Which racks are better to put on a VAZ 2114: TOP 6 best rack manufacturers

Who, if not the driver, should take care of his steel horse - the car. Proper and timely care will ensure trouble-free operation of individual machine parts and quality driving on city roads. Unfortunately, in most cases the road surface has to wait for major repairs, and car enthusiasts have to deal with breakdowns with enviable regularity after driving through numerous potholes and potholes.

Drivers point out that the car’s suspension often suffers, regardless of whether the car is foreign or domestic. The most vulnerable elements are considered to be shock absorbers, which in the VAZ 2114 have to be changed frequently. In order for shock absorbers to last longer, it is necessary to approach the selection of this part of the car with special care.

How to choose shock absorbers for a VAZ 2114

First of all, let's decide on the option for using the racks. Remember: how do you drive a car, what roads do you travel on most often?

1. City highways allow the installation of oil struts on the VAZ 2114. They are traditional for all varieties of Samar. Oil shock absorbers provide soft and smooth passage of bumps.
2. If you don’t mind driving on the intercity highway and at the same time driving around the city, it is better to buy gas-oil shock absorbers. With them you don’t have to be afraid of small bumps and defects in the road; when accelerating, the car’s movement is more rigid.
3. Extreme sports enthusiasts know that they will not be able to do without gas struts. Only with gas devices can a car enthusiast experience all the delights of fast driving, including every bump. It is worth noting that gas struts have a negative impact on the car body.

Types of shock absorbers for Samara 2

The VAZ 2114 is no different from other domestic cars, and some are even better. Therefore, it deserves that its design features also be taken into account, otherwise you can damage not only the suspension, but also the body. Impossible? Still as possible. It depends on what shock absorbers to install. But there is a choice:

1. Oil shock absorbers. An antediluvian, but familiar at the genetic level, type of shock absorbers. These racks should not be installed on circuit racing cars. Their energy intensity is minimal and their response speed is minimal. They are slow and sluggish, but if the task is to ensure maximum comfort in the cabin, you need to choose them. They are soft and loose, but this will be the optimal choice for a pensioner, measured driving style with maximum smoothness.

2. Gas-oil. Without going into technical details, which will be quite difficult to do, we note that this type of shock absorbers is the most common on modern production middle-class cars. They are universal, it is possible to break the suspension on them, but the swing and response speed will hardly allow this to be done unless the driver specifically wants the suspension to die. Arithmetic average, suitable for both country roads and normal driving on asphalt with normal dynamics.

3. Gas shock absorbers. Expensive, rigid and durable gas struts are designed primarily for a sporty driving style. You shouldn’t expect any special comfort, but such racks will provide optimal controllability. Rigid, eliminating roll in turns, eliminating sway on uneven surfaces. The price of good handling is a stiff suspension. Whatever springs you put on the strut, this option will not provide a smooth ride in real life. In a word, this is not a Cadillac. This is a Porsche 911.

In a nutshell, yes. But a strut is more than just a shock absorber. It's also a spring. Therefore, if you assemble a strut from different elements, you can correct some characteristics of the shock absorber with a spring. This is what distinguishes tuning racks, which you can choose from hundreds of items. How to do this, read on.

Racks SS20

Suspensions deserve special attention, which also do not lag behind imported manufacturers in sales volumes - drivers continue to support the domestic manufacturer, which makes shock absorbers in Samara.

Which racks are the best of all those available for purchase? Each is good in its own way and has a number of distinctive features. The Samara plant is a fairly serious enterprise that produces not only struts, but also other spare parts and parts for cars.

Racks made in Samara come in 4 types:

1. Highway - as you may have guessed, there is no question of a soft ride here. Shock absorbers are installed on cars that drive on highways; the products provide drivers with smooth entry and turns.
2. Standard – they work regardless of the weather conditions the car is in and can withstand the most severe temperature fluctuations. The rear suspension is matched to the front.
3. Comfort Optima - compared to Standard, the rigidity of these devices is 30% higher. Can be used for any driving style in any weather conditions.
4. Sports – suitable for extreme sports enthusiasts who are ready to drive at aggressive speeds and prefer sharp turns.

Rack types

Before choosing specific brands and models of racks, you need to figure out what interests you. There are 3 types of racks. They have quite different characteristics. You should select them depending on where you travel most often and how this happens.

1. Oil-based, sometimes called hydraulic, are quite soft. They are well suited for people who prefer a measured, not fast ride. And also for those who, for whatever reason, often drive on dirt roads;
2. Gas ones are tougher. They prevent the car from swaying at high speeds and when cornering. But, using them on a primer quickly leads the suspension to a deplorable state;
3. Gas-oil ones have average performance between both types of racks.

Thus, knowing your driving style and the roads you drive on most often, you can easily choose the most suitable shock absorber struts for your case.

Analogues. So, you have decided to replace your original racks with similar ones. Let's assume that you have already decided which type of shock absorbers is ideal for you. All that remains is to select a specific product and purchase it. It should be noted that there are several well-known manufacturers of shock-absorbing struts for the “tenth Lada family” on the market. Therefore, let’s take a closer look at all the proposed options. Their positive and negative sides.

