"Chevrolet Niva": all four wheels plus their various options

Manufacturers of the Chevrolet Niva car (Shniva in the popular interpretation) provided their offspring with worthy wheels, allowing him to stand firmly on them and ride confidently in average conditions. However, our multifaceted road reality is replete with such weather and human-dependent surprises, which often forces car owners to look for additional options for “changing shoes” for their cars. And the opportunities for this today are great, quickly developing into a problem of choice.

Standard wheel sizes

The factory equipment of "Shnivy" provides for the installation of two options for rims: 15- and 16-inch. Based on this, and also taking into account the dimensions of the wheel arches, the tire sizes are also binary: 205/75 R15 and 215/65 R16. When using wheels with such indicators, the manufacturer guarantees their trouble-free mileage in a variety of conditions, including even diagonal hanging. However, some deviations from the factory settings are allowed. For example, 215/75 R15 tires fit well into existing wheel arches without catching fenders or other body parts even at maximum steering or while driving off-road. However, if you install “mud” tires of the same size in this car, then in some positions the side wheel lugs may hook the fender liner or bumper abnormally. Tires 225/75 R16 can behave similarly if the steering wheel is in one or another extreme position.

Standard Chevrolet Niva wheels provide the car with trouble-free operation in a variety of road conditions

Permissible wheel sizes for Chevrolet Niva without modifications

Tire marking is deciphered as follows:

• tire width in millimeters;
• the percentage of the height of the tire to its width;
• internal (landing) diameter of the tire in inches.

Tire sizes are directly related to their performance. Wide tires have a larger grip area and a shorter stopping distance. In addition, wide wheels have a lower specific pressure on the ground, which improves the vehicle's patency in off-road conditions. That is, the advantages of wide tires are obvious. However, there is also a reverse side of the coin, which worsens the good picture of the use of wide tires:

1. With an increase in tire width, rolling friction also increases proportionally, which requires additional fuel consumption.
2. A large area of ​​contact with the road provokes the occurrence of aquaplaning, that is, sliding through puddles, which is less likely with narrow tires.
3. A decrease in the specific pressure on the ground, which improves the car's off-road performance, at the same time worsens the car's handling on country roads.
4. Wide tires weigh more than narrow tires, which puts extra stress on the suspension.

That is, the use of wide rubber is justified only with the predominant use of the machine in off-road conditions.

In relation to the height of the tire to its width, tires are divided into:

• low profile (from 55% and below);
• high-profile (up to 60–75%);
• full-profile (from 80% and above).

At the factory, high-profile tires are installed on the Chevrolet Niva car. In order to install full-profile tires on it, it is required to lift the suspension. If you install low-profile tires on regular wheels, then the ground clearance can reach a dangerously low level, which threatens the car units with damage.

If the car does not undergo any alterations, then it is allowed to use wheels with the following dimensions:

R17

2056017 with an overall wheel height of 31,4 inches and 265/70/17 is 31,6 inches.

R16

2358516 is 31,7 inches, 2657516 is 31,6 inches and 2857016 is 31,7 inches.

R15

215/75 R15 - 31,3 inches.

Maximum wheel size for Chevrolet Niva 4x4 without lift

Without using lifting, you can install wheels on the Chevrolet Niva 4x4 with the dimensions discussed above. It should be borne in mind that although these dimensions normally fit into the standard parameters of the car, but when using, for example, “mud” rubber, there may be problems with hooks on the fender liner or bumper wheels. Most often, Shnivy owners install wheels from UAZ with a diameter of 31 inches on their car.

Wheel sizes for Chevrolet Niva 4x4 with lifting

Often, motorists believe that with the help of lifting, the ground clearance of the car increases. However, this is not an entirely accurate judgment. In reality, ground clearance is increased by using larger diameter wheels, which can reach 33 inches. But to install such wheels just helps lifting. As a result, the car has increased cross-country ability, it is able to easily overcome potholes, potholes and thick mud. Transformations by means of an elevator, which are within the power of most motorists, manifest themselves, in addition to increased cross-country ability, also in:

• more aggressive car entourage;
• the possibility of installing mud rubber on it;
• protection of components and assemblies from road bumps due to higher ground clearance.

