The 16" / 17" wheel debate is a significant topic on the Yeti forum and there are staunch advocates (!) for both sizes. Ultimately there is no 'right' or 'wrong' one - it is simply that the individual owner/prospective owner believes that one size or the other offers the performance, comfort or other characteristic that more nearly meets their own needs or preferences.

There are more than enough threads here already discussing the technical comparisons (and please don't extend that discussion here). In the end, it is the perceived effects of their different characteristics that vary between different users, and these depend on all sorts of personal factors as well as the way they drive, the roads (or whatever) they drive on, the weather and the season.

I can't remember if I've read how the first 16" 'Special Build' Yeti came about. Was it Expatman's or was there an earlier one? For the purpose of this thread, though, it doesn't really matter. The fact is that Skoda agreed to supply to a UK customer a Yeti fitted with 16" wheels in place of the 17" wheels it should have had. Other later customers have been similarly 'accommodated', although all the instances seem to have been arranged as a matter of personal intervention by one or other member of Skoda UK Customer Service staff in response to individual requests. As I see it, all subsequent requests for 16" wheels have resulted from forum members learning of the possible variation by reading about it on the forum. I don't think I have seen mention of any instances where a dealer has successfully asked for the substitution, nor has there been any report of non-forum customers asking for and getting the substitution.

In the few months of my membership here there have been odd occasions when it seemed possible that Skoda UK were actually thinking about 'regularising' the process. For a day or two recently, the option of 16" wheels was present on Skoda's online 'Configurator'. Then came the pronouncement that they weren't going to play ball at all anymore, which provoked some heated reaction. A change of heart means that ATCO will get his up/downgrade after all - but will the next prospective owner be lucky, too?

Let's look at the basic statistics. One of our resident gurus put the number of Yetis sold in this country so far as somewhere between 8,000 and 9,000. How many of those were to active or visiting members of the Briskoda Yeti forum? Sixty? Too high, I'm sure, but what the heck.

And how many of those members succesfully asked for 16" wheels? Currently nine, I believe? So, no better than around one in a thousand UK Yetis have had this special treatment.

Now have a guess at the proportion of UK Yetis that were ordered with the least popular official option, whatever that may be. A good few more than one-in-a-thousand, I bet, which must make the UK 16" wheel a very special special indeed.

If Skoda UK or Skoda CZ were to decide (or perhaps have already decided) that, really, these Briskoda requests are more nuisance than they're worth then there's nothing to be gained by us making a fuss on the forum. We are in a very minor minority. The product is going to sell very well, thank you, despite the odd (well intentioned) Briskoda rebel, or prospective customer who pulls out because the 17" wheels don't suit.

If the 16" wheel has enough support in the forum to make it worth persuing with Skoda, then what we should be discussing are ways that might persuade the company that the 16" wheel with its fat tyre, common on the Continent and thus readily available, would be a popular option with those UK users who do most of their driving on less-than-perfect surfaces or who prefer (or need) a softer ride. (Someone at Skoda must have been giving it a bit of thought, else it wouldn't have put in a brief Configurator appearance.)

Might we profitably be publicising the Briskoda trail-blazing of a feature that extends the appeal of the versatile Yeti, so that enquiries start to go in from the wider public? This might be one way of exerting some gentle business pressure.

Positive suggestions, anyone?

Or isn't it worth the hassle??

Spot on.

Perhaps the above would make an excellent submission to the motoring press and / or Skoda CZ.

One would have thought that Skoda would be keen to promote the maximum customer satisfaction.

At the end of the day making an alternate wheel option available to UK customers (from a dealer perspective) would bring us in line with many other Skoda markets.

A wheel is just another component that has to be fitted to the vehicle, we can specify windscreens with or without heating elements or extra speakers for the radio, why does a bit of alloy cause such a fuss!

It's not as if there is a limited supply of the 16" wheel, it's standard on some models even in the UK.

I ended up with 16" wheels in exactly the same way that he describes.

I read the various threads discussing the subject, arranged test drives and made my decision based on my personal preference.

One wonders how many more yeti owners would have made the same choice given access to the same information.

It seems to me that Skoda UK have their head stuck somewhere it does not belong - and have taken a curiously stubborn stance on this subject. 16" wheels are a no charge option in the EU markets, so the ordering processing at the factory is a simple check on the spec list.

And the last sentence of Vegit's posting says it all.

The majority of buyers don't really care. They accept that what the car is sold with is what is best and have no interest in what may be changeable with a small battle. An awfull lot of buyers don't even bother with going through the "extras" lists, but just buy "stock" cars. It is only us very very small minority on this and other Forums that want differences, so to be honest why should Skoda bother with us?

