Advice appreciated. About to commit to some 2nd hand wheels and have questions

[HopefullyJOllyRoger]

Any advice would be a great help as I'm on the verge of agreeing to buy a set of used alloys I've seen for sale privately. They are 16" Volkswagen Golf Mk7 OEM alloys from VAG, to replace my 18" Skoda Themisto alloys, so I'd be going from 225/40/R18 to 205/55 R16.

 

• The VW wheels are 5x112, so should this, and the other sizes I've provided here, mean they will fit my Skoda with no problems?
• My Superb Mk2 Elegance has an indirect TPMS so I assume I'll just need to reset it when the new wheels and tyres are fitted, with no further expense/work/mods required?
• Will any ECU, brake or other mods be required to accept the new wheels, as I don't want to discover problems once I've taken the plunge?
• And will it be ok to store my OEM Skoda 18" wheels in a dry garage with no further steps such as silica gel, bubble wrap, etc, to keep them in good condition for if I sell the car in the future and put the original wheels back on it?

 

Thanks very much in advance!

[fatzy]

Without knowing the details of the VW wheels in question, nor do I know which Superb version you have. Check here:

https://www.wheel-size.com/size/skoda/superb/2011/

But in principle they shall fit. The are, as you say 5x112 and 16" should be bolt-on. You should check width, ET (offset) and weight capacity. All this should be casted on the inner side of the rims. Also tyres, if fitted, should be checked for appliance to Superb speed and weight.

If all above is checked and found ok, you should fit one onto the front to check clearance to brake disk/caliper.

TPMS. Adjust tyre pressures all round, and reset the system. Thats all!

The original wheels can be stored for some time without problems, but be aware that rubber detoriates with time. So long term storage of used tyres is not good, the aging starts when you start using them the first time. The best way to store tyres are: dry, dark and cool. Direct sun is the rubbers worst enemy.....

Edited 17 April, 2017 by fatzy

[HopefullyJOllyRoger]

Thanks for that. The wheels I have in mind are the TORONTO wheels from the Mark VII Golf. They're commonly found for sale online at good prices, whereas OEM Skoda Superb wheels are scarce e.g. Spectrum.

 

The specs for the TORONTO are:

Offset ET46

Rim 6.5j x 16

Centre bore 57.1

Tyre 205x55x16
Speed Rating: V: max 149 mph
Load Index: 91
Rim Width: 6.5J

 

Should these be suitable for my Superb 1.8 TSI estate DSG in terms of speed rating, load index, etc?

 

Here's a link to a set for sale, just as an example:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Set-Genuine-VW-Golf-Mk7-16-Toronto-Alloy-Wheels-Touran-10-spoke-tyre-205-55-rim-/182437279214?hash=item2a7a1bf5ee%3Ag%3AOAMAAOSwnHZYjP-q

 

Thanks again!

[fatzy]

15 hours ago, HopefullyJOllyRoger said:

Thanks for that. The wheels I have in mind are the TORONTO wheels from the Mark VII Golf. They're commonly found for sale online at good prices, whereas OEM Skoda Superb wheels are scarce e.g. Spectrum.

 

Should these be suitable for my Superb 1.8 TSI estate DSG in terms of speed rating, load index, etc?

 

Well, it is a little tricky for me to tell as I am Norwegian, and I don't know the English requirements and the weigth of your car in detail.

It seems that there are different tyre load indexes for different versions of the Superb, as listed in the web site I refered to, but for 16" it is listed a higher index (strange really). I was pretty sure that the load index should match the maximum load of the actual car as given in the legislation. The load index of the tyres above (91) equals 615 kg. That gives a car weight of 2460 kg in total (1230 per axle).

And it seems that the Toronto rim is approved for 575 kg per wheel, which equals 1150 kg axle weight, 2300 total.

Another deviation is the rim width, Toronto is 6.5" wide, the listed width for Superb is 7.0". I would not call it a show-stopper, but still different.

The Toronto offset of 46 and centre bore of 57.1 is ok. The tyre size 205/55R16 and with a speed rating V is also ok.

So, all in all I cannot definitely give you any good advise about the formalities of using these wheels, but from a general point of view they will fit. Most probably you will be very happy with them and enjoy the comfortable ride, without encounter any problems.

 

Hope you got any wiser about wheels, and sorry for not being able to give you a definite answer. Good luck!

 

 

Edited 18 April, 2017 by fatzy

[HopefullyJOllyRoger]

Thank you so much for your very detailed and really helpful reply. I appreciate your time and help!

 

I'm still confused over what criteria any 16" wheels I choose must have, and what the tyre requirements are. This isn't your fault. It's because the whole issue is confusing.

