17 or 18 inch alloys for vrs

[pompeyandy]

I after buying a used mk 2 petrol vrs estate to replace my lovely but unreliable 525d BMW estate. I'm after one with the dual climate, rear electric windows and jumbo box. I'm concerned about ride comfort, refinement/motorway noise for my fussy missus who loves the serenity and comfort the BMW offers.

Test drove a hatch the other day with 18 inch alloys. Very impressed. Ride didn't seem too harsh. I was wondering what if any difference the 17 inch wheels would offer. Also I note all seem to have tyre pressure monitors. Does this include the fitment of run flat tyres?

My wifes' Mini cooper has run flats. Coupled with the sports suspension this makes the ride unduly harsh. Your thoughts please??

[bahnstormer vrs]

18" rims are popular (part of free upgrade pack over the past year) and desirable for resale.

Ride quality? There is a difference and the 17s are slightly smoother, but not by much.

The 17s IMHO whilst being less sharp on turn in (as mentioned above) give an overall better and more forgiving handling response; particularly in the wet and cold. That's why I keep my 17s for 'winter' use, October to May. Evo magazine in their 2007 tyre test used a Golf GTi as the test acr and found that using 18s with 225/40 tyres it was around 2.5 seconds per lap (on a 60 - 65 sec lap) SLOWER around there test track in the wet than with 225/45 17s.

have a look at this thread;- http://briskoda.net/octavia-ii/17-vs-18-zeniths/119384/ for further comments.

Tyre Pressure monitor; works using the ABS sensors to detect a difference in rotational speed between tyres on the same axle, caused by a tyre going soft with a puncture. NO, you don't get run-flat tyres; thank the Lord IMHO they are a pain in the a*** (and ruin the ride quality to boot). Normal tyres so you get free choice to by what you want.

Trust this is of help.

[Genoa1893]

Hi,

I decided for 18" coming from a humble Megane with 15" and expected to suffer some harshness. It is not absolutely the case in my experience, so I don't see how 17" would be of interest.

HTH

[smog monster]

I got the 18" Zeniths as part of the free upgrade , at the time i wasnt bothered with the 18"s but after getting them and seeing the 17" on other octy,s think the 18"s look miles better and i cant say the ride is hard

sh . . . go for the 18"s

[pompeyandy]

Well. Thanks all for your comments.

Like the look of the 18inch alloys. Very glad neither come with horrible run flat tyres.

Just to open another can of worms. What's the best colour to go for??

Definately not yellow or white. Quite like the Corrida red. Like the race blue also. Wife likes the black-although her Mini is black. A right b**tard to keep clean, shows evey mark but look great when clean. Your opinions??

Also I've seen a Black May 07 vrs Estate at Preston Motors in London. 6500 miles, 18inch alloys, dual climate etc for £12k. Does this represent good value?

[Allams Skoda]

Go for the 18" alloys.

White is very, very cool.....

Yellow is a real no-no as far as resale goes.

Silver/Black are very nice but don't stand out so much.

Red/Blue look very smart!

[Guest]

The ride is fine on 18"s and they fill the arches much better.

[miff13]

The ride is fine on 18"s and they fill the arches much better.

I've never understood why people say this, please explain it very slowly to me. Surely the 18" alloys have lower profile tyres than the 17" alloys, so they probably have the same radius with the tyres on, so how do they fill the arches more? :confused:

I'm probably just jealous as I've got 17" alloys, but I've never been able to grasp the logic of this statement.

Sorry for hijacking the thread. :sofahide:

[vRSLen]

I've never understood why people say this, please explain it very slowly to me. Surely the 18" alloys have lower profile tyres than the 17" alloys, so they probably have the same radius with the tyres on, so how do they fill the arches more? :confused:

I'm probably just jealous as I've got 17" alloys, but I've never been able to grasp the logic of this statement.

Sorry for hijacking the thread. :sofahide:

I think it's because there is more silver than black under the arch

[miff13]

I think it's because there is more silver than black under the arch

Ahh, that makes more sense, people mean it gives the illusion of filling the arches more. Personally I can't tell the difference visually but then I'm overdue an eyetest.

[bahnstormer vrs]

I've never understood why people say this, please explain it very slowly to me. Surely the 18" alloys have lower profile tyres than the 17" alloys, so they probably have the same radius with the tyres on, so how do they fill the arches more? :confused:

I'm probably just jealous as I've got 17" alloys, but I've never been able to grasp the logic of this statement.

Sorry for hijacking the thread. :sofahide:

Its a visual illusion not a physical fact.

[bahnstormer vrs]

Ahh, that makes more sense, people mean it gives the illusion of filling the arches more. Personally I can't tell the difference visually but then I'm overdue an eyetest.

Particularly difficult to see on the vRS as both the 17 and 18 wheels are the same 'Zenith' design. Its not as if you spot the different wheels!

[Wardy]

Has anyone made any comparisions between MPG on the Zenith 17s and 18s? Maybe someone who ran 17s, then upgraded them?

Just wondered as there could possibly be less unsprung weight with the 17s and less rolling resistance?

Steve

[bahnstormer vrs]

Has anyone made any comparisons between MPG on the Zenith 17s and 18s? Maybe someone who ran 17s, then upgraded them?

Just wondered as there could possibly be less unsprung weight with the 17s and less rolling resistance?

Steve

I have a set of both 17s and 18s; the 18s are 2.5Kg per wheel/tyre heavier!

