Can someone tell me what wheel/rim/tyre sizes are allowable on the Skoda Fabia II Greenline estate?

I just ordered one and hope to get it around Christmas, and as I live in Germany I need to get some winter tyres. (Suitable tyres are now required by law for the road conditions). This means I should get another set of rims. Of course, as it's a Greenline I want to get reasonably lightweight rims and tyres - with low rolling resistance. I've read that narrower tyres get a better grip in snow - although ice performance is probably more important to me.

So any advice would be welcome, but first I'd like to know what sizes I can consider.

Cheers!

The most popular site for complete winter tyres on wheels in the uk seems to be www.mytyres.co.uk You can search the site for individual models and a list of approved sizes is given.

Mytyres is actually a German company and the wheels and tyres are shipped from Germany.

The German website is www.reifendirekt.de might be worth a look.

You should also have a look inside your fuel filler cap. Most VAG models have a list of approved tyre sizes on a sticker inside the flap.

cheers

Lee

Edited 13 October, 201114 yr by logiclee

According to the Skoda Germany web site which publishes a PDF document on all permissible tyre and rim sizes, then 185/55 R15 on a 6Jx15H2 ET43 rim is the official winter option for all Fabia II's

My link

Regards,

TP

Thanks for the leads on websites - already discovered ReifenDirekt.de - they have a very handy selector for low rolling resistance tyres - including winter tyres - well, tyre - the Nokian WR G2. Although I think the Hakkapeliitta R is better.

You should also have a look inside your fuel filler cap. Most VAG models have a list of approved tyre sizes on a sticker inside the flap.

Well, I would do if I had the car! I hoped someone here would help me out with that...

Cheers,

Tim

According to the Skoda Germany web site which publishes a PDF document on all permissible tyre and rim sizes, then 185/55 R15 on a 6Jx15H2 ET43 rim is the official winter option for all Fabia II's

My link

Thanks - good spot that document, although I won't know my Motorkennbuchstaben or Typschlüsselnummer (Engine and typre key numbers) until it's too late.

Cheers,

Tim

According to the Skoda Germany web site which publishes a PDF document on all permissible tyre and rim sizes, then 185/55 R15 on a 6Jx15H2 ET43 rim is the official winter option for all Fabia II's

Now I'm a bit confused. :S

The Greenline seems to come with 185/60 R15 tyres.

So what happens when you put lower profile tyres on the same rims?

Would the speedometer not be biased, due to the lower outer diamter of the tyres?

Or does the extra depth of tread somehow make up for the difference?

Cheers,

Tim

Thanks - good spot that document, although I won't know my Motorkennbuchstaben or Typschlüsselnummer (Engine and typre key numbers) until it's too late.

Cheers,

Tim

Now I'm a bit confused. :S

The Greenline seems to come with 185/60 R15 tyres.

So what happens when you put lower profile tyres on the same rims?

Would the speedometer not be biased, due to the lower outer diamter of the tyres?

Or does the extra depth of tread somehow make up for the difference?

Cheers,

Tim

Hi Tim,

can help with the engine code; it's CFWA for the 1.2 TDI

My link

Regard differing tyre sizes, then Skoda state a slightly smaller tyre diameter for winter options to allow owners to fit snow chains if and were necessary.

According to the Tyre Bibles calculator then the effect of changing from a 185/60 R15 to a 185/55 R15, is at 70mph you actually doing 67.85mph, or in other words your speedo is over reading that bit more than it normally does.

My link

hope that again helps,

TP

You're probably right there, Plumber - the clearance is pretty tight around the wheels on the Greenline. The smaller tyres may be needed to allow snow chains to be fitted. Not that I've any intention to fit chains - I've only once ever wished I had them - and just had to take the long way home, instead of going "over the top".

In tha Fabia handbook snow chains can only be fitted to...

5Jx14 wheels ET35 with 165/70 tyres (Have this size on the 1.2 HTP as it's in the approved list)

6Jx14 wheels ET37 with 185/60 tyres

6Jx15 wheels ET43 with 185/55 tyres

Chains must not exceed 12mm.

