18" to 16"?

[S00perb]

On 16/08/2017 at 13:54, S00perb said:

I think the Flux Capacitor should compensate and keep it accurate

 

[Graham Butcher]

My L&K has the 18's and they certainly are harder riding but I too thought about replacing them for 17 or even 16's  but a few things stopped me from doing it, firstly the insurance company may refuse to honour the policy at a time when you really need them following an accident if the discover that the change has been done. The second thing was the fact if you change the wheel size, then unless the tyres overall circumference remains the same, then your speedo will be out of calibration and these days when they are introducing a zero tolerance on speed, doing 31mph in a 30mph zone, get caught and expect to be fined for it attitude, made me think it is not worth the risk. Thirdly, it also devalue your car as a direct result unless you kept the original wheels to be refitted when it comes to selling again, but by then you could also be looking at a large bill to replace 5 tyres due to the tyres perishing in storage. 

[jafo]

If you use manufacturer equivalent and inform your insurance company - everything will be OK. 

 

And why to replace 5 tyres? Spare is always different anyway 

Edited 24 August, 2017 by jafo

[terrytowelling]

I've got one with 18 inch wheels and one with 16s , the 16s give a much better ride and only cost £55 a piece, so if you're doing plenty of distance go for 16's , 18's are ok to look at but are noisier, more prone to punctures and more expensive to buy

[Gdcobra]

On 15/08/2017 at 20:17, Noddy90 said:

A Superb on 16" wheels looks like a whale on roller-skates. Don't do it! 

And you don't like that look?

Seriously though I was not happy when I found my Elegance came with 16s and should have been 18s but I do like the comfort and less necessity to avoid road imperfections than on previous cars I've had with larger wheels.

When it comes to tyre change time I may see if I can get some 17s. The 16s I have aren't even nice looking wheels!

[TheRobinK]

My Elegance came with 17's (factory 225/45 R17 "Laurel" alloys) and I thought they might be a comfort issue/damage worry with the state of some of the roads I'm on.  I' was very pleasantly surprised and dropped any intention to sell them and get 16's pretty quickly. To sum it up - 16's are a tad more comfy and a bit more economical, the 17's are a bit better on cornering and appearance. 

 

I drove a Superb with L&K Sirius 18's around my area and screw that. They looked fantastic and I'm sure they are great on roads that are half decent - my roads just aren't. 

[Greenline3Matt]

I changed from 16" to 18" and didn't notice a huge difference in comfort. They are noisier and mpg dropped a bit but for me they look like they belong. 16" wheels on a very big car just look daft imho. 

[silver1011]

Aesthetics vs. practicality.

 

Two very different requirements. Depending on which one is more important is likely to influence your choice of wheel size.

 

I too think most cars look better with bigger wheels, however I value comfort, cost and pothole resistance higher than looks.

 

Hence my 17's on 50 profile tyres. As close to the best of both worlds I think you can get.

[Gdcobra]

On 27/08/2017 at 12:53, silver1011 said:

Aesthetics vs. practicality.

 

Two very different requirements. Depending on which one is more important is likely to influence your choice of wheel size.

 

I too think most cars look better with bigger wheels, however I value comfort, cost and pothole resistance higher than looks.

 

Hence my 17's on 50 profile tyres. As close to the best of both worlds I think you can get.

What I want is 19" wheels which shrink to 16 as soon as they start turnin.   Is that too much to ask?

[terrytowelling]

aren't they are all the same diameter around the tyre circumference?

Edited 29 August, 2017 by terrytowelling

[spk]

Mentioned in a few places on this forum already but don't forget you'll need a minimum 17" wheel to clear the larger brakes on the v6 model.

 

Does that apply to any other model - the 190 BHP diesel perhaps?

 

Anyway, thought I'd mention it for the next person who comes looking for winter wheels for their v6. 

[Lyminton]

http://www.skodaparts.com/product/superb-yeti-spectrum-16-inch-alloy-wheel-21085

 

[TLV]

16 hours ago, spk said:

 you'll need a minimum 17" wheel to clear the larger brakes on the v6 model.

 

Does that apply to any other model - the 190 BHP diesel perhaps?

 

The 3.6 model is the only one that needs at least 17" wheels. 16" wheels fit the rest.

