear beam is structurally almost ideal, but it has no margin of safety at all. Soviet weight discipline is still noticeable. As a result, its properties as a torsion bar for anti-roll bar are not very pronounced. And she really needs a separate stabilizer to help.

Okay, enough theory. In a large city like Moscow or St. Petersburg, the resource of the Grant suspension is limited mainly by the aging of rubber elements due to chemistry and has little to do with loads, unless we are talking about minor accidents and impacts on curbs. It confidently withstands its four to five years and a hundred to one and a half thousand kilometers, gradually losing the characteristics of the shock absorbers, especially quickly - the rear ones, which do not like loads. At the same time, the front support amplifier is bent. At high peak loads, the corresponding elements, bracing brackets, supports, and, less often, the transverse arms of the front suspension are usually given out.

To make a tragedy out of suspension repairs on a Grant means to be either a formalist or a very greedy person. Prices for decent spare parts are at the level of a mid-range budget foreign car and even lower.

Of course, you won’t achieve the legendary “Mercedes” suspension mileage, nor comfort, but in general you can get good performance for an inexpensive price. And you don’t need to order anything; completely normal spare parts can be found in any corner of the country. But, as with other spare parts for VAZ, you need to be careful: silent blocks made of raw rubber and brackets made of recycled materials, re-painted used shock absorbers are found on sale alarmingly often.

Steering

The rack here is simple mechanical and well known to at least two generations of mechanics. It lasts 150-200 thousand if you keep the anthers intact and do not abuse off-road driving and flying over uneven terrain.

On cars with an electric power steering there is a shorter one, on cars without an amplifier there is a longer one, but they are structurally similar. The attachment to the engine shield is not very good, but the design is clearly forged in the fire of the old school of engineering. In the sense, it is optimized for minimum production cost, weight and acceptable resource.

The EUR on the Grant is an add-on for the steering column, and it exists in two versions. The domestic gearless one from Avtoelektronika from Kaluga pleases with its steering quality, and the Mando from Korea is simply more reliable due to a better torque sensor, but it can jam at the most inopportune moment. Unfortunately, it is difficult to combine the advantages, and even the latest versions of the Kaluga electric power steering suffer from not very good soldering, including the torque sensor cable, but Mando seemed to be completely abandoned in 2014 after a loud scandal with a jammed steering wheel on cars for journalists. And it’s true: it’s better without power assistance than with a steering wheel that’s tightly jammed.

But in fact, you can find Korean amplifiers on later cars: for example, almost all Granta Sport are equipped with them. By the way, many owners of cars with electric power steering advise lubricating the amplifier gearbox by adding new grease using a grease nipple through the hole of one of the bolts. According to reviews, this significantly improves responsiveness in the near-zero zone.

As for the rest, it is worth noting the regular problems with cardan joints, the short service life of rods and ends (but how elegantly the nuts are locked on the factory versions). And also the low cost of all consumables.

Silent blocks

By 100 thousand, the silent blocks of the cross member and lower arms fail. Signs of a malfunction are a dull knock from the front suspension of the Lada Granta. Motorists recommend replacing these elements with polyurethane ones.

They are characterized by higher strength and good service life. At the factory, rubber silent blocks are installed that do not withstand the impacts of our roads. To replace, we need to press out the old element. First, the bead is cut off from it, and then knocked out using a mandrel or chisel. Pressing is done using a vice. It is important to maintain alignment and not mix up the installation side. For easier pressing, it is recommended to use lubricant.

The silent blocks of the anti-roll bar also fail. These bushings are also replaced with polyurethane ones.

Modernization of suspension systems

1. For front suspension:

2. For the rear suspension, the springs were strengthened and gas-filled shock absorbers were installed. It is worth noting that factory tuning of the suspension is combined with improved sound insulation of the car. With this modification, the car feels quite comfortable on the road up to 150 km/h, while coping well with cornering on almost any road surface.

A detailed analysis of the reliability of the suspension for the Lada Granta liftback is quite difficult to carry out. This is due to the short life of the car. Life tests of the machine are still ahead. However, based on reviews from owners and the results of warranty and service maintenance of these cars, we can characterize the main faults:

• loosening the anti-roll bar fixing bolts;
• failure of hydraulic shock absorbers (after 60-80 thousand km), leakage of shock absorbers;
• wear (increased clearance) of the front wheel bearings, which causes accelerated wear of the silent blocks of the levers;
• loss of spring stiffness (especially for springs with a smaller diameter);
• wear of the ball joints of the front suspension.