I found mytyres to be spot on with their suggested tyres. For my Passat and the two Fabia's the wheel/tyre combo's they offered were exactly the same as those approved and listed in the fuel flap. The 1.2 HTP and 1.2 TSi have different options and mytyres were spot on with the chioces.

For the 1.2TDi they offer.

165/70X14

185/60x14

185/55x15

185/60x15

195/55x15

If you do expect severe weather then probably the 165/70x14's will be the best bet and will allow chains if the weather gets severe.

Cheers

Lee

Edited 15 October, 201114 yr by logiclee

Hi Tim,

can help with the engine code; it's CFWA for the 1.2 TDI

My link

Regard differing tyre sizes, then Skoda state a slightly smaller tyre diameter for winter options to allow owners to fit snow chains if and were necessary.

According to the Tyre Bibles calculator then the effect of changing from a 185/60 R15 to a 185/55 R15, is at 70mph you actually doing 67.85mph, or in other words your speedo is over reading that bit more than it normally does.

My link

hope that again helps,

TP

Hi The Plumber, I have aquired some used steel wheels (6 x 15" ET38) and want to fit them with 195/55 x 15 winter tyres to my 1.2TSI elegance currently fitted with 6.5 x 16". The spare I have is a 15" 43ET inset. Using your calculator, fitted with a 195/55 x 15 tyre it will be 5 mm further away to the outside of the car than the normal 43ET steel wheel.

I assume 5 mm is nothing to worry about but how does this affect the cars warranty if anything went wrong with the suspension/wheel bearings etc., and would it be legal from an insurance point of view?

Would it be a better option (but not cheaper :'( :'( ) to buy another 3 X 43ET wheels to match the unused spare wheel?

Many thanks Pete

For the 1.2TDi they offer.

165/70X14

185/60x14

185/55x15

185/60x15

195/55x15

Thanks for that.

MyTyres have a very impressive website - however, they don't specify 185/60 R15 84T, which are the standard tyres fitted to the Greenline. :S

Strangely there is often a big difference in price between 185/60R15 and 185/55R15 low rolling resistance winter tyres...

Hi The Plumber, I have aquired some used steel wheels (6 x 15" ET38) and want to fit them with 195/55 x 15 winter tyres to my 1.2TSI elegance currently fitted with 6.5 x 16". The spare I have is a 15" 43ET inset. Using your calculator, fitted with a 195/55 x 15 tyre it will be 5 mm further away to the outside of the car than the normal 43ET steel wheel.

I assume 5 mm is nothing to worry about but how does this affect the cars warranty if anything went wrong with the suspension/wheel bearings etc., and would it be legal from an insurance point of view?

Would it be a better option (but not cheaper ) to buy another 3 X 43ET wheels to match the unused spare wheel?

Many thanks Pete

Hi,

according to the tyre and rim bible 5mm difference should be OK and I note one of the smaller diameter 14" rims given on the approved list has a ET37 offset. Only issue could be insurance as your not using an approved rim size, therefore your more than likely have to pay more to be legal.

My link

Would also advise not cannibalising the spare; probably find that's the time you actually need it when you've not got it.

hope that helps,

TP

In tha Fabia handbook snow chains can only be fitted to... (Chains must not exceed 12mm.)

5Jx14 wheels ET35 with 165/70 tyres (Have this size on the 1.2 HTP as it's in the approved list)

6Jx14 wheels ET37 with 185/60 tyres

6Jx15 wheels ET43 with 185/55 tyres

I found mytyres to be spot on with their suggested tyres. For my Passat and the two Fabia's the wheel/tyre combo's they offered were exactly the same as those approved and listed in the fuel flap. The 1.2 HTP and 1.2 TSi have different options and mytyres were spot on with the chioces. For the 1.2TDi they offer:

165/70X14

185/60x14

185/55x15

185/60x15

195/55x15

If you do expect severe weather then probably the 165/70x14's will be the best bet and will allow chains if the weather gets severe.

Now I look again MyTyres do offer 185/60R15 for this car.

