Well for those considering ordering a Yeti but like myself don't see the point of large hard riding sports alloys on a LUV, then some potential good news. Skoda UK have stated to Auto Express that they are willing to consider requests for the downgrade of standard 17" alloys to 16" on the proviso you don't cancel your order

See issue 1191

TP

I don't object to the ride on 17" wheels on 55 aspect tyres, but I wouldn't want a lower profile. I can feel a difference on my more compliant/higer ratio winter tyres ; see post 61 for more.

It really depends on the quality of roads that you usually drive. Two fornight visits to Mull's awful roads this year have convinced me that if I lived there, I'd want 70 aspect tyres!!

Edited 9 November, 201114 yr by speedsport

I saw the section in Autoexpress today!

I don't object to the ride on 17" wheels on 55 aspect tyres, but I wouldn't want a lower profile. I can feel a difference on my more compliant/higer ratio winter tyres ; see post 61 for more.

It really depends on the quality of roads that you usually drive. Two fornight visits to Mull's awful roads this year have convinced me that if I lived there, I'd want 70 aspect tyres!!

As one of those wanting 16" wheels I made my decision after driving Yetis with 17" and 16" wheels back-to-back over the same roads. There is a marked difference in the smoothness of the ride with 16" wheels, much less jittery. Road surface irregularities were obvious with the 17" 50 profile tyres but were absorbed by the more compliant 60 profile tyres on 16" wheels. An added bonus is that replacement 16" 215 tyres are less expensive than 17" 225 tyres - as are a full set of Winter tyres.

In my opinion 16" Moon Alloys with 215/60 tyres look better than the 17" wheels with 225/50 tyres.

As one of those wanting 16" wheels I made my decision after driving Yetis with 17" and 16" wheels back-to-back over the same roads. There is a marked difference in the smoothness of the ride with 16" wheels, much less jittery. Road surface irregularities were obvious with the 17" 50 profile tyres but were absorbed by the more compliant 60 profile tyres on 16" wheels. An added bonus is that replacement 16" 215 tyres are less expensive than 17" 225 tyres - as are a full set of Winter tyres.

In my opinion 16" Moon Alloys with 215/60 tyres look better than the 17" wheels with 225/50 tyres.

Annapurnas/Pirellis now stored for winter with less than 600 miles wear!

Should be back on in Spring for yorkies first European adventure unless we do a shorter winter trip.

Cheers

Interesting reading all the comments on the 16" versus 17" debate! our Yeti is on 17" rims and yes, the ride is firmer than our Octavia which has 205/55/16 tyres,even though the sidewall is actually the same height in each case, in factwhen talking Yeti`s the differance in sidewall height between the 225/50/17 and the 215/60/16 is only 15mm is this enough to make a significant differance? I had thought about changing the wheels to 16" but would really like to test drive a Yeti on 16" wheels to see if there is indeed a marked differance. Could it be that our Octavia with 110,000 on the clock is suffering from "saggy" suspension anyway? so maybe a little unfair to compare that to a 9000 mile new car. Incidently, the load rating on the 215/60/16 is 95 which is higher than the 225/50/17 tyre ( 94 ) so potential for there to be a slightly stiffer sidewall? What we need is a "teckie tyre person" to answer these questions!

In my opinion 16" Moon Alloys with 215/60 tyres look better than the 17" wheels with 225/50 tyres.

And I have to say, cleaning the Spitzberg 17" alloys fitted to Elegance versions as standard is rather fiddly too. Why cant they make wheels that are easy to clean?

Edited 10 November, 201114 yr by speedsport

And I have to say, cleaning the Spitzberg 17" alloys fitted to Elegance versions as standard is rather fiddly too. Why cant they make wheels that are easy to clean?

They do, but they fit them to the SE and Greenline II versions.

Five simple spokes that are easy to clean.

I have driven my Yeti on both 17" and 16" wheels. The 16s do soften the ride a little but at the expense of steering feel and precision. The suspension seems to be optimised around the standard wheels and tyres and for me at least the smaller wheels are a "downgrade".

I wonder if the spring and damper set up is different for those versions which are normally sold with 16s?

Eibach springs have (in my experience of fitting them on two previous cars) a benign effect on ride.

I am less than entusiastic about seeking ride improvements through more tyre compliance.

The Tiguan I had on loan was equipped with 16" wheels, and although I found it less "planted" it certainly gave a more comfortable ride.

Eibach springs have (in my experience of fitting them on two previous cars) a benign effect on ride.

