How to prepare a Niva and Shevik for off-road use - a brief educational program on work and prices

In what cases is Niva lifting done?

Increasing clearance is a labor-intensive procedure. It requires special skills and tools. Therefore, lifting is usually performed at a service station. However, if you have the skills, you can install the lift kit yourself

In this case, it is necessary to pay attention to the following points:

• Lifting requires an integrated approach. Simultaneously with the increase in ground clearance, it is necessary to change the shock absorbers and thrust rods. Otherwise, the suspension lift will make the car unusable.
• On the right side of the rear of the body there is a gas tank with ventilation pipes. This must be taken into account if, in addition to lifting, you decide to enlarge the wheel arches.
• If there is a significant change in ground clearance, you should install an extended brake hose and adjust the bump stops. You will also have to reconfigure the pressure regulator in the rear brake circuit.

For tuning at home, it is better to use ready-made factory-made lift kits.

Installation of wheels with a large outer radius. In this case, the craftsmen are faced with a limitation - tires that are too large do not fit into the wheel arches. You have to widen them or move the wheel outside the car, installing extended hubs.

Installation of larger springs. This method is more expensive, but allows you to achieve a greater lifting height of the body.

Installation of wheel reducers on the rear axle. These parts allow the hubs to be lowered and increase the distance from the axle to the ground.

Downward displacement of the front beam. To do this, you will have to weld special fasteners onto the side members and install extended arms.

Installation of extended springs and spacers under ball joints. A simple and inexpensive way to greatly increase ground clearance.

After this, we install the ties on the spring, tighten it and unscrew the shock absorber mount. Next, remove the lower and upper ball joints and remove the stabilizer. Release the lever and remove the spring. How is the suspension lift done? The Niva remains stationary for now, and at this time we turn the wheel hub to the side and place it on a stand

It is important not to damage the brake hoses.

The Niva lift can be carried out either independently or in a car repair shop. In special stores you can purchase a kit for Niva, which was produced at the factory. However, it is worth remembering that this is still an intervention in the car. Therefore, you need to carry out this process yourself only if you have knowledge and experience. If you are in doubt, it is best to turn to professionals.

How is the installation carried out?

Conventionally, the installation can be divided into 2 stages: installation of the rear and front suspension. It all starts with a fairly ordinary procedure - removing the wheels and releasing the silent blocks. Now, in order for the Niva-21214 to be securely fastened, a jack should be installed under its ball joint and the car should be raised until the spring is completely compressed. It is not possible to lift the Niva-2121 with your own hands. Only reliable fixation using technology. The next step is installing the ties and unscrewing the fasteners installed on the shock absorber.

All that remains to be done in the future is to unscrew the ball joints and remove the stabilizer. During operation, it is very important not to damage the brake hoses located in the immediate vicinity. Those bolts that are located at the wheel must be replaced with their extended equivalents.

Pre-prepared spacers for springs must be installed with special attention in relation to each other.

A stabilizer is installed on the lower and upper ball joint. Now the front suspension lift can be considered fully improved and ready for work. It remains to do a similar, albeit slightly more complex, lifting for the rear suspension.

For these purposes, you will need another tool - a semi-automatic welding machine. With its help, additional parts will be installed on top of the standard cups, which will definitely have to be welded. Such a lift of the rear suspension can lead to its movement forward, which is strictly unacceptable. To prevent such a development of events, all rods need to be slightly lengthened.

It would be a good idea to lengthen the size of the brake adjuster rocker arm and move the lower cup slightly. Particularly vulnerable at this moment is the driveshaft crosspiece, which is more than easy to touch in the heat of work. And it is the new size of the cups and filigree work that will protect it from premature failure.

The final battle is the attachment of shock absorbers and a mandatory visit to the service station. Now the rear and front springs of the Niva are reinforced. Any, even the most harmless tuning needs vigilant monitoring by a professional. And even more so, an improved Chevy Niva with your own hands.

Niva 2121 rear suspension lift

Increasing the rear suspension clearance by installing additional spacers above the springs (5 cm) entails a number of modifications such as:

• it will be necessary to change the position of the body relative to the suspension in the transverse plane, for which the Panhard rod must also be adjustable (have a cut with an adjustable coupling) or mounted on a special extension from the lifting kit;
• it is advisable to lengthen the short rods (this will eliminate problems with biting the cross);
• jet thrust can also be enhanced. Here you can go in several ways: either increase the strength of the stock one by additionally welding a corner, or you can buy ready-made, double ones (the standard Nivov lift kit does not require such modifications, but these manipulations will significantly increase the reliability of the suspension).