 

All the excellent condition 16" VW and Audi wheels I've seen for sale on eBay with tyres included come with 91 tyres, which sounds like it won't work on my Superb II estate, because it needs 94 XL. Grrh. Damn car.

[fatzy]

53 minutes ago, HopefullyJOllyRoger said:

It's because the whole issue is confusing.

 

All the excellent condition 16" VW and Audi wheels I've seen for sale on eBay with tyres included come with 91 tyres, which sounds like it won't work on my Superb II estate, because it needs 94 XL. Grrh. Damn car.

Well, it's not so complicated really once you study it a bit and get the hang of it.....

 

Are you sure about the need for 94 XL? Have you found any specific requirement for it somewhere? The load index of the wheels must match the fully loaded weight of the car (as given in the legislation). The wheel load index may exceed the requirement, so the car can be equipped with tyres with higher load index, that doesn't matter. XL is just something that has been a brand standard for low profile tyres (as a necessary extra side wall strenght) to indicate that that the low side wall can withstand high loads. It is really the index number that describes the tyres load capacity! So, until you find the actual requirement for your car, you cannot really say that 91 is not sufficient. I think it is, load index 91 is mentioned in the list for 2.0 TSI and TDI. They must clearly be heavier than your 1.8 TSI. That puzzles me, and since I have not the specifications for your car, I cannot say for sure what is the lowest required load index..... But I don't think your Superb exceeds a max. axle weight of 1230 kg loaded. In fact, the Toronto alloys can take only 575 kg each (that equals 1150 kg per axle).

 

I hope that all my details don't comfuse you more. It can be a little tiresome to follow, but hopefully you can find someone who can help you with the actual requirement for your Superb. In Norway we get a registration card where the legal tyre and rim details are written. Therby it is easy for us to see the official requirements for each and every car. We also have a set of official requirements available, so we can look up the allowable variations, making it easy to find corresponding alternatives.

Edited 19 April, 2017 by fatzy

[HopefullyJOllyRoger]

When I saw the screenshot from the website wheel-size.com, which lists 95H as the requirement for the 1.8 TSI with 205/55/R16 wheels, this is what confused me, because I have seen plenty of official and other Skoda information saying the OEM 16" Spectrum alloys for the Greenline and S models are 91H. This would be perfect, because all the wheel + tyre sets I have seen for sale on eBay include 91 load index tyres. I'm just still not comfortable that these will be fine for my 1.8 TSI, but I believe this petrol engine is quite small and hence lighter than the diesel engines.

 

http://www.telfordskoda.co.uk/brochures/superb.pdf

[26DIPP]

If you have not bought your wheels have a look on http://www.willtheyfit.com/ and key in your parameters. It will give you an idea / illustration of how much more the 16" will sit inside the wheel arch.

I have just changed my 16" winter wheels because I hated to have them sitting massively more inside the body work than my 18" summer wheels. My old 16" were 6.5J and had an offset or ET of 50 mm whereas the "new" ones are 7.0J with an ET of 37. This means they sit flusher with the body work and give a slightly wider track.

But in reply to your first post, you can put any VAG alloy on as Skoda have a range of 16" wheels on the Superbs.

For storage you simply pile up the 18" wheels over one another but increase the tyre pressure to between 2.5 to 3.0 bar before storing them. Do not leave them standing. Alternatively hang them on the wall through the centre cap hole.

As the diametre of both is pretty similar nothing needs to be altered in the dash except if you decide to run a lower speed rating. You might be able to set that in your MFD.

I run 91 tyres in the winter and cannot see the need for 94s.

 

Have a look at this PDF file to check what wheels and loads they have used: http://www.skoda-auto.de/SiteCollectionDocuments/Serienreifen_Skoda_2014_07_1.pdf

Edited 4 May, 2017 by 26DIPP

[HopefullyJOllyRoger]

26DIPP, thanks so much for your very helpful summary reply.

 

I'm really keen on Volkwagen Golf Mk7 "Toronto" alloys. Comparing them on WillTheyFit.com, it seems they will do, but as you say, they won't be flush with the arch but will sit inside with a 'skinny' look, which may look stupid?

 

http://www.willtheyfit.com/index.php?width=225&aspect=40&diameter=18&wheelwidth=7.5&offset=46&width2=205&aspect2=55&wheel_size=16&wheel_width=6-5&offset2=46

[26DIPP]

If you want the Torontos and have them flusher with the body you can use spacers. You can get 8, 10 and 12mm spacers, but with the wider ones you definitely need longer bolts. I did that on our previous V70 and it worked well.