Would i be ok putting T rated (118 mph) winter tyres on a vrs??

You going to drive it faster than that on snow??

The highest rated ones I've seen are only V so I don't think that they do them in the normal speed rating for the car. Does the handbook say anything?

Not sure what my Vredestein SnowTracs are to be honest.

Edited 1 December, 201015 yr by ExAudiSi

Might phone my insurance company tomorrow and find out if it would be ok, there's no way i'd go 118 mph even in summer

I'm not aware any insurer would make it a condition of insurance that you only use H or higher rated tyres. If anything, they should discount those policyholders who use more appropriate tyres for snowy conditions, although they will not do so in reality as statistically details of what tyre you have on your car when involved in an accident is probably never recorded, unless it is a major accident.

Even an N rated tyre is well over the legal speed limit

Doubled checked with my insurance company, the guy laughed at me and said you can put any rating of tyre on, and it won't affect your insurance

Evening follks,

I've not posted for a while, but thought I'd emerge from the shadows again. I emailed Skoda last winter on this one and their reply was that I should use no less than V rated tyres on the vRS. I sent a copy to my insurers as they were very keen that I stay within the manufacturers specs. I figured that if I had the official word from Skoda, then any future insurer would have to honour a claim seeing as Skoda themselves sanctioned the rating. Any less than V rated would give the insurance company a reason not to pay out, even if the tyres weren't a cause of the accident.

Not convinced on that one. :wonder: Skoda also recommend you use super unleaded in a VRS, but you don't HAVE to. I don't have my handbook to hand, but does it state that you MUST use V rated or higher tyres?

Unless it is in the insurance conditions, then IMHO you can use any legal and correctly sized tyre on a car. In any event, an insurer has never checked or asked me what what rating of tyre i had following an accident, nor have they checked to my knowledge, and i've owned far more powerful and demanding cars than a VRS (where a higher rated tyre would be more justified). If it was a big accident (e.g. involving personal injury) then the insurers would be interested that the car was safe to drive (i.e. tyres were legal) but that is more related to the tread depth rather than the tyre rating.

As far as I'm aware, the spec of the tyres was W direct from the factory. If an insurer was being picky, they might chose to find a way of not paying out and an incorrect non-manufacturer spec tyre could give them an opt out clause. I know it's daft as the V rated tyres are able to cope with the vRS and it's measly 180bhp and 146mph top speed, but for some reason Skoda saw fit to shod the wheels with a tyre that was way over the actual top speed of the car.

It's a bit like fitting 225s instead of 205s. Loads of vRS owners use them, but technically they are incorrect and therefore a modification. I know people say that the late vRS cars came fitted with 225s, but seeing as mine is one of the last and came with 205s, then like you, I'm not convinced. I have yet to hear of anyone that had a brand new vRS from the dealers with 225s - but am willing to be educated. It seems a bit like an urban myth the 225 issue, we've all heard it, yet we've never met anyone who can confirm it is really true. :no:

My winter tyres are rated at 168mph

My winter tyres are rated at 168mph

Well, aren't you the lucky one? :p

Well, aren't you the lucky one?

Well, I meant it in response to the posters that seemed to think that 118 mph was the max speed for winter tyres. But now you mention it, I should be able to spin all my wheels together on ice (hence fooling the cars sensors) and get 168 mph on the speedo whilst standing nearly still I guess after that my tyres explode and I……………..er I am not sure what happens after that…

Well, I meant it in response to the posters that seemed to think that 118 mph was the max speed for winter tyres. But now you mention it, I should be able to spin all my wheels together on ice (hence fooling the cars sensors) and get 168 mph on the speedo whilst standing nearly still I guess after that my tyres explode and I……………..er I am not sure what happens after that…

Yeah, I know what you meant, I was just being awkward - sorry. You're right though, winter tyre ratings are the same as summer ratings, but at this time of the year it's slim pickings, so people are having to ask if the lower ratings are okay. When I was looking, there weren't any W rated winter tyres in the official 205 50 17" for the Mk1 vRS, so I had to ask Skoda about the V rated.

Your pics in the other thread were great, wish I'd managed to save up for some winter tyres so I could have an explore on the moors around Scarborough. The scenery looks very familiar to me as we used to live near Holmfirth, where were the pics taken?

skinnyman

Posted 03 December 2010 - 19:56

As far as I'm aware, the spec of the tyres was W direct from the factory. If an insurer was being picky, they might chose to find a way of not paying out and an incorrect non-manufacturer spec tyre could give them an opt out clause. I know it's daft as the V rated tyres are able to cope with the vRS and it's measly 180bhp and 146mph top speed, but for some reason Skoda saw fit to shod the wheels with a tyre that was way over the actual top speed of the car.

It's a bit like fitting 225s instead of 205s. Loads of vRS owners use them, but technically they are incorrect and therefore a modification. I know people say that the late vRS cars came fitted with 225s, but seeing as mine is one of the last and came with 205s, then like you, I'm not convinced. I have yet to hear of anyone that had a brand new vRS from the dealers with 225s - but am willing to be educated. It seems a bit like an urban myth the 225 issue, we've all heard it, yet we've never met anyone who can confirm it is really true. :no:

Don't think skoda were that silly with the speed rating of the tyres. A friend of mine had a 2.0 8v bora and that was fitted with z rated tyres by VW, and it is slower than a vRS.

Yeah, I know what you meant, I was just being awkward - sorry. You're right though, winter tyre ratings are the same as summer ratings, but at this time of the year it's slim pickings, so people are having to ask if the lower ratings are okay. When I was looking, there weren't any W rated winter tyres in the official 205 50 17" for the Mk1 vRS, so I had to ask Skoda about the V rated.

Your pics in the other thread were great, wish I'd managed to save up for some winter tyres so I could have an explore on the moors around Scarborough. The scenery looks very familiar to me as we used to live near Holmfirth, where were the pics taken?

I have t admit the tyres stretched me quite a bit, especially coming into Christmas, but hopefully I will feel the benefit next year.

The pictures were taken part of the way up Winter Hill, near Bolton. I would love to have taken some snow pictures near Holmfirth, but I don’t know if they have opened up the roads round there even now the snow has stopped! I used to occasionally cycle to Holmfirth from Manchester and remember the beautiful views, especially once I had gone up Holm Moss (I think I have a thing for transmitter aerials )