Big rims = more hoe's.

Dawg!

Just about ordered my car today.

Had decided on Elegance after all rather than SE 1) considering the value you get but 2) most of all because ...................... at last Skoda saw sense and offered 17 inch wheels as a downgrade. This was shown in the Configurater. That being the case I didn't feel the need to have SE any more for the 17 wheels.

But no, spanner in works when I went to the dealer ........... turms out it's rubbish. Checks were made with dealer contacts in Skoda and in turn with the technical dept. Not for the first time ( and currently ) are there contradictions being thrown up in the Configurator.

It is physically possible to fit smaller ones and indeed in other markets they are offered. Why oh why won't Skoda just agree to what I want to use ? I am extremely angry about this.

I was all set to get the deal done today. Now I've had to come home to think about it all over again and possibly spec up a customised ( and inefficiently priced ! ) SE. Reading old threads about the difference in noise between 18 and 17 I am convinced I will notice it and be disappointed with 18's, so it really is an issue for me.

But how infuriating !!! I'd have bought an Elegance today if it weren't for this nonsense.

Just about ordered my car today.

Had decided on Elegance after all rather than SE 1) considering the value you get but 2) most of all because ...................... at last Skoda saw sense and offered 17 inch wheels as a downgrade. This was shown in the Configurater. That being the case I didn't feel the need to have SE any more for the 17 wheels.

But no, spanner in works when I went to the dealer ........... turms out it's rubbish. Checks were made with dealer contacts in Skoda and in turn with the technical dept. Not for the first time ( and currently ) are there contradictions being thrown up in the Configurator.

It is physically possible to fit smaller ones and indeed in other markets they are offered. Why oh why won't Skoda just agree to what I want to use ? I am extremely angry about this.

I was all set to get the deal done today. Now I've had to come home to think about it all over again and possibly spec up a customised ( and inefficiently priced ! ) SE. Reading old threads about the difference in noise between 18 and 17 I am convinced I will notice it and be disappointed with 18's, so it really is an issue for me.

But how infuriating !!! I'd have bought an Elegance today if it weren't for this nonsense.

take it with the 18's, Swap with ,my 17" Triffids and I give you some additional cash

I can understand the frustration as you'd have thought as a client you buy what YOU want, not what Skoda want to sell you.

But from the other point of view - you're concerned about the size but not brand/thread, etc. Moreover you'd be fine with 17" but you say you'll notice the difference compared to 18". IMVHO you've assumed a few factors completly wrongly.

As I mentioned earlier, noise depends very much on tires you've got. I bet, if you put the same tire on 16" and 18" rim, you wouldn't be able to hear any difference.

Personaly the only source of noise in case of 18" I can think of is the noise made by suspension as the suspension will work "harder" with 40 profile tire compared with 50 profile - but TBH you'd have to have some noise meter in your ears to hear the difference .

My only concern with 18" is - the cost of replecement tire and better chance to do some harm to the rim using some rural roads. Other than this I can see only advantages - better sticking to the road, being less influenced by side winds, etc.

Finaly - if you are really unhappy with 18" sell them and buy some 16" - what you get for 18" should cover 16" costs.

My only concern with 18" is - the cost of replecement tire and better chance to do some harm to the rim using some rural roads. Other than this I can see only advantages - better sticking to the road, being less influenced by side winds, etc.

Not much difference in costs between 17"/18", but 16" can sometimes cost more depending on size. Due to new tyre noise regs all sidewalls have been made softer, to get the car to handle the same you need less profile than what you did some years back, otherwise it's like been in a boat. .

FFS, its one whole inch difference.

I go from 225/40/18 standard to 205/55/16 in the Winter on my Octavia which has zero sound deadening compared to the Superb and I notice NO difference in noise. The handling is reduced but that is about it.

As has been said multiple times, get the 18's and if you don't like them swap them, sell them or buy another set of smaller wheels as any of these options is likely to work out more cost efficient than spec'ing up a SE to Elegance spec without looking into resale values.

Is noise that much of an issue? If it is then i would say you probably shouldn't be looking at Skoda and should be looking at the likes of Merc or Audi.

Have you actually test drove a Superb with different size wheels to see that there is zero difference in noise?

There's one simple over-riding reason I'll not be buying or fitting 18's to any of my vehicles. Rim damage.

Not enough rubber to protect the rims in the places I drive. Another driver on 18s I know has recently had to have 3 out of 4 rims straightened. Whatever caused it (presuming 3 different incidents as 3 different corners) was innocuous enough that it wasn't noticed at the time.

I run 15" rims on my work car, the tyres I'm running on that look like they'll do between 80-100,000km. IMO once rims are big enough to run the brakes you need, the rest is ****-factor.

Edited 28 June, 201213 yr by Kiwibacon

Don't drive into kerbs then!

Don't drive into kerbs then!

I haven't kerbed a wheel yet.

It's rocks, pot-holes, road-debris, snow chains etc.

You wouldnt use snow chains on 18" wheels would you?? IE if the road conditions dictated the use of chains wouldnt you already have snow tyres on??

You wouldnt use snow chains on 18" wheels would you?? IE if the road conditions dictated the use of chains wouldnt you already have snow tyres on??

So with 18's you absolutely need a second set of wheels and tyres?

I've never owned a set of snow wheels, the cost and inconvenience were quite large compared to fitting a set of chains at the most once a year to get through a mountain pass in a snow storm.

While snow/ice tyres are much better than summer tyres in such conditions, they aren't as good as chains.