.

I'll report back very shortly on the effect of fitting Eibach springs to my 17" money pit

The Tiguan I had on loan was equipped with 16" wheels, and although I found it less "planted" it certainly gave a more comfortable ride.

Having driven 16" & 17" shod Yetis back-to-back I really couldn't detect any difference in road holding but certainly could detect a difference in ride comfort. Of course I wasn't driving on the limit, just driving in my normal smooth way!

If I had the choice when I ordered, I would have gone for the 16" in preference.

I believe there is a better choice of tyres in this size and they are cheaper.

I would also like to see an option for all season tyres as a no costs option

I have driven my Yeti on both 17" and 16" wheels. The 16s do soften the ride a little but at the expense of steering feel and precision. The suspension seems to be optimised around the standard wheels and tyres and for me at least the smaller wheels are a "downgrade".

I wonder if the spring and damper set up is different for those versions which are normally sold with 16s?

Eibach springs have (in my experience of fitting them on two previous cars) a benign effect on ride.

I am less than entusiastic about seeking ride improvements through more tyre compliance.

Strange thing perception; for me not only has the ride improved by having 16" alloys with the 215/60 tyres but also the steering feel/feedback, precision of the route steered and the levels of grip from the tyres. The 225's on the 140 used to skip and bounce over the slightest imperfection.

Had a look at the option codes from both my Yeti's and the listed differences are as follows to do with suspension etc.

140 - 1KJ = Disc brakes, rear

110 - 1KS = Disc brakes, rear (Geomet D)

140 - HW6 = Tires 225/50 R17 94W

110 - H09 = Tires 215/60 R16 95H (polymer coating)

140 - G06 = Front shock absorption

110 - G02 = Front shock absorption

Bare in mind though the first was as 140 SE and this a 110 Elegance, therefore engines could be responsible for the differences not the tyres.

Also note both have the same L66 = Suspension range 66 installation control only, no requirement forecast

TP

You lost me when you said "option codes"

And I have to say, cleaning the Spitzberg 17" alloys fitted to Elegance versions as standard is rather fiddly too. Why cant they make wheels that are easy to clean?

They are easy to clean - get someone else to do it!

And I have to say, cleaning the Spitzberg 17" alloys fitted to Elegance versions as standard is rather fiddly too. Why cant they make wheels that are easy to clean?

This was the reason I stuck with the standard Spitzberg alloys with my order, the Annapurna wheels are very nice especially as they are only a £100 upgrade but the thought of cleaning them put me off. I figure the Spitzbergs would be easier. Our Golf has 17'' Seattle alloys, 10 spoke and really nice wheels but a nightmare to clean.

Give me the easy life everytime!

They are easy to clean - get someone else to do it!

Now why didn't I think of that?

And I have to say, cleaning the Spitzberg 17" alloys fitted to Elegance versions as standard is rather fiddly too. Why cant they make wheels that are easy to clean?

Quite agree bit of a b****r to clean but they do (in my opinion of course) look soooo much better than the 16" wheels. I've just bought myself a highly sophisticated cleaning device in the form of a pot cleaning brush and I think this will make the cleaning so much easier. I would venture to say that anyone who can actually feel the difference in ride comfort between the two sizes must have extremely sensitive buttocks

I'll report back very shortly on the effect of fitting Eibach springs to my 17" money pit

Be really interested to know about the effect these have; quite tempted myself on the grounds of the 'greenline' lowered/less drag front. not?

Any changes required for the self levelling of your Xenon headlights?

Back on the main topic 'ride comfort' is all really relative and down to driver preference. Personally, I find the ride comfort on 225/50 17s more than acceptable and smoother than my wife's Roomster Scout (on 205/45 16s) and much smoother than my Octavia vRS was on 225/40 18s.

I have noticed that, as is to be expected, my 225/50 17 winter tyres are much smoother than my 225/45 18 summer tyres; even though they are inflated to 2.5bar.

I am waiting for the temperature to drop to try my Yeti on 16" rims with the winter tyres; I do find the ride a bit harsh on the 17" rims.

My previous car, a Volvo V70 was much less jittery on 16" rims, the steering response did not change at all and the ride and turning circle much better!

I saw you and your Yeti in the magazine.

If it's available to everyone it would be useful if they put it in the brochure, perhaps they will next time round.

I'm sure it is easily to order on our system as it will have a product code. If you look at the data sticker in your service book one of the 3 digit codes will mean 16" Moon alloys.