Edited 1 September, 2017 by TLV

[S00perb]

Well I have used the car for a couple of weeks now and it is as most hAve stated above: Not so good on the bumps and lovely to look at.

I plan to use the 16" estate for local stuff (shopping and carting my gig gear about) and the 18" L&K for the longer trips.

18" is very nice on smooth roads, motorways and strangely in Birmingham. Only hit one bad lump and that turned out not to be a pothole but a very nasty manhole cover - what a whack. I think the wider wheel doesn't go into the smaller potholes.

On smooth tight corners the 18" would be wonderful, but not on our roads!

[graeme1177]

A bit late to the party but , for what it's worth, I'll give you my experiences with tyres on my wife's 2014 3T Elegance Estate. It came on Continentals fitted to 18'' trinity alloys  Lovely car if a bit soul-less for a old-French-car guy like me. 

The Superb's 18'' rims look pretty good , even if they did scream 'Drug Dealer' to me at first but I found these tyres a bit hard - although I didn't have much to compare it to. I just got the feeling that the suspension was essentially pretty good but the tyres weren't allowing the last bit of suppleness to come through. It also suffered 3 pothole-related punctures over local road defects that my 45 year old Renault simply ignores. We stuck with Continentals as replacements to keep a matching set on the car. However, despite the good test reviews for these tyres I had my doubts - very noisy ( particularly when they wear down a bit) and they wore quite rapidly. When all the tyres needed to be changed together I got a set of Vredestein Ultrac Satin as I have had a lot of success with this brand in the past. About the same as the Contis in road holding. Maybe slightly less 'sharp' but still grippy and they feel progressive . The big difference is in the lower noise level and the better ride. Certainly less sharp, crashy reaction to bumps compared to the original equipment. £20 a corner cheaper as a bonus.

I also have a set of 16'' alloys ( actually VW Passat wheels)  with Continental TS850 winter tyres  which I put on the car in November and take off in February. We don't bother telling the  insurance company because this size of tyre is actually listed as an option in the handbook so there is no deviation from standard spec. The 205 55 16's extra height of sidewall certainly does help the ride . It's comfortable on the 18'' rims , the 16''s make it just that bit better. Not a huge difference but noticeable. If that was with Summer instead of Winter tyres, the difference may be greater.

I've never been one for budget tyres as sometimes they aren't that much cheaper and there is no way of testing them. You can watch a TV to assess the picture before you buy it, you can even try cheese out before you commit yourself to a whole 250grams of the stuff. But if you buy a set of tyres and get it wrong you end up wishing the next 20000 miles away. I've had cars that came on budget tyres and I've usually driven on them until they've worn out and I've always gone for a branded replacement. Some of the budgets have been OK but shopping around can often get you a big named tyre on line for the same as a budget from your local tyre fitter. I don't subscribe to the view that all

budgets are ditchfinders and I'm perfectly happy giving budget tyres a go when they're already on there- I just don't buy them. Having said that I have just bought 2 sets of secondhand alloy wheels for the Fabia base model I inherited from my late Dad. One set came with 61/2mm  tread DMack Wintersafe and the other set have nearly new Westlake and Landsail Chinese tyres. Am I going to use them? You bet. Am I going put budgets on again when they wear out? Probably not!

[Liomer]

June 2015, at 750-odd miles from new, I changed from 18” to 16” with Michelin Crossclimates and have to say the major improvement in comfort was instant.  Didn’t notice any noise problems.  Now done just under 31,000 miles and the front tyres are nearing their end, so will replace before winter really sets in (if it ever does down here in East Kent!).

 

[sjm1]

We have a 2014 L&K 4x4 estate, which we bought at just over a year old. It's great, but after a couple of punctures on the Conti SportContacts on the 18" wheels, and ahead of taking the car to the Alps in winter, I bought a set of Skoda 16" alloys with Michelin Cross Climates on them.  They were fantastic in the snow - a combination of the 4x4 and the tyres meant that we didn't need chains even on fresh, deep snow. I couldn't believe how well it pulled up hill in the snow, and that's as a former LR Defender owner  (I'm not pretending that the Skoda was better than the LR, just that it was much better than I was expecting). 

 

I swapped them back for the 18" wheels in the summer 2016, but noticed the extra noise and the poorer ride, so didn't bother this year.  Cross climates have done about 25000 miles and are still good for another 10-15000 on the front I'd guess.  