Using the 17s, performance definitely seems more sprightly but haven't check fuel consumption.

Edited 11 September, 2008 by bahnstormer vrs

[JJJ66]

Just to open another can of worms. What's the best colour to go for??

Definately not yellow or white. Quite like the Corrida red. Like the race blue also. Wife likes the black-although her Mini is black. A right b**tard to keep clean, shows evey mark but look great when clean. Your opinions??

After running silver Octavias for nearly seven years, I can tell you that they're the exact opposite of black; unless you've been driving down a muddy cart-track, then you can accumulate a significant amount of dirt and still look pretty clean. Granted, it looks a whole lot better when you do clean it, but it is nice occasionally to have that bit of "leeway" in your cleaning schedule

[bahnstormer vrs]

Silver and Red will hide the dirt pretty well. Of course they will look great when clean/polished.

Race Blue is by far the most popular colour for the vRS (more than 50%) and exclusive to the vRS; apart from the limited edition Fabia vRS from last year.

[JohnTee]

I've gone from a very unreliable 525D Estate to a Diesel vRS Hatch with 18" alloys. The ride is definitely firmer, but a sporty hatch is always going to be compared to a car like the BMW. I find the Octy quieter on the motorway, and definitely much quicker mid-range. I also use it to tow a caravan (the shame.......), but also find it much more stable than the BMW. If you are used to driving diesel, it might be worth trying one and comparing it to the petrol version.

[pompeyandy]

After running silver Octavias for nearly seven years, I can tell you that they're the exact opposite of black; unless you've been driving down a muddy cart-track, then you can accumulate a significant amount of dirt and still look pretty clean. Granted, it looks a whole lot better when you do clean it, but it is nice occasionally to have that bit of "leeway" in your cleaning schedule

Thanks. Present BMW is silver and wife's Mini is black-so can see both sides of the coin. Want something a bit different this time, so may go for the Blue:rolleyes:

[pompeyandy]

I've gone from a very unreliable 525D Estate to a Diesel vRS Hatch with 18" alloys. The ride is definitely firmer, but a sporty hatch is always going to be compared to a car like the BMW. I find the Octy quieter on the motorway, and definitely much quicker mid-range. I also use it to tow a caravan (the shame.......), but also find it much more stable than the BMW. If you are used to driving diesel, it might be worth trying one and comparing it to the petrol version.

Thanks. After driving the petrol vrs hatch it felt phenomenal. Drivng the BMW home, it felt lumpen and slow.Refinement is a big issue with me.I need to be sure it is acceptable-bearing in mind its a sports version before taking the plunge. I only do 6k a year,and with the extra cost to buy and fuel a diesel vrs, petrol would be my first choice.

[bahnstormer vrs]

I only do 6k a year,and with the extra cost to buy and fuel a diesel vrs, petrol would be my first choice.

Unless you are a complete Diesel head (like me); I'd agree.

Get the TFSI (petrol) vRS; its more tuneable as well.

[brad1.8T]

I've had a couple of silver cars & find I can spend a day detailing them & they look no different.

I've had a few burgundy / red cars (including my Octavia) & you spend a few hours on them & they look fantastic.

[Guest]

I've never understood why people say this, please explain it very slowly to me. Surely the 18" alloys have lower profile tyres than the 17" alloys, so they probably have the same radius with the tyres on, so how do they fill the arches more? :confused:

I'm probably just jealous as I've got 17" alloys, but I've never been able to grasp the logic of this statement.

Sorry for hijacking the thread. :sofahide:

Typically 18" wheels are wider hence stand out further in the wheel arch. It's nothing to doing with the wheel radius although less black tyre wall does also give the impression of filling the arches more.

[G.K.]

Well. Thanks all for your comments.

Like the look of the 18inch alloys. Very glad neither come with horrible run flat tyres.

Just to open another can of worms. What's the best colour to go for??

Definately not yellow or white. Quite like the Corrida red. Like the race blue also. Wife likes the black-although her Mini is black. A right b**tard to keep clean, shows evey mark but look great when clean. Your opinions??

Also I've seen a Black May 07 vrs Estate at Preston Motors in London. 6500 miles, 18inch alloys, dual climate etc for £12k. Does this represent good value?

Red with 18" alloys would be my choice.

Refinement of the BMW and the VRS are worlds apart. (my brother runs a 525 diesel estate and it is a lovely motor but a money pit compared to my Octy and that is only for the servicing!!

Ahhhhh. the cost of "status"....

[pompeyandy]

Red with 18" alloys would be my choice.

Refinement of the BMW and the VRS are worlds apart. (my brother runs a 525 diesel estate and it is a lovely motor but a money pit compared to my Octy and that is only for the servicing!!

Ahhhhh. the cost of "status"....

You have hit the nail on the head my friend! Since buying my 525d for the status, I have poured almost £3k into it. I bought it a 3 years old and 120,000. It's now done 143,000 and is currently going wrong every two months. As I've said before, lovely car, auto, full leather, climate etc etc and wife loves the comfort. |But hankering over a newish reliable, fast ,value estate. Considered Mazda 6-worthy but dull, Focus-too common and either a newer beemer-expensive to buy and maintain.

Octy vrs estate seems to fit the bill-apart from full leather and cruise but otherwise spot on.

Red with 18 inch alloys sounds good. Have to keep em peeled. Values seem to be dropping, so may wait for the right deal.