Ive had my Octavia now for a few months and the only negative (apart from poor MW/LW reception) has been a lack of grip from the front tyres. I can spin the front tyres and set the ASR "banging away" without really trying. The car is an 08 plate 1.8 TSi Ambiente (160 BHP) and has covered 9K miles. The tyres currently fitted are Dunlop SP Sport 01 (205/60/15 91V) and are evenly worn with >5 mm tread remaining. My last 2 Octavia's (Mk1 vRS's) had Continental sportcontact 2's fitted (205/50/17) and seemed much grippier than these Dunlops.

I have 2 thoughts in mind:

a new set of tyres (I would appreciate any suggestions as to which brand to improve grip).

Alternatively would a larger set of wheels/tyres from another Octavia offer more grip? I'm thinking along the lines of 17's from a Mk II vRS of even 16's from an Elegance. I appreciate this will have implications for insurance etc.

I have been very impressed with the new 1.8 TSi engine. It pulls from 2K revs and really flies between 4.5K-6K revs. I've averaged 30 mpg in mostly urban use, but have seen over 40 mpg cruising on the motorway.

On another (very similar) car, I found that a set of Yokohamas transformed the handling and grip. You will get less overall mileage, but it will all be fun mileage!

Ray

If you are looking for a set of 205x55R16 Elegance wheels with a set of part worn Bridgestone ER300s, I might be able to help. I've had no problems with grip, but not that keen on the look of the standard wheels.

My new TSi came with Conti Sportrac and they seem grippy and not particularly noisy, certainly quieter than my last one's Bridgestones.

my 1.8TSI has 205 Contisportcontact2 on it. It only wheelspins when I want it to.

I had Pirelli Dragons on my old Golf & they were quite good too.

In the past, when I thought my tyres were a bit lousy, I've contacted the manufacturer or megadealer & organised a swap with cash adjustment for something better in the same brand.

Continentals are very costly down here, so when the Contispurts wear out I'll probably fit something from Bridgestone or Pirelli.

"Dunlop: Drivers Know."

Drivers know Dunlop make ****e tyres. :lol:

I suggest Vredestein Sportrac3. Top tyres if you can find them in your area.

thanks for the advice guys. The Vredestein option has cropped up a couple of times and I will definitely look into this when the time comes.

London Les - thanks for the offer of the 16's but I think I'll go with a new set of Vredesteins and hopefully Ebay my Dunlop's.

Just ordered 4x Vredestein Quatrac 3 tyres at £55 each supplied and fitted from my local independant (Stewartry Tyres) 195/65 R15 V. Price has beaten all online quotes I got.

Had these tyres fitted Friday. Went through the Dalbeattie stage of the Galloway Hills Rally today after about 120 cars. Amazing traction on the forest road, loose gravel on top of frozen dirt track. Fuel consumption on road has dropped but i imagine rolling resistance will be worse due to new tyre having more tread and a more aggressive tread pattern.

17" wheels from a Vrs and Goodyear F1 gsd3 tyres will make all the difference ....and yes I have tried it

17" wheels from a Vrs and Goodyear F1 gsd3 tyres will make all the difference ....and yes I have tried it

Down here, F1s are really variable in performance because we get them from 2 sources - Germany & Thailand (IIRC). I'll let you guess which ones are the poor performers. Anyway, most "enthusiasts" won't touch them because they are a bit of a lucky dip.

Goodyear have had a marginal reputation down here for 25years+ (I used to work for them and the USA masters never understood that Australian conditions were different to USA