Which tires to choose for a Chevrolet Niva and what should you pay attention to first?

Cars that feel equally comfortable both on city asphalt and in its complete absence have always been popular in our country. The reason for this, to put it mildly, is the unsatisfactory condition of roads even in large cities - let alone the provinces.

Even though our market is simply flooded with foreign-made SUVs, Russian Nivas (together with UAZs) create worthy competition for them. They themselves are cheaper, and spare parts are easier to buy and replace.

As for cross-country ability, in this they are not inferior to polished “foreigners” at all - they only need the right tires.

Let's look at how to choose wheels for an off-road Niva, but first let's look at their sizes.

Advantages and types of mud tires for Niva

Mud tires for Niva come in the following variants:

• A/T tires are universal rubber designed for movement on both asphalt surfaces and various light off-road options. Tires of this type have a moderately aggressive tread pattern and protected sidewalls. Tires are suitable for asphalt, dirt roads, sand, stone, snow. They get stuck in deep ruts and clay. This is an ideal option for drivers who mostly drive on city roads and occasionally go off-road.
• M/T tires are a more classic version of mud tires. They have a tractor-type tread and fairly powerful side lugs. These tires are much more difficult to clog with dirt than regular ones and tend to self-clean when driving. They are much harder than All Terrain tires and perform poorly on asphalt and highways (they wear out quickly), as well as on ice. These tires are perfect for off-road driving, mud, rough roads, and solid snow.
• Extreme tires. This includes tires for tractors and special equipment. They have a diagonal cord design, their tread pattern is quite thin and quite large. Tires have a center track. The size range of the vast majority of these tire models starts from 29-31 inches. Some Niva owners install tires up to 31 inches in size, first changing a number of car structures, for example, filing the wheel arches. In addition to mud, these tires also work well on rocks and clay; they can also be used on asphalt.

Which size is better to choose

First of all, you should remember that universal tires, which are installed from the factory, perform very mediocre on and off the track. An experienced car owner approaches the choice based on several conditions:

1. Conditions (road surface);
2. The presence or absence of tuning (lifting, widening of wheel arches);
3. Price;
4. Manufacturer's authority.

Together with the above list, it is necessary to decide on the parameters that were written above. But not every buyer can take into account so many indicators at the same time, so let’s conditionally divide tires into two categories: some are more suitable for urban conditions and the highway, while others are adapted for off-road use.

There are several types of tires that are designed for off-road driving:

1. Tires marked as H/T are intended for use in areas with minor off-road conditions. Such tires can withstand loads much greater than standard ones.
2. Tires marked A/T have excellent cross-country ability, both off-road and on roads where there is asphalt. It gives the car excellent stability while driving.
3. Tires marked M/T are classified as extreme types. It is used where there is really severe off-road conditions.

It is used only in off-road conditions, and if you drive it on an asphalt area, this can lead to such factors as:

• Increased noise
• The tread will wear out quickly
• Poor vehicle control

Based on what is said above, we can conclude that the best option would be to use a second type of tire for standard wheels, namely A/T. Another mistake would be if different tires are used on the front and rear axles.

The most effective tires for off-road driving on the Niva

The most effective options for off-road wheels for the Niva are the following models:

