Carlston

You don't need to take the centre cap off when changing a wheel. That's only normally done when you fit a new tyre to the rim.

A rubber mallet would have been much better to use than a hammer. The white one doesn't leave marks like a black one can do. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351021366894

If you've got one of the 225 variants on the car, ie. 225/45R17, 225/40R18, 225/35R19, then by letting the air out of one so that the tyre goes completely flat and test fitting it into the spare wheel well, you can estimate whether an inflated 205/55R16 tyre would fit in the spare wheel well with the carpet flush. This is because an inflated 205/55R16 is about the same width as a deflated (so that the tyre's sidewalls are all floppy) 225 tyre.

ET35 will move the centre of the tyre 5mm further out in the wheelarch compared to ET40. The 205 tyre width on the Kamiq is normally used with ET40 (or ET38) offsets. If you want to keep a standard look, use ET40 (or ET38). I've put ET38 in brackets, because 16" steel rims for the Kamiq (ie. 5/100 57.1) are not available with this offset. Only 16" alloy rims are available for the Kamiq (ie. 5/100 57.1) with an ET38 offset. By using ET40 instead of ET35, the front and rear track will be 10mm narrower. This will make it easier to drive through 2 metre (6ft6in) width restrictions without kerbing the wheels. To help decide, perhaps look at standard rims with 205 tyre sizes on the Kamiq, and see if you want the centre of the tyres moved out 5mm each side. An ET35 rim is the same as using an ET40 rim with a 5mm wheel spacer, as a 5mm wheel spacer effectively converts an ET40 rim into an ET35 rim.

The sellers may be measuring at different points, ie. the outside diameter at the widest point perhaps being 56mm and the part where it clips into the alloy rim perhaps being 50mm. 6U0601151L MHB https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/en_CZ/spare-hub-cover/p/6U0601151L+MHB 5E0601151 FOD https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/en_CZ/decorative-centrepiece-of-the-wheel/p/5E0601151++FOD In the diagram below, A is perhaps 56mm and B is perhaps 50mm.

The outside diameter of 205/55R16 is about 1" smaller than the standard tyre sizes on the Kamiq, ie. the standard tyre sizes on the Kamiq have an outside diameter about 4% bigger than the 205/55R16 size. On 205/55R16 tyres, your Kamiq's speedometer might over-read by almost 10% because even on standard tyre sizes the speedometer on Skodas tend to over-read by up to 5%. Do you want to be doing only 45mph when your speedometer says 50mph? This is what could happen on much smaller outside diameter tyres such as 205/55R16. mytyres are listing both 6Jx16 ET35 5/100 57.1 and 6Jx16 ET40 5/100 57.1 steel rims https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/rim-selector?type=steel&vehicle_ids=1164477921570600036%3A%3A0001

That ebay seller says that it's been taken from a Golf MK7 so will fit the Octavia MK3. The outside diameter of a 125/70R18 tyre is about the same as the standard Octavia MK3 tyre sizes, including 195/65R15, 205/55R16, 225/45R17, 225/40R18, 225/35R19. My preference would be for a wider spare tyre than 125/70R18, such as 205/55R16 if it fits in the spare wheel well with the carpet flush. Probably far less deterioration in performance. The fact is you would need somewhere to store a 225 tyre if you're using that width and if it gets punctured. If a 225 gets punchured, ie. deflated, it probably becomes about the same width of an inflated 205 tyre. This is because when a tyre has no air in it, the width of the wheel becomes the same width as the rim because the sidewalls become all floppy and flop in.

You can order the foam kit for the Octavia MK3 VRS from Skoda dealers using OEM part number 5E0093860C However, the dealer should be able to find this OEM part number independently. Price is about £40 so they are relatively cheap and include everything including the foam and jack and the only thing that you need to purchase separately is the spare wheel itself. If you are lucky, your diesel VRS will have the smaller 312mm diameter front brake discs, but it's been previously mentioned that these smaller 312mm discs were only fitted to the facelift diesel VRS models and not the pre-facelift diesel VRS models which used the bigger 340mm front brake discs. 312mm front brake discs need 16" rims to clear the front brake calipers and 340mm front brake discs need 17" rims to clear the front brake calipers. https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/en_CZ/set-for-spare-wheel/p/5E0093860C

