Test drive of GAZelle and Sobol cars with an electrically locking differential Eaton Dana 44-3 E-Locker

Let's block off-road

Andrey Filippov, photo by the author

The joint October presentation of the GAZ Group and the Eaton company, dedicated to the installation of a rear axle differential lock on the GAZelle BUSINESS and Sobol BUSINESS family, coincided with the first snow, which turned out to be opportune for conducting a full test drive testing this option in real conditions of the Russian winter.

GAZ Sobol 1998 .. 2022 2019 2217

Generation: 1998 .. 2022 Engine: no data
Wheel rim bolt pattern parameters

What wheel sizes does the manufacturer recommend to install?

The GAZ Sobol 1998 .. 2022 2019 2217 car is equipped with 6.5Jx16 ET45 rims assembled with 215/65 R16 tires as standard. Where:

• 6.5J - rim width in inches;
• 16″ — tire diameter in inches;
• ET45 - disc offset in millimeters.

The vehicle tire marking 215/65 R16 is deciphered as follows:

• 215 — profile width (cross section of the tire) in millimeters;
• 65 — profile height as a percentage of its width;
• R - radial cord winding;
• 16 is the tire diameter in inches.

Using the recommended tire sizes will help you avoid problems with handling, safety and other difficulties. What non-standard sizes can be supplied? Refer to the table; it indicates possible acceptable alternative sizes for tuning. Although there are other options that we have not described in the table. For example, wider discs of the same diameter. Or install wheels of the same width, but with a larger diameter, which is quite popular among car owners. The choice of discs is huge; you can find copies with the same parameters, but with an overhang 1-2 millimeters more or less. It is not possible to list all the options.

At the same time, the bolt pattern for all types of wheels is the same - 5 × 139.7. Thus, all the disks are fastened with five bolts and the distance between them is exactly one hundred and thirty-nine point and 70 hundredths millimeters. The car's hub diameter is 108.5 mm.

Standard tire pressure is 2.4 MPa.

SUVs?

The results of the event turned out to be contradictory and at the same time interesting. On the one hand, artificially created obstacles that can be encountered in real life have shown that a competent driver can overcome most of them independently, without the help of a blocker. On the other hand, the same “rollers” or simply a wrong decision that put the GAZelle across the track clearly demonstrated how useful a locking differential is in some situations.

In any case, the test drive proved that the Eaton Dana 44-3 E-Locker locking differential is not a useless toy, but a real factor that has a positive effect on the vehicle’s cross-country ability. At the same time, your lorry, of course, will not become an SUV, but it will become a full-fledged all-terrain vehicle. The main thing to remember is that the rear differential lock is not connected to all-wheel drive, and then everything will be great.

And what’s especially pleasing is the fact that the new option is available not only to “conveyor” cars, but also to “used” cars. In any branded service for the same 12,000 rubles. your GAZelle or Sobol will receive an Eaton differential without major intervention in the original design and with minimal loss of time spent at the service station.

GAZ Sobol 1998 .. 2022 2019 22177

Generation: 1998 .. 2022 Engine: no data

Wheel bolt pattern parameters

What wheel sizes does the manufacturer recommend to install?

The GAZ Sobol 1998 .. 2022 2019 22177 car is equipped with 6.5Jx16 ET45 rims assembled with 225/75 R16 tires as standard. Where:

• 6.5J - rim width in inches;
• 16″ — tire diameter in inches;
• ET45 - disc offset in millimeters.

The vehicle tire marking 225/75 R16 is deciphered as follows:

• 225 — profile width (cross section of the tire) in millimeters;
• 75 — profile height as a percentage of its width;
• R - radial cord winding;
• 16 is the tire diameter in inches.

Using the recommended tire sizes will help you avoid problems with handling, safety and other difficulties. What non-standard sizes can be supplied? Refer to the table; it indicates possible acceptable alternative sizes for tuning. Although there are other options that we have not described in the table. For example, wider discs of the same diameter. Or install wheels of the same width, but with a larger diameter, which is quite popular among car owners. The choice of discs is huge; you can find copies with the same parameters, but with an overhang 1-2 millimeters more or less. It is not possible to list all the options.

