Octavia Estate 2.0Tdi 2013 mark 3 came with 225/45 R17 91V as standard which I think means 7Jx17 ET49 rims.

The owners' manual says "no snow chains" so to make an alpine trip safe it seems sensible to try and source used steel 16" rims and fit winter tyres.

 

Manual says 205/55 R16 on 6x16 ET48 good for snow chains so by implication that fits my car.

 

Two questions for the really knowledgeable please:

- Am I ok varying the offset (ET) at all and if so within what rang?  Willtheyfit.com calculation suggests going up to 48 - 50 makes minimal difference.  What about going down to 45?

- What about 6.5x16?  Oponeo suggests that 6.5x16 ET46 is what I can fit if buying new.  I can't fit snow chains but with winter tyres that's fine and I have more choices available then.

 

Grateful for all responses.  Thank you.

 

JM

Got to willtheyfit.com

In general, the lower the ET, the further 'out' they will sit, both from the suspension struts and towards the outside of the wheel arches. The narrower the rim, the more clearance you will have. 

 

I am running 18 x 7.5J with an ET of 31 and they are fine.

as above, willtheyfit works out the impact of the wider rim and different offset - you need to consider width and offset together as its both of these combined that dictate where the wheel sits in the arch. the reason the manual is so specific around winter fitment is that you need to ensure you have enough clearance to allow space for fitting chains.

if your alternative gives you a similar clearance between the wheel and the suspension then you should be fine. also consider not all chains are the same and you can get some setups that are specifically designed for low clearance situations.

you may *need* chains, depending on where you're going and snow conditions, as in they can be legally required.  So if the trip is important to you or regular, I'd get something where the chains will definitively fit, including the correct rim width.

 

 - Bret

Just slightly off topic, I was surprised when ordering my new car 1.6 diesel DSG SE-L , to see that. 16" or 17" alloy wheels were both a no cost option, the difference, however, was that the car fitted with 16" wheels attracted zero road tax but the 17" option only had zero road tax for the first year, thereafter road tax is payable ! go figure?

 

Needless to say, I went with the 16's !

Thanks all for advice.  www.willtheyfit.com is very helpful and does indeed indentify possible variations.  What I'm not clear about is the impact of moving away from Skoda recommended setups.  

 

www.skoda-auto.de gives a helfpul list ("serienbereifung") for wheel tyre combinations and lists some 16 and 17 and 18 inch possibilites - but not 15 inch.

 

willtheyfit suggests that 195/61 17 running on 6x15 ET43 will work well.... but would this be "manfactured permitted" and if not, invalidate warranty and insurance?

Any thoughts?

I'd be surprised if 15"s fit over the brakes, even on a non-vRS? 

 

Separately, be aware that some aftermarket alloys require 'taper' seated wheel bolts, rather than the originals which are 'radius' seated. If you intend to keep one original wheel as a spare, and your winter wheels do require different bolts, you will need to keep the appropriate bolts for the spare in the car too!

 

I have also come across a scenario where the wheel brace supplied with the car will not fit into the bolt recess of the aftermarket wheels - you may need to carry a socket and bar for this.

Thanks all for advice.  www.willtheyfit.com is very helpful and does indeed indentify possible variations.  What I'm not clear about is the impact of moving away from Skoda recommended setups.  

 

www.skoda-auto.de gives a helfpul list ("serienbereifung") for wheel tyre combinations and lists some 16 and 17 and 18 inch possibilites - but not 15 inch.

 

willtheyfit suggests that 195/61 17 running on 6x15 ET43 will work well.... but would this be "manfactured permitted" and if not, invalidate warranty and insurance?

Any thoughts?

If skoda don't list a 15" option its probably 'cos they wont work. Ideally you want one of the options that skoda recommends. If not, a few mm either way wont' make that much difference tbh.

My winters are 8x18 ET45 vs oem wheel which is (i think) 7.5x19 ET51, so inner clearance is the same and the outer face pokes about another 12mm.