Here's a couple of standard 6Jx15 ET38 5/100 57.1 alloy rims for the Fabia MK3. These rims are normally fitted with 185/60R15 tyres when used on the Fabia MK3. 185/60R15 is a more common, more comfortable, more mpg, and cheaper tyre size than 215/45R16. In addition to the standard 185/60R15 tyre size, you might also want to consider the very similar sized 195/60R15 which can be even better value. https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/en_CZ/alloy-wheel-propeller-15-for-fabia-iii-rapid/p/5JA071495A+8Z8 Vredestein Quatrac 6 195/60R15 88H https://www.camskill.co.uk/m138b0s7993p202144/Vredestein_Tyres_All_Season_Car_Vredestein_Quatrac_6_-_195_60_R15_88H_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_B_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_70dB

5Q0411105GM front coil spring PR-L07 1 paint mark Blue 1 paint mark Grey https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/skoda/CZ/SUP/851/4/411/411000 The Kilen spring catalogue also shows 5Q0411105GM front and 3Q0511115M rear for the Superb MK3 Estate 280HP 4x4. https://www.kilensprings.com/springs-catalouges/onlinecatalogue.asp

It sounds like you might have been using the wrong wheel bolts for your aftermarket rims. It's a common mistake to use wheel bolts with ball shaped seats in alloy rims designed for (and machined for) cone shaped wheel bolts seats. Most aftermarket rims use cone shaped wheel bolt seats, whereas VAG uses ball shaped wheel bolt seats. Cone is used interchangeable with conical, ie. different term for the same thing. Ball shaped is used interchangeably with sphere shaped and spherical. Maybe you have chosen your aftermarket rims carefully, and/or got lucky...but it's not the norm for aftermarket alloy rims to have ball shaped seats for the wheel bolts. Aftermarket alloy rims might even need longer/shorter wheel bolts than standard. VAG has a huge range of alloy rims that have been fitted to various models over the years. If you can find something close from another model to the standard specifications, there's often a lot of choice and secondhand availability on ebay, etc. If you damage one of your alloy rims and need a single replacement, it's often easier to find a single VAG rim. It's easier to search for VAG rims, as they all use unique OEM part numbers. I wouldn't fancy searching for a single replacement for an aftermarket rim, you might get the response..."oh that was so last year", or "we can only give you a good price if you buy a set of four", etc. Wheel bolt with ball/sphere/spherical shaped seat (used by VAG) Wheel bolt with cone/conical seat (often used by BMW)

7.5Jx18 ET51 is the standard 18" size for the Octavia MK3. 7.5x18 ET48 is the standard 18" size for the Octavia MK4. "skoda eshop cz" alloy rims https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/en_CZ/alloy-wheels/c/alloyWheels?sort=priceAsc&q=%3AscoreDesc%3AcarType%3AOctavia%2BIV%2B%282019%2B%29&show=Page# If you use VAG group alloy rims, the wheel bolts are all the same...at least with 5/112 VAG rims. I would avoid aftermarket rims, because they tend to use different wheel bolts and they will often need spigots because the centre bore of aftermarket rims is usually larger than the Skoda's 57.1mm diameter. Also, aftermarket rims will often use a different width and offset so a car insurance company might regard that as a modification. Yet another problem with aftermarket rims is finding a single replacement if one gets damaged. It's much easier to find a single replacement VAG rim. Aftermarket rims won't usually quote their weight because they will often be very heavy so the sellers will quietly keep the weight secret from any potential buyers...perhaps with a sales tactic of saying, " we don't quote the weight because that might vary slightly from wheel to wheel". However, weight can also be a problem with VAG rims. For a cheap and light steel rim, you could do a lot worse than fitting a 6.5Jx17 ET38 5/112 57.1 steel rim from the Kodiaq together with a 205/55R17 tyre...instead of a 225/45R18 fitted to a 7.5Jx18 ET48 5/112 57.1 rim. Because of the ET38 Kodiaq's offset for this rim specification the outside of the 205 tyre will be in about the same place as the 225 tyre fitted to an ET48 rim. So although 205 is about 20mm narrower than 225, you wouldn't get that sunken in the wheelarch look. Another benefit of this 205 option, is the 20mm wider track because of the ET38 offset compared to the ET48 offset. 6.5Jx17 ET38 5/112 57.1 steel rim (from the Kodiaq) https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/details?vehicleId=672860434273997936&rimCode=ALCAR9021 Weight of rims 6.5Jx17 about 10.5kg 7.5Jx18 about 13kg For four rims, there could be a weight saving of about 10kg (4x2.5kg) by choosing the 17" steel rim option over the heavy 18" alloy rim option ...and that's unsprung weight. The weight of a 205/55R17 tyre is also probably lighter than a wider 225/45R18 tyre. Not to mention the much improved ride from the higher sidewalled 17" tyre, and improved mpg due to less drag and less weight. In sales brochures you might have come across the misleading term "light alloy wheels". This is often incorrect, as steel rims are usually lighter than alloy rims. The reason being that although it's possible to make an alloy rim light if expensive alloys are used such as magnesium, usually manufacturers use cheap, weak, and heavy cast aluminium. Because cast aluminium is weak, a lot of material is needed to get sufficient strength...and that's where the weight problem comes. They look great and shiny in the showroom, but are nothing compared to the quality of the alloy rims you might find on a Porsche/Ferrari, etc. Manufacturers love fitting these cheap, shiny cast aluminium wheels to their cars because it helps them increase the price of the cars. It's a bit like fake jewellery, they may be shiny but definitely not quality.