Possible faults

Among the most common malfunctions of struts on the VAZ 2114, a number of breakdowns are noted:

• extraneous noise has appeared, cracking in the area of ​​the brake pads;
• the compression buffer in the car is damaged or completely ruptured;
• oil leaks on the body;
• The rod in the shock absorber began to jam.

If you notice at least one of the indicated manifestations in your car, take the car to a service station. If the services of a car repair shop are currently too expensive, try to cope on your own. You can enlist the help of a friend who at least knows something about how machines work.

One way or another, it is advisable for every driver to be able to cope with minor problems on their own, because they can overtake you on the road far from home, as they say, it’s never too late to learn.

Tools needed to replace struts

Let's say you decide to install shock absorbers on your VAZ yourself. So that you don’t have to be distracted later by getting or finding the necessary tools in the garage, prepare the entire set of special devices in advance. So, what devices will you need:

• standard jack;
• cotter pins, vices and puller;
• in repair work related to the racks of the VAZ 2114, a hammer and pliers will be useful;
• It’s great if you have a chisel at hand;
• you can’t do without open-end and ring wrenches for 13, 17, 19, 22, 24;
• a wrench designed to remove a wheel from a car.

If you have ever dealt with repairs or at least seen from the outside how VAZ 2115, 2108, 2109, 21099, 2113 are repaired, this will help you better navigate replacing shock absorbers on a VAZ 2114, because the process itself is identical. Moreover, all the parts of these cars exactly match the latest brand of domestic car.

Analogues of native racks

Analogue racks are usually either a cheap replacement for the original, with the same characteristics, or an improved budget option.

In fact, many manufacturers of spare parts offer a wide range of products that have long been loved by car owners and are highly popular.
So, let's consider a possible option for installing analogues of the VAZ-2114 shock absorber. Front struts

Rear pillars

How to install shock absorbers on a VAZ 2114

It is better to once again make sure that the necessary spare parts and tools are fully equipped before installation. Assess how efficient they are. It is advisable to wash the settled dust particles on the rods with running water. Finally, we start replacing the racks.

1. Place the car on a level surface. The machine must stand firmly on the base and not wobble or move.
2. To prevent the VAZ 2114 from suddenly moving from its place, you need to put the handbrake on it, then jack up the car and secure the wheel restraints.
3. Remove 2 wheels from the part of the car where the old suspensions will be removed. It’s up to you to decide which new units are best mounted for a comfortable ride.
4. If the front products are to be replaced, release them from the safety mechanism.
5. Replacing rear products involves removing the protection in the upper fastening element.
6. Slightly loosen the rod nut and fasteners adjacent to the body.
7. Hold the pliers tightly in your hand, then use them to release and remove the cotter pin from the VAZ 2114.
8. Disconnect the steering rod.
9. Remove the hose involved in the braking process.
10. Through the arch, free yourself from the outdated type of shock absorber.
11. Dismantle the support bearing.
12. Carefully and slowly fold the new product, consisting of a spring and a bearing.
13. You can install shock absorbers by initiating the reverse procedure for installing the product.

How to replace the rear shock absorbers of a VAZ 2114 with your own hands - step-by-step instructions

1. First of all, you need to remove all unnecessary things from the trunk, remove the plastic covers and anything that might get in the way.
2. Next, remove the cup plug, under which there is a nut securing the strut rod.
3. Using a special wrench that needs to be used to keep the rod from turning, and a carbon socket wrench we unscrew, or rather “tear off” the rod securing nut.

1. The next step is to remove the wheels; to do this, we “tear off” the wheel nuts, then install a jack and hang the rear of the car. Attention! Working with a jack is dangerous, so install stops or blocks under the car that will securely hold the car and prevent an accident.

1. We dismantle the wheels. Before proceeding with further work, I recommend treating all threaded connections that need to be unscrewed with WD-40, this will speed up the process.
2. We begin to “free” the rack. Using a “19” wrench, unscrew the fastening bolt that secures the rack to the beam.

1. We completely unscrew the “torn off” nut attaching to the rod at the beginning, after which we can safely remove the strut along with the spring.

1. It should be noted that the stand does not always come out with the support, for example, as in my case. Now let's start disassembling the rack.
2. We remove the spring and check the old shock absorber “for ourselves” to make sure that it is really faulty.

3. 
   Next, take a new shock absorber and bleed it. Not many people know that pumping shock absorbers is MANDATORY! Some people mistakenly believe that this is not necessary; as a result, the rack “dies” immediately after replacement or simply lasts several times less than the one that was pumped. How to pump up a rack? Everyone has their own answer to this question, some advise turning it over so that the oil spreads, others, on the contrary, prohibit doing this... In general, there are enough manuals and video instructions on the Internet that will tell you in detail and show you how to bleed shock absorbers before installation.

4. We assemble the strut and do not forget about the bump stop and shock absorber boot.

1. Let's start installing the shock absorber. Here you will have to tinker... The fact is that sometimes, as in my case, the stand is not so easy to install in place. If difficulties arise, you can jack up the beam with a jack. After the rod has come out, install a sealing gasket in the interior and secure the rod with a fastening nut.

1. Tighten all bolts and nuts. We put the wheels back and lower the car from the jacks. We repeat all the above steps in relation to the other rack. Replacing the rear shock absorber of a VAZ 2114 on the other side follows the same principle.