2nd set of wheels for the winter

[mpandya]

Hello all,

I am thinking of getting a second set of wheels and then putting winter tyres on the skoda for the winter...

I've seen these on ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/17-Diamond-Satka-SKoda-Superb-alloys-wheels-fitment-/250700583201?pt=UK_CarParts_Acc_Wheels_tyres_Trims_Car_Rims_ET&hash=item3a5eeb5121

Are they any good? Does anyone know where I can perhaps find some steel wheels for this purpose? Cheers in advance.

[jonnb]

You would probably get a brand new set of 16" wheels from a Skoda dealer for under £160,

[Fred Bloggs]

Will the16" wheels fit a 2.5 TDi, (this has 17" alloys as standard).

[mpandya]

You would probably get a brand new set of 16" wheels from a Skoda dealer for under £160,

Thanks, just called Skoda Milton Keynes they quoted £260 for a set of 4 (16") steel wheels including VAT.... seems a bit pricey to me when I could get the alloys for the same price.

[Fred Bloggs]

Thanks, just called Skoda Milton Keynes they quoted £260 for a set of 4 (16") steel wheels including VAT.... seems a bit pricey to me when I could get the alloys for the same price.

But you only need three steel wheels, you have a spare one in the boot? (I have anyway). Then in winter just use one of the regular alloys as a spare with a normal tyre on. I think My Tyres will be a lot less than the Skoda dealer for the steel wheels with winter tyres ready fitted.

[alfredjohn]

heres the first.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vw-Passat-16-steel-wheel-/290518384254?pt=UK_CarParts_Acc_Wheels_tyres_Trims_Car_Rims_ET&hash=item43a43ebe7e

got till next winter to collect others.

john

Edited 8 January, 2011 by alfredjohn

[jonnb]

Thanks, just called Skoda Milton Keynes they quoted £260 for a set of 4 (16") steel wheels including VAT.... seems a bit pricey to me when I could get the alloys for the same price.

I got a set of 4 16" steel wheels here in rep. of Ireland for €225 (incl vat), which is why I estimated a price of approx £160, perhaps consider ordering from here and check the price of a courier. My wheels were sourced through Volkswagen UK, an a 48 hour delivery to garage.

[rum4mo]

I'd reckon that the last thing you want to use in winter would be 17" alloys with winter tyres, why, well very few if any proper tyre companies make "low profile" winter tyres, and there is a good reason for that. The first thing that you should check up on, and if Skoda is as smart as VW, is what the owners manual says winter tyre sizes should be - this will be the size that ties in with the car's EU type approval, in the case of most B5 platform cars this will be 15" - though Skoda being a late user of that platform might have left that requirement out and moved up to 16". I have been looking around for 16" Michelin Alpins for my B5 Passat for years - really just to save buying new wheels as I have the original fit alloys lying in the garage, the truth is that there are no proper 205/55 X 16 winter tyres around for sale - only cheap Korean and Chinese ones with high speed rating oprions - now how exactly can that be useful as the big players only supply T and H speed ratings because the soft rubber compounds that provide the extra useful grip in winter require you to drive at lowish speeds because they will heat up too much otherwise - the exceptions being the very expensive Pilot Alpins etc which are spec'd for high powerd sports cars. For the record, it is claimed that 195/65 X 15 is the winter tyre size most in demand in Europe in T and H rating - and that covers a lot of BMWs and Audi A4s and Passats. My reference to not wanting to use big diameter low profile tyres when in winter mode is due mainly to the tyre widths, in winter tyre width should be narrower an normal if you are being serious with wanting to keep moving and stopping in winter.

Mind you, I do know of someone that bought wheels/tyes from mytyres using their wheel/tyre selector - his exact model variant (Renault Laguna ???) was not listed so he left it to pot luck (unwisely) as even the local Renault dealer could not advise him as to winter wheels/tyre - turned out that 195/65 X 15 was not suitable for his model as the discs are too big!

Edited 8 January, 2011 by rum4mo

[AnotherGareth]

the truth is that there are no proper 205/55 X 16 winter tyres around for sale

They probably aren't any now but if you'd bought earlier enough you could have bought various winter tyres in that size. Vredestein, for example, make Snowtrac 3 (T and H), Wintrac Xtreme (H runflat and V XL), Nord-Trac (Q XL) and Arctrac (spikes, Q XL) in that size.

[jonnb]

I'm using Goodyear Ultragrip Performance 2 on my Combi, in 205/55/16 on steel wheels, until end of march, and then back to my 17".

