antgrafix@hotmail.com
Ride Description:
The Lada Niva, is there anywhere it can't go?
I have taken mine through hell and back. I was skeptical at first
after hearing from others that it's not a great 4x4 but after a weakened
away I have changed everyones view on this great little car. It outran a
2005 Hilux and a 1998 Pajero with dif locks off road. It might not be the
fastest 4x4 on the road, but off road it's like a mountain goat on
speed.
My previous car was a FJ60 and I can easly say that the Lada Niva
would outperform my FJ60 off road. The engine is less than half the size of
the FJ60 and it's fuel consumption is almost half of the FJ60.
I have done some mods to it. I've changed the original tyre size
from 175 to 225. This increased fuel economy as the engine does not need
to rev as high on the highway. The down side to putting larger tyres on it
is that it increases it's speed in low range. This can be a problem when
going down hills and you need it to go that tad bit slower. And also wears
out the wheel bearings quicker.
Another mod I've done to it was raising the suspensions about
4 inches higher than normal. I thought this would have been easy at
first, but I was wrong. I had to get custom made brake lines because the
original length would not reach. Also had to cut the rubber stoppers
from the front end. And also had to get the rear dif re-aligned as well
as change the front and back shockers to longer ones. After all that I
managed to get an extra 4" in height and plus the extra height of the
tyres. The benefit I gained was extra suspension travel and extra clearence.
The new springs I put in are stiffer than the old ones, a bit
of a downside off road because the ride is bumpier, but on road
the car handles a lot better than ever. And also I can now
tow without the car sitting so low.
I would rate the Lada Niva 8/10. It's only downside is it's top speed.
The fastest speed I've ever reached in it was 145km down a hill. I
think this might be the fastest speed ever in a Lada. All the other reviews
I have been reading they say its 138km. On a straight road it struggles
to go past 100km.