DIY houses for VAZ 2114 shock absorbers

Installation of houses on VAZ 2115

See one of the options on how to lift (raise) the butt of a car by 5 cm by installing so-called “houses” or spacers, the whole process is very quick and simple.
Video VAZ 2115 - We lift our ass by 5 cm. Installation of houses (spacers) of the channel Alexander Amochkin Kolomna AAK Good day, everyone. It's no secret that if you use the Lada Kalina (and any front-wheel drive VAZ) not only to transport yourself, but also to the dacha, bring building materials, etc. The elasticity of the rear springs leaves much to be desired. How it was for me. I planted two guys 120 kg + me 65 kg + 50 l. in the tank and + 30-40 kg of potatoes and that’s it. I drove 280 km on asphalt and the result was that the rear fender liners were worn out on uneven roads (you know what the roads in Russia are like). I put the patches on. I decided to install spacers (houses. How I did it. 1). I took off the wheel. I cleaned everything that I will unscrew from dirt; 2). Unscrewed the lower bolt and nut securing the strut to the beam;

3). I took a pipe, inserted it into a round hole in the beam, pressed it, installed a spacer and screwed it on with a bolt (it comes included); 4). I secured the stand to the spacer with the original bolt and nut;

5). Installed the wheel. 6). On the other hand, we perform all operations in the same way; 6). I finally tightened the bolt and nut that secures the strut to the spacer (it is necessary to tighten it when the suspension is loaded). 7). Adjusted the brake force distributor (“sorcerer”). Place the car on a flat surface and rock the rear of the car several times to begin the adjustment.

After adjusting the regulator, test the brakes in action. Accelerate the car to 40-50 km/h and brake. If the regulator is adjusted correctly, the front wheels will lock first and the rear wheels should lock immediately, but not vice versa.

Adjustment is needed to set the start of braking of the rear wheels relative to the front wheels at different vehicle loads.

Note on installing spacers. The spacers must be installed correctly, otherwise the rack will break and the lower ear of the rack will come off under load. The spacer must be installed so that the lowest (which is attached to the beam) hole has two (in which the greater distance from the lower end faces the inside of the car, and the shorter distance faces the wheel).

The bolts and the construction must be located on the same line.

Installing spacers for shock absorbers VAZ 2114, VAZ 2115, VAZ 2113, Lada Samara 2 Often even a new VAZ 2113 car, with a fully or sometimes partially loaded trunk, touches the wheel arch liners with its rear wheels. You can get rid of this trouble, and at the same time increase ground clearance, by installing spacers between the lower ends of the rear shock absorbers and the eyes of the Lada 2115 rear suspension beam. We chose spacers that allow you to raise the rear of the car in three different positions. ATTENTION When lifting the rear of the car, three important parameters change: the position of the rear brake pressure regulator, the direction of the light beams of the headlights and the caster angle of the front wheels.

The first two parameters can be adjusted independently. Castor decreases when the rear is raised, affecting the stability and controllability of the car. To adjust it, it is better to resort to the services of a service station. Angles of installation of car wheels in running order (without driver, passengers and cargo) To install spacers, we hang up the rear of the car. Using a 19mm wrench, unscrew the nut of the lower mounting bolt of the VAZ 2114 shock absorber, holding the bolt from turning with a head of the same size, and remove the bolt. Similarly, disconnect the lower mount of the second shock absorber.

On one side of the spacer the distance shown in the photo is greater than on the other. With this side we orient the spacer towards the longitudinal axis of the car. Please note that the spacers are mirror symmetrical and can be installed on both the right and left sides of the car. For proper installation of the spacer, it is necessary that the line passing through the centers of the holes for fastening the spacer to the beam and the lower end of the shock absorber is close to vertical and coincides with the longitudinal axis of the shock absorber.

Therefore, when installing the selected spacer on the right side of the car, only one hole can be used to attach the VAZ 2115 shock absorber. If this option does not suit you... We place this spacer on the left side. In this case, you can use one of the other two holes to mount the shock absorber. We install the spacer on the beam eyes.

We place a spacer between the beam eyes and insert the bolt. Place a nut on the bolt and tighten it to a torque of 7085 N.M.

In this position of the spacers, the rear of the car can be raised to the maximum or minimum amount. We chose the bottom hole. Insert the bolt into the holes in the spacer and into the shock absorber bushing. Place a nut on the bolt.

Similarly, install a spacer between the lower end of the other shock absorber and the eyes of the rear suspension beam. We tighten the nuts securing the lower ends of the shock absorbers to the spacers in the car-on-wheels position with a torque of 7085 N.M.

