Spare Wheel/Winter Wheels Monte Carlo

[Guest]

Hey,

I'm looking to get a spare wheel for the Monte, and possibly some steelys and fit some winter tyres on them.

What size of alloy/steely would I get away with when needing a spare tyre. For example would a 14" 186/60 wheel fit and work with the other 3 17" wheels?

And if going for winter alloys what size would you guys recommend?

Any tips appreciated, thanks.

[Stonesie]

I would go steel, more resilient to damage if you do slide into a curb/pothole.

 

If you go to MyTyres they have a section for wheel and tyre packages, for your car they have a few different sized tyres to go with the 15" steel wheels.

 

For just one spare then Ebay, The fabia takes a 5x100 bolt pattern with an offset of around 43mm +/- 5 is usually ok. ( http://www.wheelfitment.eu/car/Skoda/Fabia%20(2007%20-%20)/ )

[The Plumber]

We run 15" winters on our Monte with 195/55 R15 tyres. This is also the same size as the official spare, which can be bought from a dealer with tool kit for just over £100 if you can push for a good discount (son did this with his second hand Fabia that came with the useless tyre repair set).

 

Have run mytres rims in the past but they didn't appear to be as well made as the VAG ones (maybe just a bad batch :wonder:  ) So see my reply at 3# here

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/286518-starting-to-look-at-winter-tyresin-august/

 

 

With the Monte, we eventually decided to go alloy for winter and picked up some Skoda alloys from a dealer but with a good discount as it was stock to clear.

 

 

 

TP

[Guest]

Ok this gives me a much better idea of what wheels I'm looking for. Thanks very much!

[Guest]

One more quick question. Following that website above for the wheel fitment, wheels from a MK4 Golf would fit the Fabia with 195/55/15 tyres on them for winter?

[PDIBK]

A rough rule of thumb is to increase the sidewall by 5 for each decrease of wheel size:

 

Standard is 205/40/17

Next 205/45/16

Then 205/50/15, 205/55/14

 

It's a rough rule of thumb, because the second number is the ration of the first - if it's 205mm wide it has a sidewall 40% of that (41mm all around, totalling 82mm top and bottom added together).  So dropping a tyre width to 195 may allow you to change the ratio - 195/55/15.

 

I use a site, but forget which (I originally found it by googling tyre size calculator) and it tells you how much off your rolling radius would be.  Anything around 5% and you won't notice the difference in your speedo and mileometer.

 

I thought about winter tyres and then didn't get around to doing it and didn't need them last year.  I might have been lucky, but I have only felt I needed them once in this country - way different to when we lived in Germany for a bit.

 

On the whole, if I knew I was keeping a car long term, I may get them, just in case they start to introduce them as legislation (as per Germany) or as a strongly suggested accessory.

 

I think after the Mk4, golfs went to 112mm fitment, so unfortunately I can't steal my wifes wheels!

[Huskoda]

I'm pretty sure what I've seen that a Fabia II won't fit 14" wheels over its brakes.

 

185/60R14 was the size for a Fabia I and is a slightly smaller rolling radius than the Fabia II uses.

[Ootohere]

& why would you want to, 15" spares are plenty full,

if buying 15" or 16" rims then just buy a 5th steel or alloy and fit a matching tyre to the other 4. 

 

Maybe best,

since there are more good and warm & sunny days in the 5-6 months of the Scottish Winter, especially on the West Coast,

Fit Good cold weather tyres with the correct Speed & Load rating so that nice days between October and April,

you do not require you to change Wheels too often if you wanted to go out for blasts..

Lots of Winter Tyres are OK for all year use.

 

Last winter you would probably really only needed them or benefited from them for 21 days max.

Only about 10 days around Glasgow where the temp was 6*oC - 08C or below that, & at that all day and night and day after day..

& the roads do get treated, when traffic is flowing, not many places do not become Black Top & need Full Snow tyres.

Cold weathers can be great.

205/40R 17 on a Monte are not a bad tyre if you are getting sufficient traction and driving to conditions.

Steep accents & Descents still need care with Winter/Cold Weather tyres. & an easy throttle and use of gears.

 

In Glasgow and Central Scotland the Monte will keep moving and stopping safely enough if the roads are open.

You will drive just fine and hit nothing,

Not so sure those plonkers spimming, sliding and crashing daily in the BMW's will not slide into you though.

 

http://www.kouki.co.uk/utilities/visual-tyre-size-calculator

http://camskill.co.uk

 

Worth checking out the Skoda Garage to see if they have Steels & Winters sitting on offer,

they did not shift that many in some Dealerships.

