Strange how perceptions differ. 17" rims to my eye look oversized and heavy; almost dominating the vehicle, particularly the Dolomite style.

Oddly though I don't have this view re the 'excessive' 17" rims supplied with our Monte; maybe their very dark grey colouring and the black magic body kit help blend them in better :wonder:

TP

17" Matterhorns rule (IMO). But before this thread gets silly lets remember everyone will have a different view and opinion, and we should all respect that.

17" Matterhorns rule (IMO). But before this thread gets silly lets remember everyone will have a different view and opinion, and we should all respect that.

I think they work well on the right colour Yeti because they are not overly bright, but do have the diamond cut details so the rim size is visable, thereby avoiding giving the car all black wheels.

The Yeti does suffer more with small rims (or all black ones) in my opinion, because it has such pumped up wheelarches that add to the illusion of a lot of space there, when they are not actually as big as you think.

Fiting 3% bigger tyres means I only have about 2mm clearence between the arch liner and the back of the tyre on full lock.

Funny how wheels can make or break the looks. The Matterhorn alloys as fitted as standard on the Urban was one of the reasons I brought it over a standard SE - works well with white as well. Just ordered the wife a white 3 door VW UP ASG (no comments please - I wanted a CityGo, she wanted the VW as offered more choice of extras). Have specced 16" black rims/lowered suspension on that but had to tell the wife that's how it comes as standard. So we now have a white Urban and a white Up both with black rims.......and matching plates , although not as rare as your plate Richard.

16" Moons + Winters on now and 17"Annapurnas on summers. I think both look great.

A much softer ride over pot holes and speed bumps on winters but handling/grip on summer Pirellis is great if bumpy on uneven surfaces.

Think I perhaps am fortunate to have the best for both seasons as long as we don`t get any late spring or autumn snow.

Cheers :beer:

Peter.

Nice pics Peter!

Yes! The second is Black Rock Sands with Criccieth Castle in the background. Was there birding yesterday; very low tide.

Was there birding yesterday;

Isn't it a bit cold for that kind of thing?

Very!

Back to the OP.

Why not do what BossFox has done.

Fit larger profile tyres on the R17 rims.

215/60 R17 will fit with no clearance issues, Boss Fox's 225/60R17 clearance issues will improve as the tyres wear :lol:

they will give you the bigger rim look and also more ground clearance and comfort due to the 60 profile.

Just inform your insurance company......

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Back to the OP.

Why not do what BossFox has done.

Fit larger profile tyres on the R17 rims.

215/60 R17 will fit with no clearance issues, Boss Fox's 225/60R17 clearance issues will improve as the tyres wear :lol:

they will give you the bigger rim look and also more ground clearance and comfort due to the 60 profile.

Just inform your insurance company......

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This is interesting as I suppose the 60R profile gives a more supple ride, but what are the disadvantages, would you get more roll on corners? inferior braking etc. and would it throw the speedo reading out? There must be a reason why Skoda fit the lower profiles on original build it cant just be for the sportier looks. and why do you need to inform your insurance, probably because it is classed as a modification

This is interesting as I suppose the 60R profile gives a more supple ride, but what are the disadvantages, would you get more roll on corners? inferior braking etc. and would it throw the speedo reading out? There must be a reason why Skoda fit the lower profiles on original build it cant just be for the sportier looks. and why do you need to inform your insurance, probably because it is classed as a modification

60R will probably give some more suppleness, but a lot will depend on how hard the sidewalls are.

I suspect that it would make cornering slightly "woolly" but probably only noticeable on the limit.

Can't see how it would affect braking?

It will put the speedo out slightly. There is a web site somewhere that gives you all the percentages for different sizes.

You need to tell your insurance company because that size are not "approved" by Skoda as a standard fitment.

Thanks Graham.

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Won't it affect (as well as the speedo) the mileometer (thus potentially the resale value) and the effective gearing?

I would think the odometer and speedo will under-read, which is illegal

I would think the odometer and speedo will under-read, which is illegal

It doesn't.

Because the tyres are 3% bigger and the speedo already over reads by that margin.

So it's actually more accurate now.

Wow! thanks for the replies so far. Will take a while to read and evaluate the suggestions and experiences of you all. Thanks again.

But check the clearance between the tyres & inner wheelarch when on full lock. You may find the larger tyres rub the liner as there's hardly any clearance there on 215/60/16's on full lock never mind 225/60/16's.

....there's hardly any clearance there on 215/60/16's on full lock....

Now that's a useful bit of information. Since Annie (on 16's, of course) joined the family last autumn the weather has been generally wretched and I haven't had the opportunity for a good look around the bits that can't usually be seen

Thinking about it, though - the usual 225/50/17 is virtually the same circumference and is wider than the 16, so why is there a difference (implied by your comment) in the clearance?

Now that's a useful bit of information. Since Annie (on 16's, of course) joined the family last autumn the weather has been generally wretched and I haven't had the opportunity for a good look around the bits that can't usually be seen

Thinking about it, though - the usual 225/50/17 is virtually the same circumference and is wider than the 16, so why is there a difference (implied by your comment) in the clearance?

Could be there is a maybe a different offset on the standard 17" rims compared to the 16" ones, which would mean that the inside of the 16" rims would be slightly closer to the bodywork then the 17" rims. So, a 225 section tyre on a 16" rim would be 5mm closer to the shocks (5mm out/5mm in) than a 215 one on a 16" wheel. I hope I have that correct.........Richard (BossFox) will confirm - I hope.