I have owned a sperate set of mud wheels for one of my 4wd's which are currently up for replacement (the mud tyres, not the vehicle). It'll be getting some mud tyres that will also do well in snow/ice (likely goodyear duratracs), but that's completely seperate to the 18" argument. It runs 16's for everything.

Someone please tell me, besides the bling, what is the point of 18" and larger wheels? I will be laughing at anyone who states cornering. The fastest cornering cars on the planet run 13's.

Someone please tell me, besides the bling, what is the point of 18" and larger wheels? I will be laughing at anyone who states cornering. The fastest cornering cars on the planet run 13's.

And what's the profile height of this 13"?

And of course - it's cornering. You may laugh but I noticed a difference on the same model of tire but with higer speed ratio - when I upgraded my H to W tires - a lot of different car

But going back to rim size and tire profile - what will be stiffer - a steel wheel @300mm DIA and 50mm rubber OR steel wheel @200mm DIA and 100mm rubber? What will be easier to balance - more rubber or less rubber.

Yes, it's a lot of this bling but it's also improved driving accuracy (not quality )

Edited 29 June, 201213 yr by lmb

TBH I was not looking forward to the 18's when I got my Superb, but because the cars suspension was designed to run on 18's the ride quality is actually very good (certainly no worse than a MKI on 16's)

Even when I fit my winter wheels and tyres the comfort barely changes at all, the fuel consumption is better on the 16's mind!

The fastest cornering cars on the planet run 13's.

Not by choice though, they run on 13" wheels because of the regulations.

There are two factors driving larger wheel size. First is design, secondly on performance cars (and 2500kg+ SUV's) it's brake disc size.

Cheers

Steve

Fitted some Audi R8 design 18" alloys this afternoon just need to get some Skoda badges to fit the center. I think that the gunmetal colour matches quite well with the colour of the car. What does everybody think of them.

Edited 29 June, 201213 yr by rabmurray121

There are two factors driving larger wheel size. First is design, secondly on performance cars (and 2500kg+ SUV's) it's brake disc size.

Cheers

Steve

Thirdly and most importantly its fashion

My Evo came with 17" wheels from the factory , its commonly accepted the cars handle best with 17" wheels and the the phrase "17's for go , 18's for show" is often used but you will find 18" wheels on a large amount of Evo's

Why would you fit something that makes the ride more harsh, doesnt help handling , increases running costs and often alters the speedometer accuracy??

Because they look good , that is all

Thirdly and most importantly its fashion

...

Because they look good , that is all

Try to squeeze upgraded brake discs into 16" wheel - good luck (for instance in Vectra C) .

Moreover - why would a change from 16" to 18" "increases running costs and often alters the speedometer accuracy"? I can go from 15" to 18" with +/- 2% difference or less

Edited 29 June, 201213 yr by lmb

You use the tool tyre calculator to let you know what combination you can fit without altering your speed, also same size wheels and tyres fitted to the Elegance.

And what's the profile height of this 13"?

Overall diameter is 26", so literally half the wheel is tyre, their sidewalls are 6.5" from bead to outer diameter.

Compare that to a 225/40R18 which has a 3.5" sidewall from bead to OD. A lot of people apparently *need* this for their morning commute.

I love it when people who drive road cars want better tyre cornering stiffness than F1. Another point often missed, larger rims in the same size tyres have higher inertia which reduces acceleration and increases fuel consumption in start/stop driving.

The only vehicle I commonly see which needs 18" or bigger to fit over the discs are rangerover sports and discovery 4's (same chassis). Even the Audi Q7 looks like 17" would fit over the brakes.

Edited 29 June, 201213 yr by Kiwibacon

Try to squeeze upgraded brake discs into 16" wheel - good luck (for instance in Vectra C) .

Moreover - why would a change from 16" to 18" "increases running costs and often alters the speedometer accuracy"? I can go from 15" to 18" with +/- 2% difference or less

R33 Nissan Skylines came from the factory with 16" wheels with 205 tyres , they made 280hp+ and the braking was perfectly adequate but i'm talking more about 17" , the standard Brembo set up fitted to many many performance cars uses a 330mm disc (13") so a 17" wheel easily fits over the disc and 16" wheel with the right offset would also fit so why fit 18"s ......looks

Rarely do you need to increase the diameter of the wheel to clear large brakes but if you do it allows you to run less offset

But thats academic in a discussion about Skoda Superbs, I maintain the reason they are fitted with 18" wheels is fashion and customers like to be fashionable so cars with 18" wheels sell better

Try to squeeze upgraded brake discs into 16" wheel - good luck (for instance in Vectra C) .

Moreover - why would a change from 16" to 18" "increases running costs and often alters the speedometer accuracy"? I can go from 15" to 18" with +/- 2% difference or less

It increases running costs as larger diameter tyres are more expensive and a 2% variation is an alteration to speedometer accuracy isnt it???

I should say, I have no problem with 18" wheels, just the justifications used.

If anyone wants 18's and has the balls to say "it's just about looks", then that's fine by me.

I only put the 18" on my car for the looks, mainly because of the colour of the car and alloys together i think that they make a good match. Thats my reason for putting 18" on the car, also i couldnt find 17" the same colour at a good price.

Edited 30 June, 201213 yr by rabmurray121

Yep , it's all about the looks, I'm happy too day it, without them the superb would look really bland

Each to there own though, I prefer a sportier looking car which I appreciate is a bit superficial. If I'm paying a fair chunk for a car I've got to like the way it looks.

The 18" wheels run fine, the they are also cheap, previously I was paying over 200 a tyre on the bmw so these are a bargain

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Please ignore the spelling the auto correct on my new phone its awful

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