 

george

[Stevoraith]

Only about 10 days around Glasgow where the temp was 6*oC - 08C or below that, & at that all day and night and day after day..

You're joking right!!?

The temperature is almost permanently below 7degC between November and February in central Scotland!

Especially at rush hours when people do most of their driving.

There's no doubt that when it's not snowing, summer tyres will be fine in this country but as I said in another thread I look at it like the difference between budget and premium tyres.

Premium tyres give me better grip than budgets do in the summer and winter tyres give me better grip than even the best summer tyres do in the winter. Then there's the added benefit of being able to get to work in the event that we do get a meaningful dump of snow.

They're not essential but having run them on both cars for a number of years now they are something I'll always have if possible.

[Ootohere]

No joking, i drive the roads as well, eyes open, watching tyres and temperatures and drivers.

as i have done for years now, i drive the roads in all conditions.

 

This winter 6 Trigger Cold weather payments for DD8, Aberdeenshire/Aboyne 5 last year 8 in 2010/11

Often you get to Couper Angus and the temparature has risen 5 degrees C, & by Glasgow 10 or more.

I have left home were roads are blocked and its never been above 0*c for weeks and got to Prestwick & it is 18 *oC higher.

That is 140 miles of roads with only a few miles of black ice possibility.

 

It can be a joke even in Scotland listening to road reports and getting south of Scone or Rosyth and driving into the mayhem you have been listening about.

Then wonder, where what and why.

Yes Harthill & various elevated routes, and bad junctions, but the Big Freezes etc are often mismanaged by our roads bosses.

Mumpty Keith Brown MSP and his Traffic Scotland are Central Centric.

 

Loads of kidology goes on, 

most never even check their tyre pressures or adjust for the ambient temperature.

 

Many are not fit to be out in bad weather whatever the car or tyres.

More 4x4's & AWD's are there spinning wheels than the City commuter/Car or none flash family car.

 

I have Winter tyres, snow tyres, studded tyres, more tyres than i have space for,

horses for courses. Tyres or vehicle for the conditions, prepare or travel safe.

Glasgow-Edinburgh is not exactly a cross country endurance coarse, (someone stops you all stop).

the A71, might be a bit more of one.

 

Winter tyres are good, not essentiall for many tho,

they need to have good tyres all year and know the pressures.

 

george

[logiclee]

I'm pretty sure what I've seen that a Fabia II won't fit 14" wheels over its brakes.

 

185/60R14 was the size for a Fabia I and is a slightly smaller rolling radius than the Fabia II uses.

Depends on engine fitment.

 

For TSi engines then yes you need 15" wheels, 1.2HTP you can fit 14" wheels.

 

1.2TDi and 1.4TDi have 14" wheel fitments, 1.6TDi 15" only.

 

I have a set of 14" steelies with Bridgestone 165/70x14's that I'll be selling this winter, were bought last year for our 1.2HTP Mk2.

 

Cheers

Lee

[Ootohere]

Why is that because or the wheels, are the discs/calipers bigger on the Monte than on the the 1.2HTP.?

Or just the 15" Wheels for the tyre with Load & Speed rating for the 1.6tdi, (and TSI 105 ps)

And not wanting something silly like a 75 Profile tyre on with 14" rims.

 

http://www.kouki.co.uk/utilities/visual-tyre-size-calculator

165/70/14 just too much of a drop in total diameter over the 205/40/70,

rather narrow treads, but then its pretty good on a Monte to stick with 195 as a minimum for width.

 

205/50/16 is a little taller on some treads but quite a good choice for the cold tyres and cold days, or the use in not cold days.

[logiclee]

Purely down to brake disc size. More powerfull engines have bigger brake discs that 14" wheels won't fit over

 

The majority of the fabia range come with 195/55x15's, 165/70x14 is a 1.5% difference which is within the ABI's 2% guidelines and 165/70x14 is an approved Skoda winter tyre size.

 

That's quite common, my Passat has 235/45x17 summers and the approved VW Winters are 205/55x16 so a 1.8% difference.

 

On our 1 Series the official winter fitment is 1.7% smaller in circumference.

 

Most VAG models have a list of approved wheel and tyre sizes in the fuel filler flap.

 

Cheers

Lee

Edited 31 August, 2013 by logiclee

[Ootohere]

Its good when they fit more powerful brakes for more powerful engines or heavier cars.

Skoda decided just to stick with 256 mm Discs on the Scouts, & 105ps petrols and diesels, from 239mm on some of the least powerful

& only just adequate 288 mm on the vRS.