I suspect that the percentages quoted earlier are an over estimate. I'd put it as 30 active members in 9000 Yetis sold. We might have more than that registered here, but a lot have fallen by the wayside for various reasons.

And to be honest, although I've said in the past I would like 16" wheels for the bigger choice of cheaper tyres, I have now found that the Kumho's I have fitted haven't embarrased me at all, coping with all the off-road use I've put them to, plus i'm finding that I'm not doing as much of that anymore, one of the reasons if I do replace this Yeti I will go for a 110bhp 2 wheel drive diesel.

Just to put the record straight, it was The Plumber who started the 16" wheel change on new build Yeti.

He was also quoted in Autoexpress a few months later in an article about 16" wheels, where Skoda said they would supply 16" wheels if requested, if I remember correctly.

They should just stick with offering 17" as standard globally and then not have to amortise the cost of type approving, CO2 ratings and ongoing conformance testing, supply chain support, tooling, factory floor space, dealer training, spares support etc etc for the nasty, tiny, 16" wheels that no one really wants....... as no option is really free.

There must be something in the water in Yorkshire!

We know Bob's got a problem, but now it seems to have infected Deputy!!

There must be something in the water in Yorkshire!

We know Bob's got a problem, but now it seems to have infected Deputy!!

Depends which part of Yorkshire your talking about;

Soft in the west and hard in the east;

water that is

TP

...for the nasty, tiny, 16" wheels that no one really wants.......

Oi!!!

Depends which part of Yorkshire your talking about;

Soft in the west and hard in the east;

water that is

TP

I wish it were soft over here - we don't so much have water as chalk slurry :( Rinsed off some dust from the car last night and this morning it looked like it'd been used as a blackboard

I've posted before on this subject. As the OP says, we all have an opinion about what is the best wheel/tyre combination. I personally don't see an issue with changing wheels & tyres, so long as the chosen combination is commensurate with the specs laid down as Skoda options.

Hence my decision to go with 215/60 x 16s Alutec Spike wheels, with Vredestein Extremes in winter (Nov - March), and Sportrac 3s in summer. (That combination was considerably cheaper than buying new Skoda wheels.) The Annapurnas have been put away carefully in the shed, covered with black tarpaulin so the P Zeros don't rot, and will be all nice, bright & shiny for when I trade it in.

The Vredesteins, both varieties, are rated at 99H, and I don't see that I'm likely to need the W rating for a speed of 150mph in any circumstance. In fact, half of that would probably suit me!

In my mind, the really important aspect is to ensure that your insurers approve the combination - Aviva asked for no extra premium, but wanted to know the value of the wheels and if they complied with Skoda specs.

Your choice, methinks.

They should just stick with offering 17" as standard globally and then not have to amortise the cost of type approving, CO2 ratings and ongoing conformance testing, supply chain support, tooling, factory floor space, dealer training, spares support etc etc for the nasty, tiny, 16" wheels that no one really wants....... as no option is really free.

Actually, we are out of kilter with the rest of the world. They have 16" wheels as standard, with 17" wheels as an option as I understood it.

It is only Skoda UK who insists on 17" wheels as standard, as joe public, they think wants low profile tyres like many a rebodied Disco 3/4 (Range Rover Sport to most people).

I have driven cars with very low profile (35) tyres and they were uncomfortable and literally a pain in the back.

They have 16" wheels as standard, with 17" wheels as an option as I understood it.

Here's the "wheel and tyre situation" in Estonia:

"Ambition" (SE?) and "Greenline" has 16" Moons as standard. Lucky me! (- waiting for 4x4 140 Ambition)

Edited 11 August, 201213 yr by Hirundo

Over here in Estonia, for example, only "Ambition" (SE?) and "Greenline" has 16" Moons as standard (Lucky me! ):

Thanks for this info; interesting to see that it's noticeably cheaper for you to option 17" alloys over 16" standard fit alloys (£375 here). Oh are your greenlines shod with 215/60 tyres :wonder: as our UK specs have 205/55.

Regards,

TP

Oh are your greenlines shod with 215/60 tyres :wonder: as our UK specs have 205/55.

It seems so.

Edited 11 August, 201213 yr by Hirundo

May I bring the meeting to order, guys?

I really did not want this to be yet another thread (yawn) about the relative merits of the two sizes or, although it's very interesting information, about what is available elsewhere. And surely enough members have endured the Skoda Customer Services Survival Course to prove beyond doubt that some of us definitely do want ...'nasty, tiny, 16" wheels...'.

My aim was, and still is, to encourage suggestions as to how Skoda might be persuaded to give serious thought about an official 16" option.