Dimensions

Gazelle Sobol is a minivan available in several modifications. Buyers have access to a cargo version with one row of seats, as well as passenger versions with 7 or 11 seats. Overall dimensions are: length 4810 mm, wheelbase 2760 mm, width 2075, and height, depending on the modification, varies from 2100 to 2200 mm. About 205 millimeters remain under the bottom of the car, which gives it good cross-country ability. The overhangs are relatively small - 1030 and 1020 mm front and rear.

The Sobol is based on a shortened frame from a GAZelle. The front axle has a more advanced, fully independent double wishbone suspension. Instead of kingpins, it received ball joints, steel coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers. At the rear there is a solid axle and leaf springs.

GAZ Sobol 1998 .. 2022 2019 2752 Combi

Generation: 1998 .. 2022 Engine: no data

Wheel bolt pattern parameters

What wheel sizes does the manufacturer recommend to install?

The GAZ Sobol 1998 .. 2022 2019 2752 Combi is equipped with 6.5Jx16 ET45 rims assembled with 185/75 R16 tires as standard. Where:

• 6.5J - rim width in inches;
• 16″ — tire diameter in inches;
• ET45 - disc offset in millimeters.

The vehicle tire marking 185/75 R16 is deciphered as follows:

• 185 — profile width (cross section of the tire) in millimeters;
• 75 — profile height as a percentage of its width;
• R - radial cord winding;
• 16 is the tire diameter in inches.

Using the recommended tire sizes will help you avoid problems with handling, safety and other difficulties. What non-standard sizes can be supplied? Refer to the table; it indicates possible acceptable alternative sizes for tuning. Although there are other options that we have not described in the table. For example, wider discs of the same diameter. Or install wheels of the same width, but with a larger diameter, which is quite popular among car owners. The choice of discs is huge; you can find copies with the same parameters, but with an overhang 1-2 millimeters more or less. It is not possible to list all the options.

At the same time, the bolt pattern for all types of wheels is the same - 5 × 139.7. Thus, all the disks are fastened with five bolts and the distance between them is exactly one hundred and thirty-nine point and 70 hundredths millimeters. The car's hub diameter is 108.5 mm.

Standard tire pressure is 2.4 MPa.

Throwing away conventions

This is all a wonderful theory, but what has practical application shown?

Three cars were presented to journalists for a test drive on the territory of the Dmitrovsky Automotive Test Site: GAZelles - GAZ-2705 (Combi) and GAZ-33023 (Farmer), as well as Sobol - GAZ-2752 (Combi). . Moreover, the race program differed for each family and had its own nuances.

The GAZelles had to stop on the rise, placing the right side of the car on the water-filled basalt, and then try to move off it, first without blocking, and then by blocking the differential. The test turned out to be quite dependent on who was currently driving. For some, blocking really helped, while others managed just fine without it. The second stage for the GAZelles was a section of snow-covered gravel road with a steep climb and a couple of places of mixed mud. This test turned out to be more serious, since almost everyone who voluntarily or unwittingly stopped on a slippery slide had to turn to Eaton products for help. And in a mud puddle, while taking ambient photos, the journalists managed to turn the Combi across the track and skid. This was the only real moment of the test when the capabilities of the Eaton locking differential were revealed in all its glory. The result is a short but effective “swing” of the van and a victorious drive onto a hard surface without the “shoulder-hand” help of the camera brothers. Very worthy.

The program for Sobol was shorter. It was necessary to drive onto a special trailer, the ramp of which was a symbiosis of a hard surface on the left and a set of rollers on the right. It was possible to get moving on it only by activating the rear axle lock - artificially, but very impressive in terms of clarity.

