Car on slope and wheel turned honest not that gap to arch normally!

215 45 17 v xl nokian WR a3 and Td dezent 7x17et48

Quiet and seem to have better grip in wet slippery conditions ,can't wait till snow arrives

I have fitted 225/45-17 H XL Nokian WR D3 tyres on Dezent RE 7x17et45 wheels to my MkII FL vRS.

 

Just completed a 200 drive on dry motorway, A-roads and B-roads.  The temperature varied from 11C down to 5C.  Compared with my usual 225/40-18 Conti Contact 2 tyres the Nokian tyres were quieter, but more of a drone to the noise.  The ride comfort was definitely improved - less jarring.   I could detect no difference in traction, braking and handling at the speeds at which I was driving.  Need lower temperatures and cold wet roads for a real comparison.

Getting a bit confused on the tyre sizes people are fitting - shouldn't it be 225/45R17, not 215/45R17 - which are 12mm smaller in diameter than a 225/40R18?

 

I'm going to 205/55R16 for my winters, I can get 4 steel wheels with Continental TS850 tyres delivered from Germany for less than I can get 4 decent winter tyres for 225/40R18 in the UK. No good for vRS owners though with those huge front discs!

 

And I get to have a Christmas (wheel) tree in my garage LOL!

I went 215 as hoped they would be better than 225 in the snow " if we get any " as for 16" steels not for me, the alloys and tyres came in at a "reasonable price" for me

Wouldn't 215/50 have been a better option, or is that a size you can't get?

Going with steels this time as 3 bad winters made a bit of a mess of the alloys on the MkII.

Sent from my phone so please excuse brevity and spelling

You can get 215/50/17 but I don't think they're very popular and as such probably a little more expensive although these days I don't think 215/45/17 is especially popular.

Getting a bit confused on the tyre sizes people are fitting - shouldn't it be 225/45R17, not 215/45R17 - which are 12mm smaller in diameter than a 225/40R18?

 

I'm going to 205/55R16 for my winters, I can get 4 steel wheels with Continental TS850 tyres delivered from Germany for less than I can get 4 decent winter tyres for 225/40R18 in the UK. No good for vRS owners though with those huge front discs!

 

And I get to have a Christmas (wheel) tree in my garage LOL!

You are right.  225/40-18, 225/45-17 and 205/55-16 are virtually the same overall diameter.

 

For instance 215/45-17 instead of the correct 225/45-17 will mean a speedo that reads almost 1½% fast.  Not enough to really matter but the insurance company may object to a non-recommended tyre size being fitted to the car.  A 215/50-17 makes the speedo almost 2% slow.

"I'm going to 205/55R16 for my winters, I can get 4 steel wheels with Continental TS850 tyres delivered from Germany for less than I can get 4 decent winter tyres for 225/40R18 in the UK. No good for vRS owners though with those huge front discs!"

 

That's what I did with my last vRS  -  about £60 per steel wheel and about £80 for excellent Kleber Quadraxer all-season tyres, which I kept on all this year.  Longer life, better ride, handling unaltered and much cheaper to replace than the OEM Continentals which were useless in snow.

 

Unfortunately my new (4 days old) vRS has as you say huge front discs (calipers to be exact) and I've had to bite the bullet and have Continental winter tyres put on the original alloys.  Expensive, but at least I've now paid upfront for tyres which between them should last a long time.

Oh no thought 215 was a standard size ?

Gonna take my chances with alloys (Denoms) and see how much winter beating can they take. Since I'm only doing around 7000 - 9000 miles a year (2-3k of that in winter) it shouldn't be too bad.

<snip> I can get 4 steel wheels with Continental TS850 tyres delivered from Germany for less than I can get 4 decent winter tyres for 225/40R18 in the UK.<snip>

Would you mind saying from where in Germany you ordered these wheels & tyres?  I woul dbe interested in doing the same.

Word of warning when fitting narrower profile tyres. There was a editor letter in the driving magazine (telegraph i think) about a guy with an Audi that bought a set of winter tyres but with a narrower profile. 

 

When he called the RAC (his insurer) they would not insure the vehicle as the tyre profile was not the manufacturer recommended profile. He said that he had to change the insurer and pay the admin costs to the RAC....

 

***I might have got the story wrong and i am taking it from memory....

I have heard exactly the same story about insurers and winter tyres - absolutely crazy, winter tyres are a safety feature for heaven's sake.

 

I would always check before buying wheels and tyres and if the insurer had a problem would change insurer when the next change is due.

Word of warning when fitting narrower profile tyres. There was a editor letter in the driving magazine (telegraph i think) about a guy with an Audi that bought a set of winter tyres but with a narrower profile. 

 

When he called the RAC (his insurer) they would not insure the vehicle as the tyre profile was not the manufacturer recommended profile. He said that he had to change the insurer and pay the admin costs to the RAC....