[mpandya]

But you only need three steel wheels, you have a spare one in the boot? (I have anyway). Then in winter just use one of the regular alloys as a spare with a normal tyre on. I think My Tyres will be a lot less than the Skoda dealer for the steel wheels with winter tyres ready fitted.

Ok thanks - forgot about the spare in the boot duh! I was looking at these tyres,

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=307913.110.14598&kplz=&typ=R-168628&dsco=110&ranzahl=4

as they seem to have got good reviews from tyretest.com (for grip in the snow) for the price can't really find anything better and I figure they will still be better than my normal tyres. Can't seem to find where on the mytyres website you can buy the steel wheels?

[rum4mo]

Ok thanks - forgot about the spare in the boot duh! I was looking at these tyres,

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Ordern&cart_id=307913.110.14598&kplz=&typ=R-168628&dsco=110&ranzahl=4

as they seem to have got good reviews from tyretest.com (for grip in the snow) for the price can't really find anything better and I figure they will still be better than my normal tyres. Can't seem to find where on the mytyres website you can buy the steel wheels?

You will find the "winter tyres on steel wheels" option in the BLUE box on the left hand side.

[Fred Bloggs]

I'm using Goodyear Ultragrip Performance 2 on my Combi, in 205/55/16 on steel wheels, until end of march, and then back to my 17".

As a matter of interest, do you inform your insurance company?

[rum4mo]

Right, some more info, first thing, I don't think that you should buy that "2001" Passat steel 16" wheel as its offset is 37 - ie same as for my 2000 B5 Passat, so that is not as implied off a 2001 B5.5 Passat - you need the newer B5.5 Passat or Superb "steel wheels for winter tyres" ideally, which are p/n 8D0 601 027A and are "6 J X 16H2 ET40" - which might be what your steel spare wheel is - the p/n should be pressed into the steel. Though in all fairness getting 4-off steel wheels fitted with winter tyres from MYTYRES should end up cheaper. If you do have a choice of winter tyres, and not all weather tyres, to buy for your car maybe compare any test data listed against premium tyres like Michelin Alpin as what looks quite good in a test, might end up being worse on ice and snow than slightly dearer tyres and you might just end up not achieving what you are trying to achieve. I can't get what I need for my B5 Passat as it looks like it should, despite what I previously wrote, get fitted with 16" winter tyres - and if I am to drop down just one speed rating then that counts Michelin out - so I might just consider Kuma (spelling) although they are Korean and are not the best but a lot better than any all weather tyres - and seem to be still available. If you can't get any Superb 16" winter wheels+tyres, then maybe consider getting Audi A4 ones that should end up having an offset of 43 which is only 3mm sticking out further than your current factory fit wheels.

Edited 10 January, 2011 by rum4mo

[jonnb]

As a matter of interest, do you inform your insurance company?

There is no need to, over here, as 16" wheels are available on the superb combi.

[ian0x0r]

Is it not cheaper to buy a cheap set of Audi A4 or Passat b5.5 alloys? I was also under the impression that standard Superb wheels where ET37? Some one on here managed ot fit 15" Mercedes wheels onto his Superb as well, although the centre bore is a different size if memory serves correctly. There is certainly room for slightly different offset wheels, mine are ET45 from an Audi A4.

[dsab]

Is it not cheaper to buy a cheap set of Audi A4 or Passat b5.5 alloys? I was also under the impression that standard Superb wheels where ET37? Some one on here managed ot fit 15" Mercedes wheels onto his Superb as well, although the centre bore is a different size if memory serves correctly. There is certainly room for slightly different offset wheels, mine are ET45 from an Audi A4.

My standard 16' Superb wheels are ET37, and I put the Continental Winter Tyres on a set of Audi Wheels with ET42. They fit just fine, and no ill effects have so far been discovered.

[Baker21]

Is it not cheaper to buy a cheap set of Audi A4 or Passat b5.5 alloys? I was also under the impression that standard Superb wheels where ET37? Some one on here managed ot fit 15" Mercedes wheels onto his Superb as well, although the centre bore is a different size if memory serves correctly. There is certainly room for slightly different offset wheels, mine are ET45 from an Audi A4.

Merc wheels have a centre bore of 66.6 so a spigot ring per wheel will be required, as with Audi wheels the offset's are higher so the wheels will tuck in more so you will need to check on clearances or invest in spacers, etc.............

One of the best sites I have used are these two:

http://www.kouki.co.uk/utilities/visual-tyre-size-calculator

http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?width=215&aspect=35&diameter=19&wheelwidth=8.5&offset=38&width2=215&aspect2=40&diameter2=18&wheelwidth2=8.5&offset2=52&Submit=Submit