wanted 16" 7J rims to fir my NEW superb 2. I dont like the 17" wheels and low profile tyres. happy to do a swap. 17" have p-zero tyres on and have done 1500miles.

I have the standard 16" alloys with Michelin tyres from my VW Passat with the same fittment as the Superb. They are from a 2006 new shape Passat but could do with a refurb.

I'm not looking for new wheels but not wanting a fortune for them as I've upgraded recently to Golf GT 17" wheels.

Jonathan, do you not think it would be better to put your 17s into storage...16s will render your car almost unsaleable when the time comes....al IMHO of course.

Dan

I have the standard 16" alloys with Michelin tyres from my VW Passat with the same fittment as the Superb. They are from a 2006 new shape Passat but could do with a refurb.

I'm not looking for new wheels but not wanting a fortune for them as I've upgraded recently to Golf GT 17" wheels.

it depends on the offset. the fitment of the studs might be the same but the offset needs to be the same or very similar so the wheels do not foul the suspension or wheel arches.

I will send you a pm

Jonathan, do you not think it would be better to put your 17s into storage...16s will render your car almost unsaleable when the time comes....al IMHO of course.

Dan

i did think about that. If i do swap to teh 16" wheels I woudl have been better getting the car with the original 18" wheels and putitng them in storage !!! too late now !

I am going to try the 16" wheels from my passat tomorrow and see what happens. They fir the skoda as i tried one of them a couple of weeks ago and they are fitted with conti tyres which i like. the tyres have only done 500 miles and are not the silly XL tyres. shoudl be a good test and will make my mind up one way or the other.

only issue i then have is the silly insurance compnay who want to put my premium up as i have technically "modified" the car....MUPPETS !

I just checked the inside of the wheels and they are 7J x 16 with a 45 offset.

10 spoke standard fit VW Passat from an S model 2006.

The tyres are Michelin 215 55 16 for reference.

Jonathan, Still on a wheel/tyre theme, did SUK ever respond to your question as to whether there is any reason 91 tyres should not be fitted instead of the factory fitted 94 XL tyres?

only issue i then have is the silly insurance compnay who want to put my premium up as i have technically "modified" the car....MUPPETS !

So if someone smacked into your car with a car that had been similarly technically "modified" and the insurers refused to pay you because he didn't notify them, you'd be happy with that? :eek:

Ray

Jonathan, Still on a wheel/tyre theme, did SUK ever respond to your question as to whether there is any reason 91 tyres should not be fitted instead of the factory fitted 94 XL tyres?

well they sort of did. they simply supplied a list of "approved wheel and tyre combinations" and siad that the "performance of the car cannot be guaranteed" if i deviate from the list.

I think its all a load of rubbish -if the greenline can be fitted with the 205/55/16 tyres in a 91H then is no reason why my car cant. Its almost the same weight. technically i suppose my car can go faster as its more powerful but then i dont plan to drive it over 80mph . I am happy to ditch the XL tyres in favour of the 91H tyres to improve the ride. the problem is my insurance. they want more premium as technically i have "modified the car" from the original spec. again a load of BS as technically I have already modified the car as its on 17" wheels. because these were dealer fit accessories at time of purchase and are on my invoice then they class them as "standard spec".

if i go down the route of changing I think i will look for another insurance quote. I am sure loads of people change wheels and tyres and dont bother to tell the insurance but sods law I will have a blow out on the motorway and crash and they will blame the tyres and not payout ! if i have declared the change then I am covered.

So if someone smacked into your car with a car that had been similarly technically "modified" and the insurers refused to pay you because he didn't notify them, you'd be happy with that? :eek:

Ray

but that would not happen. they would have a duty to pay out on the thrid party element. if they didnt i woudl use my legal protection to fight the claim.

Anyway - all i am asking them to do is to take each case on its merit. I am fitting skoda wheels from a main dealer and using the same wheels and tyres used on the greenline model. they are used on a model in the range so they pose no more insurance risk. If the dealer had got 16" wheels and tyres and put them on the car when i bought it then there woudl be no insurance to pay as they say it woudl be classed as standard spec. Its totally ludicrous as I am essentially being lumped in to the same group as those who put 20" rims on their cars for vanity. I woudl have expected direct line to look at the exact modification on its merits rather than just checking a box that says "modified"

going ahead with my proposal will not make the car any less safe or any more desirable to thieves therefore should not affect my insurance. Its not so much the extra £80 a year then want but the increas in my accidental damage excess from £150 to £350 that is ludicrous !

Its not so much the extra £80 a year they want but the increase in my accidental damage excess from £150 to £350 that is ludicrous !

That's some increase. I'd think about asking for the evidence they use to come up with that calculation, other than bending it over a barrel and stretching it! That's well OTT.

Ray.

That's some increase. I'd think about asking for the evidence they use to come up with that calculation, other than bending it over a barrel and stretching it! That's well OTT.

Ray.

yep - i agree. I think I will try speaking to a different person and also doing it in writing as well. £80 on a £400 premium is a lot plus the excess is stupid. They may well lose my business unless they play ball with sensible numbers. When we went from a car with a value of 4k to a brand new one worth 24k our premium didnt go up but they want and exta £80 for some different wheels:confused:

I run a highly modified Skyline and my £400 premium went up £40 when i added around 100bhp , new wheels , bodykit and a whole host of modifications

You need a different insurer i think

In the meantine have you tried lowering the tyre pressures a little??

i think direct line were taking the p*$s to be honest. I will try getting some sense out of them or else move insurer.

i have the pressures at the lowest setting i dare go to. Its the stiff sidewalls offered by the XL tyres and 45 profile that i really dont care for.

I run a highly modified Skyline and my £400 premium went up £40 when i added around 100bhp , new wheels , bodykit and a whole host of modifications

You need a different insurer i think

I highly recommend Adrian Flux Insurance Brokers. They insure my Impreza and regularly deal with exotica and highly modified vehicles.

By way of a comparison with Jonathan's additional premium/excess, when I had my Elise I phoned Admiral to inform them I had changed my steering wheel to a removable Sparco affair and they had the audacity to charge me an extra £50. I argued the removable nature of the wheel would be an added security feature, however, this fact was lost on them. I duly paid up and then decided not to bother removing the wheel whenever I parked up.

Edited 15 February, 200917 yr by veloplus

thanks to Alan (bigal rallyred) I have some nice 16" passat wheels on their way to me for a cracking price. Will be putting contisport contact 2 205/55/16 91V tyres on them from my passat (tyres have only done about 500 miles).

I highly recommend Adrian Flux Insurance Brokers. They insure my Impreza and regularly deal with exotica and highly modified vehicles.

By way of a comparison with Jonathan's additional premium/excess, when I had my Elise I phoned Admiral to inform them I had changed my steering wheel to a removable Sparco affair and they had the audacity to charge me an extra £50. I argued the removable nature of the wheel would be an added security feature, however, this fact was lost on them. I duly paid up and then decided not to bother removing the wheel whenever I parked up.

Tried Flux but they cant beat A plan , helps we have all our cars with them ,my main car a 3.2 diesel E class Merc cost just around £230 FC, I've checked the premium on my new Superb ready for when it arrives and there is no change just an admin for to change the policy over