Had a chat with my local tyre guy today. He agreed with you that 165/70R14 would be the best bet. Which is nice, because I already have some. But who wants to put crappy old tyres on a nice new car? Especially as they're are not exactly low rolling resistance - but will be handy as spares. According to the tyre bibel, these will be 2.7% smaller in circumference. That shouldn't matter, should it?

So now the question of rims: My tyre guy also recommended Autec special winter alloys. Their Nordic ones (N554355033118) look OK to me, but are only ET35 (on 5,5 x 14), which I thought might be a bit tight compared to the ET43 6x15 wheels the Greenline comes with. Any thoughts?

Now I look again MyTyres do offer 185/60R15 for this car.

Had a chat with my local tyre guy today. He agreed with you that 165/70R14 would be the best bet. Which is nice, because I already have some. But who wants to put crappy old tyres on a nice new car? Especially as they're are not exactly low rolling resistance - but will be handy as spares. According to the tyre bibel, these will be 2.7% smaller in circumference. That shouldn't matter, should it?

So now the question of rims: My tyre guy also recommended Autec special winter alloys. Their Nordic ones (N554355033118) look OK to me, but are only ET35 (on 5,5 x 14), which I thought might be a bit tight compared to the ET43 6x15 wheels the Greenline comes with. Any thoughts?

Mytyres delivered my wife's 165/70x14's this week, still in the garage yet though.

ET35 are what Skoda recommend for 5J 14" wheels and ET37 for 6J 14" wheels. So ideal for 5.5J 14" wheels would be ET36, as there is only 1mm in it I don't think there will be an issue.

The Greenline does run a larger circumference than the rest of the Fabia line up, probably increases the gearing a little bit. If you have a SatNav just compare your GPS speed before and after fitting and you will have an idea how far the speedo is out.

I know on my Passat 80mph on the speedo with summers on is 78mph GPS, with the winters on 80mph speedo is 75mph GPS due to the smaller diameter. It may effect the fuel economy a bit having lower gearing but the cold weather will have a far bigger effect.

Most people in the UK put winters on steel wheels as the salt uk authorities spread thoughout winter destroys alloy wheels.

Cheers

Lee

Most people in the UK put winters on steel wheels as the salt uk authorities spread thoughout winter destroys alloy wheels.

Thanks for the info on sizes and offset - very helpful.

Steel wheels are popular here in winter too - traditionally with no hub caps, which looks crap - and corrodes your wheel nuts!

Haven't they had got better at making alloys resistant to corrosion in recent years, though?

I just realised the document The Plumber linked below says the 165/70R14's I was planning to use for winter are only valid for vehicles without tyre pressure monitoring. Any idea why? Will the tyre pressure monitoring just not work or will it keep sounding alarms?

According to the Skoda Germany web site which publishes a PDF document on all permissible tyre and rim sizes, then 185/55 R15 on a 6Jx15H2 ET43 rim is the official winter option for all Fabia II's

My link

I really don't want the 185/55R15 option - much more expensive, heavier and less grip in snow. (I've never used chains).

Cheers,

Tim

I'm also looking for winter tyres now I've picked up my Greenline estate

it came equipped with Dunlop SP Sport 185/60/15 84H

the tyre chart in the filler cap only lists this size. no mention of the 55/15 option ?

another observation is that a lot of the 185/55/60's listed on mytyres are for 82T's

not concerned about the difference in the speed rating from H down to T but what about the weight from 84's down to 82's ?

I'm also looking for winter tyres now I've picked up my Greenline estate

it came equipped with Dunlop SP Sport 185/60/15 84H

the tyre chart in the filler cap only lists this size. no mention of the 55/15 option ?

another observation is that a lot of the 185/55/60's listed on mytyres are for 82T's

not concerned about the difference in the speed rating from H down to T but what about the weight from 84's down to 82's ?

Good to know - although I'm now really confused. :S Will try to go to the dealer this week to ask...

Interesting that it comes with Dunlop SP Sport. I didn't think these were particularly low rolling resistance.

Do you know if they are the Run On Flat type?

Cheers,

Tim

not concerned about the difference in the speed rating from H down to T but what about the weight from 84's down to 82's ?