At this point, the preliminary do-it-yourself lifting of the VAZ 2121 approached a certain turning point, a check point. It would seem that everything is standing and working and you can cut through the most unsightly off-road conditions. But, in fact, such a deep intervention in the design of the Niva’s suspension is fraught with many more “surprises” that you should be prepared for. More details in the section below.

Compatibility of springs from Niva and Shniva

The springs on the Chevrolet Niva from the regular Niva VAZ-2123 are not suitable. The reason for this is the differences in length. Let's consider the main technical parameters of these elements.

From the comparison table it is clear that the free length of the parts in question does not correspond, which is the reason for the impossibility of installation, since the springs from the Niva are shorter.

Strengthening drives on Niva with your own hands

A vehicle suspension, or suspension system, is the parts, components and mechanisms that are an integral link between the car body and the road.

To improve the Niva's cross-country ability, it is important to strengthen the main suspension mechanisms. Based on the objectives, to improve the efficiency of the SUV, it is necessary to install spacers between the suspension elements, which will significantly affect the vehicle’s ground clearance, upgrade the springs and shock absorbers, and strengthen the front and rear axles of the vehicle

Work on modernizing drives must begin with strengthening the rear axle of the vehicle

You can change the configuration of the Niva's rear axle on your own or buy a finished product that has increased strength, which is very important in off-road conditions

Most extreme sports enthusiasts strengthen the bridge with their own hands. To strengthen it, the bridge is removed from the car and, using a grinder, all elements are cut off from it, except for the breather and the lower linkage fastenings. It is necessary to purchase a rectangular profile 50*50 or 60*60 to strengthen the bridge. Using a grinder, you need to cut out one wall of the profile, then it is adjusted in place so that the profile fits as tightly as possible to the product.

Experts recommend welding the bridge in assembled form with axle shafts, gearbox and filled with oil. This is done so that the bridge does not move during welding work. It is necessary to cook with short seams at a distance of about ten centimeters. Then the missed spots are brewed in two passes. After strengthening the bridge with the help of profile pipes, an angle for attaching shock absorbers and cups for springs is welded to the beam. It is also possible, instead of the standard fasteners for the lower links, to weld ears from a corner of steel about four millimeters thick with a continuous welding area.

Particular attention must be paid to the rear axle rods, which most often break at the connection points under significant loads. To do this, a strip of metal of about three millimeters is spot welded along the entire length, and high-quality polyurethane products are installed instead of conventional silent blocks

We've sorted out the rear axle, now let's look at how to strengthen the front suspension on the Niva. It is necessary to begin strengthening the suspension by installing special spacers, which helps raise the lower spring areas. To ensure that their angle of inclination does not change, the installation of spacers must be carried out directly on the platforms themselves, and not under the springs.

How to lift a Niva yourself

If you want to do the Niva lift yourself, then take this procedure very seriously, since despite the simplicity of the work, the slightest mistake will result in irreversible consequences in the future. Therefore, no matter what the car becomes unusable for use, you must strictly follow all the rules, and if there are any doubts, then it is better to turn to a professional.

In order to carry out all the work, it is enough to buy a ready-made lift kit, but there are car owners who upgrade the parts themselves, if you are one of them, then you need to stock up on the following parts:

1. Set of springs
2. Rubber spacers for springs with steel cups
3. Shock absorber kit
4. Special spacers for ball joints, the thickness of which should be approximately 30 millimeters
5. Make a special mount for the rear shock absorbers
6. There are twelve spacer washers under the cup with the following dimensions:
7. For cups and long ball bolts
8. Two jacks and a spring tie

You also need to additionally make special spacers for the rear shock absorbers. They can be made from corners, and bushings whose thickness should be approximately 32 millimeters are welded to them.

Making a Niva 2121 elevator with your own hands, drawings, dimensions

Initially, the Niva 2121 was created as a universal all-terrain vehicle that feels comfortable off-road and in the city. Therefore, it is logical that off-road tuning of the Niva 2121 is especially popular.

