The new Skoda Elegance 4x4 estate arrives next week on 17' wheels and 225/45/17 tyres.  When fitting winter tyres, is it a good idea to fit slightly narrower tyres to improve grip.  For example, can I fit 205/55/17on the same wheels without a problem.  Any suggestions would be welcome.

 

John

Have a search for 'Winter Tyres' on here - there are plenty of discussions, and Skoda do have approved sizes that you would be advised to stick to.

 

I am sure you know already, but 'Snow Tyres' and 'Winter Tyres' are not the same, but I presume you mean 'Winter Tyres' as you are in the UK and not Scandinavia.

If you are bored, try this thread for starters.

205/50R17 is the perfect match if you like a bit narrower winter tyres. I have it for mine and would definitvely recommend it (Norwegian conditions = Nordic type of winter tyres).

If I fit a different tyre how much affect will there be on the gearing and 4x4 system, what can I get away with regarding size.

The fuel flap should show the certified tyre sizes for the car.

 

As long as all 4 are the same, you should be mechanically ok.

Page 205-206 of manual -  winter tyre for the scout is 205/50/17

The fuel flap should show the certified tyre sizes for the car.

 

As long as all 4 are the same, you should be mechanically ok.

 

+1

 

If I fit a different tyre how much affect will there be on the gearing and 4x4 system, what can I get away with regarding size.

 

Stick to the approved tyre sizes and there will be no issue with gearing/speedo as the ratio changes to compensate for the different sizes e.g 205/50 and 225/45

+1

 

 

Stick to the approved tyre sizes and there will be no issue with gearing/speedo as the ratio changes to compensate for the different sizes e.g 205/50 and 225/45

The 205/50 are 0,6 % taller than the 225/45 tyres, they are not equal.

Edited 25 August, 201510 yr by Grumpy Finn

I just got the same size as my summers, had narrower tyres on smaller alloys for winter on my previous car & didn't like the change in handling, so this time I have the exact same size alloy & tyres for summer & winter, just easy clean 5 spoke for winter, & multi spoke for summer.

 

Michelin Alpin A5 are good

I think the 2 17" tyres approved by Skoda are: 205/50 R17 and 225/45 R17.

 

The narrower tyres are approved to be fitted to a 6J width wheel as this provides extra clearance to fit snow chains.

However, I'm sure these can be fitted to a 7.5J OEM wheel without problems.

The 205/50 are 0,6 % taller than the 225/45 tyres, they are not equal.

 

Actually they are only 0.39% on a 17" wheel   636.8mm dia vs 634.3mm dia which is 2.5 mm

 

On a tyre that can wear 6mm in its life I personally go with the fact that if Skoda aren't bothered about it as they approve both sizes neither am I 

In fact, if you like softer ride in the winter:

16" rims can be used together with 205/55R16 tyres. This is an option for my car. The tyre circumference are pretty similar to the delivered tyres.

In fact, if you like softer ride in the winter:

16" rims can be used together with 205/55R16 tyres. This is an option for my car. The tyre circumference are pretty similar to the delivered tyres.

Thats what I chose for winters on my car.

For this winter: ContiIce 225/40-18 on Luna rims

I have 205/55R16 as winter tyres. I ordered the wheels and winter tyres as an option when I bought the car.

I do not recommand them however. Compared to the summer in 225/45R17, the winter ´s were quite worse especially on wet roads.

It did slip quite often when starting to move.

Unless you expect lots of snow, I would recommand to keep the same size as the summer tyres for the winter ones...

I have 205/55R16 as winter tyres. I ordered the wheels and winter tyres as an option when I bought the car.

I do not recommand them however. Compared to the summer in 225/45R17, the winter ´s were quite worse especially on wet roads.

It did slip quite often when starting to move.

Unless you expect lots of snow, I would recommand to keep the same size as the summer tyres for the winter ones...

Well, I am not so sure that it is just because of the tyre size. It may be more related to the tread pattern and rubber softness, etc. Winter tyres do have different characteristics, and must be chosen with care so that they match with the winter condition you will meet during the winter season. Evaluation of your needs, driving experience and local condition is also necessary. Of course, your driving style must be adjusted accordingly.

Edited 26 August, 201510 yr by fatzy

Well, I am not so sure that it is just because of the tyre size. It may be more related to the tread pattern and rubber softness, etc. Winter tyres do have different characteristics, and must be chosen with care so that they match with the winter condition you will meet during the winter season. Evaluation of your needs, driving experience and local condition is also necessary. Of course, your driving style must be adjusted accordingly.

Well, it ´s quite clear the conditions are different than in northener areas. We only have a few days with snow in a year, if any. Plus the 1 week vacation in the Alps. What I expect from winter tyres is mostly a better handling on wet and dry roads at low temperatures compared to summer tyres.

This is what I got with my winter tyres on my previous car, and also what I get with SWMBO Golf (we also bought the VAG winter tyres option there).

