octavia55

I have seen similar threads on other forums and wonder if the makers ever read them. Why don't. Makers send a feedback form to the owners a couple of months after they have picked up their car asking what they like or dislike and what they would change. If they get a common thread then they could react to it. Unfortunately what they fit to a car is very often dictated by marketing strategy, for example the seat adjustment, it would cost pennies to add manual adjustment for the seat squab angle, but then why buy electric seats. Another example is the off road button, does it ally cost £100 for a button, what it does is done by software so costs nothing.

Some time ago there was an investigation into tyre companies over tightening wheel nuts, usually over tightened because they are done up with an air gun. I Thought they all signed up to some sort of protocol where they would check them with a torque wrench. I had new tyres fitted to a Mercedes and watched as the fitter air gunned the wheel nuts up and then checked them with a torque wrench, only trouble was he didn't tighten them up to the correct torque he just made sure they at least that torque, meaning they could have been over tightened. Now I just say nothing and tighten them up correctly when I get home.

At last we can agree on something, our opinions differ.

Winter tyre Winter tyre requirements as well as the definition of a winter tyre differ significantly amongst the national EU laws. Harmonisation of the definition, as a first step and of the requirements as a second in order to align with the EU legislation, would be highly desirable to improve EU road safety. Tyres marked "M+S" have tread and material designed in a way that driving performance on mud and in snow are better than with normal standard tyres. This is a Manufacturer's declaration. From November 2012: UNECE Regulation 117, to be implemented in the EU through Regulation (EC) 661/2009, requires for snow tyres a minimum level of performance threshold on snow (braking and traction). If the tyre meets the criteria, it can be marked with the new three-peak snowflake symbol. However, "M+S" will also remain an allowed marking, but not linked by law to a minimum threshold in winter conditions.

MICHELIN Tyre Latitude seriesYour 4x4 off-road tyre needs can be handled by the MICHELIN Latitude series. If you are looking specifically for cold weather tyres, look no further than the MICHELIN Latitude Alpin series. To find the right tyres for you, we recommend using the tyre selector. Simply enter a search by vehicle model or tyre dimension to find the ideal 4x4 tyre fitments for your vehicle. From the micelin website, but what do they know, they probabley all come from london.

On a totally different, but related issue regarding speed rating on tyres, my understanding is it would only be an issue with the insurance company if the speed rating was lower than recommended by the manufacturer, not if it were higher.

Here we go again, my first post was an observation and my opinion, which some on this forum decided I was not entitled to because my location was given as London. It is still my opinion that my vehicle has been marketed as an off road vehicle, and as evidence to back up why this is my opinion can be found in Skoda's own brochure and I quote "If driving off the beaten track appeals, at the mere push of the off-road button, the Yeti turns into a highly capable off-road vehicle. It is adept at climbing slippery slopes, descending steep hills and maintaining control on difficult terrain using the very latest 4x4 systems" If you want to climb slippery slopes then surely M & S tyres are best suited. I note that Skoda do not market the two wheel drive Yeti as an off road vehicle ('off Road' vehicle is Skoda's own terminology not mine) they do with the 4x4. I have never said I don't like the tyres I have an opinion on their performance, i don't want to take them to bed I'll leave that to some of the other members of this forum. So can any of the members who tell me what facts I have got very wrong (What we are trying to do is explain exactly why he is incorrect in his views about tyres, their definitions and useage. Unfortunately he does not seem to appreciate that he has got some of his facts very wrong, and that some of us have a lot of experience in this field and know what we are talking about.). Perhaps it was the fact that Land Rovers come as standard with all season M & S tyres, well as another member has proved Land Rover are of the opinion that they fit all season tryes to all of their vehicles they must have their facts wrong. The Goodyear wrangler is not an All season tyre, well someone should let Goodyear know as their website says it is. Still what do I know I used to live in London so am not entitled to an opinion. I wouldn't expect to buy a Ferrari and find it's fitted with General Grabber AT2 tyres only to be told by the dealer If i wanted UHP tyres I should have asked. I still maintain its a reasonable assumption, and still my opinion, that a vehicle marketed as an off road vehicle should come as standard with all season tyres and the onus should be on those who only want to use their Yeti on road to ask for summer tyres to be fitted. My opinion but then I used to live in London

"If driving off the beaten track appeals, at the mere push of the off-road button, the Yeti turns into a highly capable off-road vehicle. It is adept at climbing slippery slopes, descending steep hills and maintaining control on difficult terrain using the very latest 4x4 systems". Copied from the Yeti Brochure, Clearly Skoda themselves see the yeti 4x4 as an off road vehicle so was expecting it to come with all season M & S tyres so off the wall.

Let me clear a few things up, my user name is Octavia55 because I had a 2005 Octavia when I joined. At that time I lived in London but worked in the counties, even people who live in London need 4x4's, That was eight years ago, I now live in the middle of Cambridgshire, does that now qualify me to comment, when living in London doesn't. Unfortunately people comment on things when they really don't know what they are talking about with comments such as Land Rover do not fit M & S tyres as standard or Goodyear Wrangler tyres are not all season, Just where do this get this information from. When I joined this website in 2005 it was a place where you could have a discussion or give an opinion without being shouted down by self opinionated experts. I suppose the problem is some people move in very small circles and think themselves the only expert in the village, never get challenged by anyone else and end up thinking anyone with a different opinion must be wrong. Having been driving for 40yrs, towed caravans for 25yrs, driven a bus in London for 7yrs, Actually taught Motor Vehicle Engineering and enjoyed having had two Police driiving courses, I do feel qualified to have an opinion. I will now bow out and leave the so called experts to their own devices.