To correctly install the pressure regulator, press the rear of the car with a force of 400500 N. And move the bracket with a screwdriver so that the gap between the lever and the lever spring is within 2.02.1 mm. We check the gap with a drill or a piece of wire of the appropriate diameter. After adjustment we carry out a road test.

Installation process

The first thing to do is to jack up the rear of the car. Check that the car is standing securely, because you will have to move under it for quite a long time, so protect yourself in advance.

Spacer for shock absorber

Then, using two wrenches, you need to remove the bolt that holds the lower shock absorber ear in place. At the same time, hold the bolt nut with another wrench and unscrew it. Once the shock absorber is freed and the bolt is removed, it's time to install the spacer.

When installing this mechanism, it is easy to notice that both spacers are symmetrical; they can be placed on both the right and left sides under any rack. However, one important point should be taken into account: the side of the spacer, which has a larger gap between the lower edge and the bolt hole, should face the middle of the car, i.e. be located closer to the center.

We place our mechanism on the beam eye, equip it with a special spacer and insert a bolt. Then we screw on the nut and tighten it thoroughly, at this stage the part is already fully installed and ready for use.

Now all that remains is to place the shock absorber strut in our part and also firmly clamp it using the removed bolt and nut. By selecting the desired hole, you will adjust the ride height of the machine. In this case, it is necessary to select one of the three holes before starting installation, because otherwise the spacer will have to be rearranged with the other side.

On the other side of the car, you need to do exactly the same manipulations, unscrew the shock absorber, install a part to raise the level of the rack and thoroughly tighten all the bolts. Next, we lower the car to the ground, remove it from the jacks, and proceed to adjust the brake pressure, headlights and castor tilt.

Lada Kalina Station wagon "Kalinka" › Logbook › Installing spacers (houses) under the rear pillars

Good day everyone. It's no secret that if you use the Lada Kalina (and any front-wheel drive VAZ) not only to transport yourself, but also to the dacha, bring building materials, etc. The elasticity of the rear springs leaves much to be desired. How it was for me. I planted two guys 120 kg + me 65 kg + 50 l. in the tank and + 30-40 kg of potatoes and that’s it. I drove 280 km on asphalt and the result was that the rear fender liners were worn out on uneven roads (you know what the roads in Russia are like). I put the patches on. I decided to install spacers (houses. How I did it. 1). I took off the wheel. I cleaned everything that I will unscrew from dirt; 2). Unscrewed the lower bolt and nut securing the strut to the beam;

Adjustment is needed to set the start of braking of the rear wheels relative to the front wheels at different vehicle loads.

The bolts and the construction must be located on the same line.

Suspension adjustment after installation

This completes the installation of spacers on your VAZ 2110. Having returned the car to its normal position, you need to make a number of important adjustments. We are talking primarily about the pressure regulator for the rear brakes, headlights and front wheels.

In the case of the latter, we are interested in their longitudinal inclination angle, otherwise called castor. After installing the spacer on the rear pillars, the rear of your VAZ 2110 will naturally rise, and the castor, on the contrary, will decrease. This will negatively affect the vehicle's stability in motion and its overall handling. Obviously, these parameters are critical for your safety, so it is better to entrust castor adjustment to certified auto mechanics from a car service center.

The first two settings of the VAZ 2110 can be done independently.

Having picked up a speed of about 35 km/h in the car, we sharply brake. At this time, the assistant should observe how soon the rear wheels will lock. Normally, it lags somewhat behind the locking of the front wheel pair. If this does not happen, then return to point 16 of the plan discussed above and change the size of the gap upward.

How to properly increase a car's ground clearance

Russian roads make us think about how to increase the vehicle's ground clearance. Such topics can even be found on forums dedicated to the Chevrolet Niva, to say nothing of cars of the tenth family. You can raise the suspension in different ways and to different heights, let's try to understand the advantages and disadvantages of all methods.

The vehicle's ground clearance is a parameter that does not happen much on our roads. Although, if you look from the other side, it is not uncommon to come across a car on the street with a lowered suspension.

Most often they decide to increase clearance due to the following cases:

A loaded car hits the fender liners with its rear wheels or the mudguards on the ground, so they want to lift the rear of the car.
It touches the bottom or crankcase protection on uneven roads, so they want to raise the front of the car.

In some cases, they decide to raise the rear and front suspension at the same time. It is no secret to many that after such actions some troubles may arise, wear of some components may increase, and the characteristics of the car may change. Let's try to find the answer to the question: how to increase ground clearance without negative consequences.