I wouldn't worry much about either rating. Both will be adequate - at least for me.

The speed rating of T is 190km/h, which is greater than the top speed of the vehicle (167km/h).

The maximum permissible load of the vehicle is 1664kg. i.e. 416kg/wheel. A load rating of 78 would be enough and 82 would be plenty. (http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html)

Just starting to wonder if I can keep the original size of 185 60 15 for my winter tyres on my new Greenline estate & not bother changing down to 185 55 15's

some advice from the www.skidrive.co.uk website :-

My car has large wheels and tyres with very little room to fit snow chains.

We sell a range of 'slim fit chains' for vehicles with low clearance. The easiest way to determine if your vehicle has a problem with clearance is to run your fingers around the entire wheel/tyre, if your fingers clear the suspension, wheel arch and inner wing then chains can generally be fitted. If this is not possible, we would recommend contacting us for further clarification.

I am fitting winter tyres of the same standard size to my Greenline II.

The standard tyres are narrower than all other Fabia variants anyway, so it seems a perfectly acceptable winter fitment to me.

Even the standard spare (195) is narrower than the tyres the Greenline II comes with.

And I will be fitting them to my alloys. So I don't have to get another set of pressure sensors fitted to a second set.

People in the UK who use the same tyres and alloys all year round don't seem to have any issues with alloy corrosion, so that'll do me.

The standard tyres are narrower than all other Fabia variants anyway, so it seems a perfectly acceptable winter fitment to me.

Even the standard spare (195) is narrower than the tyres the Greenline II comes with.

I guess you mean wider (195) - although not all models come with that size.

I was planning to put 165 width winter tyres on - but am now concerned about the pressure sensors and whether they will work or trigger false alarms all the time.

And I will be fitting them to my alloys. So I don't have to get another set of pressure sensors fitted to a second set.

People in the UK who use the same tyres and alloys all year round don't seem to have any issues with alloy corrosion, so that'll do me.

I didn't even know that was possible. Most people here in Germany have a whole 2nd set of wheels for winter (often steel without hub caps!).

What will they charge to change the tyres on the same rims?

I guess you mean wider (195) - although not all models come with that size.

Yes, the Greenline II standard tyres are narrower than all other Fabia versions. All the other models have wider tyres, the sport version even wider.

This is why the "one size fits all" spare that's usually narrower than the road wheels (and seen as a bit of a space saver) is actually wider than the tyres on the Greenline II. So if you buy the spare wheel kit the tyre supplied is wider than fitted to the actual car.

This is why I'll be staying with the standard GL2 size, it's almost like a winter fitment size for the other Fabia models already.

I didn't even know that was possible. Most people here in Germany have a whole 2nd set of wheels for winter (often steel without hub caps!).

What will they charge to change the tyres on the same rims?

Here I pay £15 per tyre to get them changed over.

For £60 twice a year it's easier for me than buying a second set of rims and getting the sensors so the Tyre Pressure Monitoring still works.

I can understand the cost builds up every year over a set of steel rims, so long term it costs more.

But I don't think I'll have the car more than two/three years and steel rims look a bit cack in my opinion.

If I had to have a second set of rims, I'd buy a set of second hand alloys before I put steelies on my car.

Oh, and the TPM system works fine in different size tyres.

You pump the tyres up to the pressure you want and then "set" the system to what is then in them.

For £60 twice a year it's easier for me than buying a second set of rims and getting the sensors so the Tyre Pressure Monitoring still works.

At that price it would take a couple of years to pay for a set of alloys. I plan to keep my car for longer than that.

Also, from my reading of the owners manual (p.158), the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System seems to be an idirect one, which does not use sensors, but uses the ABS sensors. So why wouldn't that work for 165/70R14s instead of 185/60R15s?

Also, from my reading of the owners manual (p.158), the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System seems to be an idirect one, which does not use sensors, but uses the ABS sensors. So why wouldn't that work for 165/70R14s instead of 185/60R15s?

No reason, either way you have button to set when you have the pressures in the tyres you're happy with.