• Ya-569 Medved is a budget-class model made in Russia; the price of these tires starts from 3,700 rubles*. Installation does not require adjusting the arches to the tire size. This tire is quite suitable for winter conditions: it is quite soft in the cold and performs well in the snow. The tires of this model pass ice and summer asphalt quite poorly, showing poor handling. Available in a single standard size 235/75 R15;
• Cordiant off Road are also domestically produced M/T tires. It can be used both on asphalt and off-road. Cost per unit from 4000 rubles*. These tires tolerate asphalt well. Available in standard size 225/75 with dimensions R16-R15;
• Hankook Dynapro MT RT03 M/T tires, produced in size 235/75 R15, prices start from 4,500 rubles*. For installation on the Niva, a 5 cm mini-lift is used. On asphalt, the tires of this model show high wear resistance and are perfectly cleaned off-road. The tires are equipped with holes for self-studding and are very soft;
• Kumho Road Venture mt kl71 – M/T tires made in Korea, characterized by a rather aggressive tread pattern. Available in size 235/75 R15 (28.9 inches). The cost starts from 5800 rubles*. They are distinguished by good self-cleaning even in clay, the tread is quite large with large distances between the blocks. The rubber is quite soft, the sidewalls cling well to the ground, and there are lateral lugs. It wears off quite quickly on asphalt;
• BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 is considered one of the most successful choices of mud tires. For Niva, size 215/75 R15 is suitable (cost from 5,200 rubles*). The tires do not wear out on asphalt and are quite durable and self-clean well;
• Federal Couragia m/t is one of the standards of mud M/T tires; its tread is as close as possible to extreme. This rubber has lateral lugs and fairly large self-cleaning tread blocks. It is very soft and squishes very well in liquid mud. For the Niva, the standard size is 205/80/R16 (28.9 inches), its cost starts from 4,200 rubles*. The option is less common than other tires with the traditional Niva size 15, but is welcomed among supporters of installing mud tires on the Niva 4x4 size R16;
• Simex Extreme/Jungle Trekker is an extreme type of off-road tires that is installed on a Niva after lifting and cutting arches, replacing pairs and other modifications to the car. Installed in standard size 320 x 95 R15, cost per unit starts from 12,000 rubles*. The model is professional, passes well through clay, and the tread has a high degree of self-cleaning. The tread has a directional off-road type pattern. It is one of the most optimal options for mud tires for Niva 4x4;
• Forward Safari 500 is a domestic model of extreme tires for installation on the Niva, which requires a significant lift. On the VAZ-2121 it is installed in standard size 235/75 R15, the cost of which starts from 4900 rubles* per unit. Installation of this size requires spacers. Rubber is hard, quite heavy, and self-cleaning well.

Selecting tires by parameters

Recommendations from the manufacturer. Depending on the modification of the Chevrolet Niva, R15 or R16 wheels are installed on the factory assembly line. Therefore, before going to a car store, you should find out the equipment of your iron horse. The most common tire sizes are:

Seasonality. For different times of the year, you should select seasonal “shoes” for the Chevrolet Niva.

1. Summer tires behave well in the warm season, allowing the driver to enjoy a fast ride. It is quiet and has good rolling power.
2. Winter tires are indispensable when operating a car on snowy or icy roads. Friction models are recommended for the southern regions of the country, and for northern routes it is better to prefer tires with studs.
3. For those who like to ride through meadows and forests, special mud tires are recommended. It features an aggressive deep tread that is easy to clean off the ground. The only disadvantage of special tires will be noise on asphalt.

Speed ​​and load index. Many Chevrolet Niv owners use their cars as workhorses. Some reckless drivers are trying to set a speed record on paved highways. Therefore, when choosing tires, you should pay attention to the speed and load index.

1. Speed ​​characteristics are encrypted in letter designation (Latin letters). For example, “T” indicates a top speed of 190 km/h, and “V” allows you to accelerate to 240 km/h.
2. The Chevrolet Niva can be seriously loaded, but only if you have the appropriate tires. The load index has a digital designation. If with the marking “60” the maximum weight per wheel is 250 kg, then with “113” this value will increase to 1150 kg.

We have selected the 14 best tires for the Chevrolet Niva for review. All models are sold in auto stores in our country. When distributing places, the editors of the journal expertology took expert opinions as a basis, taking into account the reviews of Russian crop farmers.

Off-road tires 215 75 15 for the domestic car "Niva" 21213

For the VAZ-2121 car, the non-standard tire size is tires for size 15 wheels, namely 205/70 R15 or 205/75 R15. When switching to these sizes, the choice becomes more extensive, the width and height of the profile increases, cross-country ability and grip on the road surface increase.