If you think about what affects the ground clearance of a car, it becomes clear that it is a number of ways:

screw suspension.
install spacers between the body and the strut support.
install non-standard strut supports, springs (longer) or shock absorbers.
install interturn spacers in the springs
install higher rubber bands under the springs
replace tires and wheels

What are they needed for

I won’t be unfounded, but I’ll just give simple examples from life. I think they will allow you to understand why it is worth considering the issue of installing spacers to increase ground clearance.

The car is initially quite low. This applies to imported cars, since our automakers understand that fighting the roads is pointless, as is waiting for their quality to improve. Therefore, they try to adapt to current conditions, offering high ground clearance. But even that is not enough. As a result, driving through the next section, you again and again cling to the bottom, crankcase protection, cannot pass the curb, brake before each hole so as not to get hit. All this interferes with normal movement and driving turns into a test.

Installing spacers is the most optimal solution to the problem, if you look at it from a price-quality perspective. They increase rigidity and increase the distance from the bottom to the ground. Fortunately, my car is quite high, but this problem is very close to me, since my friends do not have such ground clearance. Actually, I would like to install inserts for them too, since I have to constantly take my car if we go somewhere in nature or outside the city. But let's not talk about sad things.

I think it’s very clear to you why these spacers are needed and what function they perform. But before you install and even purchase these elements, which are sold not only in Volgograd, but also in any cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, etc., I suggest you find out what these spacers are.

Spacers as a means of increasing ground clearance

Some sets of supports (for example, SS-20) have so-called “spacers” (12mm). They are installed between the strut support and the car body and are divided into polyurethane, aluminum and plastic. I think the positive effect is clear - higher ground clearance, but the negative effects will be different:

In the first case, on uneven roads the polyurethane contracts and the bushings deform the car body.
In the second, ride comfort is not reduced, and the body is not deformed, but they provoke corrosion processes on roads with a sand-salt mixture.
In the case of plastic, no negative impacts have been identified.

Shock absorbers and ground clearance, where is the truth?

When the car is standing still, the shock absorbers will not lift the body - after all, it hangs on springs. The role of the struts can be understood in motion, when the car sways and “pecks” on soft or dead shock absorbers. You drive off the curb and your car’s nose hits the asphalt! If the shock absorbers are in good condition, they will “catch” the car halfway. Thus, shock absorbers do not affect ground clearance, but have the same effect as increased ground clearance. Alternative shock absorbers may have a longer rod, which will provide more suspension travel. We discuss these subtleties in the topic “which shock absorbers are better to choose.”

Replacing springs to increase ground clearance

The car body hangs on springs, so they have a direct impact on ground clearance.

Springs 2108 are installed on the front suspension of the VAZ 2110 car as standard. “Tens” with 16kW internal combustion engines are equipped with reinforced springs 2112. In addition, suspension springs are divided into two classes “A” and “B”.

If you prefer to load your car to capacity, then perhaps you should choose class A springs (yellow), because... They hold a little more load.

The rear springs of cars of the tenth family are also different. For example, springs 2112 are lower, but more elastic, and 2111 are higher, but softer. Anyone interested can check out the selection of rear springs on the forum or in the topic “which springs are best to choose.”

Do not forget that if the spring is very strong, then the rebound stroke of the shock absorber decreases (the shock absorber does not work, the suspension does not function), and there is a lack of ride comfort (the car is “goat”). As a result, rapid failure of the shock absorber.

Stories from our readers

“Fucking basin. "

Hi all! My name is Mikhail, now I’ll tell you a story about how I managed to exchange my two-wheeler for a 2010 Camry. It all started with the fact that I began to be wildly irritated by the breakdowns of the two-wheeler, it seemed like nothing serious was broken, but damn it, there were so many little things that really started to irritate me. This is where the idea arose that it was time to change the car to a foreign car. The choice fell on the melting Camry of the tenth years.

Spacers as a means of increasing ground clearance

Alternative shock absorbers may have a longer rod, which will provide more suspension travel. We discuss these subtleties in the topic “which shock absorbers are better to choose.”

Replacing springs to increase ground clearance

The car body hangs on springs, so they have a direct impact on ground clearance.

If you prefer to load your car to capacity, then perhaps you should choose class A springs (yellow), because... They hold a little more load.

Spacers for springs

Spacers are made of high-strength rubber, do not deform and are able to support the weight of the car. They are installed between the spring and the body. If the spring sag, then no spacer will save it, because in such a spring the interturn distance is reduced. Riding on such springs is already becoming dangerous, because the stroke before the coils close is reduced. It’s a different story when such a spacer is placed on a normal spring and a working body. In this case, it will increase the ground clearance, but at the same time the rebound stroke will decrease and the compression stroke of the shock absorber will increase, which in general is also not very pleasant. The third case is when the spring is normal, but the ground clearance has decreased due to body aging. In this case, the spacer will not harm the car.

