fatzy

Well, my reference is VW Service Training program and it is quite clear that the intercooler of the 1.4 TSI 90 kW is cooled by the engine coolant (unfortunately this is in German). I cannot understand that Skoda will alter the engineering. And it will explain the OP's problem, as the head gasket has been proven to be ok.

Have you checked? This one is. It is positioned on the aft side of the engine. The pipes you see going to/from the radiator is the separate coolant circuit for the intercooler. So it is the coolant which is cooled in the radiator, not the intake air.

The intercooler is water cooled. Internal water leakage there will give water through the intake of the engine and you will have water in the combustion and white exhaust.

Have you checked the owners manual for tyre information?

It is quite easy, really: the tyres on the car shall be capable to withstand the vehicles top speed. So all you need to do, is to find the official top speed for your car. I don't know the exact number for vRS, but can 228 km/h correct? Then, the tyres fitted to that car must have a speed index V, which equals 240 km/h or 149 mph. Have a look at this site: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35

Sorry, wrong info from my side: the oval marking on the side walls are (WEEK-year). In my example photo above, the tyre was produced week 47 in 2007.

How old are your tyres? Rubber hardends over time and hard rubber gives less traction. There is a oval mark on tyre side wall with 4 numbers in it (month-year). Check it. It also matters if the tyres are stored badly during winter season. If kept unused in the sun and rain the rubber deteriorates quicker and you get less traction when you put them on again.

7" rim is suitable for 225/50/R17, and ET 46 will also be ok for Superb II. Have you seen the Blossom alloys on a Superb?

A very interesting observation, and it matches my theory exacly: - heavier wheels slows down your acceleration (= more power is necessary to change the rotation speed) - your summer wheel setup has it's weight longer from the rotation center (= more power is necessary to change the rotation speed) - less sidewall height gives less grip as it has less flex - wider tyre has more rolling recistance - winter tyres has softer rubber, which grips better off the line - summer tyres was stored for a couple of months and the surface is harder and thereby less grippy - your winter tyres has a tiny bit less outer circumference, which increases acceleration (but theoretically gives less top speed) All above points in the same direction: yes, your winter wheels will be a fraction quicker!

Sorry about that, I was inaccurate. Thanks for the correction. Bottom line, 225/50R17 fits.

Yes, 225/50R17 have the same side wall height as 205/55R16. The total wheel diameter will increase with 26 mm (4.1%), so the wheel will be 13 mm closer to the wheel arch, and the ride height will increase equally. andrehj have tryed and confirms that 225/50R17 fits.

Hi. I don' t quite understand. You say that the Icelandic roads are rough (obviously) and low profile is out of the question. And later you say 17" may be a solution. But 17" gives more low profiled tyres, the sidewall height will be lower. You take away 1" of rubber and add it to the rim, and we all know that the rim don't flex. Given that the total diameter is kept equal. A wider tyre will also be "looser" on gravel than a narrower tyre. It will float ontop of the gravel giving less grip. It will also be more sensible to aquaplaning. Please note that all I am talking about here are within limited margins so we are not talking Arctic Trucks style...... Also The tyre pattern is an important aspect also. Grip, noise, wet road capabilities varies between brands. So, I would say that rough road wheels will be with higher side walls, something like a 16" wheel with 205/60R16 tyre on is suitable. Then you have a narrow tyre with a good rubber height (1 cm higher than your winter tyres). This is my recommendation to you. A typical rim for this tyre is 6.5 to 7" wide. If you like a little wider tyre set up for 16", then 215/55R16 is acceptable for you car (0.5 cm higher than your winter tyres). I would say a 7" wide rim for this wider tyre. 17" rough road wheels for your car will probably be 205/55R17. This tyre has the same side wall height as your winter tyre, but the total diameter is increased with 26 mm (but with a lower tyre profile). Availability and prices for different combinations will vary and is something that you need to consider. 17" will naturally be more pricy, but it is always dependent of demand and stock. I hope this made sence and was helpful.

Well, it's not so complicated really once you study it a bit and get the hang of it..... Are you sure about the need for 94 XL? Have you found any specific requirement for it somewhere? The load index of the wheels must match the fully loaded weight of the car (as given in the legislation). The wheel load index may exceed the requirement, so the car can be equipped with tyres with higher load index, that doesn't matter. XL is just something that has been a brand standard for low profile tyres (as a necessary extra side wall strenght) to indicate that that the low side wall can withstand high loads. It is really the index number that describes the tyres load capacity! So, until you find the actual requirement for your car, you cannot really say that 91 is not sufficient. I think it is, load index 91 is mentioned in the list for 2.0 TSI and TDI. They must clearly be heavier than your 1.8 TSI. That puzzles me, and since I have not the specifications for your car, I cannot say for sure what is the lowest required load index..... But I don't think your Superb exceeds a max. axle weight of 1230 kg loaded. In fact, the Toronto alloys can take only 575 kg each (that equals 1150 kg per axle). I hope that all my details don't comfuse you more. It can be a little tiresome to follow, but hopefully you can find someone who can help you with the actual requirement for your Superb. In Norway we get a registration card where the legal tyre and rim details are written. Therby it is easy for us to see the official requirements for each and every car. We also have a set of official requirements available, so we can look up the allowable variations, making it easy to find corresponding alternatives.