That tool incorrectly assumes that the speedometer is correct when on standard tyre sizes. This isn't the case, because car speedometers tend to over-read by about 5% when on standard tyre sizes. So by fitting slightly oversize tyres, you make the speedometer more accurate not less accurate.

If yours is a FWD hatch and not a 4x4 hatch, you've got the wrong rear springs...at least according to the engine variant that I looked at. And being rear springs they generally vary according to whether it's either hatch or wagon and either FWD or 4x4...and not so much the engine/transmission variant although there may be exceptions. Eibach list the 303mm rear springs with part number F11-15-007-04-HA for the FWD hatch, not the much longer 327mm rear springs with part number F11-79-008-01-HA...which could explain why your rear ride height is too high.

According to eibach.de the E10-79-012-04-22 kit has the following rear springs: Eibach F11-79-008-01-HA Pro-Kit rear springs Length: 327mm Wire Diameter: 13.75mm https://www.autodoc.co.uk/eibach/7518932?search=EIBACH Coil Spring (F11-79-008-01-HA) Eibach online spring catalogue https://web2.carparts-cat.com/default.aspx?11=279&14=4&1115=1&1281=17=0&10=E49EFADE6E4E41D9A67E8C79E22375BF279004&12=100

Jurid on autodoc are suggesting it's the 253x10mm rear brake disc size, ie. build code 1KD, for the Octavia MK3 1.6TDI 90HP/105HP/110HP/115HP hatchback/estate FWD models. However, it's best to check the car's build codes to be sure, or measure them...perhaps with a gauge made out of cardboard. Skoda used to put a white build code label under the carpet in the spare wheel well area with some of the build codes, which usually included the build code for the rear brakes. However, that might have change over the years...someone once suggested after about 2015/16. Skoda online parts catalogue https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/skoda/CZ/OCT/805/6/615/615060

All 18" rims on the Karoq are 7J, and that includes the 7Jx18 ET45 Braga alloys. Karoq alloy rims https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/en_CZ/alloy-wheels/c/alloyWheels Changing 215/50R18 to 225/50R18 raises the gearing by about 1.5%. As the standard speedometer will over-read by about 5% your speedometer will over-read by about 3.5% once the tyre size change has been made. However, google maps now has a GPS option so it's always worth checking. The Karoq does have a 225/40R19 tyre size option for 2WD cars and 225/45R19 for 4WD cars (as you can see on wheel-size.com), so fitting the 225/50R18 tyre size won't increase the car's performance compared to those tyre sizes. However, if you want a cheap and comfortable tyre size, 215/60R17 might be worth a look. You could fit this size to steel or alloy 6.5Jx17 ET38 Kodiaq rims. Compared to 215/50R18, 215/60R17 will raise the gearing by about 2.6%. 6.5Jx17 ET38 5/112 57.1 steel rims from the Kodiaq https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/rim-selector ETRTO lists a 6J to 8J rim size range for the 225/50R18 tyre size, with 7J highlighted because that's the normal rim width for this size tyre. ETRTO approved rim widths 225/50 6.0-7.0-8.0 wheel-size.com https://www.wheel-size.com/size/skoda/karoq/2019/#trim-15tsi-eudm-148

Fitting Kilen 65126 which match OEM part number 3Q0511115M does seem like a good idea. If the springs feel a little hard afterwards, you could always fit the most comfortable Superb MK3 tyre size, ie. 215/60R16, to help soften the ride. If you have a Superb MK3 272HP/280HP 4x4 then that car uses big 340x30mm front discs, which need at least 17" rims to clear the front brake calipers.