Varieties

There are three main types of these elements used to increase ground clearance and increase the rigidity of a car's suspension.

Interturn. Mounted in springs. They are considered the simplest and most accessible. Strengths include ease of installation and versatility. They are mounted in the rear and front springs. However, you should not count on an increase in ground clearance. They are designed to increase rigidity. Having installed them, you can easily load the car, place bags in it and not worry that the bottom of the car will start to rub against the asphalt. Installation is generally elementary. You need to jack up the car, hang the desired wheel and stretch the spring. Then a spacer is inserted there. Advice from me personally. Before inserting the element, wet it with soapy water. This way he will easily fit into his place.
Read also: Why does the battery light on the instrument panel come on?
Under the springs. The problem of insufficient ground clearance is already being solved here. The element is mounted between the spring itself and the body of your car. Please note that the ground clearance rises exactly as much as the thickness of the spacer. Remember, if you install a spacer on a body with traces of corrosion and a faulty spring, the consequences can be dire. Also, if the spring sag, spacers for the spring will be ineffective. At this point, immediately replace them with new ones.
Spring adjustable. They perform a function similar to the previous version, but can be adjusted. Well, yes, you already understood it from the title. A good option, since you will be able to quickly change the clearance height, if necessary, depending on the load of the machine. Yes, their price is higher, but it is completely justified if you want to do everything really efficiently and usefully.

Interturn spacers in springs, for what?

Undoubtedly, the interturn spacer allows you to increase ground clearance to some extent. This happens by reducing the compression of the spring. After installing such spacers, the car will no longer have the same rocking motion and the car will stop pecking at the front end. In addition, interturn spacers can protect the suspension from puncture, but they lead to a decrease in the shock absorber's compression stroke (the shock absorber practically does not work, the spring practically does not compress), an increase in suspension rigidity, and a decrease in comfort.

What are shock absorber spacers?

It’s good if a fully loaded car begins to sag, but there are also cases when the suspension is simply low or the shock absorbers are so worn out that the slightest load begins to put pressure on the wheel arch liners. In this case, as mentioned above, there are two options:

Replacing shock absorbers;
Installing the spacer.

So what are these shock absorber spacers? It's actually quite simple. This part, by its design and purpose, is designed to increase the length of the shock absorber.

This part is placed directly under the rack. Then the shock absorber is inserted into the spacer, the whole thing is securely fastened and it turns out that the car becomes slightly higher.

The great thing about using this simple mechanism is that you don’t need to make any changes, you don’t have to cut anything, cook it, etc. During the installation process, all standard bolts and regular wrenches are used, well, with a small addition.

Spacers for springs

The third case is when the spring is normal, but the ground clearance has decreased due to body aging. In this case, the spacer will not harm the car.

It is worth noting that VAZ did not approve the spacers.

Conclusion

In general, the method of installing spacers under shock absorbers, on the one hand, is not such a difficult thing, however, there are nuances in this task that only a fairly experienced person can do. And of course, this part is designed specifically to reduce the costs that you might incur when replacing shock absorbers. At the same time, the car stops sagging due to increased weight and the fender liners no longer touch the wheels. So spacers are a worthy way to eliminate this problem, which has every right to life.

How much will the ground clearance increase after replacing the wheels and tires?

difference in ground clearance on different wheels Depending on the configuration of cars of the tenth family, wheel rims are installed with a 13th or 14th radius. If you replace the standard wheels of a car with wheels of a larger radius, then no matter how you look at it, the vehicle's ground clearance will increase. As well as replacing tires with higher ones (for example, 175/55 R13 to 175/65 R13).

It is important to know what size of wheels and tires is the maximum permissible for a particular car (data for wheels/tires according to VAZ 2110). I wouldn’t be surprised if, after installing high tires, the wheels start to touch the fender liners.

Delivery by transport company

Delivery by one of the transport companies with a representative office in your city. Delivery time: 2-10 days depending on the distance of your locality from Togliatti. The most convenient and fastest way to deliver orders of different sizes. Delivery cost from 250 rub. depending on weight and delivery distance.

Orders are sent by transport companies based on 100% payment for the order. Dispatch by transport companies PEK, KIT, Baikal-Service is carried out on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

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Safety

Whatever method of increasing the ground clearance on the VAZ 2110 you choose (if you need it, of course), remember that safety comes first. You want to get a car that will be more stable on the road, and not ready to roll over every minute even on a small obstacle?

