fatzy

Sorry, I managed to mess up my post. I wrote a much more comprehensive answer, but the forum threw me out without saving a lot of text....! It will take a long time and effort to recreate.I am a bit confused about what happened and why.

Think about it, every change of tires will have effect: Grip, handling, looks, economically, legality, etc. The question is: what do you want?

I don't know you alloy but 195/50/15 is a listed tire size for a 2002 Fabia, so you should be good to go.

A bit surprizing that you sold the perfect wheels, but I didn't see them on.... Pictures? I am not a fan of big diameter rims and tiny rubber heights, in my mind 225/40-18 is a better choice than 225/35-19. I know it's a little old fashion, but this is a personal preference from my driving style, comfort and road condition. Now I am on a different car, having 19", but the rubber is 225/45, so the rubber height is in the "tiny range", but acceptable. Winter wheels are 215/55-17 on 8" rims.

I am probably not the right person to answer you, not having experience with facelifted VRS. But I will give it a try. They have wider rear track than pre-facelift, and depending on version there are different original wheels offered. It is a bit complicated, both technical and legally. So, being an Norwegian I will take the technical bit. 8x8J Et42 alloys are somewhat wider than original ones, but just slightly. Lets assume original ones are 18x7.5J ET51. Then the outer edge ot the alloy will stick 9mm more out due to the ET, pluss 6.35 mm due to wider alloy. Total 15.35 mm. Inner edge will be 6.35-9mm = -2.65mm (away from the suspension). Tyre: assuming you fit the original dimension 225/40R18, the perimeter of the tyre (the track pattern) will not be affected by the extra width. It is only the +9 mm difference in ET that will move the tyre outwards. So, the track width of the car will increase with 18 mm. In the front it will be OK. If this is too much in the rear, I am not sure. On the pre-FL it would be OK. The funny thing is that Wheel-size.com describes 9x19 ET 38 to fit 255/30R19 tyres. So how that works with respect to tucking the rubber under the wheel arches, well that is a mystery to me....

19" wheels on my Karoq Sportline has 225 mm width and 45 profile height, and that is pretty standard rubber nowadays. So the ride doesn't feel bumpy or noisy. Mine came with Bridgestone tyres, which isn't the most quiet ones. So most of noise is from the tyre make/pattern/compound, not the actual size. The sound dampening is generally good in my TSI. In my opinion it is more quiet than my previous Oct3. The suspension is also very balanced, not too hard, but sporty enough for a mini-SUV. The fabric sport seats in the Sportline are very comfortable, tugs me in perfectly and looks nice. I prefer fabrics over leather seats. All-in-all, an enjoyable car. I love it!

Ratikon 17 is ET45 and is 7 in. wide.

There isn't a clear answer to that. A extra poke of almost 25 mm is a lot, and you increase the track width with 50 mm. They will probably fit on the car, and at the rear it will be a nice fit. But it's a little too deviation from original setup. You will strain the suspension, wheel bearings and steering more, and you will get more dirt on the sides. And then comes what is legal in your country, in Norway there are regulations which say how much you can change the original dimensions. You also tamper with the steering geometry, like the scrub radius (it gets really getting technical now but it has impact on driveability of the car). And that is not good. But many use ET35 and are happy with that.

Some things have to be right when changing wheels. A supplier or a Skoda dealer will most probably help you. Original Skoda rims are of good quality, but also VW and Audi rims can be used. Just check the datas given below. 17" is a good compromise between sportiness and comfort. Your car can use 225/45-17 tyres. Make sure the speed and load indexes matches (91W) or higher. 7 - 8 inch wide rims will suit your car. On aftermarket rims an offset (ET) of around 45 often is found and can be used. Your car has a hub center diameter of 57.1 mm and rims should have same center bore. If not, you must install rings. Also check that rims have load capacity matching your car max. weight. Finally the bolts must suit the new rims (tapered or rounded heads), the bolts you have now may be incorrect for a new set of rims. I had these for a period, Audi RS4 (I think) replica rims on my 2010 Octavia. Not the best quality, but I like the look. These are 7.5x17 with little wider tyres: 235/45-17. Sorry, the picture isn't the best.

