Hello .... I've done my first serious miles this weekend with my new (one year old) Superb Elegance. While I'm generally very happy with the car, I have one slight niggle (there has to be one!).

I've noticed that the car is a bit more bumpy than expected. I'm not saying that it's bad, but I do wonder if I could make it better if I replaced my 18'' alloys with 17'' ones. I accept that the 18'' look very good on the Superb, but comfort is a bit higher on the list of priorities for me.

Has anyone made a similar replacement? I'm wondering if it would do any (or all) of the items below:

* make the ride less firm

* lower road noise (not that it's that bad)

* help with fuel economy

* still look good

Any feedback appreciated,

Guy

Hello .... I've done my first serious miles this weekend with my new (one year old) Superb Elegance. While I'm generally very happy with the car, I have one slight niggle (there has to be one!).

I've noticed that the car is a bit more bumpy than expected. I'm not saying that it's bad, but I do wonder if I could make it better if I replaced my 18'' alloys with 17'' ones. I accept that the 18'' look very good on the Superb, but comfort is a bit higher on the list of priorities for me.

Has anyone made a similar replacement? I'm wondering if it would do any (or all) of the items below:

* make the ride less firm

* lower road noise (not that it's that bad)

* help with fuel economy

* still look good

Any feedback appreciated,

Guy

Hello .... I've done my first serious miles this weekend with my new (one year old) Superb Elegance. While I'm generally very happy with the car, I have one slight niggle (there has to be one!).

I've noticed that the car is a bit more bumpy than expected. I'm not saying that it's bad, but I do wonder if I could make it better if I replaced my 18'' alloys with 17'' ones. I accept that the 18'' look very good on the Superb, but comfort is a bit higher on the list of priorities for me.

Has anyone made a similar replacement? I'm wondering if it would do any (or all) of the items below:

* make the ride less firm:

Slightly better

* lower road noise (not that it's that bad):

Depends on make of tyre.

* help with fuel economy:

Will make no difference as the overall tyre diameter ia as near as dammit the same, tyres may be a little narrower.

* still look good

Won't look so good.

Some insurance companies might not like the change but apart from narrower tyres , which they could claim give less grip ( they will give less grip ) there is no real difference.

Any feedback appreciated,

Guy

I have Laurel OEM wheels and drive in Belgium. To be honest there are some roads where I find even 17" hard to ride but I am about to buy a winter wheels for next season and had the thoughts to buy 18" summer, present wheels finish and get winter tyres for 17". To be honest still I am not sure to do that in fact superb2 looks great on 18" however it would help me to borrow some 18" before buying to have comparision. Can´t tell.

Had borrowed 16" and the car behaves strangly - floats in higher speeds.

I've noticed that the car is a bit more bumpy than expected. I'm not saying that it's bad, but I do wonder if I could make it better if I replaced my 18'' alloys with 17'' ones. I accept that the 18'' look very good on the Superb, but comfort is a bit higher on the list of priorities for me.

The solution is simple: Sell your uncomfortable 18" wheels and buy some good-looking 16" aftermarket alloys (but stick to 17" if you have the 3.6, 16" won't fit). More info can be found in this thread and this thread.

I have a Greenline. 16" wheels and Elegance spec. I didn't want the 18's both for price, comfort and ecconomy. I like the high sidewalls of the 16's

Another option is to put bigger tyres on. There are 225/18 options in 55 & 60. 60 might start getting a bit tight on full compression, but 55's would fit fine.

Steve

These dimensions do not fit! The biggest tire size that fits on an S2 is 215/55r16, and then you already have problems with snow chains.

The default wheel diameter of an S2 (205/55r16) has a diameter of about 632 mm.

The dimension you suggest (225/55r18) has a diameter of 705 mm. So this dimension has only drawbacks:

1. It doesn't fit

2. It doesn't give you any extra comfort, since the tire wall is about the same height.

3. The tires are many times more expensive than the standard 205/55r16.

4. Your speedo will give your readings about 11% too slow.

Thanks for all the feedback.

I haven't made my mind up just yet, but I'm leaning towards keeping the 18''. If there's no difference in fuel economy, then that's already one big argument less. Also, I am usually alone in the car when I'm on bumpy roads. My family is typically only in the car with me on long motorway trips, in which case the 18'' don't make much of a difference anyway.