This is due to its relative simplicity. To create, or rather, enhance the image of an SUV, you need to install on your car:

• Larger diameter wheels with tires designed for extreme off-road use. It should be recalled that low-profile tires are not relevant in this case. It is also necessary to take into account that installing large-diameter disks requires impressive torque figures. Ignoring this rule will lead to premature wear of the power unit
• Installing arch extensions on a Niva will solve several problems at once: get rid of splashes of dirt on the wings and doors, expand the possibilities in terms of choosing the diameter of the disks, and complement the tuning composition
• Power kit. It consists of a powerful kenguryatnik. It is easy to make it yourself from pipes. A structure is installed on the rear door, onto which the spare tire is attached. It will also perform a protection function. A winch must be installed. It will help off-road and give the car an aggressive, masculine look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68OSADkgmNs

This is all that is needed to create a car designed for participation in sports competitions or outdoor activities. This external tuning of the Niva 2121 combines aesthetic and practical functions. Therefore, the efforts and resources invested in it will quickly pay off.

You can do an easy tuning of the Niva 2121 - install new wheels and tires and apply stylish airbrushing with a 3D effect. To carry out the last operation, it is necessary to attract specialists.

Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and a number of other countries are the greatest admirers of Niva cars. They are affordable and provide many benefits.

Some people prefer to do everything themselves. I can’t say that modifying the front and rear suspension of a Niv car will be an easy job in a minute. No, you will have to spend a lot of effort, time and patience on this.

You can find out how much such a service costs at a service station. The price for a professional lift is steep, so not every owner of a not-so-expensive crossover like the Niva is willing to spend that kind of money, having the opportunity to do everything themselves. And if you put a power bumper and an expeditionary trunk on top, it will turn out great. At least now on a round-the-world trip on Niva.

Although the Chevrolet Niva is an SUV, it is noticeably inferior to its European and Asian competitors in cross-country ability in hard-to-reach places. It is because of this problem that fans of hunting, fishing and simply extreme driving choose to lift their car instead of watching videos while sitting at home.

Lifting is a type of tuning that increases the vehicle's ground clearance. They often do it with their own hands, in garages.

Chevrolet Niva

Proper modification will turn the Niva into a fairly solid car that will show excellent results off-road and in difficult terrain. We mentioned the word “lifting”, but did not say what it is.

An all-wheel drive jeep is much more suitable for this task than a simple passenger car.

Making a Niva-2121 elevator with your own hands, the drawings, the dimensions of which are freely available, will not be difficult. Thanks to such a trick, you can make your car more stable on the road and overcome a lot of obstacles with it. Of course, to bring a truly high-quality Niva elevator to life with your own hands, you will have to work hard.

The process will take time and require effort, because even the easiest elevator requires a significant immersion in the technical aspects of the issue. However, the end result will live up to all expectations, allowing the modest Niva to show its exceptional side.

Suspension lifting Niva VAZ 2121 21213 21214 2131

When a person buys a Chevrolet Niva, he rarely thinks about an extreme trip. Most often, a car is bought for a picnic with the whole family. That is, the car moves from one point to another.

Although the Chevrolet Niva is an SUV, it is noticeably inferior to its European and Asian competitors in cross-country ability in hard-to-reach places. It is because of this problem that fans of hunting, fishing and simply extreme driving choose to lift their car instead of watching videos while sitting at home.

Lifting is a type of tuning that increases the vehicle's ground clearance. They often do it with their own hands, in garages.

Chevrolet Niva

Proper modification will turn the Niva into a fairly solid car that will show excellent results off-road and in difficult terrain. We mentioned the word “lifting”, but did not say what it is.

Lifting is a set of changes made to the design of the car. They allow you to install larger diameter wheels on your car. Most often, cars with all-wheel drive are chosen to create such projects.

What does lifting give?

There is a rumor among inexperienced drivers that lifting increases ground clearance. Remember, this is not true. It should be understood that the ground clearance will be increased by large diameter wheels, and lifting will mainly allow them to be installed on the car.

In other words, this is a modernization of ground clearance and a significant increase in cross-country ability. This kind of car tuning can be done with your own hands without much difficulty.

To do this, you need to find time, a garage stocked with everything you need, and allocate a budget for the purchase of spare parts.

Ultimately, the ground clearance increases, and the car can easily overcome bumps and all kinds of holes. The first step is to install and upgrade the suspension lift and install larger wheels. Let's consider the advantages of Niva with lifting:

• More “hard” appearance of the car;
• Improving the cross-country ability parameter;
• Possibility of installing wheels with mud tires and larger wheels;
• Increased clearance;
• Increased protection of important mechanisms from physical damage and wear.