I cannot answer everything, but 15" wheels will fit Octavia Mk2 (but not vRS). Buying and selling used rubber and rims will always be a risk. You will get a 'low' price for what you sell and the uncertainty of what you buy is high. 17 inch tyres are a bit more expensive than 16 and 15's, but is it really profitable to change? If there is a gain, what do you expect to save when you have to buy another set of wheels? If you wish to use 15 or 16 for other reasons (comfort, rim protection against pot holes, etc) it is a different story. 16's and 15's benefits from having more and softer rubber sidewalls, but 17's on this car is a good size, a compromise between comfort and sportiness. I would not be concerned unless you have to cope with special conditions like bumpy/steep/curvy gravel roads, pot holes, sharp edges, etc. The alloys on the photo is original Skoda, delivered on Octavia Mk2. They are called Pegasus. This is good, suitable alloys for this car. Be aware if you buy aftermarket alloys, they may have different hub center diameter, different nut contact face and deviating offset, so you really need to know what you are doing to get suitable alloys. On the other hand, original Skoda alloys from Octavia Mk2 (obviously) + Mk3, Yeti, Superb Mk1 + Mk2 will fit without issues. The original variants of tyre dimensions for Octavia Mk2 are: 195/65-15, 205/55-16 and 225/45-17. If you fit one of these on appropriate alloys you are good to go without any further issues. No need for recalibration or garage visit. If you go for different tyre dimension the overall tyre circumference deviate from original setup of the car. It may not be critical, but again you must know what you are doing to avoid issues and legal/insurance complications. Good luck in your search for a new car and proper wheels!

195/55-15 is a listed dimension for Rapid, so that would be an alternative. Also 205/55-15 which have approximately the same circumference could be a solution.

Standard tyre size for Octavia vRS mkII preFL is 225/40-18. Your 225/45-18 has 3.5% bigger circumference (22 mm increased diameter). Compared to the standard tyre: If you fit 245/45-18, the circumference will be 6.3% bigger circumference and 40 mm increase in diameter. In addition the tyre is 20 mm wider (10 mm closer to both fender and suspension strut). I don't know the rims specs, but assuming 7.5 inch wide and ET51 (a common Skoda rim). The 245/45 tyres will fit on the rim, but I don't think it will be wise to install them on your car. The tyres are simply so much bigger, it's a high risk that the tyres will rub. The critical point is towards the suspension strut. I also suspect that they will rub at full lock and/or at suspension compression. And then comes the legal and insurance complications......

That depends on legal and insurance allowance (I'm Norwegian so I don't know the details). It also depends on what you are after. Do you look for wheels that are completely flush with the fenders, or just better looking than stock? Technically it will depend on model and year, width of rim and size of tyre. Personally I would never put spacers on my car (in my country it's not legal either), it is far more safe to have the rim offset that position the wheel where you want it. Assuming Octavia, I think the rear track width was changed at FL. The wheel position was moved 15mm (?) outwards. So bear that in mind. In my head, a good looking 8x18", ET40 alloy with 225/40-18 tyres would be nice, but I am not sure about the legal aspects, and how it will be on the rear on FL version. There are some advises here:

Size is of some importance, it depends of your preferences, road conditions and what type of winter conditions you will struggle with. 16" has more rubber height, will be slightly more comfortable and may handle rough, bumpy conditions better than 17", which on the other hand may be more stable and sporty responsive. But this is marginally. Tread pattern and rubber softness will be far more important for grip. In earlier days, it was claimed that a narrow tyre will have better grip in snow. But today it is said that width is of lesser importance. I am not sure, I use 205 wide winter tyres on my Octavia and are happy with that.

Elbrus alloys are 7x18, ET 43. They will fit Octavia nicely with 225/40R18 tyres on.