Good point about the insurance. I also wonder if it may affect the resale value.

It doesn't seem like you read the original post. It's for an elegance that already has 18" wheels and tyres.

So 225/55 18 would fit. Sidewall is about 1/3rd taller than standard 225/40 18 tyre. Steering lock would need adjusting and so too speedo calibration, this is no different to modifications done by some Superb owners that have fitted 20" Audi wheels.

These dimensions do not fit! The biggest tire size that fits on an S2 is 215/55r16, and then you already have problems with snow chains.

The default wheel diameter of an S2 (205/55r16) has a diameter of about 632 mm.

The dimension you suggest (225/55r18) has a diameter of 705 mm. So this dimension has only drawbacks:

1. It doesn't fit

2. It doesn't give you any extra comfort, since the tire wall is about the same height.

3. The tires are many times more expensive than the standard 205/55r16.

4. Your speedo will give your readings about 11% too slow.

Just point me to one person on this forum (or any other Skoda forum) who is using 225/55R18 on a Superb. You won't be able to find anyone, because it simply doesn't fit. And, when compared to 205/55R16, all my other arguments remain intact:

1. It doesn't fit.

2. The tires are many times more expensive than the standard 205/55r16. And for the money you get from selling the used 18" wheels you can easily buy a nice set of 16" wheels.

3. Your speedo will give your readings about 11% too slow, and you can't correct it, since there is no corresponding "Distance Impulse Number" which can be coded with VCDS.

1. There is enough clearance to fit

2. So what, it was suggested as option. OP may want to keep 18 alloys, who knows.

3. Not heard of tachometer signal converters??? In addition you have also always been able to recalibrate a tachometer by changing the speed markings. No point in doing this when you can easily use a signal converter though.

Lastly it's a free world, you are entitled to your personal opinion and me mine, so chill out :)

1. There is enough clearance to fit

If you're only driving in a straight line...

And I'm still waiting for you to show me any proof of anyone actually using this ridiculous dimension on an S2.

3. Not heard of tachometer signal converters??? In addition you have also always been able to recalibrate a tachometer by changing the speed markings. No point in doing this when you can easily use a signal converter though.

You obviously have no idea of the electrical construction of a modern car. In a modern car the speed signal is generated by the ABS/ESP module (which gets its input from the ABS sensors in the wheels). This data is transported via the CAN-bus (which is in fact a low speed computer network) to all the modules who use it.

There is no such thing as a single wire carrying only the speed signal, so there is no way you can use these 1990's signal converters.

Hi Andrehj

I don't what your issue is, and why you have to behave in such a negative way.

Thank you, but I do know about can bus. Who is talking about using analogue signal converters?? I wasn't. You can get digital can bus converters in the same you can also get 3rd party can bus compatible tachometers and calibrate them to any car.

Trying being less arrogant and negative next time. I could think of a more derogatory word for your behaviour, but I won't drag myself down.

Cheers

Steve

My Elegance has the 18s with "sports" suspension. I liked the combination at first but would now not have had the lowering or stiffer springs. Maybe one day if the shockers get tired I might go for progressive rate springs and more sophisticated shockers.

For you, 17s or 16s with bigger sidewalls will give you more comfort but less grip, less precision, and more chance of rolling a tyre of the wheel under a combination of braking and cornering (google superb moose test).

Having test driven an Eleagance CR 170 with 18's, and a Greenline with 16's (back to back drive), I noted the following differences:-

*18's look much nicer.

*Lots more road noise on the 18's. At 70mph tyre noise is the most intrusive cabin sound.

*On a damp road the 16's seemed to grip better, despite having a narrower tread pattern.

*16's transferred noticeably less "thump" into the cabin, even on the Greenlines 15mm lower suspension setup.

*16's are more communicative. You can "feel" the road better and are easier to predict when grip is about to run out.

*16's are wife friendly. They are less likely to clash with kerbs

*16's are much cheaper to replace.

In the dry the 18's may provide better grip and they certainly do look very nice on what is a very big car, but the 16's win within every other area. Perhaps 17's will be a good compromise between looks and practicality.

Edited 15 April, 201313 yr by Orville

Many people claim that 17" wheels/tyres handle better than 18" wheels and tyres, lets not kid ourselves the decision to fit them on the Superb was for anything other than aesthetic reasons

For you, 17s or 16s with bigger sidewalls will give you more comfort but less grip, less precision, and more chance of rolling a tyre of the wheel under a combination of braking and cornering (google superb moose test).

