Why did LADA Niva Legend owners cut off the transfer case shift buttons?
- January 30, 2024
- 0
“Niva” – the one that now goes by the name LADA Niva Legend – is our everything, no matter what anyone says. A legend forever, the cornerstone of
“Niva” – the one that now goes by the name LADA Niva Legend – is our everything, no matter what anyone says. A legend forever, the cornerstone of the domestic automotive industry. And besides, it is the only right solution for a large number of people and a variety of paths. Of course, it also has shortcomings, but over the past 47 years they have learned to eliminate them. Often – using the most radical methods.
If we talk about the most serious shortcomings, then both the new and the old Niva is a damn noisy car. After decades of driving a foreign car, it is extremely difficult to switch to your own SUV, and it is almost impossible to travel a long distance with it: the constant transmission noise puts a lot of pressure on your ears. And “noise” alone cannot solve the problem, no matter how many layers you apply. Wherever it goes, it will still be buzzing.
Yes, it will go everywhere, because the level of that ‘moral cross-country ability’ of the Niva is unfeasibly high. Yes, there are hundreds of thousands of solutions that allow you to compensate for factory defects, increasing reliability, comfort, power and everything else. In terms of the number of varied tuning options, the Niva is the richest domestic car. But I repeat, nothing can be done about the noise of the transmission: the legendary “handles in a forest” add decibels of completely unnecessary, annoying sounds to the cabin. So what should we do about it?
Russian drivers seem to have found a solution: logically reasoning that the main source of extraneous noise is the transfer case, and we do not use it every day, the craftsmen began to saw off the levers below the “waterline”, covering the remaining stumps with a special cover. It has become considerably more comfortable, but how do you connect the front?
And for these purposes, a lever modified with a flared tube is placed in the glove compartment, which, if necessary, fits tightly on the remains of the original switches and allows you to move the transfer case to another position. Smart, elegant, effective. Almost for free.
How will such a decision affect the design and safety of the car? It will not affect it at all: the absence of protruding levers will only improve the comfort of the driver’s seat. Is it possible to register a car with this change? Most likely not – since the transmission and all controls are part of the car’s standard equipment from the factory and therefore must be present. On the other hand, they remain – after all, no one removed the transfer case, they simply “lowered” it… In short, from a legal point of view, the issue is controversial. And this must also be remembered.
Photo: LADA
If we talk about the most serious shortcomings, then both the new and the old Niva is a damn noisy car. After decades of driving a foreign car, it is extremely difficult to switch to your own SUV, and it is almost impossible to travel a long distance with it: the constant transmission noise puts a lot of pressure on your ears. And “noise” alone cannot solve the problem, no matter how many layers you apply. Wherever it goes, it will still be buzzing.
Yes, it will go everywhere, because the level of that ‘moral cross-country ability’ of the Niva is unfeasibly high. Yes, there are hundreds of thousands of solutions that allow you to compensate for factory defects, increasing reliability, comfort, power and everything else. In terms of the number of varied tuning options, the Niva is the richest domestic car. But I repeat, nothing can be done about the noise of the transmission: the legendary “handles in a forest” add decibels of completely unnecessary, annoying sounds to the cabin. So what should we do about it?
Russian drivers seem to have found a solution: logically reasoning that the main source of extraneous noise is the transfer case, and we do not use it every day, the craftsmen began to saw off the levers below the “waterline”, covering the remaining stumps with a special cover. It has become considerably more comfortable, but how do you connect the front?
And for these purposes, a lever modified with a flared tube is placed in the glove compartment, which, if necessary, fits tightly on the remains of the original switches and allows you to move the transfer case to another position. Smart, elegant, effective. Almost for free.
How will such a decision affect the design and safety of the car? It will not affect it at all: the absence of protruding levers will only improve the comfort of the driver’s seat. Is it possible to register a car with this change? Most likely not – since the transmission and all controls are part of the car’s standard equipment from the factory and therefore must be present. On the other hand, they remain – after all, no one removed the transfer case, they simply “lowered” it… In short, from a legal point of view, the issue is controversial. And this must also be remembered.
Source: Avto Vzglyad
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.