• the appearance of squeaks in the place where the shock absorber strut is attached;
• shock absorber failure;
• violation of wheel alignment angles, including due to violation of the adjustment of the clearance of the hub bearings or their destruction;
• Damage to the shock absorber protective covers.

This approach can easily be justified by the increased costs of deferred repairs. Worn bearings will place increased load on ball joints, rubber bushings of levers, and cause disruption of the alignment angles of the front wheels. Over time, the tires will begin to wear out faster. A sagging spring will not only lead to possible damage to the bumper on the first high curb. The shock absorber will wear out faster, and the car will lose comfort at high speeds.

Removing the rear suspension shock absorber strut on a Lada Granta car is done to replace a sagging or burst spring, as well as to replace the shock absorber itself or repair it if it is dismountable and you have the appropriate repair kit.

Prepare a standard set of tools and perform the following sequence of actions:

• Inside the car, fold down the back of the rear seat and use a flat screwdriver to pry off the rubber plug of the shock absorber strut cup.

• We remove the rubber plug, then use a socket and a regular open-end wrench to unscrew the nut of the upper fastening of the shock absorber rod to the car body.

• We install stops under the front wheels and hang the rear part of the body, remove the wheel from the side being repaired.
• Unscrew the nut of the bolt securing the lower shock absorber to the rear beam bracket.
• We remove the lower end of the rack from the bracket and remove it along with the spring.

• Remove the spring from the shock absorber along with its rubber spacer. Next, remove the bushing and lower cushion along with the boot from the rod. All rubber elements must be replaced if the rubber has lost its elasticity, is severely cracked, or has other defects. Don't forget to remove the rubber compression buffer from the boot.

• Having completed the necessary repairs or replacement of worn elements, we proceed to install the rack. The installation sequence is performed in the reverse order of removal. First of all, using insulating tape, fix the rubber spacer on the upper end of the spring.
• We put the spring on the strut so that its end fits neatly into the corresponding groove of the shock absorber support cup.
• When installing, make sure that the lower end of the spring faces the wheel.

At this point, the repair work on removing and installing the rear suspension shock absorber strut on the VAZ 2190 has been completed.

The rear suspension of the car is semi-independent, made on an elastic beam with trailing arms, coil springs and double-acting telescopic shock absorbers.

The rear suspension beam consists of two longitudinal arms connected by a U-shaped cross member.

This cross-section provides the connector (cross member) with greater bending rigidity and less torsional rigidity.

The connector allows the levers to move relative to each other within small limits. The levers are made of pipes of variable cross-section, which gives them the necessary rigidity

Brackets for attaching the shock absorber, rear brake shield and wheel hub axle are welded to the rear end of each lever.

At the front, the beam arms are bolted to removable brackets for the body side members.

The mobility of the levers is ensured by rubber-metal hinges (silent blocks) pressed into the front ends of the levers.

The lower shock absorber eye is attached to the beam arm bracket. The shock absorber is attached to the body by a rod with a nut.

The elasticity of the upper and lower connections of the shock absorber is provided by rod cushions and a rubber-metal bushing pressed into the eye.

The shock absorber rod is covered with a corrugated casing that protects it from dirt and moisture. In the event of suspension breakdowns, the stroke of the shock absorber rod is limited by a compression stroke buffer made of elastic plastic.

The suspension spring with its lower coil rests on the support cup (a stamped steel plate welded to the shock absorber body), and with its upper coil it rests against the body through a rubber gasket.

The rear wheel hub axle is installed on the flange of the beam arm (it is secured with four bolts).

The hub with a double-row roller bearing pressed into it is held on the axle by a special nut. The nut has an annular collar that securely locks the nut by jamming it into the groove of the axle.

The hub bearing is a closed type and does not require adjustment or lubrication during vehicle operation.

Rear suspension springs are divided into two classes: A

- more rigid,
B
- less rigid.

A springs

are marked with brown paint, class
B
- blue.

Springs of the same class must be installed on the right and left sides of the car.

Springs of the same class are installed in the front and rear suspension. B springs may be installed

in the rear suspension if class
A
.

A springs

It is not allowed on the rear suspension if class
B
.

Checking the suspension condition

You can evaluate the technical condition of the suspension while the car is moving. When driving at low speed on an uneven road, the suspension should work without knocks, squeaks and other extraneous sounds.

After driving over an obstacle, the car should not sway.

It is better to combine checking the suspension with checking the condition of the tires and wheel bearings.

One-sided tire tread wear indicates deformation of the rear suspension beam.

