If you have the 140 diesel then the 15's will not fit as they will have 280 or 288mm discs. The 100 or 105bhp you might get lucky!

I'm fairly certain you'd get a 288mm disc behind a 15" wheel. The Fabia vRS uses a 288mm front disc as standard, for example and I'm sure people have fitted 15s to those, for winter use.

To answer the other brake question, yes - the only model to use a 312mm disc is the vRS.

Steve

Looks as if I'll have to physically try a 15" rim on my car to definitively tell one way or the other. However, I've just done a used car search on the skoda used car locator, and found a couple of 2.0L (140 Diesel) Ambiente spec cars which have 15" alloys.

So I'm still confused...

I am looking to change to winter tyres also, I have 16" wheels on a 1.8TSI estate the tyres are V rated i.e 149 mph, would it be legal to fit H rated i.e 131mph tyres.

given the quoted top speed of the vehicle is 139mph.

I can not foresee circumstances especially in winter where I would exceed 131 mph.

Doing a search of tyre reviews/prices the best I have found for a tyre highly rated in several tests is a Continental Winter Contact TS830 is £86 at Kwikfit they also offer a Tyre Hotel to store your summer tyres has anyone any experience using this facility.

I am looking to change to winter tyres also, I have 16" wheels on a 1.8TSI estate the tyres are V rated i.e 149 mph, would it be legal to fit H rated i.e 131mph tyres.

given the quoted top speed of the vehicle is 139mph.

I can not foresee circumstances especially in winter where I would exceed 131 mph.

Doing a search of tyre reviews/prices the best I have found for a tyre highly rated in several tests is a Continental Winter Contact TS830 is £86 at Kwikfit they also offer a Tyre Hotel to store your summer tyres has anyone any experience using this facility.

from what I've read it is legal but your insurers need notifying. Sure that it says in the manual that fitting lower rated tyres is ok, so the insurers shouldn't argue too much

Bought these alloys (Audi A6 16" from eBay)

There were in a bit of a sorry state so I refurbished them

Added Kumho KW27 Winter M&S Tyres

Alloys £125

Tyres £46 each

Paint 2 cans (inc. laquer)

Really pleased at the outcome.

We shall now see how the car copes between now and April

My VRS due end December. Just to be sure do you know what are correct offsets permittable for 16" rims? Driving me nuts trying to find threads, as do not want to make a mistake with my new car, after waiting since wk 23

Looks as if I'll have to physically try a 15" rim on my car to definitively tell one way or the other.

On a Mk1 with an ASZ engine, which I understand has 288 mm front discs, I use Skoda 15" steel wheels for my winter tyres.

Me too. I'm finding it quite frustrating to read about tyres cheaper than my own extensive searching has found. those Goodyears for example, I couldn't find any cheaper than £67ish each.

Just to raise the question of what size wheels will fit on which car again, or rather to ask the correct question, or at least the questions which are likely to get the most meaningful answers.

1. Does the entire range of the Octy use the same size brake discs/calipers, with the exception of the vRs using larger 312mm (?) discs?

For example, I know that the basic diesel model comes with 15" steel wheels as standard, because I've seen a million private hire taxis.

If the Ambiente, Elegance and L&K use the same discs/calipers as the basic then it stands to reason that 15" rims will also fit.

2. If the brakes are not common, what is the largest size of brake disc that will allow a 15" wheel? (and similarly, the largest disc size for a 16" wheel)

My car, a 2010 1.4 Elegance on 16" wheels with 205/55/16s, also comes with 195/65/15s in the lesser models. Surely that answers your (and my) question? 15" wheels must indeed fit.

dill

My car, a 2010 1.4 Elegance on 16" wheels with 205/55/16s, also comes with 195/65/15s in the lesser models. Surely that answers your (and my) question? 15" wheels must indeed fit.

dill

Cheers, It looks as if a 15" rim will fit. the only question mark is that I have the 140PD 2.0L engine (103kW) rather than the 1.4 or the 1.9 TD. I have seen some 2.0 L estates in an Ambience Spec with a 15" alloy fitted on the Skoda approved used website, but my concern was that of if the 2.0 has uprated brakes as a result of the more powerful engine. I find it totally shoddy that I asked my local dealer that very same question, and they were actually unable to give me a simple yes or no answer. I mean it's not like I was asking them about toyotas or vauxhalls, bmws or mercedes. this is pretty basic stuff about cars that they see every working day in their service workshops. Perhaps I have higher standards of customer services than their apparent level (which is "not really giving a toss") but anything I have ever been involved in supplying or selling I've at least endeavoured to get to grips with some basic product knowledge so that I can at least be able to answer most questions about the goods/services. And then dealers/garages wonder why they are, in the main, treated with suspicion and like cowboys.

What I could really do wth is someone in the M8 corridor/central belt with 15" rims willing to let me physically try one before I spend c. £450 on on winter wheels...

