Wheel and tyre change advice needed

[jaspers1]

I drive a 2013 Superb Elegance 170dsg 4x4 estate which has 225 40 18 wheels and tyres. I have been thinking for some time about changing to 16" or 17" wheels and tyres, preferably 16" with all season tyres. I recently mentioned this to my local dealer and was told not to change as my car was set up for the original sizes and any change would result in problems or even damage to the car. I find this strange as other models come with 16" as standard. Any advice or comments would be appreciated as I would like to change from the low profile 18" tyres. Thanks

Edited 21 January, 2016 by jaspers1

[Greenline3Matt]

I think your dealer is talking rubbish. 16, 17 or 18" wheels are fine. I've got all season tyres on my 18's now.

[psycholist]

I run both 16 and 17" wheels on my car. No problems at all, they'll all fit the CR 170 Superb provided you get the right bolt hole spacing and offset. Unless the 4x4 is drastically different from my 2WD manual there's no reason you can't swap. 15" wheels will not fit as the front disks are too big. I've noticed very little difference between 16" winter tyres and 17" Summer tyres in terms of ride comfort, but the steering is slightly lighter on the narrower winter tyres.

[jaspers1]

Thanks for your replies. It did cross my mind if being a 4x4 made any difference.

[jafo]

When you change size of the wheels/tyres - you need to keep the same outside diameter and circumference.

 

Here is very nice calculator

 

http://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?wheel1=225-45-17X6.5ET45&wheel2=225-40-18X6.5ET45&fcl=50mm&wcl=30mm&scl=50mm

 

Otherwise ABS can show errors.

[Superb170]

I've posted on this topic a few times now and there are various threads on the forum relating to this topic. I had the same 225/40/18s on my L&K and I changed to 225/45/18 last year increasing the sidewall height from 90mm to 101mm which is the same as that on the 17s which are also 45 profile. What a difference it made and transforms the car's ride and handling. It's a good compromise IMO as you keep the aesthetics of the 18s with the softer ride. In fact, the 45s fill the arches better and I think make the car look even better!

Yes I know there are some issues doing this but they are minor really - such as a couple of percent change in the speedo which is not an issue, slightly higher cost of tyres as they are not a common fit. I have no issues either with clearance in the arches/offset etc.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[*murph*]

as above states as long the wheels have the correct offset & tire size you will be fine also you should have an improved ride quality if going from 18s to 17s.

[brad1.8T]

I drive a 2013 Superb Elegance 170dsg 4x4 estate which has 225 40 18 wheels and tyres. I have been thinking for some time about changing to 16" or 17" wheels and tyres, preferably 16" with all season tyres. I recently mentioned this to my local dealer and was told not to change as my car was set up for the original sizes and any change would result in problems or even damage to the car. I find this strange as other models come with 16" as standard. Any advice or comments would be appreciated as I would like to change from the low profile 18" tyres. Thanks

your dealer hasn't a clue.

 

your vehicle should have 312mm disc rotors.  They will accommodate 16" & 17" rims (assuming correct centrebore, PCD, Offset, width, etc).

 

The factory size equivalent to a 225/40r18 is 225/45r17 or 205/55r16.  Personally I think both sizes (esp the 16") are a bit under-done.  If your local regulations allow it I'd fit either 235/45r17 or 205/60r16.  Ideal rim widths in both are 7.5" ET50 but there's plenty of wiggle room in that.

[james0james]

More poor,very poor advice from a dealer and you had to ask here on a social forum :clap:.​

 

The dealer could have done some very quick research,in seconds to answer your question.  Apart from the wrong advice they have also lost out of a possible sale of wheels/tyres.

 

The handbook may contain some info,my car can use 18 or 17 inch wheels,i am quiet happy (better than I was expecting) with the 18 wheels (except they are very fragile and easy to knock some alloy off on kerbs).  Just avoid pot holes as much as possible.

 

Good luck.

[jaspers1]

Thanks to you all, some great advice as I had hoped for. Cheers.

[Kirkie]

I am attaching a further tyre question to this thread as Jaspers has now got his answer.

 

I have just bought a February 2015 Greenline 111 Estate. It says in the owners manual that the suspension has been lowered by 15 % to assist the MPG.

Having just bought some rear mudflaps I would like to fit some tyres with a higher sidewall profile.

Im not sure of the height parameters allowed that will not put the speedometer out too far but will lift it up just a tad .

I dont want to change the rim size.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks Kirkie.

[psycholist]

Use the calculator linked above to check how much bigger a certain tyre size will be. By default your speedometer overreads by up to 5%, so a bigger tyre will reduce that figure. Whether there's any difference in tyre clearance on the greenline vs. other Superbs depends on whether the ride height only has been changed or whether the the suspension travel has been changed and I have no idea on this - usually lowering just sags the suspension further rather than changing it's upper and lower limits though.

[Kirkie]

Oh.. My Tyres are 205/55/16  Continentals.

[silver1011]

The 16" rim is the smallest available wheel available for use on the Superb, therefore you won't find an approved tyre with a higher profile than those you currently have fitted.

 

Why do you want to lift the car up, is it aesthetics or something else? You already have the best set up for maximum fuel economy, comfort and pothole protection.

 

I am running 17" alloys, a nice balance between aesthetics (18") and comfort (16").