60R will probably give some more suppleness, but a lot will depend on how hard the sidewalls are.

I suspect that it would make cornering slightly "woolly" but probably only noticeable on the limit.

Can't see how it would affect braking?

It will put the speedo out slightly. There is a web site somewhere that gives you all the percentages for different sizes.

You need to tell your insurance company because that size are not "approved" by Skoda as a standard fitment.

This subject gets more and more interesting. My recently returned Toyota Prius with 15" wheels rode very poorly whilst another Prius on the fleet with 17" wheels smoothed out the bumps etc. much better. As I have mentioned previously the Prius virtually rattled every where which I personally put down to the smaller wheels. Now our Octavia on 17" does seem smoother than the Yeti ( hardly noticeable) I put this down to the longer wheel base, but has anyone actually tried the higher profile tyres that can comment factually of any real difference. And what about the 16" wheel owners, have they also driven both and hands on heart say there was an improvement?

This subject gets more and more interesting. My recently returned Toyota Prius with 15" wheels rode very poorly whilst another Prius on the fleet with 17" wheels smoothed out the bumps etc. much better. As I have mentioned previously the Prius virtually rattled every where which I personally put down to the smaller wheels. Now our Octavia on 17" does seem smoother than the Yeti ( hardly noticeable) I put this down to the longer wheel base, but has anyone actually tried the higher profile tyres that can comment factually of any real difference. And what about the 16" wheel owners, have they also driven both and hands on heart say there was an improvement?

I am a 16" wheel driver and, yes, I drove 16" wheeled and 17" wheeled Yeti's back-to-back over the same test route. There was no doubt that the 16" wheeled Yeti had a smoother less "nobbly" ride that the one with 17" wheels. I am not an at-the-limit driver but I could not detect any difference in cornering etc. with the higher profile 60 tyres, except that the 16" Yeti handled smoothed bumps on corners more effectively without any tendency to skit off the bump.

This debate has rumbled on for years and it is purely a matter of opinion, I favour a smooth ride while some like a firmer ride - everyone to his own. I just wish that Skoda UK would accept this and offer Yeti's with the option of 16" or 17" wheels. Why they don't is a mystery to me.

As another very happy 16" er I have to agree with Expatman, I do not want to make anyone choose between the 2 rim sizes, but I would like those who have a preference to have the opportunity to purchase a car with that spec, which, BTW, is allowed in other countries. Its only the UK that does not allow (easily) the 16" option.

I also prefer the cost saving of 16" rubber over 17, for both summer and winter tyres.

As for the offset (ET) I am pretty convinced its the same for both rim sizes at 45.

The great debate goes on! just to shed some light, we had a Yeti on 17" rims for about 18months and 15000 miles, and in my opinion the ride quality was the only thing that spoilt a great car! due to a fantastic deal we bought a new Yeti and with some great help from people on here managed to convince Skoda to change the 2 letters on the build sheet and therefore we ended up with 16" Moon alloys with 215/60/16 tyres. All I can say is what an improvement! the Yeti was always good on the main road undulations but on country roads the 17" wheels used to bang into every little pot hole, the 16" set up is far better in this respect, it has taught me that I would never buy a car again with anything less than say a 55 profile tyre! but each to their own, it seems most manufactures are going down the low profile route! Even when parked, you can see a distinct bulge in the 16" sidewall so this in itself will `help` the suspension. Prior to ordering the new Yeti I spoke with a teckie guy at Dunlop and he confirmed what I have since found out......... also it is not just the height of the sidewall that is the issue here, the 50 series tyre by it`s very design is manufactured with a stiffer sidewall to cope with it`s lower profile, if that makes sense!

Just one final point, when comparing aspect ratios, remember it is a percentage, so 50% of a 225 section tyre is 112.5mm. also the 215/60/16 tyre is actually slightly larger than the 225/50/17!

So, all in all, a better ride, but the steering a little less like a go cart!

The great debate goes on! just to shed some light, we had a Yeti on 17" rims for about 18months and 15000 miles, and in my opinion the ride quality was the only thing that spoilt a great car! due to a fantastic deal we bought a new Yeti and with some great help from people on here managed to convince Skoda to change the 2 letters on the build sheet and therefore we ended up with 16" Moon alloys with 215/60/16 tyres. All I can say is what an improvement! the Yeti was always good on the main road undulations but on country roads the 17" wheels used to bang into every little pot hole, the 16" set up is far better in this respect, it has taught me that I would never buy a car again with anything less than say a 55 profile tyre! but each to their own, it seems most manufactures are going down the low profile route! Even when parked, you can see a distinct bulge in the 16" sidewall so this in itself will `help` the suspension. Prior to ordering the new Yeti I spoke with a teckie guy at Dunlop and he confirmed what I have since found out......... also it is not just the height of the sidewall that is the issue here, the 50 series tyre by it`s very design is manufactured with a stiffer sidewall to cope with it`s lower profile, if that makes sense!

Just one final point, when comparing aspect ratios, remember it is a percentage, so 50% of a 225 section tyre is 112.5mm. also the 215/60/16 tyre is actually slightly larger than the 225/50/17!

So, all in all, a better ride, but the steering a little less like a go cart!

To finalise my input on this topic, from what I am reading it is more a matter of the tyre profile than the rim size that changes the ride. So are we saying if you put a higher profile tyre on a 17" rim this will soften the ride? If so does anyone know what is the size of the tyre required which will fit without fouling the bodywork. I apologise if this has been asked before, but I could not find it.