Car owners who install off-road tires of this size on their Niva recommend the following models:

Goodyear Wrangler A/T Adventure

• The Goodyear Wrangler A/T Adventure is great for off-road use, with large tread blocks and deep drainage channels for fairly quick and effective self-cleaning. The tires have a reinforced frame, and powerful sidewalls greatly increase resistance to deformation. The rubber has a special composition of silicon and polymers, which reduces noise and vibration during movement and also extends its service life. The price is about 7,000 rubles* per unit;
• YaShZ Ya-569 are also off-road tires of size 15, installed on the Niva. They have a special tread pattern with characteristic sharp edges, allowing the tread to cut through a layer of dirt and thereby provide outstanding cross-country ability. There are large channels between the tread blocks that allow the tire to quickly clean itself. The tires have a reinforced frame and sidewalls, which provide resistance to deformation and additional stability. The price per unit is from 7,000 rubles. It is one of the most passable off-road tire options for the Niva.

YaShZ Ya-569

Basic rules for choosing tires

To make it easier for consumers to understand the assortment offered today, all tires have markings, after studying which, one can draw a conclusion about the advisability of the purchase.

In addition to the brand name, country of manufacture and tire model, which also largely determine the cost of the product, it is important to pay attention to several aspects.

• Tire size. The height and width of the profile, as well as the diameter of the rim, are indicated on the tire.
• Speed ​​index. Driving style largely depends on it.

Those who like to race should choose a model with a high index.

• Load index. This indicator determines the maximum permissible load on the tire at maximum internal pressure. Exceeding the maximum permissible value may result in damage to the wheels. Therefore, when choosing winter tires for the Chevy Niva, it is recommended to consider models with some reserve in terms of load capacity.
• Wear resistance index. The higher its value, the longer the service life.
• Marking confirming the safety of the tire. The abbreviation DOT indicates that the product has been approved by the US Department of Transportation. The ECE marking confirms compliance with European standards.

Winter tires today are available in two versions: studded and friction. Tires that do not have studs are divided into two types (depending on the tread pattern):

• European. The main purpose of such rubber is maximum grip when driving on wet or snowy roads. For this purpose, the tread is a pattern located diagonally. The pattern is formed from a large number of slots to drain water and dirt. The lugs are located along the edges of the tread.
• Scandinavian. These tires have good grip on icy roads, as well as on snow-covered roads. Unlike the diagonal composition of European protectors, Scandinavian ones have rectangular checkers placed in a checkerboard pattern. If you are choosing which winter tires to put on a Chevy Niva for operation in harsh weather conditions, it is recommended to give preference to this type of pattern.

Studded tires cope well with icy crust, breaking it up. Unlike most friction tires, tires equipped with studs are characterized by increased noise levels when driving.

Which tires are better to put on the Niva 2121 - MT or AT?

The choice of the type of off-road tires for a Niva M/T or A/T directly depends on the type of roads on which the car owner will drive more often.

A/Ts are good for rural conditions and occasional off-road trips. In conditions of viscous clay and swamps, these tires can simply get stuck. Each model has its own recommendations for the ratio of asphalt and off-road - 50/50, 60/40, 40/60, etc.

A/T tires

M/T are more suitable for unpaved and off-road conditions. They are characterized by high noise on asphalt roads, long braking distances on asphalt, comparatively worse handling when driving only on asphalt road surfaces, and wear out and wear out extremely quickly. These tires show excellent driving performance in mud.

What's the difference

In addition to the difference in the purpose of roads and handling in certain conditions, tires differ in tread pattern. A/T have a medium aggressive tread pattern. M/Ts have a more powerful and aggressive tread pattern, which provides them with greater cross-country ability in mud.

Mud tires are an indispensable option for those owners of the Niva car who have to travel in the absence of roads, along rural, country roads, dirt roads, and forest clearings. These tires are indispensable for tourists, hunters, fishermen and travelers. They are an excellent way out of situations where ordinary wheels are powerless.

*Prices are valid for February 2022

Types of mud tires

Depending on the type of tread and purpose, SUV tires are divided into 3 classes:

• HT (short for Highway terrain or Half Terrain - tires for highways and poor quality asphalt roads. It can be used on dirt roads, but it will be difficult to overcome off-road on it. But such tires do not make noise and have a speed limit of 180 km/h. Therefore, these tires are bought by those who drive mainly on asphalt.
• AT (short for All Terrain) are tires designed for asphalt, dirt and light off-road use. Manufacturers recommend different mileage ratios on hard and unpaved surfaces: 60/40, 50/50, 40/60. This is a good tire for those who have to drive in rural areas. The AT tire tread provides average off-road capability.
• MT (short for Mud Terrain) is a tire with an aggressive profile that is designed exclusively for driving on dirt and off-road. Although you can find MT tires with a speed rating of R (160 km/h), their use on asphalt is not recommended. These tires are designed to take you off-road and reveal the potential of your car there.