In conclusion, when the journalists’ line for cars had dried up, I got behind the wheel of the GAZelle-Combi. Everything turned out to be quite predictable and logical. On basalt, when you start moving, the main thing is not to press the gas pedal. You engage first gear, slowly release the clutch pedal and... voila!, your GAZelle continues on its way without pressing the treasured "lock" button. You can do without an Eaton differential even when driving through “mud baths”. In this case, a combination of the well-known principles of “hurry up slowly” and “throttle to the floor” is used - even the “ambush” place artificially created by skidding colleagues, the GAZelka passed effortlessly. The Kombi also didn’t notice three centimeters of snow, rolled ruts and powdered ice. Even when stopping on an “icy” slope, I managed to move off without activating the lock by playing with the clutch pedal. And although the owners of GAZelles know all this without my stories, it is worth noting that having the ability to lock the rear cross-axle differential with one movement instills additional confidence and allows you to significantly increase the limits of acceptable risk when encountering the next on-road or off-road tricky situation.

GAZ Sobol 1998 .. 2022 2019 2752 Combi 4×4

Generation: 1998 .. 2022 Engine: no data

Wheel bolt pattern parameters

What wheel sizes does the manufacturer recommend to install?

The GAZ Sobol 1998 .. 2022 2019 2752 4x4 Combi as standard is equipped with 6.5Jx16 ET45 wheel rims assembled with 225/75 R16 tires. Where:

• 6.5J - rim width in inches;
• 16″ — tire diameter in inches;
• ET45 - disc offset in millimeters.

Specifications

Gazel Sobol is equipped with two power units. Base models will receive a 2.89-liter in-line naturally aspirated petrol four. It bears the index UMZ-4216.70, and also has a cylinder head with two camshafts and multi-point fuel supply. Engineers managed to squeeze out 107 horsepower at 4000 rpm and 220 Nm of torque at 2500 rpm. With such an engine, fuel consumption will be about 12.5 liters per hundred in the combined cycle. For an additional fee, you can order a version with a 2.8-liter Cummins ISF diesel engine. Thanks to a turbocharging system with an intercooler, it produces 120 horses at 3200 rpm and 297 Nm of torque in the range from 1600 to 2700 rpm. In any case, the transmission is exclusively manual, with five speeds.

General background information

Ranges of possible values ​​for tires and wheels GAZ Sobol 2019.

Tires

Wheel disks

Expert advice

When choosing tires for a car, you must first follow the manufacturer's instructions. Ask yourself a few questions.

• On what roads will the car be primarily used?
• Do you need increased cross-country ability?
• How much of the route will be city roads and how much will be highways?
• Will the vehicle carry heavy loads?

The answers to these and similar questions will help determine which tire parameters you need to pay special attention to.

How to choose the right wheels for GAZ Sobol 2022?

• Stamped (economical price category) - made from a sheet of iron by stamping on a press.
• Light alloy - manufactured by casting (more reliable than stamped ones).
• Forged (the highest quality and more expensive than the previous ones) - made from light alloys by stamping at high temperatures.

The choice depends on financial capabilities. However, it should be borne in mind that the quality of the road surface on which you have to drive every day must also be taken into account.

So, if it gets into a hole, a stamped disk will bend and will not cause harm to the tire, but a forged or cast one can cut it. There is a possibility that the cast disc may burst or crack.

It should also be noted that repairing “stamping” wheels is cheaper than repairing cast or forged wheels. But wheels with high-quality cast and forged disks kill the suspension less, because lighter and have more perfect geometry (better balanced).

The same wheels may or may not rub with tires on the same car - wheel alignment adjustment will help here.

Select your year of manufacture Sobol 2752 Combi 4x4

The GAZ Sobol 2752 Combi 4×4 model was produced from 2002 to 2019. Table of factory and suitable tire sizes for GAZ Sobol 2752 Combi 4×4.

Despite the fact that this information is taken from the websites of auto manufacturers, our catalog is for informational purposes only and does not guarantee full compliance of the proposed sizes with your car.

Source