Subtleties of lifting

In this type of car suspension tuning, such as lifting, you always need to maintain common sense and be able to stop in time

It is important to know that during modification the bend angle of the drives changes, which automatically leads to a reduction in their service life

It is necessary to increase the ground clearance only with minimal load on the chassis, otherwise serious problems may arise.

Tuning the suspension of such a car is very popular among hunters and fishermen. The cross-country ability of this vehicle has already proven itself at a high level, and the suspension upgrades made increase them even more. This makes it even more popular and functional.

Modified all-terrain vehicle

You should only use a lift for a Chevrolet Niva if you spend time off-road, because a lifted car reduces the life of the suspension, transmission and the life of chassis parts.

But be prepared that parts will wear out faster during such extreme driving.

The outer CV joints are too little susceptible to this, it will be worse for them if the wheel becomes larger in offset, width and weight, and then they can “crunch”. Although even then the hub bearing has a hard time, especially if it had play before.

Although we have avoided this problem, since we install steering knuckles with 2 ball bearings (from the rear axle shaft), they do not need to be adjusted; they are tightened all the way, although it is much better with a torque wrench. The unit comes out maintenance-free, the hub is unloaded, rolling is easier and the dynamics of the car are much better. Steering knuckles are naturally of domestic production and with a guarantee.

When installing wide wheels after a lift, you will need to keep in mind the ball ones (when the weak ones “fly”), the pendulum will also be able to fly, and the installation of the latest gas shock absorbers results in a stiffening of the upper bracket of the lane. shock absorber (otherwise it tears, especially when the front end is heavier), the mounting of the rear shock absorbers can also be strengthened. It is preferable when lifting, replace the suspension with p/urethane instead of rubber.

Economical Niva suspension lift of 1.5-2 centimeters. In such a situation, we resort to replacing the rubber spacers for the springs with tuning ones (of greater thickness), installing washers, spacers for the upper ball joints and adjusting the spring bumpers (at the visitor’s request). In this implementation, the Niva gets wheels (correct) in size R15 215/75.

Installation of a ready-made lifting kit for Niva 21212

To understand the process, let’s look at the geometry of the suspension on NIVA SUVs (front axle). The drawings clearly demonstrate the position of the elements relative to each other. If you organize an elevator only by increasing the length of the spring, its bending radius decreases, and lateral loads appear on the mountings of the levers. To compensate for this side effect, spacers are used: under the spring cup and ball joint.

The standard version shows that the axle shaft (CV joint) is located virtually parallel to the ground. The spacer is installed between the spring and the lever. The radius of curvature of the elastic element is small, the softness of the suspension is maintained. The fastening is reliable, there is no backlash. Disadvantage - the additional element adds unsprung masses (aluminum parts can be used to reduce weight). The spacer is installed between the cup and the spring. There are no unsprung masses, the radius of curvature of the elastic element is even smaller than in the previous version. The disadvantage is that the attachment of the additional element is not so reliable.

In all cases, the elevator changes the position of the axle shaft. The load on the tripods (gimbals) increases. When lowering the suspension, the travel of the upper arm to the bump stop decreases. To restore the geometry, a spacer is installed under the upper ball joint. Factory kits are designed taking into account all the design nuances of the front axle and rear axle.

The set includes:

Drawings for correct installation Spacers Extended shock absorbers New trailing arms for the axle Extended panhard rod New cups and springs

Replacement process: To install the lift kit, a garage with a pit and a standard set of repair tools are enough. Those who independently service LADA 21214 know what we are talking about. Preparation of the front axle is described in the Niva budget elevator section. Only when installing the kit is the steering knuckle removed completely. If you manage to fix it without removing the CV joint, good. Usually it is completely separated from the suspension.

Next, dismantle the lower spring cup and install three ring spacers under it. There are no more modifications to this lever. An enlarged support ring is installed on top of the elastic element.

To compensate for the divergence of the levers, we mount a spacer under the upper ball mount. Since all the parts are from the same set, the sizes are synchronized.

This element is the most responsible. If the geometry “floats”, the front suspension travel will be disrupted. To fine-tune the height, the monolithic upper ball spacer can be replaced with stacked washers. By selecting the quantity, you adjust the parameters of the front axle, just like on a rally car. If the kit includes new shock absorbers, they should be installed. On standard ones, the rebound stroke may not be enough, and your 21212 will squirm on potholes. The rear axle is completely removed, especially if new support cups are welded under the springs. The eyelets for the levers remain standard, the extended parts from the kit have standard fastenings. Depending on the size of the front axle lift, you may be limited to raised cups, or add spacers for the springs. It is better to choose a customizable Panhard rod. You can adjust its length when changing the clearance height.

