TOP 9 best tires for Niva: rating 2021-2022 and which tires to install for off-road use

January 22, 2015 Lada.Online 1 159 781 46

The size of the tires and wheels greatly influences the behavior of the car on the road. AVTOVAZ recommends installing tires and wheels of a strictly defined size on Lada 4×4; only in this case the manufacturer guarantees the service life of chassis and suspension components and assemblies. In the review, we will tell you what the size of the wheels affects during the operation of the machine and what recommendations the manufacturer gives.

About winter tires on Lada 4×4

When choosing tires for the winter, use the table above. In addition, it is allowed to use winter tires (M+S) of the above dimensions and index Q with a corresponding limitation of the maximum vehicle speed (up to 160 km/h).

Choose winter tires on your Lada 4×4 that are as narrow as possible so that the pressure of the car on the surface is greater, this will improve traction. Also remember that wide tires are more sensitive to the ruts on the road.

A couple of worthy candidates

In the end, how can we do without a few specific examples? Moreover, the experience of domestic nivovods, and not only them (there is a club of VAZ 2121 fans even in Japan) is very rich and people are not at all lazy to share with a friend a couple of useful tips on purchasing. We will start from different price ranges.

3,500-4,500 rubles. The minimum red price tag, for which it is quite possible to find a number of worthy offers for the VAZ 21214 The same “Bear” of the Y-569 series (good off-road, but extremely susceptible to wear on summer asphalt and absolutely uncontrollable on ice), Cordiant “off road” - here the problems with the asphalt road are less pronounced. All these are domestic manufacturers with good reputations).

8,000-12,000 rubles. For American quality on the domestic Niva you will have to pay about 8 thousand “wooden” ones; the BF GOODRICH brand, the Mud Terrain series of types KM1 and KM2, have proven themselves to be excellent. The price, of course, bites, but the cross-country ability really justifies the stated price tag. Well, from “Olympus” the most expensive offers are waving at us extreme tires from Silverstone such as MT-117 (but they are only suitable for off-road driving; on asphalt this “treasure” simply wears out ungodly quickly).

Which wheels are better to install on Lada 4×4

The choice of tires for R16 wheels is not large; most often they choose sizes 185/75 R16, 175/80 R16, or 215/65 R16. Due to the paucity of choice, many SUV owners install R15 wheels on their Lada 4×4.

R15 wheels can be borrowed from Chevrolet Niva wheels, which fit without modifications. Thus, the choice of tires will increase significantly and you will be able to choose the appropriate tires for certain operating conditions. In addition, a car with such wheels will look more stylish. In addition to standard tires for R15 wheels, you can install 205/75 R15 tires.

Do you dream of a Lada 4×4 on big wheels , but are not going to cut the arches? The maximum tire size for a Lada 4×4 without modifications is 215/75 R15, and the rims must have an offset of 40, otherwise the tires will touch the fender liners. Finally, install alloy wheels on your Lada 4×4 and you will get a stylish SUV!

When choosing wheels, you should take into account the full diameter of the wheel; it should not differ much from the standard one. Compatibility table for Lada 4×4 tires and wheels:

Green indicates the minimum deviation of the wheel diameter (up to 3 mm); Orange indicates a diameter deviation from 3 to 6 mm.

Don't forget about the rim width:

When installing tires or wheels that differ in parameters

from those recommended by the factory, you can:

• be refused warranty repair of the chassis;
• be stopped by a traffic police inspector, who has the right to draw up a report on the car’s non-compliance with the requirements of the Technical Regulations;
• fail to pass technical inspection.

The best off-road tires for Niva: test results

In search of the best tires for an SUV, let's turn to the test conducted in 2022 in South Africa by 4x4 magazine, and maybe its results will help you choose off-road tires for the Niva.

There were 17 participants from 16 manufacturers in the tests, each of which presented the best models in their lines.

Tests were conducted in 5 categories:

1. Braking on asphalt;
2. Braking on gravel;
3. Traction force on sand;
4. Traction on gravel;
5. Overcoming the climb.

Basically, A/T took part in the competition, and these, by the way, are the best summer tires for the Chevrolet Niva.

So, let’s get acquainted with the models that hit the top ten:

10 – Velocity Raptor A/T

The Korean company TiAuto entered three of its models into the competition. In addition to Velocity, this is also the GT Radial, which rose a notch higher, as well as Hankook, which became only 14th. Velocity is unlikely to be found in Russian stores, so it’s not worth talking about them.

9 – GT Radial Adventuro A/T3

But domestic car enthusiasts are quite familiar with the GT Radial. And although there was no particular enthusiasm for this brand among them - at least in passenger sizes, here it showed itself quite well, taking the golden mean in the final table.

True, the indicators were unstable - if in other disciplines it was in the middle or closer to the tail, then in the traction test in sand it became third, behind only two brands, which in the end became winners.

8 – Firestone Destination AT

The brand of this tire belongs to the Japanese corporation Bridgestone, but for European countries it is produced in Spain and Hungary. In braking on asphalt and gravel, it showed perhaps the worst results, but in traction on gravel it was third.

7 – Dunlop Grandtrek AT3G

Dunlop is the only company to present two Grandtrek models for testing, which have different designs. AT3 G is a three-ply tire.

In the final table, it took seventh place, right after its “relative” – the two-layer AT3 M (with an increased load index). It showed the best results in braking efficiency - both on the highway and on gravel roads.

6 – Dunlop AT3 M

The two-ply Grandtrek, made using new technology, showed, although not the highest, but quite decent results, bypassing the three-ply tires of its own brand in all tests.

When braking on asphalt, this tire generally became the first, leaving far behind even the models that won in terms of all indicators.

5 – Michelin LTX A/T2

The Michelin tire ultimately showed good results, but was only 14th in braking on asphalt. She was best able to overcome the climb, which is why she ended up in 5th place.

