Just thought I could now put an unbiased view of the 16" and 17" wheels, as I have been running on winter tyres on 16" wheels as kindly supplied by T.P.  (The Plumber),  and can now offer an opinion on the difference in ride quality.

 

I would say the 16" wheel/tyre combination are not quite as jittery on normal roads, but they certainly roll a lot more on corners (may be the winter tyres) and for some reason do not seem to brake as well as the 17" (again may be the tyres). But in defence of the 17" wheel/tyres they are far superior over potholes and bad road surfaces, the 16" seem to rattle the whole car on potholes. The car feels much more secure on bends and at speed and without a doubt no contest in looks within the wheel arch.

 

I hope it snows to enable the car to justify the tyre combination, but comparing both I am really looking forward to getter the 17 inches back on.

 

Sorry to have brought this up again, but it has put my mind at rest over what wheel/tyres should be specified and I feel Skoda have got it right with the larger ones

Interesting to hear your "back-to-back" reviews although as you have said yourself it isn't just comparing wheel sizes but summer versus winter tyres and some of the winter tyres have a lower profile than the the 60 supplied as standard when delivered from Skoda with the smaller wheel (except Greenlines). I'm a member of the dwindling Special Small Wheels Club and very happy on the 16" wheel with the deeper tyre and my experience is that the Yeti on 16" wheels fares better in potholes than my previous car on 17" low profile. But again not a direct comparison.

 

It may also be a case of how and where you drive - most of my mileage is on quiet roads/lanes and fairly relaxed speeds; I might feel differently is I was doing loads of miles on A roads and motorways. I suppose the question that should be asked is if the 17" wheel is demonstrably better than the 16" wheel, why weren't all trim levels supplied with 17" wheels? Surely not a cynical marketing ploy to get people to spend more money than they needed to?

 

(Don't know what its like where you are but around here the conditions have reached the stage where some DIY work to fit water wings might be in order!).

 

We will await your update when the rainy season gives way to blizzards.

Don't worry about lack of snow-I've been around and about in the rainy weather with temps around 4-5 c. Happy that my winter tyres have given me a margin of grip over summers throughout.

Don't worry about lack of snow-I've been around and about in the rainy weather with temps around 4-5 c. Happy that my winter tyres have given me a margin of grip over summers throughout.

Agreed.  My winter tyres are a noticeable improvement over the summer tyres on wet roads at lower temperatures.  Although both tyres are the same width the winter tyres are also better at cutting through standing water.

 

Summer tyres - 225/40-18 Conti 2

Winter tyres - 225/45-17 Nokian WR D3

...... I'm a member of the dwindling Special Small Wheels Club ......

To go down an inch on the wheels your tyres go up by an inch in the sidewall to keep the circumference the same in order to have your speedo work (more or less) correctly. This means in turn there is a LOT more rubber to flex and bulge out when you corner. On the 16" rubber you will clearly feel how the car starts to turn and there will be a slight wobble as the centre of gravity pushes the sidewalls "over" and the car wiggles. A bit disconcerting if you were not expecting it.

 

This is exactly why low profile tyres were invented. Well yes, the wheels themselves being bigger look better too, but the main reason is to stop this wallowing effect. For the exact same reason the 16" tyres are more comfortable too since there is now so much flex in the sidewalls of these marshmallows that you now have in effect a second set of suspension that works totally with its own mind and independently from the real suspension. Just peachy in an emergency situation in my mind. Nah. I can't stand that wallow. I'm ok with my 16" winter rubber as it has many other gains but come the end of winter I can't wait to get rid of them so I can fling my Yeti fast through bends again without the bloody marshmallows making the car wiggle.

When driving my Mum's Greenline Yeti on 16" summer tyres I couldn't believe how much more it rolls around on the corners over a regular 17" rim equipeed Yeti. (170 diesel and 1.2 DSG).

My Yeti is being built this week, and I'm planning to replace the 17" with 16" wheels when I get it because my wife suffers from neck problems meaning any car with low profile tyres can be a problem. Is the difference in handling that noticeable? My current car has low profiles and I am quite a hard driver when on my own, enjoying throwing it around corners. It sounds like if I try to do that on 16s I might get a nasty surprise. Damn it I don't want to wallow around like Eric Pickles doing the twist 

With all due respect to Jon, a truly unbiased comparison would not be quoting summer 17's and winter 16's.  And I'm a bit disappointed that posters are again saying 'This is better than that' without qualification.  I'm not going to argue a case for 16" wheels for general use (i.e. not seasonal) but I would remind everyone that as far as I know ---

 

1. those who chose to jump through the SUK hoops to get 16" wheels supplied ex-works had good reasons to do so (do a few searches, if you don't remember that far back) 

 

2. those of us who daily live with the washboard and serpentine backroads of GB seem not to experience marshmallow wobbles or wayward cornering, despite the occasional well-planted right wellie, nor apparently do we have any problem stopping short of the frequent suicidal deer, foxes, pheasants and so on that we share the potholes with; 

 

3. most of us, if not all, made our decision with some experience of 17" wheels in local conditions;

 

4. and finally, not one of the UK16"SpecialBuildClub has posted regretting his/her choice or reporting the later retro-fitting of 17" wheels on their Yeti. 

