Swirly182

I'm sure you'll love the new 2L front wheel drive automatic hatchback much more than the old 2L front wheel drive automatic hatchback it replaces. Sorry couldn't resist.

The natural 4 cylinder diesel noise?! Surely not 😁

My original 245 doesn't have DCC and I can adjust its level. This may or may not be relevant to the diesel...

Cheers for the correction and the link.

Thanks for the info. I'm now looking at DOTZ Spa wheels pictured below. They are 7.5" width, 17" diameter, 5 x 112 PCD, and a choice of offsets: 35, 40, 48. I believe the standard Octavia wheels are 7.5" width and offset of 51 so I should go for 48 with the new wheels. Having not looked at the erWin manual (because I'm tight) would the slight difference in offset cause a problem? So the wheels would protrude 1.5mm more over standard each side is how I understand it. Tyre Reviews posted a great video comparing 17, 18 and 19" wheels on a Golf GTI. The conclusion was that 17" is most comfortable, no surprises there, but the correct tyre needs to be selected. So I will be going for less-sporty tyres, like the Goodyears Carlston already suggested above. https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/The-differences-between-17-18-and-19-inch-tyres.htm

Thanks all for the replies. Good point about insurance. Surely though they acknowledge that people install smaller winter wheels and tyres to suit.... Just need to make a decision now. Do the OEM Extreme rims make good money used? Confusing with all the replicas listed on ebay...

Or...

Thank you for the detailed reply. Interesting about the thinner tyres and further improved ride. My initial thought is the effect on grip because I do still like occasional accelerations 😀 I don't mind the black rim design you've posted, may be be a bit on the tame side after the Extremes. Please suggest others, they don't have to be VAG... Here is a style I've found. Last time I bought aftermarket wheels was 2006 for my Fabia vRS! So I don't really know what's good or bad.

I'm getting fed up of feeling like the car's rattling itself to bits on rough tarmac and damaged / pot holed roads. I never really liked the 19" Extreme wheel design and would have gone for the standard 18" but these weren't available with the launch vRS 245. I've already increased the width of the tyre to a 235, which predictably hasn't done much regarding ride comfort. I'm thinking of downsizing, possibly to even 17" wheels (guessing 235/45 R17) in order to gain the higher profile tyres. Appreciate the overall ride will still be firm due to the suspension but the larger sidewall should provide a bit of cushion. I think it works at an extra 25mm. Aesthetics would suffer in that the wheel arch would look a bit empty but I would go for a completely black wheel to try and disguise the small diameter. Could I fit spacers or reduce(?) the offset to push them out a bit to improve the 'stance'. Can't lower it because I tow a caravan and already strike the jockey wheel. What are peoples thoughts? Has it been done before? Will it deliver the desired effect? I'm thinking some of the 'winter wheelers' may have some useful info...

You won't get much quieter than that combo! Are the wheels balanced? It's surprising how much noise out of balance wheels cause. I think additional sound insulation is the way forward, but even then it's unlikely to improve on, or even match the Golf.

The max towing limits of my manual 245 are either 1600kg or 1800kg depending on the incline, I think the DSGs are the same. This is what Skoda state it can pull without damaging the drivetrain, so think towing a broken down car where the tow car's kerb weight isn't relevant. Hitch a caravan up and that's when the tow car's kerb weight has to be considered, hence the (outdated) 85% guidance. Based on no actual data, 85% to 100% seems more realistic these days due to improved stabilisers, car and caravan stability programmes etc... On paper I think I'm at 96%, but haven't been to a weigh bridge to get actual weights. The Freelander will have coped with the weight of the van more effectively than the Octavia. Did you have the boot loaded up? I did this when I first started towing the caravan, but have since realised a bit more weight in the caravan (low down, over the wheels) actually improves stability. Can't exceed the caravan's MTPLM though!

Quieter tyres will only do so much. Less sound insulation than the Golf is the problem. You could try applying some insulation yourself around the spare wheel well and behind door cards etc... What size wheels are fitted? I'm seriously considering swapping out the 19" wheels on my vRS and going for smaller ones, 18" possibly even 17" - main reason is improved ride but it may also reduce road noise slightly.

Nice one, glad you enjoyed the trip and the mighty vRS did it's job - as expected! The acceleration it has on the motorway with nearly 1500kg on the back is impressive. Re. nose weight, how can it be nose heavy but still under the nose weight?! Aim to get it as close to 75kg as you can. I struggle and have to take the gas bottle out (leave the water / waste containers and other small bits in). To be honest it's closer to 80kg but it feels planted.

May as well wear the current ones down first! A quiet tyre will only do so much for the noisy mk3 Octavia. Lack of sound insulation is the issue, so don't expect miracles... I'm OK with it because the car does most other things really well. Having said that, I do choose tyres with the lowest dB rating over anything else. My local garage swears by Davanti tyres for noise (or lack of) so I'll be trying these next.

How often will you be towing? Surely you need to factor this in before shelling out £1500! I went for the 'half job' cheap install and saved £1000. 💪

Mines an estate with a Westfalia detachable. Fitted by an independent who (if you read the forums) did everything wrong - bypass, no coding etc. However, the caravan gets to the destination without falling off and the indicators work.... 😀 For info I had no intention of towing a caravan at the time of ordering / buying the car. I ordered it in manual purposely because, whilst I do like automatics, I'm not a fan of the DSGs. The potential repair costs also put me off, but when serviced properly they should be reliable. The clutch has survived a ridiculous hill start with the caravan on the back. One off temporary lights on a 16% hill near Pateley Bridge and it took what seemed like an age to engage and pull away. But overall up to now, towing is no problem for the manual transmission. Solo, the suspension is acceptable in my opinion. Its the 19" wheel / tyre combo that compromises the ride, but it's not harsh. Forgot to mention the fuel economy whilst towing: 16 to 25mpg depending on conditions and your right foot! It just takes all the abuse we throw at it - my occasional spirited driving, the caravan, 2 young boys in the back, bikes, tip runs, B&Q runs, several solo France Holidays. Its a remarkable car.

You ask if you should go for a petrol vRS... That's what I tow 1420kg with and I suppose the firmer, lower suspension and lower profile tyres would add to stability over the standard Octavia. It tows the van very well - obviously it has power and torque in reserve at all times! I've had a few jockey wheel strikes but only when the boot is fully loaded and I've not judged the speedbump or dip in time.

Looks like its out of stock now! General question - do we need the 18" space saver for the vRS or will a 17" fit?

Got a link to the one you went for?

While you're planning the upgrade, try fading out the rear speakers. This improved the sound quality significantly for me 👍

I think it was more the size of the plate that's in question, rather than the lack of text. I've looked at the linked guidance and can't see the width dimension stated. Just says 11mm margins which, with a XX XXX private plate, is complied with.

But the spacing and font remain correct. Are they illegal?

The vRS suspension is firmer as well. So an SEL lowered with standard dampers is very likely to blow through the travel and strike the jockey wheel frequently. Uprating the dampers at the same time may offer some mitigation...

I get some jockey wheel strikes with the standard vRS ride height. This usually only happens when the cars loaded up as well. Not sure how the vRS ride height compares to a lowered SEL.

Stunning.