 

The only disadvantage of the 16" wheels is that they look a bit odd on such a large car, but I don't really care!

[zice]

I have the factory delivered 16" with the RRP (rough roads package), they give an unbelievable smooth ride and the price for 16" tyres is a big plus.

Don't mind the looks, i was playing with the idea to get 17" rims but too expensive for my taste.

I have the Dunlop Blu Sportresponse as summer tyres, i recommend them 200%, incredible low noise and great grip.

As far as winter rubber goes, my 4x4 still runs on a combo of Blizzak LM-32 (rear axle) and BFGoodrich GForce (front axle) for this winter, might look for a full 4x set next year.

[zice]

update: swapped all 4 rubbers with Michelin Alpin 5.

Un-****ing-believable tyres. Recommend 200%. Noise level is incredible (low), comfort as well. Bring on the snow!!!

Edited 13 December, 2017 by zice

[gav_is_con]

Running my Superb Combi on 205/55/16 Nokian All weather WRG2 Tyres's using the Octy 2 alloys. Got to admit you can tell it's a lot smoother. As I am a motorway driver don't come across many issues in the roads. 

Thankfully fitted before the weekends onslaught so driving with confidence and the DSG seems less willing to spin unlike the Octy 2 manual. 

[Noddy90]

Hmmm... I've been driving 33 years and never fitted winter tyres. Never felt I've needed them. Are they worth the expense and hassle of changing for a handful of snowy and sub-zero days? 

 

We've got 6-8" of snow here at the moment; main roads are fine but side roads have plenty of ice and slush. Perfectly navigable with care, 2nd gear and clutch-feathering; then, when you're on the main roads, it's just normal driving. 

 

Not knocking those who do buy winters; just never had a compelling reason myself ... 

[gav_is_con]

1 hour ago, Noddy90 said:

Hmmm... I've been driving 33 years and never fitted winter tyres. Never felt I've needed them. Are they worth the expense and hassle of changing for a handful of snowy and sub-zero days? 

 

We've got 6-8" of snow here at the moment; main roads are fine but side roads have plenty of ice and slush. Perfectly navigable with care, 2nd gear and clutch-feathering; then, when you're on the main roads, it's just normal driving. 

 

Not knocking those who do buy winters; just never had a compelling reason myself ... 

Just imagine not losing traction up hill and no fear of a long slide if breaking down hill. That's the confidence they give and more. However Cross Climates I hear best all rounders no need to swap wheels. Wins for me. I made the alloy investment over 9 years ago, but now may consider the Michelins in future. 

[jafo]

Winter tyres are good for snow and slush - on ice - only chains or special tyres with spikes

[S00perb]

So, 4 months on from starting the thread. thanks to all for comments and advise.

I put 16" steel with snow tyres on 2 days before it snowed.

The potholes all but disappear and stop being a problem. There is one near me that I can't avoid due to a central isle in the road. At 20mph the 18" sounded like I was going to have a flat or damaged rim. At 30mph with 16" it is barely noticeable.

The noise from the road on anything but smooth, is lowered dramatically with the 16". Only time I miss the 18" is smooth motorway runs. But our roads in the UK are just not up to 18" tyres. German roads, a different ball game. I would love to have them on in the summer there.

Snow tyres:

Snow, ice, slush frozen mud and just plain wet cold roads - the car holds the road and stops far better than it did on summer tyres on plain cold roads (tested on the same road at the same speed). People need educating as to how good proper snow tyres are in the cold. Probably should be the law that we use them as in many other countries.  The problem is; if I have snow tyres and can stop very quick in cold conditions - what happens when the guy behind me has summer tyres? BANG!!

I was driving on roads that only 4x4's and tractors had been on round my way and I didn't slip once. Up a steep drive I would never have managed on summer tyres and a very nasty hill - no problem. The wheels and tyres paid for themselves on day one of the snow when I managed to get to a job no one else could make! My band has played 4 gigs that other bands had to cancel as they couldn't make the snow trips I could - quite possibly paying for a fresh set of summer tyres and 16" alloys that I will be going for at the end of the winter.

Yep - 18" will not go back on the car!!

Edited 15 December, 2017 by S00perb

[S00perb]

On 14/12/2017 at 10:50, jafo said:

Winter tyres are good for snow and slush - on ice - only chains or special tyres with spikes

Not in my expedience or in this test: