Mud “slippers” for Nivka - how to choose, review of models

• January 30, 2019
• Cars
• Victoria Slaviy

In Russia, the roads leave much to be desired, and therefore an SUV is a common vehicle. Nowadays it is very popular in society. This is due to the fact that car owners want to stand out on the road, choosing a bulky SUV as their main vehicle or using it for its intended purpose, but off-road.

It's comfortable and fashionable!

Despite the huge range of SUVs (both foreign and Russian), ours are widely popular, especially for the Niva and UAZ brands. There are simple explanations for this:

• Affordable price. A new domestic SUV often costs the same as a used foreign car.
• No maintenance problems.
• You can always find spare parts. Unlike foreign cars, there are always spare parts for our SUVs (both new and used).
• They are in many ways not inferior to foreign SUVs, and sometimes even superior to them, because Russian SUVs are produced specifically for driving on impassable roads.

The most popular domestic SUV today is the VAZ-2121 Niva. It differs from its predecessors in its good price/quality ratio, as well as excellent off-road performance. In order for a car to perform well in difficult conditions, simple all-season tires will not do. That is why the owner is faced with the question of which off-road wheels for the Niva-2121 are best to choose.

What is the optimal wheel diameter for off-road driving on a domestic SUV?

The best option for moving a vehicle off-road
The original Niva body can be called the one that has not been lifted. Especially in the version if it has “original” wheel arches installed. Basically, cars of this brand are equipped with VLI-5 tires. The indicators for off-road tires of the Niva 2121 brand are 175/80 R16. It should be noted that this type of rubber is not recommended from the best side. Experts have identified several disadvantages that you should pay attention to before purchasing new components:

• When driving at high speeds above 60 km/h, especially on smooth asphalt, noise occurs.
• This tire is not recommended for installation on cars in winter. Any product loses its performance properties. The elasticity of the rubber is significantly reduced, which has an adverse effect on the car when driving on the highway, opening up high speeds.
• Camera installed.
• Poor directional control is observed.

On a note!

However, despite all these negative qualities, there are a number of advantages.

The main advantages include the following:

• Easy off-road/wet asphalt driving.
• Availability.
• Model range of components.

You may be interested in this About all-season tires for Gazelle

Motorists are offered many analogues to ensure safety at any time of the year. Among the huge assortment, it is important to find the appropriate components that will improve directional stability on a dirt road or asphalt.

Where to start when choosing tires?

All-season tires installed at the factory, 185/72 R16, are quite budget-friendly, uncompromising tires, since they can be driven both in the city and in the countryside at any time of the year.

But many fans and car enthusiasts of the VAZ-2121, when choosing off-road wheels for a Niva, have to replace the factory tires with new ones, choosing them personally for themselves. They pay attention to the following points:

• where and how the owner of the Niva will drive, that is, on the road or off-road;
• is the driver ready to make some modifications to the car in order to install this or that tire (sometimes it is necessary to enlarge the wheel arches, bend the sides outward or raise the body above the frame);
• it all depends on the budget and the amount that the car owner is willing to spend (from 3 to 12 thousand rubles);
• carefully approach the choice of tire manufacturer.

And, of course, you should know about tire markings. Everyone knows that when marking three parameters are used, for example: 185/70 R16. 185 is the width of the tire, 70 is the height, and R16 is the diameter of the rim in inches. And of course the following indicators: MS - all-season, AT - universal, MT - mud. Let's consider the question in more detail.

Should you modify your car?

When choosing tires, as mentioned earlier, owners are faced with the question of improving their car. It depends on the choice of tires.

Among the tires that the market offers, a large number have a standard wheel, and therefore they can be installed without additional modifications. The most important thing here is to understand whether you will need to resort to lifting or not.

Most car enthusiasts will say that you shouldn’t add unnecessary problems to yourself and it’s easier to put standard off-road wheels on the Niva (205/70 R15 or 205/75 R15). Due to the fact that the car has a significant arch width and height, they can easily be installed on your car.

Other options for increasing the tire profile will result in you having to resort to lifting. You can make these changes either yourself or contact a specialist. Thanks to the high ground clearance, the service is possible, and VAZ-2121 owners can install really more serious tires on their car (235/70 R16, 235/75 R16 or 240/80 R16).

What to choose: MT or AT

Let's look at this tire marking for the VAZ 2121. So:

• AT - universal tires. Perfect for driving on asphalt and less so for off-road driving.
• MT - mud tires. Ideal for Russian impassable roads.