From several exchanges in a french forum I had testimonies of the same experience with the Octavia, indépendantly of the tyre brand, and we concluded the width might be the most impacting factor.

Well, it ´s quite clear the conditions are different than in northener areas. We only have a few days with snow in a year, if any. Plus the 1 week vacation in the Alps. What I expect from winter tyres is mostly a better handling on wet and dry roads at low temperatures compared to summer tyres.

This is what I got with my winter tyres on my previous car, and also what I get with SWMBO Golf (we also bought the VAG winter tyres option there).

From several exchanges in a french forum I had testimonies of the same experience with the Octavia, indépendantly of the tyre brand, and we concluded the width might be the most impacting factor.

Maybe the Cross Climate Tyres are better for you than any winter tyres.

More discussion here: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/347570-a-game-changer-for-the-uk-climate/

Edited 26 August, 201510 yr by Grumpy Finn

Maybe the Cross Climate Tyres are better for you than any winter tyres.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/347570-a-game-changer-for-the-uk-climate/

 

I was just about to say that. For the last 5 years I have been using either Nokian or Vredestein winter tyres and swapping them over but I just bought an Octy III elegance and I ordered  4 x Michelin CrossClimate 205/50 R17 W (93) from Blackcircles.com . It's been a horribly wet summer (wettest and coolest in 44 years apparently) and so far the tyres have been really good in the wet. Not long now until the first frosts and then some snow hopefully. We shall see how well they perform. I'm happy not to be changing the wheels over though my wife's car still needs to swap over to the Nokians.  We run those from start of October to the end of April.

Maybe the Cross Climate Tyres are better for you than any winter tyres.

More discussion here: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/347570-a-game-changer-for-the-uk-climate/

Maybe, I Will wait for experience feedback though.

Cross climate were not yet available, and I think I'll still have to go two or there more winters before needing a change...

Having asked Skoda a question regarding winter tyres on the new Elegance 4x4 estate which comes with 225/45/17 as standard summer tyres the techncal department recommended the following

What would be the difference between thge 6J and the 7J, I don't know which type are on the new car as it is still in the showroom.

Tyre Size     Wheel Size        

205/55 R16 91V    6.5J x 16
205/55 R16 91V    6J x 16
205/55 R16 91V    6J x 16
225/45 R17 91V    7J x 17
205/50 R17 89V    6J x 17
205/50 R17 89V    6J x 17
225/40 R18 92Y    7.5J x 18

the original tyre size is 225/45/17            

We would recommend that you fit four identical tyres to your vehicle.
 

Well, it ´s quite clear the conditions are different than in northener areas. We only have a few days with snow in a year, if any. Plus the 1 week vacation in the Alps. What I expect from winter tyres is mostly a better handling on wet and dry roads at low temperatures compared to summer tyres.

This is what I got with my winter tyres on my previous car, and also what I get with SWMBO Golf (we also bought the VAG winter tyres option there).

From several exchanges in a french forum I had testimonies of the same experience with the Octavia, indépendantly of the tyre brand, and we concluded the width might be the most impacting factor.

What tyre are they? I have Continental TS830s and they provide noticeably more grip in wet conditions below 5 degrees C.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Having asked Skoda a question regarding winter tyres on the new Elegance 4x4 estate which comes with 225/45/17 as standard summer tyres the techncal department recommended the following

What would be the difference between thge 6J and the 7J, I don't know which type are on the new car as it is still in the showroom.

Tyre Size Wheel Size

205/55 R16 91V 6.5J x 16

205/55 R16 91V 6J x 16

205/55 R16 91V 6J x 16

225/45 R17 91V 7J x 17

205/50 R17 89V 6J x 17

205/50 R17 89V 6J x 17

225/40 R18 92Y 7.5J x 18

the original tyre size is 225/45/17

We would recommend that you fit four identical tyres to your vehicle.

You might struggle to find Y rated winter tyres

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Having asked Skoda a question regarding winter tyres on the new Elegance 4x4 estate which comes with 225/45/17 as standard summer tyres the techncal department recommended the following

What would be the difference between thge 6J and the 7J, I don't know which type are on the new car as it is still in the showroom.

Tyre Size Wheel Size

205/55 R16 91V 6.5J x 16

205/55 R16 91V 6J x 16

205/55 R16 91V 6J x 16

225/45 R17 91V 7J x 17

205/50 R17 89V 6J x 17

205/50 R17 89V 6J x 17

225/40 R18 92Y 7.5J x 18

the original tyre size is 225/45/17

We would recommend that you fit four identical tyres to your vehicle.

7J x 17 is the rim dimensions: 7J is the width, 7 inches and 17 is rim diameter in inches.

Width of the rims shall correspond to the width of the tyre, with some 'slack'. We have STRO (Scandinavian Tyre and Rim Organization) which describes all standards, I assume you have a similar organization in UK/EU.

You can of course have

different tyre dimensions for summer and winter.

Edited 26 August, 201510 yr by fatzy