Sorry to go on but in my original post I never mentioned off road tyres, I stated I was surprised it didn't come with all season m & s tyres. I am fully aware of the various types of tyre and agree 99percent of yetis would never need them, however I still maintain all season m&s tyres would be a better choice for the manufacturer to fit to a 4x4 vehicle with a off road button and hill decent control fitted. They obviously intend the vehicle to be used on more than tarmac in the summer.i

Sorry to disagree but my first freelancer was an 09 and came with continental cross contact m & s treys, my second was an 2011 and came with Pirelli scorpion m & s tyres. Go to the Goodyear website and they advertise the wrangler as an all season tyre designed for mud.

My dealer changed my dunlops to Goodyear all season before i picked the yeti up, all i had to pay was the difference in cost of the tyres, at that time a total of wait for it £7.50 in the end no extra to pay. I have found that in the wet weather of late the goodyear all seasons do shift water very well, very little pull to the left or right when you hit a very large puddle, and the handling in dry warm weather is good as well will never go back to the dunlops. (hoping to find some mud soon to try it in but don't tell The above post was posted by "Freedom" in 2011, is that the same freedom who has posted on this topic?

. I haven't tried my yeti off road yet and I am sure I will be surprised how good it will be on summer tyres, but there must be a reason all the other 4x4 manufacturers fit their cars with M & S tyres as standard. There must be a reason countries which get lot of snow insist their cars are fitted with winter tyres or M& S tyres. The reason is grip, which comes from the tyre compound and tread design. All I am saying I would have preferred to have traded some Tarmac handling for traction in mud and snow. Mercedes and BMWs behave a bad reputation in the uk for being terrible in snow, purely down to the uhp tyres fitted, they don't have problem in Europe when fitted with winter tyres ,so the tyres have a huge impact on the ability to keep going in adverse conditions. Which brings me back to the point of why you buy a SUV/crossover with four wheel drive, is it so it handles like a Ferrari or it's ability to cross a muddy field or keep going in snow?

I can assure freedom that uk freelanders come as standard with m & s tyres as standard as did my CRV AND X Trail. In most of Northern Europe any car car sold past November has to have winter tyres (snowflake symbol) or tyres with a M & S marking. M & S tyres are not the knobbly ones and look very similar to summer tyres apart from different block patten and slipes at the edge of the tyre and a different compound. Ultimatley they will not be as good as low profile UHP tyres fitted to high performance cars in terms of sticking to the road. I have seen range rovers with rubber bands as tyres unable to move in a little bit of mud because of the tyres. At the end of the day it's houses for courses if you never intend to use the 4x4 and off road function then stick to high performance tyres, personally I didn't buy a Yeti to drive it like a sport car, if I wanted that I would have bought a caterham 7 but then you wouldn't take a 7 out in the snow.

Oh dear, i didn,t relaise opinions would be so split. I would have thought most people buy this type of vehicle because they want some sort of light off road performance, if not then there are much better alternatives for sole use on the road. I don't understand the comment about best performance from a road tyre, the standard yeti tyres are not UHP tyres as fitted to high performance cars and having driven a freelander with 200bhp and in the USA an Infinity MX37X with 330bhp and a Cadilac AWD all with M & S tyres as standard (Pirelli, Continental and Firestone) I can say I did not notice a lack of performance from the tyres on the road. In the USA M & S tyres are standard fit on most cars in the snow belt areas, Perhaps if the UK followed suit the counrty would not come to a halt with 1" of snow. I still can't help feeling that a soft roader marketed with all wheel drive and an off road button should come with tyres suited to light off road use.

I aggree that most of the time it will be used on tarmac, but i paid extra for 4 whhel drive and an off road button to give me better Traction when taken off road and in snow.

Picked up our new Yeti 2.0 diesel DSG 4x4 elegance on friday, very nice car but was very surprised (and disapointed) to find it came with summer tyres (Dunlop SP1's). I was expecting a 4x4 SUV with an Off road button to come with all season M & S tyres, as my Nissan X Trail, Honda CRV and Freelanders came with as standard. I cannot understand why a manufacturer would not fit M & S tyres to an SUV, rather than summer tyres and loose 50% of the 4x4 advantage in mud and snow. Otherwise I like the car but just assumed it would came with all season tyres, but like the old saying goes " never assume".

Picked my new 1.6tdi SE+ this morning, spent most of the day playing with it and setting it up. Pleased to see it has the Amundsen+ sat nav, which I have to say seems very good. Only done 30 miles buts shows 60mpg, excellent. When I was fitting the drivers mat I Was a little surprised to see it has a plastic clutch pedal, call me old fashioned but I still think pedals should be made out of metal. Have to say it drives very well and feels much more expensive than it was.

Hello everyone, Just ordered an Octavia SE+ 1.6 TDI. wanted cappuccino beige but there are only 3 Silver and 1 black manual cars left, so went for silver. Got a great deal due to the run out for the new octavia in January. Very impressed on the test drive, from dealers up the motorway and back showed 70mpg. I am not new to Skodas having had 3 estelles, several Favorits, Felicias, fabias and Octavias, ending up with a Elagance DSG diesel. I strayed from Skodas and went to a C class Mercedes, Honda CRV and several Freelanders. I am really looking forward to not giving the chancellor so much of my hard earned money with £30 road tax and 60mpg whilst not feeling short changed in the driving department. Have to say my last octavia was a PD engine, surprised how much quieter and smoother the new CR engine is, I never considered the old one rough. I am sure there will be lots of questions and will be looking for answers on the forum. If its not to early Seasons greeting to everyone.