 

For various reasons I fitted a higher profile tyre, one not listed for use on the Superb and now won't go back.

 

I feel I have the best balance between looks, comfort and protection...

 

 

 

More pictures / info here...

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/373406-can-i-fit-22550-r17-tyres-to-my-superb/

Edited 22 January, 2016 by silver1011

[fatzy]

I am attaching a further tyre question to this thread as Jaspers has now got his answer.

 

I have just bought a February 2015 Greenline 111 Estate. It says in the owners manual that the suspension has been lowered by 15 % to assist the MPG.

Having just bought some rear mudflaps I would like to fit some tyres with a higher sidewall profile.

Im not sure of the height parameters allowed that will not put the speedometer out too far but will lift it up just a tad .

I dont want to change the rim size.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks Kirkie.

The lowering for the Greenline is 15 mm, not %.

If you want more sidewall on the tyres, you encounter odd sizes in terms of availability prizes. I assume you have original Skoda rims. A 205/60R16 has 3.16% more circumference and would fit. Another size for 16' rim is 215/55R16 (1.56% more). In my corner of Europe a difference of +/-5% can be legally used by autorities. The speedo will show correspondingly more accurate the actual speed. I know the tyre sizes aren't the specified ones, but technically they will fit. In terms of insurance, I understand it may be an issue in England.

[Bristolf2b]

Fatzy is right about the insurance. I have discussed this with my insurance company and they are quite happy as long as the tyre/wheel combination is one of the standard recommended sizes and speed/load ratings for the vehicle as stated in the handbook. Anything other than those sizes are considered a modification and they require a declaration and, as night follows day, an increase in premium or even refusal of cover.

Edited 23 January, 2016 by Bristolf2b

[fatzy]

It is quite amazing that the insurance company can operate like that. We are talking about marginal differences from original and refusal of cover is plain speculation to earn more money, it is not technical based. How can an insurance company prove that a different tyre dimension is the cause of an accident? Change of tyre dimensions is legal within given dimensions according to international standards like Scandinavian Tyre and Rim Organization. I assume the the ETRO is the same for England and Europe. Of course speed/load rating must match the max. speed and axle weight of the car in question. In addition the rim offset can be within some varians from original (+/- 7.5 mm, Norwegian regulation).

[Bristolf2b]

I think is is just the default setting of UK insurance companies-most regard any change as a risk regardless of any actual potential problem and so adjust the premium accordingly. Mine even ask me to tell them each time when I change from summer to winter tyres/wheels even though according to the uk insurance body the ABI they are one of the ones on their list who don't need to be informed.

https://www.abi.org.uk/~/media/Files/Documents/Publications/Public/Migrated/Motor/ABI%20guide%20to%20winter%20tyres%20The%20motor%20insurance%20commitment.pdf

Why?!?

Anyhow, as I am always completely upfront with any insurance company as they have a habit of trying to wriggle out of claims, I dutifully let them know each year.

Edited 23 January, 2016 by Bristolf2b

[fatzy]

Well, this is regarding fitment of winter tyres (as I read it). Most accept fitment and do not need notification as long as the value isn't higher than originally insured. In the utmost consequense you could claim premium reduction if you install cheap tyres, even if they are crap and cause an accident due to loss of grip.

Personally I asked my dealer for fitment of a specific size for my winter tyres which was not listed (but within legal varians) when buying my car. No problem, no implications.

[Bristolf2b]

The point I was making is that in the UK even the fitment of the correct winter tyres can be an issue for some insurance companies, let alone tyres 'the wrong size' as they would see it. It Used to be that some companies would charge an extra premium for fitting winters on steel or alloy wheels as a 'modification', then they came to their senses (!) about four years ago and issued the document I linked to above.

BUT, even though my company is on that list as saying they don't need informing, they still insist each time that I must let them know when I change, winter and spring, and issue me with a new schedule and certificate each time. So each year I have three certificates printed, summer, winter then spring. At least they don't charge me anything for it

Bonkers

[brad1.8T]

Oh.. My Tyres are 205/55/16  Continentals.

I ran 225/55r16 on my preFL MK2 Octavia for 70,000km. It was lowered about 30mmF & 20mm rear.  I had no issues and it made the speedo much closer to 1=1.  I realise you have a Superb but there's not a lot of difference in that area.  First job is to check how innacurate the speedo is at the moment.  Mine was 100kph indicated = 91kph actual.

 

You could easily fit (from tallest to smallest)

225/55r16

205/60r16

215/55r16

 

They'll all be fine on a 6.5" rim and have sufficient load rating (equal or better than the 205/55r16).

[Kirkie]

I ran 225/55r16 on my preFL MK2 Octavia for 70,000km. It was lowered about 30mmF & 20mm rear.  I had no issues and it made the speedo much closer to 1=1.  I realise you have a Superb but there's not a lot of difference in that area.  First job is to check how innacurate the speedo is at the moment.  Mine was 100kph indicated = 91kph actual.

 

You could easily fit (from tallest to smallest)

225/55r16

205/60r16

215/55r16

 

They'll all be fine on a 6.5" rim and have sufficient load rating (equal or better than the 205/55r16).

Many thanks for that information.. Just the answer I was looking for.. Regards JIm