Is this OK with insurance companies?

I would be surpised if they did not wriggle out of an insurance claim if you were involved in an accident.

If the car is sold with 17 inch 225/45s or whatever or 18 inch 225/40 (W, Y or Z rateds) as in the case of the FL VRS, then they would do so as they would say that the car is not spec'd for these other non UK standard model tyres.

I know the spare we got with our TSI VRS was a 205/55 16 inch think it was V rated or even W rated but to change all 4 may be risking it despite what is done in other countries.

On Department of Transport multi function road exercises ie with Police, Social etc these sorts of things were checked and warning notices issued.

Even so one would probably go better on the slimmer tyres in heavy rain etc but any excuse to not pay an insurance claim etc.

Is this OK with insurance companies?.....

I have yet to find one who think it is a problem, some do not see any problems with it at all and do not require notifying, others wish to know when they are fitted/removed, and some will charge you their £25 fee as it is a change to the policy (this extra £50 will probably make then uneconomical to insure with).

This is all with genuine VAG alloys and using to recommended size tyres in the cars manual (205/55/16 in my case).

However, IF 15" winter tyres are not specified in the manual then this may change things?

My VRS due end December. Just to be sure do you know what are correct offsets permittable for 16" rims? Driving me nuts trying to find threads, as do not want to make a mistake with my new car, after waiting since wk 23

The' Offset' for these alloys is 45...You can fit up to 50 I believe

those of you swabbling about using 15" instead...Whats the point?

The 16" is fine. BTW the vRS can only take 16" or more..

Other models...down to 15"

The' Offset' for these alloys is 45...You can fit up to 50 I believe

those of you swabbling about using 15" instead...Whats the point?

The 16" is fine. BTW the vRS can only take 16" or more..

Other models...down to 15"

the point is saving somwhere in the region of £25-50 per corner...

All very interesting reading!

I may be wide of the mark but I still have this feeling we'll see more snow this year. Regarding the insurance aspects when switching to winter wheel / tyre combinations, it would be interesting to hear from anyone abroad in places where the change is compulsory, or even suggested as to what, if any, impact this has on insurance. Maybe it's just that it's not the norm (yet) in the UK for drivers to have to fit them but I'd have thought that the insurers would surely have a hard and fast ruling on this already.

I'll have to read up a bit more.

This is reason I started this thread:

Winter tyre friendly insurance companies

the point is saving somwhere in the region of £25-50 per corner...

Ok ..Your choice

Ok ..Your choice

Yes of course its "a choice"!

I'm saving £200 by using 195/65/15 profile and 15" wheels rather than 205/15/16 and 16" steel wheels with Goodyear Ultragrip 7 pluses.

Frankly, if a slightly less well equipped model version (but same engine and brakes) of my car is ok on the narrower tyres and smaller wheels, so is my Elegance, I should have thought.

dillbert

hi guys just to check, would a set of VRS fabia 16 wheels fit for a set of winters on a 2010 VRS octavia? will any vag wheel fit that runs 205 ?

ET43

PCD = 5 x 100

TYRES = 205/55ZR16

thanks guys

No the MKII Octavia uses 5x112 PCD.

if a slightly less well equipped model version (but same engine and brakes) of my car is ok on the narrower tyres and smaller wheels, so is my Elegance, I should have thought.

Although it doesn't directly answer your questions, I've already mentioned I use 15" steel wheels on our Mk1 Octavia, PD130 with 288 mm front disks, 195/65 tyres.

On the inside the fuel filler flap on our car there is a sticker which specifies inflation pressures for the standard 205/55R16 size, as well as two other smaller sizes. I picked 195/65R15 from those two as it was the narrowest tread section, just the job for driving through snow and slush!

In terms of feel I found the car was slightly more nimble with these winter tyres on the steel wheels, probably because this combination weighs a bit less than the normal sized tyres on the oem alloys!

I didn't notice any handling issues different from the standard wheels & tyres, even when I took it out on a trackday ;-)

No the MKII Octavia uses 5x112 PCD.

thanks mate

still no joy for me, most people on ebay dont even know the size of wheels they are selling. any one come across any that would fit a mk2 oct

These wheels fit...

Good price too

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AUDI-A3-16-GENUINE-ALLOY-WHEELS-/260685510051?pt=UK_CarParts_Acc_Wheels_tyres_Trims_Car_Rims_ET&hash=item3cb21135a3

your the man

These wheels fit...

Good price too

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AUDI-A3-16-GENUINE-ALLOY-WHEELS-/260685510051?pt=UK_CarParts_Acc_Wheels_tyres_Trims_Car_Rims_ET&hash=item3cb21135a3

I've got a set of those in the garage, they definitely fit.

I may put them on over the next couple of weeks - before the gritters come out in force basically to erode my alloys to bits.

Strange, my alloys have not been eroded by gritters/salt in 25+ years motoring!