 

The reason often for the Recommended Winter wheel/tyre size is so that Snow Chains can be fitted.

& that is the Tyre Sizes you see. (Owners Manuals and Recommendations online.)

If you are in the UK and not going to put on Snow Chains, no clearance issue with tyres and chains on,

then going a little bigger tyre or side wall can prove to be useful.

Its only giving you a mm or 2 more underside clearance over snow, but we all know a mm can be the difference between ooo and ahhh.

 

george

[logiclee]

If you are going bigger you run into two problems.

 

1. They may not be an approved fitment by the manufacturer.

2. Some insurers stipulate that Winter tyres are not classed as a modification as long as the wheels and tyres are not bigger than standard fitment.

 

https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Products/Motor-insurance/~/media/4621107A11034C2E98AD503657A699FB.ashx

 

Cheers

Lee

[Ootohere]

2% up as nice as 2% down.

You find that like for like summer tyres such as Sport Maxx 205/40/17 measuring the same as other 215/40/17 & being actually smaller than the 

Pirelli 205/40R 17 there is near 2% difference with  the Pirelli, New Tyres in all cases.

So the tape can be more important on the scores and doors.

(already the bored on here do not want me to show the same size on sidewall tyres side by side and the differences,.

PM if you want to see them.)

 

Anyway the subject is the OP's Monte.

 

george

[logiclee]

True, I noticed quite a difference swapping from 235/45x17 Conti Sport 3's to Goodyear F1 Assy 2's.

 

The Goodyears are around 10mm wider and lower profile. Working on speedo v's GPS speed I'd say the Goodyears are around 1.5% smaller even though they are the same size. 

 

The OP's TSI Fabia will have to use 15" wheels to clear the brakes. Anyone with a HTP Monte will have the option of fitting 14's though.

165's do look thin on a Fabia but 69PS and 1050kg are hardly taxing 205/40's. Citroen and Toyota both sell 1100kg, 70PS cars with 155 tyres as standard.

 

Narrower tyres also give you an advantage on snow, slush and standing water as the ground pressure is increased.

 

Insurers can be quite difficult as times. I had a major battle with Tesco a couple of years ago with regards to winter tyres, One thing is certain if you decide to fit a tyre size which is not approved by the manufacturer for that model then you better make sure your insurance is OK with that or you may find your insurance invalid.

 

Our old 1.2HTP 2 with 165's.

 

 

Cheers

Lee

[PDIBK]

Isn't the difference in rolling radius (the 2% up or down) partly because it then gives you way off speedo and mileometer readings?  Which is tantamount to clocking, or driving around doing 100mph, but indicated 70 (to exagerrate)?  and thus illegal?

[Ootohere]

That is an exaggeration maybe too far, a tyre change often makes the Speedometer reading more accurate.

or changes it to be actually worse & showing you are going even faster than actual.

 

http://www.kouki.co.uk/utilities/visual-tyre-size-calculator.

Check with GPS

or driving up to those village Speed Signs at 30 mph & see what the Sign says.

 

Example if the car was doing 30 & speedo said 30, but probably you are doing 29mph

 

so take standard 205/40R17 & change to 205/45R17 which is or maybe a 3.4 % increase.

An accurate Speedo would show 30 mph & you are doing 31

or show 60mph & you are doing 62.1 mph.  

But then if the Speedo normally is under, you might be showing 60 & doing 60 mph.

 

george

[logiclee]

Isn't the difference in rolling radius (the 2% up or down) partly because it then gives you way off speedo and mileometer readings?  Which is tantamount to clocking, or driving around doing 100mph, but indicated 70 (to exagerrate)?  and thus illegal?

 

Manufacturers will specify a number of approved tyre sizes and your speedo will be calibrated for the largest size, when new and at full pressure.

 

The difference in circumference between a new tyre and a tyre down to the wear limiters can be over 12mm. Then of course the effective circumference if the pressure is low is reduced. These can all effect your speedo reading but all in the safe way. Only by fitting tyres bigger than those specified could you potentially be going faster than your speedo is showing. This is why insurers and manufacturers frown upon fitting taller tyres.

 

As a little example the biggest tyres listed for my Passat are 235/45x17. With new Conti Sport 3's at a speedo 70mph GPS speed was 69mph, with new Goodyear F1 Assy 2's the gps reading is 67mph at 70 on the speedo. Slight difference in manufacturers tolerance.

The smallest tyres approved are 205/55x16's which are also the official winter tyre size. I have Pirelli Sottozero and at a speedo reading of 70mph these have a GPS reading of 65mph.

 

Cheers

Lee