why 18" wheels ?

[jcblincs]

i HATE big wheels. htey ruin the ride and the tyres cost a fortune. I might consider an elegance spec but only if i can have 17" wheels. do you reckon i can order one with the lesser spec wheels ?

also - why can you order xenons on the SE model ? or am i missing something

[Chocaholic]

Not sure if you can downsize - if the configurator on my lease company website is correct, you get 18" Themisto alloys as std with the no-cost alternative of 18" Luna alloys.:(

However maybe this is incomplete info but I'm sure one of the helpful and knowledgeable folks here will know for sure !

[skisbp]

I'm sure you can find someone on here to swap with you if you're that displeased with them! Let the bidding begin...

[jcblincs]

there's an interesting proposition....i never thought of that !!! it will be a while though as i am not buying a car that i havent seen or sat in !!

[Bagpuss]

i HATE big wheels. htey ruin the ride and the tyres cost a fortune. I might consider an elegance spec but only if i can have 17" wheels. do you reckon i can order one with the lesser spec wheels ?

also - why can you order xenons on the SE model ? or am i missing something

Xenons with AFS are not yet an option on either S or SE. They will be available later, but currently the only way to get them is with an Elegance.

Bagpuss.

[Babs]

Tyres of a size approaching anywhere near "low profile" will cost more, meaning most profiles lower than 50 cost more.

Pirelli P-Zero Nero (for a comparison...) in 225/45-17 are £89 from MyTyres, whereas 225/40-18 are £110. The difference isn't exactly going to break the bank is it?

And the ride can be subjective, but if the car's suspension has been designed with it in mind, there should be no ill-effects. Perhaps try test driving one rather than going on age-old hear say

[sworrall]

and the tyres cost a fortune.

18" Falken 452's for the octy ii are currently cheaper than the 17" equivs!

(mine are the 17"'s )

[Tech1e]

Profile doesnt have anything to do with the cost IMHO, popularity does. A common size, be it low profile or not will be cheaper than a rarer size.

The 45's on my Golf were cheaper than the 50's on the Passat.

[bengie]

on my mazda with the standard 14" wheels it cost me £60 a tyre for budgets yet i bought a full set of eagle F1's that are wider, lower profile and 15" for £200

as ross said size has sweet FA to do with cost its about supply and demand on a size that matters, if they make 14 bazillion low profile 18's and only 50 high profile 13" tyres then the 18's will be far cheaper.

on my octavia i run 225/45/17 and they are quite cheap as its a super common size now thanks to (i think) all new astra's and focus's's's's running that size along with a few other cars.

[Babs]

@ Bengia + Lummox: exactly my point

[Supurbia]

See it this way, H7 bulb = 5.99 anywhere, a Xenon is 75 fitted at dealers.

Is it becoming clearer why now?

[bengie]

not really, your paying a dealer to fit something at probably £85 an hour or fitting it yourself.

[Supurbia]

not really, your paying a dealer to fit something at probably £85 an hour or fitting it yourself.

It ain't the labour in this case it's the price of the bulb.

[sworrall]

i thought xenon bulbs were £100 plus? wasnt this thread about tyres??

[Supurbia]

i thought xenon bulbs were £100 plus? wasnt this thread about tyres??

75 quid is what my mate paid to have one replaced at the Skoda dealer who supplied his 56 plate car, and the original post mentions both tyre's and lights.

[Allams Skoda]

Xenon bulbs should not have gone on a 56 plate car unless it was done interstellar mileage. In fact I'm suprised that he didn't get it done under warranty.

[VRStu]

See it this way, H7 bulb = 5.99 anywhere, a Xenon is 75 fitted at dealers.

Is it becoming clearer why now?

That's a stupid comparison, you are talking about different products. Bit like saying a steel wheel is x price and yet an Alloy is Y price or an MP3 headunit is Y price but the Sat Nav version is dearer.

[jcblincs]

Tyres of a size approaching anywhere near "low profile" will cost more, meaning most profiles lower than 50 cost more.

Pirelli P-Zero Nero (for a comparison...) in 225/45-17 are £89 from MyTyres, whereas 225/40-18 are £110. The difference isn't exactly going to break the bank is it?

its nothing to do with cost - simply to do with ride quality

And the ride can be subjective, but if the car's suspension has been designed with it in mind, there should be no ill-effects. Perhaps try test driving one rather than going on age-old hear say

i dont believe the se and elegance will have different suspension set ups will they ? i am sure they will simply chuck some 18" on and hope for the best.

i have noticed in my brochure you can get dealer fit 17" wheels so maybe there is an answer.

i am certain that the 18" wheels will have less rubber from the rim to the road and are bound to make the ride worse over potholes and poor surfaces