Go one step back first, if you like: No-one has questioned that apparently only nine cases, starting with TP's (thanks for the correction, Rockhopper) is the story so far. No-one has reported that they gave up the struggle and either accepted 17" wheels or bought a completely different car. Is there anyone else out there currently going through the mill, that we don't know about? Perhaps more importantly at this stage, are there any members or even lurkers who would be considering ordering a 16" wheel option if it was easier to arrange?

Over to you.

Perhaps more importantly at this stage, are there any members or even lurkers who would be considering ordering a 16" wheel option if it was easier to arrange?

Yes, certainly. Wheel choice would be only one factor and TBH probably not a major one - others are going to be whether there's eg a better (more powerful and/or better CO2) higher-powered petrol engine in the FL model (should it come to pass during 2013) coupled with the availability of DSG. And what other changes might be made in any putative FL model. But you never know, availability of 16" wheels on an Elegance could end up being the deciding factor. Otherwise it might be a Q3 or whatever.

Yes, certainly. Wheel choice would be only one factor ...

Oh, of course. It would only be another item on the list of ex works options. But would the box get ticked?

There have been one or two who I'm aware of that gave up or were forced to give up their pursuance of the 16" specification and excepted the standard spec (car in build lockout before SUK agreed to change for example). Also there's one case of cancelling and going elsewhere (not seen posts from the member since).

As you and others suggest most customers are willing to accept the specification offered by Skoda UK, simple because they have no knowledge of our European neighbours wider choice, not just on wheels but other things such as engines (no 2wd TDI 140 available in the UK for example), trim etc.

Personally I don't think you will be able to influence a change of policy or direction from our importer on this or any other issue. I would be interested to know mind, how these specifications we are offered are derived at when a new model is introduced; is it purely down to staff at the importers to go through the options available or are those options limited by the manufacturer depending on market and or LHD/RHD. I suspect it's more the former rather than latter case and if so, I would, not just for the Yeti but other models too, question the individual/teams judgement. They don't appear to fully factor in the type of buyer or likely use of a particular model very well at all. Their primary focus appears from my observation anyway to focus very much on showroom style (and profit for options) rather than a form, function or safety approach, which some other countries appear to adopt.

When I ordered my current Yeti the plan was as some have suggested, to store (or sell) the standard alloys that came with it. However that to me anyway seemed illogical, when the factory could obviously build an Elegance spec for say the Czech market on 16" Moon alloys; so why not a UK spec. Dealer asked SUK who stated it was not possible, then I asked myself to get the same rebuff, so I e-mailed the manufacturer, as at the time they still answered quires directly from end user customers. Explained to the manufacturer that I drove primarily on rough rural roads and from previous ownership I found the 17" wheels unsuitable for this and that I would prefer not to have to store wheels and buy alternatives, when these alternatives could be fitted during manufacture, thus saving time and cost. Credit to the manufacturer and unlike SUK they fully agreed with the points raised and agreed to the amended build; the rest is history as they say.

One can only wistfully hope they start properly and with an open mind, think about the options when new models like the Rapid make it into production, particularly those that effect ride comfort on roads outside the the grid system of Milton Keynes; maybe that's the answer move SUK head office to the Highlands of Scotland and we might get cars that are less designed to negotiate roundabouts at speed (our two Fabia's are a case in point for this argument)

TP

To repeat what I said in #4:

The majority of buyers don't really care. They accept that what the car is sold with is what is best and have no interest in what may be changeable with a small battle. An awfull lot of buyers don't even bother with going through the "extras" lists, but just buy "stock" cars. It is only us very very small minority on this and other Forums that want differences, so to be honest why should Skoda bother with us?

'The majority of buyers don't really care'.

You've spoken to all the UK buyers to know this then?

But would the box get ticked?

I'm pretty sure it would. Actually I've never driven a Yeti with 16" wheels and would be interested to do so to just to confirm for myself the difference. But all the arguments and experiences reported here would seem to make sense and I've no reason to doubt them.

'The majority of buyers don't really care'.

You've spoken to all the UK buyers to know this then?

Of course not, but the comment is valid if you consider that between this and the other Yeti Forum we represent approx 30 out of 9000 owners, and at most 10 people have requested this change, so that is less than 0.1% of owners.

Plus my comment comes from many years experience on the perrifary (SP) of the motor trade.

Or 33% of the actual sample! Care to elaborate on your motor trade experience so we can judge its relevance?

Friends who have been car sales managers in dealers varying from Bentley, through Skoda to Subaru, and many other manufacturers, working part time in car sales, being a rep supplying products to car sales......

And lastly, experience of the way friends and neighbours have bought cars, and even from comments on here from owners who have bought cars but never realised they either had certain parts/facilities fitted.

ADD

And being an off-road driving instructor for LR, mainly Freelanders, where owners hadn't realised they were 4 wheel drive because they didn't have an extra gear stick!!