Just obtained a 12 plate mark 2 Octavia VRS 2.0 TDI Estate. I know very little about cars and am particularly confused about winter tyres.

 

I currently have 225/40/18 alloys as factory fitted but I am sure I have seen owners on forums fitting 205/55/16 steels

for winter use. I cannot find any official Skoda spec that 205/55/16s are suitable for the winter and Honest John questions whether they would be up to the job.

 

My insurers were happy about fitting winter tyres without discussing any specific size.

 

Any advice, no matter how basic, would be most appreciated as I have no experience of the VRS or tyres. The only information that came with the car was inside the filler cap and spec'd 225/40/18 and 225/45/17.

 

 

 

Hi and welcome aboard.

Lots of people have the 16" tyres that you mentioned for winter use so you'll be fine with them.

Many thanks JB and Gallego for the reply and welcome.

 

Is there anything official, like a Skoda spec sheet, that states which winter tyres are approved or is it just a question of getting a tyre that will fit, with a similar rolling radius, a sufficient load factor, and a suitable speed value.

 

If I wanted to soften the ride a little in the summer would it be better to use the 205/55/16 or 225/45/17 rather than the 225/40/18s as currently fitted or is it largely the suspension system that dictates the ride. So far I like the firm handling but I am just curious about future options.

 

Thanks again for your help. 

Welcome.

Even my first vrs (57) came with 18" wheels so I'm not sure if it was only the very early models that may have had 17" wheels.

Try asking in the mk2 sub section and you may get a more definitive answer.

Is there anything official, like a Skoda spec sheet, that states which winter tyres are approved or is it just a question of getting a tyre that will fit, with a similar rolling radius, a sufficient load factor, and a suitable speed value.

On the inside of the fuel flap are the official tyre sizes for the car. The load rating needs to be 91 or higher. You can use a lower speed rating than what you currently have for winter tyres.

There is also a PDF floating around here somewhere with all the exact details.

Welcome  ?