The choice comes down to where you prefer to drive. Normal tires on the off-road wheels on the Niva are excellent for off-road use, but you can’t accelerate on it on asphalt: it has a poor braking distance, it behaves unsteadily when cornering, and wears out very quickly on rough surfaces. Off-road, it behaves much more confidently, allowing the driver to overcome even the most impassable obstacles. This cannot be achieved on conventional wheels with AT tires.

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).

Choosing off-road tires

These tires have a large pattern on the tread. The rubber is quite soft and, having lugs on the sides, behaves quite boldly and confidently off-road.

It is worth considering that it is most suitable for driving on dirt. It is better to use it as little as possible on asphalt roads, otherwise it will quickly become unusable. Which mud tires for Niva are better? Let's look at the most popular models today and try to understand this issue.

Top 10: Off-road tires for Niva

Below is a rating of the most popular mud tire options, which includes both cheap Chinese options and products from world-famous brands.

Domestic manufacturers are represented by the following models:

• I-569 Bear;
• Kama 232b VLI-5.

There are many more foreign options - here:

• Cordiant Of Road;
• Kumho Road-Venture MT KL71;
• Goodrich Mud-Terrain KM2;
• Hankuk Dinopro MT RT03.

Fans of extreme tires, which are aimed at serious off-road use, can turn their attention to the following models:

• Simex Extreme;
• Forward Safari 500;
• Silverstone MT-117 Extreme.

BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2

The best mud tires for Niva. You may have to pay a lot more for it compared to competitors, but believe me, it’s worth it. You can choose any size you want (from 215/75 R15). Tires will cost more than five thousand rubles for lifting vehicles (240/80 R15). The cost of the entire set will cost you seven thousand rubles.

Rubber is universal and quite durable. It will satisfy both the true pro and the novice off-road enthusiast. Therefore, if you are not used to saving on your pet, then this is an excellent option.

Mud “slippers” for Nivka - how to choose, review of models

I think it’s no secret to anyone that the overwhelming majority of people in the regions drive Nivas or UAZs. These are 2 icons of the Russian automobile industry, who have long proven to everyone that they are simply created for our off-road conditions. However, you shouldn’t think that if you bought a Niva, you can immediately drive far with it)) Not at all.

In order for Nivko to become a truly prepared SUV, it needs to be properly “shod.” What kind of tires come from the factory? It seems like a regular Kama-232 size 185/75R16. The tread of this tire instantly becomes clogged with mud, as soon as you drive out into even light muddy conditions. And this size is very mediocre, the car’s seating position is low, almost “puzoterka”. And you can do wow. How to do this - read on))

So, what “sneakers” should you take?

Now the choice is simply huge, many manufacturers compete in the niche of mud tires. But first you need to decide on several points:

• 1. Will you do a suspension lift?

• 2. Will you be cutting the arches?

• 3. How do you plan to use the car (what percentage of driving is on asphalt and off-road)?

• 4. Will you be able to spend extra money on buying new 15″ wheels from Chevy Niva?

• 5. Based on all of the above, we will choose tires

Well, now in more detail:

The suspension lift on the Niva allows you to install tires of increased diameter, which means that the ground clearance can be significantly increased compared to the standard one. Lift kits are sold everywhere, they cost 3-4 thousand and with your own hands, if you have them sharpened properly, you can do a standard suspension lift of 5 cm.

Cutting the arches is a more extreme option, so to speak; most often they are cut when they install really huge tires over 29″. If your car is new, then you are unlikely to want to cut it. Therefore, the only option left is the elevator (see above). Thanks to the lift alone, you can fit 215/75R15 tires. But this will already be cool compared to standard tires.

If you can spend 10 thousand rubles on new 15-inch wheels, then the number of tire options will expand significantly. I know from my friends - they all installed wheels on 15″ rims on a regular Niva. Why - read on.

So, the easiest option to improve the off-road characteristics of your Niva is to install sneakers larger than the standard ones - 205/70/R16. Tires of this size will fit on Nivko without any lifts or other modifications. One of the popular tires of this size is the domestic Kama Flame - it’s inexpensive for the money and rides more or less in the mud. But, of course, if you evaluate the off-road properties of the Kama Flame on a 10-point scale, you can give no more than 5. Because there are options that are many times cooler.

Remember what I said about my fellow hunters who spared no expense and bought 15-inch wheels? Well, they installed aggressive Cordiant Offroad mud tires on them, the size is just perfect - 205/70/R15. And all because there are no suitable “Kordikov” for 16 wheels. It's a pity, of course, but what can you do? But on the Cordas we drove through real mud, the tires are good for everyone - they are inexpensive (when compared with imported analogues), and wear-resistant, they ride great everywhere. I just don’t recommend using it in winter, otherwise you’ll be like a cow on ice.

Next, if you have an old Nyvka and don’t mind converting it for off-road use, then grab the angle grinder and go ahead and cut the wheel arches. You can also make a suspension lift for the heap. And then you will have a wide choice of real wheels for extreme sports enthusiasts - sizes 235/75/R15 and even larger.

By the way, size 235/75/R15, if converted to inches, will be equal to 28.9″. Almost 29 inches! These are the tires that are installed on the new Niva “Lynx”. Therefore, if you need real off-road sneakers and you want to make a “rogue” out of the Niva, then you definitely need to set the size to at least 235/75/R15/

And there’s plenty to choose from:

Cordiant Offroad - tires in this size will cost you 4,000 rubles apiece. An excellent choice in my opinion. You can read the review and see photos by clicking on the link. In general, we can say that this is perhaps the most popular tire in villages and villages, as many as Nivasov has seen - all of them on Kordikas. Apparently the tires really are on fire, since so many people are cutting them through the mud.

Kumho Road Venture M/T71 - price tag for 1 cylinder is 4,700 rubles. A little more expensive, but I’ll say right away - the tire is just a beast, it has a very large tread pattern, plus it slowly wears out on the asphalt, and it kneads the dirt just flawlessly. The rubber is soft, which will be a plus when overcoming swampy areas and places with muddy soil (spring fields, for example). Just lower the tire pressure to 0.8 atmospheres and the permeability of the rubber will increase significantly. It is considered one of the best Mud Terrain tires.

BF Goodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM2 is a legendary mud tire, winner of many MT tire competitions (not to be confused with extreme tires). It is a highly advertised brand, which is why its price tag is high - in this size, one cylinder will cost 6,700 rubles. However, “Goodrich” is not just a tire, it is, so to speak, “prestige” - the wheels are noticeable, the car looks great on them and the famous white letters evoke respect. That is, it will be a decent show-off. But in addition to showing off, the tires ride well in mud, fortunately the large tread pattern allows this.

Hankook Dynapro MT RT03 is also a cool MT tire, the price tag in the size 235-75-15 will be 5200. As you can see, these tires are slightly cheaper than Goodrich tires, but in terms of cross-country ability they are in no way inferior to them. Excellent premium Korean tires - soft, strong, and passable. There is an overview of them here - prices, sizes, recommendations. In short - reasonable price, high cross-country ability, high quality and wear resistance.

Federal Couragia M/T is rightfully considered one of the best “mud trucks”. The price for this size is 5200, the same as Hankuk. However, here the tread pattern is more aggressive, angry, and very large. The rubber is extremely soft, and therefore there is one drawback - it quickly wears down on asphalt. Therefore, it is recommended primarily for those who live in the village and travel there. Excellent tires for soft soils and clay. However, it can be difficult to find Federals for sale; one might even say that the tires are quite rare. Nevertheless, the option is more than worthy.

These were several tires of the M/T class - designed for off-road, not for the track. There will probably be some humming and grinding along the highway. Therefore, if you drive the Nivka more often on asphalt than on dirt, then look towards AT tires. The choice here is also rich, I myself drive an AT-shnom Hankuk, I like it. I can also advise you to pay attention to Cooper AT - cool tires, although they are AT, but the properties are like pure mud.

Also very praised from AT-sheks is this one - Yokohama Geolandar A/T. Its properties are close to mud, but it’s also comfortable to drive on the highway - quiet, wear-resistant. And in terms of money, it’s around 4,000 rubles. An excellent compromise between mud and road tires.

Extreme tires

What Niva fanatic doesn't like extreme driving? The types of tires considered are more suitable for impressive SUVs, since the starting size is 29 inches. They have a fairly large pattern and very powerful lugs, so you can easily get out of ruts. Due to the fact that the wheels are soft, they are completely unsuitable for driving on asphalt roads. The most popular models:

• Simex Extreme;
• Forward Safari 500;
• Silversone MT - 117 XTREME.

Thus, after reading the review of the most popular models of tires for off-road wheels on the Niva, you can decide which ones are suitable for your favorite and the driving style to which you are accustomed. At the same time, experienced drivers do not recommend buying wheels from unverified suppliers, who, as a rule, attract their victims with the favorable price of the product. It is best to buy this type of product in specialized stores, where they will not only provide the necessary documentation, but also give a guarantee for the purchase.