4 – Bridgestone Dueler A/T D694

In all competitions, the Japanese Bridgestone was in 7th and 8th place, helped only by its amazing ability to go uphill.

3 – Continental CrossContact AT

The respected Continental, a regular at all kinds of test drives and often its winner, took the honorable third place. Here the tire managed to take third place, although it showed extremely unstable results.

When braking on asphalt it was generally 10th, on gravel it was 4th, and on sand it was 8th. But in the draft effort, the Continental became the first, which saved its position.

2 – Goodyear AT Adventure

The second prize-winner also did not shine in all categories. I was 12th in braking on asphalt and 9th on gravel, including in traction.

But the Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure had no equal in traction on sand, and the tire showed the best results. On the uphill climb, he became second, behind only General, who became the winner.

1 – General Grabber AT3

They say the winners are not judged. And yet, the gold medalist showed rather mediocre results in many disciplines. He was first only in climbing and second in both types of traction.

The situation with braking was much worse, since the results were only 9 on gravel and 12 on asphalt.

Using this test as an example, we were once again convinced that it is impossible to judge anything unambiguously. When choosing which mud tires to put on your Niva, take into account the conditions in which they will most often have to work.

Only in this case, even a high price will not reduce your joy from the purchase, because a properly shod car will become a reliable assistant not only on the road surface, but also where there is no trace of it.

What does the size of tires and wheels affect?

The smaller the unsprung masses

(this includes a lot of tires and wheels), the better the car will hold the road and accelerate faster. For example, if you put wheels on a car that are 2 kg lighter each, then acceleration to 100 km/h will be reduced by 0.2 seconds.

Buy rims for Lada 4×4 at the lowest prices

possible with us.

As a reminder, for safety and to increase tire life, you should maintain your tires at the recommended pressure. Other modifications to the Lada 4×4 can be found in the tuning category and by content.

Keywords: 4x4 wheels | 4x4 tires | Lada 4x4 urban

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Choosing between MT and AT

A couple of words should also be said about the correct marking of tires for the VAZ 21214. Initially, it comes in several types:

• universal, AT (from the English word All Terrain - Any Terrain), well suited for cases when the driver travels more on an asphalt road and to a lesser extent off-road;
• mud, MT (from the English word Mud Terrain - Mud Terrain), this is already heavy Russian off-road, swamps, sandy surfaces, etc.

The problem of choice is that normal off-road tires on the VAZ 2121 are only good off-road. You can’t really accelerate with it on an asphalt road; it consumes extremely quickly and uneconomically on hard asphalt, has an extended braking distance, and performs poorly in cornering and handling. But all this only applies to city roads and highways; on muddy and swampy terrain, MT tires simply flourish, allowing you to confidently storm even the most unrealistic obstacles for conventional AT wheels.

The main differences between mud tires on the VAZ 2121:

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• increased off-road capability of the vehicle;
• special tread pattern, more reminiscent of a tractor, special rubber edging;
• a special rubber compound that provides increased softness (VAZ 21214 mud tires can also be operated with reduced pressure and can easily withstand collisions with rocks, towing on clay, sand, mud, etc.);
• self-cleaning anti-pollution system;
• increased fuel consumption.

In the Mud Terrain tire class for VAZ 21214 (Lada 4×4) there are a number of special offers. For example, mud tires for the Niva labeled Lite are the simplest, they can withstand forced driving on asphalt most easily, but do not have a deep enough and complex tread pattern. Classic - for lovers of rational choice and a whole bunch of specialized rubber: Extreme - the deepest tread with large and sparse patterns; A special shape of the pattern, as well as Modern - well-proven in handling on asphalt roads.

Interesting video review about tires for Shniva:

Of course, for many, our Niva is an icon of off-road fighting, and therefore we reviewed the best M/T and Extreme class tires. You can read it here - https://shina-gear.com/bezdorozh-e-2/niva-2121/luchshaya-rezina-dlya-bezdorozh-ya-na-nivu. But not everyone installs “mud” tires; many prefer a compromise so that they drive a little in the mud and don’t wear down or hum on the asphalt.

Therefore, today we will go through the ten most optimal models of all-season tires for the Niva of the “All Terrain” class.

For the regular size, a 225/70 R15 tire is available (4,300 rubles), but it can rub a little. For a raised Niva, 225/75 R16 is suitable for a price of 4,400 rubles. Doesn't fly on asphalt. Comes out of turns well. It's a little fluffy and doesn't wear out much. Excellent balancing.

It taxis well in slushy snow. The muzzle “does not prowl.” Comes out of any rut well. Gets out of any dirt. Even if it’s “at the very threshold.” Thanks to the winter pattern, it tolerates winter well. It grinds a little on the ice. And it paddles in the snow exemplarily, better than some wintering models. Read more in detail and with photos in our review - https://shina-gear.com/otzy-vy-o-shinah/maxxis/maxxis-at-771-bravo

Studded tires 215 75 15 for Niva

When considering studded options, you can choose popular models at very reasonable prices:

• Viatti Vettore Inverno.
• Amtel NordMaster.
• Nexen Winguard WinSpike.
• Cordiant SnowCross.
• Gislaved NordFrost 100.
• Yokohama F700Z.
• Yokohama IceGuard IG35.
• Matador MP 30.
• Kumho WinterCraft ice.

Among studless tires in this size, the following models are suitable for Niva cars:

Studded tires

• Tunga Nordway.
• Nexen Winguard ice.
• Viatti Vettore Brina.
• Nokian Nordman RS.
• Yokohama IceGuard IG 30.
• Sava Eskimo Ice.
• Dunlop Graspic DS3.
• Kumho KW 7400.
• Toyo Observe Gsi-5.