Hi guys, Have had my superb elegance for about 10 months now and covered about 60k. After the winter we had with pot holes the 18s have taken a bit of a battering. Due to this i've been using cheap tyres for a bit but have finally got fed up with the amount of road noise from these, so i'm going back to a high quality tyre and getting them re furbed..

But before I do this, i've considered switching to the se 17s for better ride, less road noise and cost of tyre.

What do people think? Good move or bad move?

Hi guys, Have had my superb elegance for about 10 months now and covered about 60k. After the winter we had with pot holes the 18s have taken a bit of a battering. Due to this i've been using cheap tyres for a bit but have finally got fed up with the amount of road noise from these, so i'm going back to a high quality tyre and getting them re furbed..

But before I do this, i've considered switching to the se 17s for better ride, less road noise and cost of tyre.

What do people think? Good move or bad move?

I do not understand why people choose 18" in the first place. The noise is deafning, the ride is more uncomfertable as it translates bumps and holes in the road far more than 16", they are more costly as you burn more fuell, cost more when you buy them and when you have to get new tires and are more environnement unfriendly. All what is left is the "my ... is bigger than your ..." factor.

I prefer 16" but test drove a 2011 Superb estate with 17" rims and was pleasently suprised as they were only barely noticable more noisy than 16" rims.

Our Superb sedan has 16" rims and I find them quite noisy allready :p

Edited 13 August, 201015 yr by Doc Watchtower

I do not understand why people choose 18" in the first place. The noise is deafning, the ride is more uncomfertable as it translates bumps and holes in the road far more than 16", they are more costly as you burn more fuell, cost more when you buy them and when you have to get new tires and are more environnement unfriendly. All what is left is the "my ... is bigger than your ..." factor.

I prefer 16" but test drove a 2011 Superb estate with 17" rims and was pleasently suprised as they were only barely noticable more noisy than 16" rims.

Our Superb sedan has 16" rims and I find them quite noisy allready :p

But not an option on the Elegance :wonder:

To be honest I to would of chosen 17s, but at the time you could only have 18s on elegance. I believe this has now changed and they will let you have 17s. Can I even fit 16s to elegance? Didn't think I could!

Yeah, i think you can fit 16's on the Elegance with no issues- 205/55/16 tyres are MEGA cheap too!

But, on the other hand, i LOVE the look of my 18's, and wont go below 17's even for winter use.

If you do want rid of your 18" rims, i would love to make you an offer depending in condition.

Al.

To be honest I to would of chosen 17s, but at the time you could only have 18s on elegance. I believe this has now changed and they will let you have 17s. Can I even fit 16s to elegance? Didn't think I could!

Been there, got the T-shirt: http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/156217-17-wheels-on-an-elegance/page__p__1932296__fromsearch__1entry1932296. Still wish I could have got 17s as my experience so far confirms that the 18s are over-tyred.

Yep, the Superb estates come with 17" standard rims here in Norway as well, but also with an extra set of 16" rims with wintertires (obligatory over here). Our dealer told us he had got quite a lot of complaints about the 18 " rims whith summertires or all seasontires related to noise. As the threadstarter complained about potholes in wintertime etc he would do well in getting 17" and maybe even 16" even when Skoda does not sell them over there.

18" rims with wintertires would get you only one place fast here in the North of Scandinavia, the morgue, and when you are lucky and don`t manage that soon enough, the loony bin

Mind you, It is a very different story when you only drive on smooth asphalt/tarmac surfaced roads that do not drop to low temperatures for most of the year. The noise would not be so evident with 18" rims then, but the threadstarter mentioned wintery roads, so I would definately get 17" or even 16" rims. When you can afford it, go for 17" rims with summertires and swap to 16" wintertires in the fall and wintertime when noise and smoother driving is a concern.

We have (8) 16" rims, 1 set for for winter and 1 set for summertires on our Superb sedan and they are quiet (but not quiet enough with Continental conti 2 sport summertires) and the ride is babysmooth. Petrol comsumption is also ridiculously low. I make Priusowners cry :p

Edited 13 August, 201015 yr by Doc Watchtower