 

Personally, I think this discussion is dead.  AFAIK, Paul52 was the last to successfully order ex-works 16's, delivered May 2013.  I quote from my post of 13 March 2013, '16" Wheels: Is there a 'Next Step'?': 

 

      'I hope there is now enough info on the forum about the 16/17 discussion to for anyone interested to understand the relative pro's and con's for each. Ultimately, it comes down to a personal decision based on others' reported experience, knowledge of one's own territory and driving style, and (with luck) comparative road tests. And anyone who then still wants to go the 16" ex-works route knows what they face from their dealer and SUK!

 

Just for possible interest, the original known UK16"SpecialBuildClub membership was as follows: 

 

Full UK Members
The Plumber 110 / El / Man / 4 x 4 / Candy White / Nov 10-Apr 11
Expatman 1.2 / El / DSG / 2WD / Lava Blue / Jan 12-Mar 12
My MINI me 140 / El / DSG / 4 x 4 / Silver / Aug 11-Apr 12
SnowYeti 1.2 / El / Man / 2WD / White / Feb 12-Jun 12
Nokiauk 140 / El / DSG / 4 x 4 / Steel Grey / Mar 12-Jul 12
Runswick Stag 110 / SE / Man / 4 x 4 / Steel Grey / Mar 12-Sept 12
Brijo 140 / SE / DSG / 4 x 4 / Muscovado / Apr 12-Sept 12
Vegit8 140 / El / Man / 4 x 4 / Steel Grey / Apr 12-Oct 12
ATCO 140 / El / Man / 4 x 4 / Steel Grey / Jul 12-Oct 12
Paul52 1.2 / El / Man / 2WD / Metallic Green / Mar 13-May 13

Offshore Associates
Hirundo Estonia
Gcp Greece

 

We are one or two less now, so an even smaller small minority of Yeti owners.  

................and the debate goes  on and on and on and on.............

Well with some :'(  if all goes to plan I will be P/X'ing SB number 1 next weekend, as our Octy III 4x4 has turned up at Grimsby.

 

Interesting to read Jon's views as I've obviously driven on the same set of wheels

 

I think the type of Yeti you have has a part to play in how it rides and handles on any given size of tyre. Fitted to my rather heavy 4x4 then they worked very well and oddly I looked forward to fitting the Hankook's in place of the summer Conti PremiumContact 2 which I don't rate at all.

 

Been tiptoeing around on the summers for the last few days with the arrival of some freezing weather, so I'll be glad in a way to get the Octy and fit it's even smaller 205/55 R16 winters on 6J rims; now they could be interesting on a 4.6 meter long barge

 

 

Regards,

 

TP

 

Been tiptoeing around on the summers for the last few days with the arrival of some freezing weather, so I'll be glad in a way to get the Octy and fit it's even smaller 205/55 R16 winters on 6J rims; now they could be interesting on a 4.6 meter long barge

 

 

"barge"? I think you meant to type "taxi" surely Tim?

 

 

 

 

I'll get me coat...  

This discussion has been going on so long that I normally pass over it!

However, I saw a mention of low profile tyres being fitted to the Yeti. Is this correct or is it a comparison between 16" and 17" inch rubber?

One of the first things I noticed when I drove the Yeti away from the dealers was how it was much more comfortable than the Roomster I had just left behind. Now that did have low profile tyres!

 

Fred

To go down an inch on the wheels your tyres go up by an inch in the sidewall to keep the circumference the same in order to have your speedo work (more or less) correctly. 

 

Not true. The sidewall goes up by half an inch. Two half inch sidewalls = one inch on diameter. The actual tyre sidewall dimension is only half an inch greater on a 16 inch wheel than a 17 inch wheel - not a massive difference in fact.

I run 17s with both sets of tyres, summer and winter, they feel perfectly comfortable for the local country lanes. For me, they are the right balance between comfort and grip.

+1 (if you count General Grabbers as fulfilling both functions!)

Not true. The sidewall goes up by half an inch. Two half inch sidewalls = one inch on diameter. The actual tyre sidewall dimension is only half an inch greater on a 16 inch wheel than a 17 inch wheel - not a massive difference in fact.

I think Johaan meant 1" overall and not 2 x 1/2".

 

Surprising what difference 1/2" difference makes to road holding as Richard states in post #7 above.

+1 (if you count General Grabbers as fulfilling both functions!)

17" General Grabbers?

Where did you get those from, as I can't ind any?

17" General Grabbers?

Where did you get those from, as I can't ind any?

......find!

 

Sorry Graham....and not like you to make a "spellin gerror".   

I was using the wife's laptop and it's got a dodgy "f"!!

^  be handy when typing expletives then!

As you may have seen on my other post, (Nissan Qashqai Tekna)  my Yeti is being traded in so the afore mentioned 16 inch steel wheels and winter tyres will be coming off , if anyone is interested in buying very cheap, in almost as new condition

Not true. The sidewall goes up by half an inch. Two half inch sidewalls = one inch on diameter. The actual tyre sidewall dimension is only half an inch greater on a 16 inch wheel than a 17 inch wheel - not a massive difference in fact.

As per what Truthseeker said. I do know a wheel is round by the way with sidewalls on two sides.

I could only go off what you said, Johann and not what you meant to say. Wheel sizes and tyre profiles seem to be a confusing subject on this forum and I just wanted to put the record straight on the actual difference in the tyre sidewall.     

I knew what you meant 90000.

Half an inch of extra sidewall on each side.

Which I believe is about 20% more, hence the lower amount of stiffness giving more flex under load.