The most famous domestic company that produces MT tires for the Chevrolet Niva is “Bear”. This brand offers mud tires made of high-strength rubber, which are not inferior to many foreign analogues.

Chevrolet Niva elevator

When a person buys a Chevrolet Niva, there is no talk of extreme off-road driving. This car is mainly used for trips outside the city or in rural areas where good roads are rare. Although the Chevrolet Niva is classified as an SUV in terms of its characteristics, it is significantly inferior to its counterparts from Europe, America and Asia in almost all relevant parameters.

For this reason, car owners who do not have the funds to purchase and maintain full-fledged foreign-made SUVs, but who prefer active recreation, are thinking about lifting their car. This is a type of tuning when the vehicle's ground clearance is increased. Often such work is carried out in private garages with your own hands.

If you approach this issue wisely, the Niva can turn into a solid SUV that shows excellent results in extreme off-road trips. Lifting is not limited to any one operation. This is a series of measures to make major changes to the design of the car. Lifting allows you to install wheels of a much larger diameter on a vehicle than those recommended by the manufacturer. Basically, such projects can be found as experiments on “passenger cars”. Although an all-wheel drive SUV is much more suitable for these purposes.

Benefits of lifting

Inexperienced car enthusiasts often believe that lifting increases ground clearance, but this is not entirely true. The ground clearance is increased by large diameter wheels, and the lift only allows you to install them on the car. Not only does the ground clearance change, the off-road characteristics also improve. Such tuning can be completely done on your own. The owner will need time and desire, a garage with a lift, a set of necessary tools and a set of spare parts.

After such modifications, the car feels confident both on city streets and on rough terrain, where there are no roads in the usual sense. After the facelift, the Chevrolet Niva will be able to give odds to any foreign SUV. The increased ground clearance allows you to easily overcome various holes and dirt. The advantages of modernization can be characterized as follows:

• aggressive look of the car;
• high cross-country ability;
• installation of large diameter wheels with mud tires;
• increased ground clearance;
• protection of components and assemblies from damage due to their high location.

But before you do a lift, you need to take into account that this is a significant financial investment. If the vehicle is not used in extreme off-road conditions, it is not advisable to carry out such work.

Finding the perfect tire with universal characteristics is impossible. Each brand produces tires of different quality and purpose. When choosing tires for a Chevrolet Niva, you need to focus on the conditions in which the vehicle will be operated.

You should not look for high-quality tires among cheap models. Comfort, controllability, and safety of the driver and passengers depend on the quality of tires. When choosing off-road tires, everything is not so clear-cut. You can buy the most expensive ones, but they will not bring any benefit if the driver simply does not know how to behave in such an area. There are a lot of selection criteria; you need to approach this issue individually, based not on your preferences, but on the conditions under which the use of certain tires will bring the most beneficial effect.

Over the weekend I drove around the surrounding fields and forests. Looking ahead, in the end the car was planted firmly and had to be pulled out with a tractor. At the same time, the standard tires left a very favorable impression. Even when buying a car, the thought was brewing about selling the standard off-season (summer) tires that the car was equipped with from the factory (Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season (215 65 R16). Then there were thoughts about Cordiant AT or Kama Flame (I was leaning more towards Cordiant). Strictly speaking, during the rides, I drove everywhere I wanted. And only in the end, overestimating my capabilities, I got into the swamp and sat down tightly with Nivka (I also planted my friend’s GAZ 69 - there is no photo, it was already a little dark). But this is due to stupidity or from lack practical experience of driving. In short, the Belarusian tractor rules).

Well, on the roads the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season is very good! The grip is good, there is no noise at all (the Niva itself is not particularly quiet), strong!

This post, of course, does not mean that the purchase of AT tires is canceled, but for now there is probably no point in this. Life will show.

Please also do not consider this post as an advertisement for Pirelli.