To understand the process in dynamics, you can watch a video of Niva’s independent elevator:

Lift options

How and where you will make a lift for your crossover, decide for yourself. I will try to tell you about all the nuances of this procedure so that you understand what to expect and what to prepare for.

Let's start with the existing elevator options. Suspension modification professionals distinguish two types of such procedures:

• body;
• pendant.

I will say right away that a body lift lifts the entire body by using stands, modifying the hose and other parts. In theory, such tuning is very simple, but in the case of the Niva it is not used. And why all? Yes, because the Niva 2121 and other representatives of the series do not have a frame. If there was a frame, then there would be no questions.

From this we conclude that for our Niva the optimal solution would be suspension lifting. It provides the following benefits:

• increases crossover cross-country ability;
• lifts the entire machine;
• allows you to install larger wheels without having to trim the arches;
• provides the car with a more attractive appearance;
• makes the Niva an ideal car for fishing, hunting and driving on the most difficult sections of roads and off-roads.

If you raise the car by about 45 mm, achieve a lift of 50 mm, or even take the height to a bold 60 mm, you can easily insert wheels with a diameter of up to 29 inches into the factory arches. Do not forget that installing large wheels affects fuel consumption.

Many people mistakenly believe that it is easier to cut out the arches, insert 33-inch tires there and thereby raise the car. In practice, with such solutions the machine rises slightly. Most importantly, this does not greatly affect the geometric cross-country ability. I would recommend installing 31-inch wheels and lifting at the same time. This combination will provide the best result. Just choose your car wheels wisely and don’t forget about the seasonal rules for storing tires.

I'll make one remark. When lifting the car, the service life of the internal CV joint and the factory boot is reduced. To fix the problem, try replacing the internal boots on the CV joint with external ones, and also lower the FRM (front axle gearbox) by 10 mm. This way it will be possible to reduce the angle of operation of the CV joint.

Why is lifting dangerous for an off-road vehicle?

If you use this method of modernization, the suspension (Niva VAZ-2121 and Chevrolet Niva) will, of course, become more reliable and suitable for off-road driving. However, at the same time, you will have to forget about alloy wheels - only stamped ones can be installed on such a car. It is worth paying attention to the fact that increasing the diameter of the wheels will lead to greater torque - then you will have to change the gear ratios of the main pairs. In addition, after such an upgrade you will need to install a limited-slip differential on the rear axle, and this is again an additional expense.

Tools

In order to produce a suspension lift (Chevy Niva diesel) ourselves, we need to prepare the following set of spare parts:

1. Set of front and rear springs. Here parts that are 31.5 centimeters long and 1.57 centimeters thick fit perfectly on the Chevrolet Niva. You can buy springs and other parameters - it all depends on your taste.
2. Rubber spacers with metal cups. We will install them under the springs.
3. Shock absorbers. As practice shows, the products of the Premium and Excel-G brands are the most suitable for Niva. But again, it all depends on how stiff the suspension you want to get in the end.
4. Spacers for the upper ball joint. You can hardly find them in a store, so it would be wiser to order them from a familiar turner. The thickness of the spacers is about 2-3 centimeters. In this case, you will have to make the brackets for the rear shock absorbers yourself.
5. Enlarged washers for the cup. Their internal diameter should be 1 centimeter, external - 3 centimeters. We will need 12 of these washers in total.
6. You should purchase special extended bolts for the upper ball joints and cup. Parts from the G8 muffler (M8x65) and from the VAZ suspension arm M10x75x1.25 are suitable here, 6 and 4 units, respectively.
7. Several jacks, spring ties and boards for backing.

I don’t argue that in Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow or cities like Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg there are many companies ready to do any amount of work on your car and suspension in particular for your money.

Kits from Izh Techno have earned good reviews; you can also find excellent options in the store on Sedova Street in St. Petersburg. This store is called Niva 4x4. The T 34 lift kit also showed excellent performance. Each of them is excellent for the Niva, which is why it is widely used by car owners when modifying the front and rear suspension.

There is an option to assemble the kit yourself. But this will require accurate drawings and even more time and effort. I don’t see the point in this, since it is better to take a ready-made set after looking at a review of different sets.