You can find out what springs were factory fitted to your car by looking at the car's build codes. These are available from an ebay seller for about 3 Euros. Search "skoda vin decoder" on ebay to find the listing. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224631127243 If you don't want to go down that route, you could measure the wire diameter of your rear springs. 12.25mm wire diameter might mean that you have 3Q0511115AK rear springs. 12.50mm wire diameter might mean that you have 3Q0511115AL rear springs. 12.75mm wire diameter might mean that you have 3Q0511115M rear springs. Not all aftermarket brands agree on these wire diameters matching these OEM part numbers. However, Spidan are one of the better aftermarket brands for giving reliable specifications...but even they can sometimes make mistakes. You might even find the OEM part number on a white label attached to the spring. Spidan springs don't appear to be as reliable as they once were, as I have heard of many early spring breakages. Maybe Spidan have outsourced to China with a resulting loss of quality. I suspect there are many other aftermarket brands selling the same springs as Spidan, such as Suplex, SKF, and Quinton Hazell. It was only after Spidan springs started having lots of early breakages that SKF and Quinton Hazell appeared on the market, so maybe this was a kneejerk reaction by Spidan to maintain their market share. Many of these big aftermarket brands are owned by the same company or are somehow connected. Spidan, Suplex, SKF, and Quinton Hazell always seem to give exactly the same specifications for their springs, which is why I suspect they are connected to each other. 3Q0511115AK Length: 364mm Wire Diameter: 12.25mm https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/oem/3q0511115ak?search=OEN+3Q0511115AK&supplier[0]=246&supplier[1]=1 3Q0511115AL Length: 359mm Wire Diameter 12.50mm https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/oem/3q0511115al?search=OEN+3Q0511115AL&supplier[0]=1&supplier[1]=246 3Q0511115M Length: 360mm Wire Diameter 12.75mm https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/oem/3q0511115m?search=OEN+3Q0511115M&supplier[0]=246&supplier[1]=1

You would have to look at the specifications of the springs, such as on autodoc. In general, one weight range higher is about 5% stiffer, and two weight ranges higher is about 10% stiffer. If your springs are old and starting to sag you might just need new springs of the same weight range as what you have now. So often, people tend to overcompensate when their current springs are starting to sag. One Superb MK3 owner felt sure he needed much stiffer rear springs than standard, but when the garage fitted new standard springs he found that the car drove fine on those and no longer had the desire to go stiffer. How much weight you tend to carry in the car will have a big influence on what the right stiffness of springs is for you. It's a careful balancing act.

Which Eibach rear springs are you using? If it's Eibach F11-15-007-04-HA then changing to Eibach F11-85-012-01-HA should increase the rear ride height by about 12mm. Apart from the length, the specification of these two springs appears to be the same as shown below. Eibach F11-15-007-04-HA rear Pro-Kit springs Length: 303mm Number of coils: 8.0 Wire Diameter: 13.5mm https://www.autodoc.co.uk/eibach/7518506? Eibach F11-85-012-01-HA rear Pro-Kit springs Length: 315mm Number of coils: 8.0 Wire Diameter 13.5mm https://www.autodoc.co.uk/eibach/7431443?

Non-standard 215/70R16 will fit the Kodiaq if the front discs are 312x25mm or 314x30mm. 340x30mm front discs do need at least 17" rims to clear the front brake calipers. Only Kodiaqs with more than 150HP use the biggest 340x30mm front disc size. Vredestein Quatrac 215/70R16 100H https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/vredestein/quatrac/215/70/R16/H/100/m?tyre=41007506 6.5Jx16 ET33 5/112 57.1 steel rims (from the VW Tiguan MK1) https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/details?vehicleId=62269191771657328&rimCode=ALCAR9922 The VW Tiguan MK1 uses a 215/65R16 tyres for its 16" wheel size.

Have you tried the Osram lamp finder? https://www.osram.com/apps/gvlrg/en_COM

It's that time of year again when it gets cold. UHP summer tyres turn into ULP winter tyres below about 7 degrees Centigrade. Vredestein Quatrac tyres are one of the best tyres for use in cold, wet weather. Just read the reviews. In cold rain, the Michelin CrossClimate 2 took over 5% longer to stop than the Vredestein Quatrac Pro. 2022 All Season Tyre Review https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2022-Tyre-Reviews-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm Vredestein Quatrac Pro 205/55R17 95V XL https://www.camskill.co.uk/m140b0s8838p193509/Vredestein_Tyres_All_Season_Car_Vredestein_Quatrac_Pro_-_205_55_R17_95V_XL_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_B_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_72dB

You could try hooking the end of the metal tape measure to the edge of the rim near the road, then deduct the radius (half the diameter) of the rim.