Therefore, be sure to adjust the suspension to increase its elasticity. Swap out the regular tires on your car for low-profile tires. To ensure this, also install additional stabilizers.

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Specifications

So, if we consider the factory design characteristics, then on all types of VAZ 2110 (and they were produced with sedan, hatchback and station wagon bodies), the ground clearance should be at least 165 mm - from the road to the oil pan, 140 mm - to the lowest point of the muffler. For 1.5 liter engines there is another indicator - the clearance to the catalyst must be at least 130 mm.

Dimensions of VAZ 2110

Install houses on the rear suspension of the car

We approached the issue of installing spacers (houses) between the lower end of the rear shock absorber and the eyes of the rear suspension beam of the VAZ 2110. The convenience of this method of raising the car is that the houses, due to special holes, allow you to choose the height of the increase in ground clearance.

There are a lot of disputes about the advisability of installing “houses”; some claim that this is a good way to raise the rear if the springs have sagged, others cite a number of negative statements. Only one thing is clear: if you decide to install shock absorber spacers, then do not forget that three important parameters will change along with this:

position of the brake force regulator (“sorcerer”);
headlight adjustment;
the longitudinal inclination angle of the steering axis of the front wheels (caster).

These parameters are directly related to the safety of the car on the road, so it is important not to forget to adjust them.

"Lifting" the machine

In principle, as we have already noted, this is enough for a more or less comfortable ride. But, of course, many people want to “raise” the VAZ 2110 a little more, based on their realities.

“Raised” VAZ 2110

We will tell you how you can actually do this. But let us warn you right away: “raising” the car above the asphalt level entails a number of unpleasant consequences:

Clamping the springs, firstly, will lead to a decrease in comfort while driving, and secondly, the shock absorbers will suffer as a result, which will not be able to cope with their responsibilities;
The suspension also suffers from too stiff springs, as this leads to increased loads on it;
Corrosion is inevitable when using aluminum spacers;
By increasing the ground clearance of the VAZ 2110, car owners risk the stability of the car while driving. The fact is that the center of gravity shifts, the car can rock, and in some cases it can even roll over. Therefore, experts strongly recommend not increasing the ground clearance by more than 5 cm. That is, the maximum limit should be no more than 170 mm!

"Houses"

Another method of increasing ground clearance is to install so-called “houses” on the rear suspension. The “houses” have special holes through which the ground clearance is adjusted, and they are installed between the eyes of the rear suspension beam and the bottom of the shock absorber.

Spacers-houses

But experts generally cannot come to a common opinion - whether the “houses” of the VAZ 2110 help or harm it. Some people believe that they are needed when the springs have sagged, and with their help it will be possible to lift the rear of the car. Others suggest replacing the springs and not “fencing up houses”.

Adjustment work

Once again, it is worth saying that if you are an inexperienced person, then it is better to find a familiar specialist who would help carry out everything planned, from installing the described part to calibrating all the values, or take the car to a service station.

If you understand the structure of your car, then you need to start by adjusting the position of the pressure regulator. To install it correctly, you need to apply a force of 45-50 kgf to the rear of the machine. After this, you need to unscrew the bolt that holds the pressure regulator and move the drive bracket using a screwdriver until the gap between the spring and the lever is about 2 millimeters. You can check the remaining gap by simply placing a piece of wire with a diameter of 2 millimeters into it or taking a similar drill.

Now you can start setting the desired light level. To do this, you need to place the car on a flat horizontal surface at a distance of 5 meters from any light wall, let it be the wall of a house or garage, it doesn’t matter. It is better to do this “trick” together, at the same time the tire pressure is checked and the companion sits in the driver’s seat. Now a horizontal line is drawn on the wall at a height of 60 cm from the floor and split in half in the center of the car. Now, from the center of the horizontal line, measure the distance of the car headlights and draw perpendicular vertical lines. There should be a beam of light at the intersection of the horizon and vertical lines.

Negative consequences of increasing clearance

If the vehicle's ground clearance is increased by no more than 5cm, then there should be no negative effects. But a further increase in clearance will be associated with unjustified difficulties. In addition to those points described above, add less stability of the car on the road (drift and large rolls) and greater wear of suspension components and assemblies. What does it mean ? When the center of gravity rises, the car's roll and sway increase while driving. To prevent a rollover, it is important that the vehicle's suspension is adjusted correctly. An example would be a tall Mercedes A class when it capsized in front of journalists during the “moose test”. Then they delayed the release of the car and began to modify the chassis. It all ended with increasing the elasticity of the suspension and replacing the wheels with low-profile ones. You can combat vehicle roll by installing various additional stabilizers.

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