Yet another set of wheels? And even just a little bit bigger than the other set? It will be a tight squeeze..... Nice alloys, looking forward to see these on your car.

Well, it is a little tricky for me to tell as I am Norwegian, and I don't know the English requirements and the weigth of your car in detail. It seems that there are different tyre load indexes for different versions of the Superb, as listed in the web site I refered to, but for 16" it is listed a higher index (strange really). I was pretty sure that the load index should match the maximum load of the actual car as given in the legislation. The load index of the tyres above (91) equals 615 kg. That gives a car weight of 2460 kg in total (1230 per axle). And it seems that the Toronto rim is approved for 575 kg per wheel, which equals 1150 kg axle weight, 2300 total. Another deviation is the rim width, Toronto is 6.5" wide, the listed width for Superb is 7.0". I would not call it a show-stopper, but still different. The Toronto offset of 46 and centre bore of 57.1 is ok. The tyre size 205/55R16 and with a speed rating V is also ok. So, all in all I cannot definitely give you any good advise about the formalities of using these wheels, but from a general point of view they will fit. Most probably you will be very happy with them and enjoy the comfortable ride, without encounter any problems. Hope you got any wiser about wheels, and sorry for not being able to give you a definite answer. Good luck!

Without knowing the details of the VW wheels in question, nor do I know which Superb version you have. Check here: https://www.wheel-size.com/size/skoda/superb/2011/ But in principle they shall fit. The are, as you say 5x112 and 16" should be bolt-on. You should check width, ET (offset) and weight capacity. All this should be casted on the inner side of the rims. Also tyres, if fitted, should be checked for appliance to Superb speed and weight. If all above is checked and found ok, you should fit one onto the front to check clearance to brake disk/caliper. TPMS. Adjust tyre pressures all round, and reset the system. Thats all! The original wheels can be stored for some time without problems, but be aware that rubber detoriates with time. So long term storage of used tyres is not good, the aging starts when you start using them the first time. The best way to store tyres are: dry, dark and cool. Direct sun is the rubbers worst enemy.....

Yes, 17" steel wheel is no problem (17"alloys are in fact the standard factory size for pre-FL Vrs, in Norway though). No problem with 205/50 on a 6,5 - 7 " wide rim. I have it for my winters. 205 width suits better in the spare wheel well.

It doesn't matter which wheels you have. Just do as flybynite above here says, such a spare will fit. Spare doesn't have to be exactly the same as the ordinary wheels on the car, as long as the circumference are approx equal.

Mazda's has stud pattern 5x114.3. Also the offsets of Mazda rims are wrong (often ET55-60), so I think you will get a hard time to make them fit.

Hi. Yes it's 5x112 on Octavia 2008. Is it the Scout version you have got? I'm asking because I am not sure which original factory wheels are for Scout in 15". 205 60 R15 will look abit chuncky or off-roady, as you say. I think it suis a 4x4, but that's my opinion. I know the Scout version was delivered with 205/60 R16 or 225/50 R17, they all have a little off-roadish style, a bit more rubber sidewall heights. Anyway, if you like more highway style wheels, almost all Oct Mk2 wheels will fit. Ordinary Octavias have 195/65 R15, 205/55 R16 or 225/45 R17. I would have looked for the 205/55 R16 or 225/45 R17. The 185/55 R15 will be too small, the other circumference are 6.7% less than the current wheels. You will get a misreading on the speedo, the wheels will spin faster in the same actual speed and the mileometer will tick faster. Related to the original 195/65 R15 the difference will be 7.9%. So that is a significant difference, I would not go for it. I hope this was a bit helpful, keep posting. Pictures of the car showing the wheels is always interesting.

It is nothing to worry about, variants occures all the time. You just have to know what to look for, which ones are acceptable and the limits

Your Vega alloys are as I said. Information you find at a retailer is not the alloy specification your car has been delivered with, they are variants.

The Vega dimension is 8j x 19, ET 44. They are 5x112, center bore is 57.1 mm.

Wide 17 inch alloys are underrated. I think they are 100% spot on (except for the all black paint)! The alloys seems to disappear due to the color. Antracite, black crome or gun grey or other grey/silver would make the stance clearer. What is the size of the rubber, I assume it is 225's (or maybe 235?).