I doubt that (and I was the first one posting about this moose test on this formum). This moose test was done on 18" wheels, and the tire rolled of the wheel. As I remember, it was also stated that this was a problem that occured more often with low profile tyres..

*18's look much nicer.

*Lots more road noise on the 18's. At 70mph tyre noise is the most intrusive cabin sound.

*On a damp road the 16's seemed to grip better, despite having a narrower tread pattern.

*16's transferred noticeably less "thump" into the cabin, even on the Greenlines 15mm lower suspension setup.

*16's are more communicative. You can "feel" the road better and are easier to predict when grip is about to run out.

*16's are wife friendly. They are less likely to clash with kerbs

*16's are much cheaper to replace.

Two more advantages:

* 16's are more economical on fuel. In the current weather conditions (around 15°C) and with my Michelin Energy Saver summer tires mounted I can do 100 km+ trips with an average fuel consumption of only 6.3 l/100 km on my calibrated meter. (That's about 45 MPG)

* 16's are much less susceptible to damage when accidentally driving through a pothole.

Edited 15 April, 201313 yr by andrehj

Sheesh. It's April now and since the temperatures have come back up I'm about to put my summer 18" wheels back on.

Might not bother after reading all this!

I changed my wheels on my Superb 1.9 CRTDi 170PS Elegance last winter from the standard 18" wheels to a set of 16" alloys shod with 215/55R16 winter tyres which I picked up, part used, on Ebay. As I expected after reading Honest John in the Telegraph, the improvement in ride, handling and fuel economy was so great that in the spring I fitted similar sized summer tyres to the smaller wheels. The result is that I now have four original 18" wheels shod with 2/3 worn Avon ZZ3 tyres stored in a shed and unlikely to be used again until I come to sell the car (if anybody wants 'em let me know and we can discuss.) Large wheels with low-profile tyres on everyday road cars are more a fashion statement than an aid to good ride and handling, especially given the proliferation of potholes plaguing UK roads. I also find the car looks better on its new wheels, which are more in keeping with its luxury-car character. Note, though, that these tyres are a tad heftier than the normal alternative 205/55 size, fitted, for example, to the Greenline. They really look the business and the difference in rolling circumference is too small to matter. Incidentally, on a trip to and from the Dordogne at standard French road speeds the car returned 56 mpg overall. Amazing!

My 18s look boss.  The ride is brilliant, but even if it wasn't I wouldn't fit anything smaller.

 

How can you look like a member of the Serbian Mafia if you've got licorice allsorts fitted to your car?

 Note, though, that these tyres are a tad heftier than the normal alternative 205/55 size, fitted, for example, to the Greenline. They really look the business

I probably agree with you, but I have never seen (a picture of) a Superb on 215/55R16 tires. Can you post a (or some) picture of yours? I might just use this dimension for my next set of summer tires. I don't want to use this dimension for winter tires, since there will not be enough space left for snow chains.

I changed my wheels on my Superb 1.9 CRTDi 170PS Elegance

 

 A 1.9, Common Rail, 170bhp Superb?

 

Really!?

G'day, My 2cents worth is as follows. My Superb came with 17 " wheels and I have fitted an Eibach ProB12 kit which has Bilstein dampers along with the lowered springs. I recently fitted Khumo Ecsta 4X 235x45 tyres and I am very satisfied with the result. The original soft to jiggly ride has been improved to a more planted and responsive ride. My previous car was a Honda Euro which showed up the difference in handling so I spent nearly $2 grand to improve the driving experience and the result was worthwhile. Our roads in Oz are woeful and the ride is only rough on sharp ridges but the improved cornering makes up for this. The tyres are quiet and grip well in the wet as well as giving a smooth ride. They are rated as all season in the USA. After 8000k I will rotate to counteract a small degree of feathering to reduce any future road noise issues. Hope this is some help.

I have an elegance with 17 inch wheels with 240k Kim's.

I am changing in January and thought I wanted 18 inch wheels.

Had a loan of a new superb with 18's for a few days. Was delighted to give it back.road noise and bumpy ride.

I will buy a L&K with 17's

The 18's look better but they are damned uncomfortable