Execution Sequence

1. We prepare the car for work.

It is better to check the performance of shock absorbers after a long trip, until the working fluid in the shock absorbers has cooled down.

2. Vigorously swing the rear part of the car body in a vertical direction.

If, due to inertia, the body continues to oscillate (more than two: up and down) after it has stopped swaying, it means that one or both shock absorbers are faulty.

To identify a faulty shock absorber, we repeat the test, applying force first on one side of the car and then on the other.

This check can only identify faulty shock absorbers.

The effectiveness of vibration damping by shock absorbers can only be checked on a special stand.

3. Inspect the suspension shock absorbers - fluid leakage from the shock absorbers is not allowed.

Shock absorbers should be replaced as a pair, even if the second shock absorber on the rear suspension is working.

4. Visually check the condition of the rubber-metal hinges for fastening the shock absorbers 1 and the arms of the rear axle beam 2.

We replace hinges with one-sided bulging of rubber, tears and cracks.

5. Check the tightness of the nuts securing the suspension parts and tighten them if necessary.

6. Inspect the suspension parts. Deformation and fatigue cracks in suspension parts are not allowed.

We replace damaged parts.

Replace springs, like shock absorbers, in pairs.

It is more convenient to remove the rear beam of the Lada Granta on a lift. If it is not possible to place the car on a lift, carefully raise the rear of the car by placing a jack under the beam. Then install supports under the jack sockets on the car body. As a result, the rear of the car must be suspended. Before you hang the rear, remove the wheels. Without wheels, it will be more convenient for you and your assistants to operate the beam. Loosen and tighten wheel bolts only with the vehicle on the ground. The tightening torque of the bolts is 65–95 N m (6.5–9.5 kgf m).

First of all, we wanted to once again show the structure of the rear beam, which will allow you to evaluate where and how the beam is attached to the body and to other suspension elements.

First of all, when removing the beam, it is necessary to disconnect it from the rear shock absorbers (9) and brackets (2), which are attached to the body.

Cause of malfunction

The main cause of element malfunction is a violation of the boot seal. Once it starts to crack, dirt and dust will get inside. They act on the ball like an abrasive. As a result, play appears and the support begins to break on its own. Is it possible to repair it? The Lada Granta suspension is designed in such a way that the ball joints cannot be restored and must be replaced entirely with new ones.

These elements are replaced as a set. The price of two balls is about 700 rubles. The service station will charge about 600 for installation. Although you can replace them yourself. All you need: a jack, a pit, a set of sockets and a special sprocket wrench. But please note that the bolts in this place may become sour. When replacing, there is a high risk of licking off the edges of the sprocket. Unscrew all bolts very carefully - do not press too hard. The service life of original ball joints is about 40 thousand kilometers.

Wheel bearing

This element serves for uniform rotation of the car wheels. There are 4 such bearings on the Grant. On average, their resource is 100 thousand kilometers. What are the signs of a problem? The main symptom is a characteristic hum when moving. It may get worse as the car turns. The hum can occur on either side of the car, depending on which bearing has fallen apart. The entire assembly is replaced with a new one, and it doesn’t matter whether the Lada Granta’s rear suspension or the front one. It is pressed out using a puller with special paws. Pressing takes place in a vice. It is important to maintain alignment when pressing. If a bearing is installed crookedly, it will be subjected to high loads and may fall apart after just a thousand kilometers.

The main enemy of a bearing is moisture. Therefore, during installation it is so important to ensure the element is sealed. Some manufacturers cover it with a special cap (it is put on the fastening nut), which will prevent salt, water and other reagents from getting inside. But as soon as dust penetrates the bearing, the latter begins to operate outside of its temperature range. As a result, the lubricant is washed away, and the dirt acts as an abrasive. Untimely replacement of this element can provoke a sudden wheel wedge, which is fraught with consequences.

To take or not to take?

As you can see, purely structurally, the Granta is an excellent car. Durable, simple, as cheap as possible. The disadvantages have already been mentioned above: poor quality of parts, assembly flaws and poor service culture. In 2022, the chances of finding a well-maintained Grant are very high, and maintaining it in decent condition for many years is not at all burdensome. Of the configurations, oddly enough, all other things being equal, cars with automatic transmissions are more reliable, especially those with hydromechanics. The unit may be more complex, but it is significantly stronger than the VAZ mechanics, designed for the 70-horsepower engines of the old Samaras. So, if the spartan situation and the prospect of solving many cheap but annoying problems don’t bother you, a used Grant is an excellent option for an anti-crisis car.

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