Does anyone know if 18" steel wheels are available from the VAG group to fit as winter wheels?

 

The size of the standard alloy is 7,5JX18 ET51

 

 

I think you'll struggle to anything bigger than 16" steel and they won't fit.  You need to look for a 17" alloy atleast.

Can we just change the tyres and store them until the spring? Any good 18" winter tyre offers around?

 

I am thinking about winter tyres as I might drive to Austria for the skiing this year.

I think you'll struggle to anything bigger than 16" steel and they won't fit.  You need to look for a 17" alloy atleast.

Rial do TUV approved winter alloys manufactured in Germany with 5 year warranty for ~£65 a corner in various designs that will fit an Octavia VRS...

http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/alloy-wheels/rial/bavaro/?d=17

http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/alloy-wheels/rial/riga/?d=17

cheers, Steve

Steve, many thanks.

No problem, if you want 18's you'll need to allow £180+ for a Skoda alloy and about the £200 Mark for a decent aftermarket wheel...

http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/alloy-wheels/rial/murago-1/8x18-5x112-et50-70.1-54923?car=59677

Obviously there are some sets on eBay 18" that will fit for about £400 range, but it's often hard to tell who made them and to what grade they are made.

Cheers

Steve

There's plenty of cheapish alloys to choose from.  Most will be 8" wide with around 45mm ET which is fine.  I use Nokian tyres and find they are brilliant on ice/snow and are more than capable at speed too.

So do Oponeo: http://www.wheels.oponeo.co.uk/

 

Who also do winter tyres.

There are since smart looking rims there at very reasonable prices, you could get a set of 4 of the 17" rims for the cost of a single Gemini from Skoda!

Just remember to check with your insuror whether you need to declare the non-standard wheels as a mod and/or tell them when you put winter tyres on.  With Direct line I had to tell them whenever I changed my tyres (same wheels) over.  Aviva don't seem to be bothered.

Can we just change the tyres and store them until the spring?

Tyres of 17" and up are wrapped on the rim tighter, getting tighter still the bigger the rim gets. If you are looking to swap tyres twice a year every year then the tyre bead will weaken every time it goes on and comes off. That is not good and advised against by most tyre fitters with any nonce.

In Europe most people rock two sets of Rims, & as the OP was asking if 18" steel wheels exist in the VAG group, I can confirm that that is a Big fat NO! I have checked a lot & nor do 17" steelies! So, you will need a set of 17" alloys for a set of winters to fit over those excellent front brakes.

I would also advise against buying cheaper winter tyres as they really do not compare to a decent middle of the road branded tyre. I've ran Fulda's for many years (12 years in Germany experiencing all of their worst winters -22*C etc) and am about to purchase some alloy's wrapped in winter Conti's in 17" guise. Not cheap but when it's those 4 little bits of rubber which stand between you stopping just in time or wiping out, I know which I will chose.

It's not only about good driving technique for mobility, if you get stuck or can't get up that icy hill, no one gets hurt. Stopping is what it's all about, so I would advise anyone looking at buying winters not to skimp"

Good comments from blahde2.

 

Also for those considering winter tyres:  Winter tyres use softer compounds and this "softness" is key to their performance. Unfortunately, over time these compounds get hard and the performance drops off quickly. Speaking for the tyres we have here:

 

First year - Excellent

Second year - Very good

Third year - Good

Fourth year - Fair/poor

Fifth year - new set it needed, regardless of how much tread or stud remains.

 

Also, be aware of what you're buying and which magazine reviews you are reading. The "best buy tyre" may not be the best for your country's winter. As an example the German winter tyres are totally unsuitable for use up here in the frozen north of Europe. Winter tyre types would be:

 

1.  Central Europe friction tyre (suited to low temperatures, snow/slush, poor on ice)

2.  Northern Europe friction tyre (suited to very low temperatures, excellent on compacted "dry" snow, poor on ice)

3.  Nothern Europe studded tyre (suited to very low temperatures, good on compacted dry snow, excellent on ice)

 

Types two and three are not suitable for "warm days", when tyre wear will be very high and road holding "sloppy". Imagine leaving twin black tracks where ever you drive 

 

I've never heard of anyone changing tyres only, everyone keeps two sets of rims. My own choice is for steel winter rims - my own theory is that salt accelerates alloy corrosion, which leads to more leakage problems. Who wants to be pumping up tyres if it is -35°C outside....

 

Maybe someone should make a "winter tyres sticky", as these discussions come up regularly, for some reason at least once a year 

I put 'VREDESTEIN WINTRAC XTREME 225/40 R18 92 W' onto my stock vRS alloys as i purchased the Skoda 'Turini' alloys after about 2 months of ownership. 

 

Very happy with the set (they look awesome too). They cost £395.76 with shipping (from France i think) via 'tyres-pneus-online.co.uk'. Of course, this winter we didn't get much snow where i live, but will normally do two ski trips to Chamonix and Austria with these boots on.

 

As blahde2 said - don't skimp. The positive is that you only use the set for 5months or so, so you can quite easily get 3 seasons out of them and it reduces the wear on your summer tyres. It probably doesn't work out financially, but you know you are going to be able to get around comfortably if the weather does set in.