To work you will need to take:

• front and always rear new springs;
• spacers made of rubber for springs with a metal cup;
• spacers for the Nivov ball joint (upper);
• shock absorbers;
• brackets for rear shock absorber springs;
• cup washers;
• set of tools;
• jack;
• durable boards;
• ties for working with springs.

Sizes are selected individually, based on what kind of car you have and what results you are aiming for. You can buy something without any problems. Although some elements will have to be ordered or done yourself. That's why buying a ready-made lift kit seems preferable to me.

Get ready to go. Photo and video instructions will help you.

What will you need for the job?

In order to slightly increase the ground clearance, it is advisable to use a factory lift - a kit for Niva-2121, sold both in company stores and in car markets. Using the included instructions, you can carry out the desired tuning in just 1 day. However, there is one significant drawback: the suspension lift is produced exactly as much as the manufacturer considers necessary.

At the same time, if there is an urgent need to tailor the car to specific needs or the specifics of the road, you can make a lift kit for the Niva on your own.

You just need to prepare the following set of tools:

• rear and front springs (the best parts on a Chevrolet Niva are 31.5 cm long and 1.57 cm thick, but these parameters can easily be changed according to the owner’s requirements);
• rubber spacers for springs with special metal cups;
• shock absorbers;
• spacers for the upper ball joint (not sold in stores, so they can only be made to order);
• brackets for rear shock absorbers;
• washers for the Niva-21214 cup of an enlarged type with an internal diameter of 1 cm and an external diameter of 3 cm;
• jack;
• boards;
• spring ties.

Video 2

Regardless of whether you have chosen a budget or professional elevator, after final assembly it is necessary to conduct test runs. If there are flaws in the installation, or the dimensions are incorrect, it is better to check it away from public roads.

Attention! Independent manual modification of the suspension is making changes to the design of the car. When using Niva on public roads, you may be checked by a traffic police officer

This is followed by penalties - up to and including deprivation of registration. It is advisable to formalize all completed work in the “NAMI-PTIA-FUND”. Once you receive the certificate of conformity, you will save yourself from troubles during further operation.

Methods for lifting suspension on Nivas

There are several main ways to increase ground clearance on a Niva by lifting the suspension:

• Installing spacers for suspension springs.
• Installing spacers between the upper arms and ball joints (front suspension).
• Spacers between the lower cups of the front springs and the lower arms.
• Replacing the suspension springs with longer and stiffer ones.

The required amount of work is quite simple, and kits for modifying the suspension are produced by many companies. The typical installation process for a suspension lift kit is as follows:

1. Spacers are installed between the spring cups of the rear shock absorbers and the body.
2. The lower mount of the rear shock absorber is moved upward (the shock absorber is connected to the suspension through a special extension).
3. The upper rods of the rear axle are replaced with extended or adjustable ones.
4. The extension spacer is attached between the Panhard rod and its standard mounting point. A more expensive, but also more correct way is to replace the entire Panhard rod with a tuning rod with the ability to adjust the length.
5. The brake force regulator rod (“sorcerer”) is replaced with an extended one.
6. Spacers are also installed under the front suspension springs.
7. Spacers are also required to be installed under the upper ball joints. Otherwise, a significant increase in the angle at which the ball pin is inclined to the plane of its installation can lead to the fact that it will rest against the body of the ball joint, which can cause its destruction in the extreme positions of the suspension.
8. Threaded extensions are screwed onto the rods of the front shock absorbers, or the shock absorbers are replaced with longer ones.

What is important to consider when lifting the suspension?

First of all, we must not forget that any intervention in the suspension design (and especially such a drastic one) noticeably changes the wheel alignment angles, and adjusting the wheel alignment angles after lifting the suspension is a mandatory procedure. However, the standard range of adjustments for a lifted suspension may not be enough, which will entail additional modifications.

The Niva front suspension lift should be carried out with caution. The design of this multi-link suspension requires maintaining the parallelism of the upper and lower suspension arms throughout its entire travel, which can be disrupted when installing different-sized spacers during an incompetent lifting

In this case, the performance characteristics of the suspension will be deteriorated due to the deviation of the wheel planes from the vertical, as well as abnormal changes in the toe angles of the wheels during body roll.

You need to be very careful when choosing ball joints, since the maximum design angles of inclination of the pins in them may be insufficient.