 

***I might have got the story wrong and i am taking it from memory....

 

Sunday Times - yesterday I think.

 

I have heard exactly the same story about insurers and winter tyres - absolutely crazy, winter tyres are a safety feature for heaven's sake.

 

I would always check before buying wheels and tyres and if the insurer had a problem would change insurer when the next change is due.

 

I spoke to my insurer (Admiral) and they said it was fine - just no claims on damage to the tyres allowed. The Admiral person checked with someone before answering and all calls are recorded so it must be a policy.

 

The only caveat on that, maybe, is changing the wheel/tyre size.

Funny how both the ABI and the AA say that it should not affect your insurance premiums, as long as it is a manufacturer approved size. For my car that is a 6Jx16 ET48 wheel with a 205/55R16 tyre.

Sent from my phone so please excuse brevity and spelling

Would you mind saying from where in Germany you ordered these wheels & tyres? I woul dbe interested in doing the same.

EBay item id 161058116550 for example. At least £100 cheaper than the same thing in the UK, and cheaper than 18" winter tyres, which I wouldn't want anyway as 205 is the widest I want to go. If 195 on 15s were approved for the 2 litre diesel I would be fitting these as they are even cheaper.

Sent from my phone so please excuse brevity and spelling

Spoke to skoda insurance told them size and they said it's ok ! So happy now

Been looking into wheels and rims in particular and it's a minefield of miss information and contradiction between Skoda's approved sizes, dealer parts department info, SUK Tech and the after market sellers.

 

Had looked at a set of perfectly sized Audi alloys recently but Audi tell me their wheels are not approved for a Skoda, despite some steels including the spare in our Yeti being Audi parts

 

Skoda Germany list 6Jx16 ET50 as approved but Skoda UK say not, stating the 8P0 601 027 03C rim of this size is not strong enough for the Octy III and must not be used but it is approved for the heavier Yeti and the spare is mounted to one of these :wonder: SUK Tech also say use V rated winter tyres for the 150 motor but some dealers state H :wonder:  :wonder:

 

Might eventually find something I'm happy with; probably end up with some dealer supplied steels, as I've had mytyres Alcar manufactured rims and they rust far quicker than the VAG product, plus the Skoda wheel trims appeared a poor fit on them.

 

However dealer pricing for steels again it's not consistent, been quoted prices ranging from around £55 to over 80 for the same official Octy III steel winter rim

 

 

TP

I was quoted 80 for the mkIII rim, and £50 for the MkII. Seeing as the MQB platform is lighter, the comment about the rim not being strong enough is odd?

Sent from my phone so please excuse brevity and spelling

Static weight is only one consideration for wheel strength - maximum speed, cornering ability come into it as well.

 

A quick search should pop up the Skoda official approved rim/tyre sizes PDF link - and thats from the manufacturer in CZ, not SUK's "list".  As they're made in the EU, the rules should apply all across the EU which may be contrary to SUK's (sometimes inconsistent) advice.

 

Take into account the Fabia vRS - there is another (smaller) size approved for winters, I believe?  I think it's a lack of knowledge on the insurers side personally.

The official Octavia III 16" steel rim for winter use with clearance for chains is a 6Jx16 ET48, part number 5Q0 601 027H 03C.

 

At least one parts department I've spoken to, has stated that this part is not listed on their system against the Octy III but purely as a stand alone part. If I hadn't been aware of this they would have quoted for the standard fit 6.5Jx16 ET46 part number 5Q0 601 027F 03C steel rim, which does not allow clearance for chains. Not that I intend to use such a thing but I do carry them for the worst case situation, with the hills round here.

 

Also notice one or two after market retailers such as openeo for example, list the 6.5Jx16 ET50 rim for the Octy III but this is not an approved size for the new shaped car. You have to search for the Golf VII to find the correct rim.

 

So if you are ordering, then be careful and double check with the retailer the sizing and part number being offered.

 

After market steel rims to 6Jx16 ET48 include;

 

Südrad 165601

 

Alcar 8247

 

Magnetto MW R1-1851

 

 

TP

You guys are obsessed with winter wheels in the uk. Same tires all year round here in Ireland. What sort of winter are u expecting!

Cold wet and very icy but hopefully as little white stuff as possible :wonder:

 

Most of my driving is early or late in the day when road surface temps are at their lowest and summer rubber compounds have lost a lot of their traction properties.

You guys are obsessed with winter wheels in the uk. Same tires all year round here in Ireland. What sort of winter are u expecting!

Siberian proportions if the Daily Mail is to be believed..

Cold wet and very icy but hopefully as little white stuff as possible :wonder:

Most of my driving is early or late in the day when road surface temps are at their lowest and summer rubber compounds have lost a lot of their traction properties.

Lot of good tires are perfectly fine all year round. In Ireland we get similer weather to u guys and u never hear of people changing wheels for winter.