Most often, wheels are installed on the lifted Chevrolet Niva 4x4, reaching the size of 240/80 R15.

Lifting allows you to install wheels of a larger diameter on the car and with better cross-country ability

Rubber on the "Chevy Niva" - by what parameters should it be chosen

In addition to different sizes, tires also have a specific purpose, corresponding to the conditions of their operation.

Winter, summer, all-weather

Summer Tires are made from hard rubber that can withstand hot road surfaces. In addition, they are more resistant to wear in high summer temperatures, which provides them with a long service life. The tread pattern of summer tires allows you to successfully remove water from the contact patch and prevents the risk of hydroplaning in puddles. However, summer tires immediately lose all their advantages at low temperatures. It loses elasticity, the coefficient of adhesion of tires to the roadway decreases sharply, and the braking distance, on the contrary, increases.

These shortcomings are not winter tires that retain their elasticity at low temperatures and thus provide reliable grip on the road surface. In addition, the presence of lamellas on them, which cling to the roadway with their edges, allows the car to be securely held even on ice or snow. However, at high temperatures, winter tires soften greatly and become unsuitable for successful operation.

off-season tires represent a compromise between summer and winter tires. But, having some advantages of both types of tires, all-weather tires also bear their disadvantages. For example, on a hot roadway, it wears out faster than its summer counterpart, and when used on ice, snow or cold asphalt, it shows worse grip than winter tires.

AT and MT

In addition to temperature and weather conditions, the types of tires also take into account the types of road surfaces with which they will have to come into contact. Rubber marked AT is intended for all types of coatings in the average version. That is, it can be successfully used on the track, but with noticeably worse performance than conventional road tires. The same thing happens in off-road conditions, where AT tires can also be used, but with less success than specialized tires.

These tires are designed for any road surface, but in the average version

Tires marked MT, judging by the translation from English, are intended specifically for “dirt”. That is, they are specifically aimed at operation in severe off-road conditions, for which they are equipped with a corrugated tread with a high tooth profile. Because of them, the car shows problems in driving on the track. In addition, such tires wear out quickly when used on the track.

And these tires are more afraid of a good road than off-road

How to choose wheels for Chevrolet Niva

In order to correctly select the most suitable disks for wheels on Shniva, you need to know what disk varieties are available and how they are made:

1. For example, the stamped, being the cheapest and easiest to manufacture, are made by stamping from rolled steel. They are easily restored after deformation, but are heavy in weight, which affects the condition of the suspension and impairs the car's handling. In addition, stamped discs are prone to corrosion and bend easily.
2. Cast discs made from aluminum and other light alloy metals are not as heavy as steel, have an attractive appearance and do not corrode. But at the same time they are noticeably more expensive and suffer from excessive fragility.
3. Forged, being the most expensive discs, in the process of additional mechanical and heat treatment, they become lighter and stronger than cast ones.

Among the owners of Chevrolet Niva, the most popular wheels are from such cars:

• "Suzuki Grand Vitara";
• "Suzuki Jimmy";
• "Kia Sportage";
• Volga.

Car rims are very different both in appearance and in the way they are made.

Video: types of tires for Chevrolet Niva

Tire review for Niva Chevrolet: NORDMAN, BARGUZIN, MATADOR

The ancient and fruitless dispute of motorists about what is more important in a car - a motor or wheels, still has its positive side in the sense of a clear designation of the two main components of any vehicle. But if you isolate from them the element that most delivers the car owner the torment of choosing the best among the mass of good, then, of course, the wheels are in the lead. Today's car market is replete with numerous and diverse offers, in which it is difficult for a motorist to navigate, but necessary.