Simultaneously with the lifting, it is advisable to replace the CV joints if they have a sufficiently high mileage, since an increase in the angles of inclination of the drive shafts will lead to the fact that the balls in them will go beyond the previously worn out zone with a noticeable crunch. The wear on the internal hinges will be especially noticeable.

Since the upper arms of the front suspension will go down during lifting, they may rest against the rubber bumpers during full rebound travel, which will require trimming them.

Replacing springs and shock absorbers is always preferable to using spacers - this will make the suspension more energy-intensive and increase its operating strokes, which is very important for off-road vehicles. Increasing the suspension travel will increase the quality requirements for the silent blocks of the levers and will noticeably affect their service life. In this case, a common solution is to replace the rubber silent blocks with caprolon or polyurethane bushings.

You can often find recommendations for increasing the possible suspension travel by removing the front anti-roll bar and Panhard rod of the rear axle. The price to pay for a slight increase in the chuck stroke will be the practical impossibility of more or less dynamic driving on asphalt roads due to significant roll in corners and the car's emerging tendency to lateral swing.

You should pay attention to whether the brake hoses will be stretched during the full rebound stroke, which will entail the need to replace them with longer ones. See how to properly lift the rear suspension of a Niva:

Considering the above, you should carefully weigh your strengths and carefully approach the work if you plan to do it on your own. The key to success will be the correct choice of parts of the required quality and a reasonable amount of modifications, especially if the vehicle is not intended to be used exclusively off-road in the future.

Refinement of the gas distribution mechanism

After replacing the jets and accelerator pump, you can proceed to the second stage of tuning the VAZ-2121 engine. It includes modification of the gas distribution mechanism (GRM), namely, an increase in the diameter of the valves with their subsequent sealing. Such tuning of the Niva 2121 engine will increase the power of the power plant by almost ten percent.

It makes sense to replace the pusher (with a new one with a diameter of at least 1 mm) during the modification of the Niva engine. Work is being done to increase the pusher wells of the intake and exhaust channels. The result of such modification will be especially good for the Niva 4x4.

Subsequent work concerns the replacement of injectors and the control unit itself. Tuning the VAZ-2121 engine will be incomplete unless the standard crankshaft is replaced with an advanced modification, which will significantly increase the power of the power plant. This is due to the increase in piston stroke. It is also recommended to replace the piston rings with new ones. When replacing the crankshaft, boring should be done, as this will provide an additional opportunity to make the engine more powerful. However, be prepared for the fact that fuel consumption will also increase.

Such tuning repairs are capable of:

Now about the necessary gadgets

Now it’s worth talking about what “bells and whistles” you will need when tuning your Niva for off-road use. So: 1. Let's start with the little things - the trunk. In general, the luggage compartment of the Niva is terribly small, so you either need a trailer or attach the luggage rack from above. It’s clear that we don’t need a trailer off-road. Therefore, we simply install an additional roof rack. Advice: Install a reinforced trunk, with powerful fastenings to both the roof and the body. You can also add a ladder, then it will be easier to climb.

2. Since off-roading also involves overcoming water obstacles, I strongly recommend that you do the following:

• completely seal the air filter and remove the air intake to the roof;
• replace the factory fan with twin electric ones. They can be turned off from the cabin when crossing a ford;
• of course, carry out additional waterproofing of the ignition system.

3. Finally, an indispensable attribute of off-road tuning is a winch. I’ll tell you what: very often I see a winch installed on a car, but it’s of no use. Why? Everything is very simple. Some people install a winch more for show than for purpose. In order for the winch to actually perform its functions off-road, you need to do the following:

• Be sure to purchase a quality product. Don't spare money on it;
• It is advisable to install a winch not only in front, but also in the rear. Then you can easily pull your field forward when necessary, and pull it back if you get really serious.

What is a suspension lift

A suspension “lift” is a set of modifications that make it possible to increase in one way or another the distance between the wheel axles and the body

It is important to understand that lifting the suspension itself will not provide a dramatic increase in actual cross-country ability, since the clearance on the bridges does not change (an exception may be the installation of portal bridges, but this is the most expensive and technically complex of all possible modifications)

The disadvantages associated with such a change in suspension design should also be taken into account, such as:

• Increasing the angles of inclination of the drive shafts of the front suspension and the driveshaft can reduce the life of constant velocity joints (CV joints) and cardan crosspieces.
• The center of gravity of the car noticeably increases, reducing its stability - hence the large rolls in corners. Any improvement in the off-road properties of a car will worsen its performance in the city.