now we have a problem....dealer phoned me back after asking him to check out my request for an elegance spec with smaller wheels. He reckons that the SE model has differnet suspension components to the elegance spec model. he claims his parts manager has checked it out and they have different codes. This means the SE with 17" wheels is tuned differently to the elegance with 18" . the suspension is matched to the wheels. I challenged this and said "ok so how come you can upgrade the SE to 18" rims then on the options list" . He reckoned that if you do this then the suspension on the SE will be built differently. different damping rates and spring rates he reckons

I am sceptical. You can officially order dealer fit 17" wheels (they are listed in the brochure) so why do they do this if it is "not recommended by Skoda to put 17" on an elegance" ??

i am totally confused and irritated now - i need the elec seats but want smaller wheels and a nice ride. SE with elec seats and xenons woudl be my choice but thats not an option in the UK. do i import ?

opinions welcomed as i find it hard to believe the S . Se and elegance have differnet suspension components as none of them are marketed as having "sports suspension" or "tuned suspension".

i am happy to be corrected if i am wrong - i just find it hard to believe !

in the other thread on suspension Bagpuss tells us his dealer has confirmed all the 140 and 170 cars have the same suspension. was he comparing differnt engined cars with the same spec level or looking across the whole range i wonder ?

To confuse you even more, 18" is optional on Elegance in Sweden.....

And i just ordered an Elegance with 16'' wheels....

From what I understand both the Elegance and the SE have the same suspension, the only possibility of suspension variations is on different engine setups. For example a 2.0TDi will probably have different springs/dampers/ARB to the 3.6 DSG.

And i just ordered an Elegance with 16'' wheels....

I must add that the car comes with 17'' wheels from the factory and the dealer swaps to 16''.

Just confirmed with my local dealer that the suspension on the SE and Elegance for both 140 and 170 diesels is the same.

They can see no reason why you shouldn't have 16" wheels, and would be happy to supply a car with them.

Bagpuss.