Hi 

Can anyone help. have had a yeti before and the ride comfort was fine, Have now made the mistake of changing it for a 64 plate Greenline S 1.6 d 25k and the low speed ride is just awful.

I understand that Skoda lowered the springs by about 25mm to increase economy so would fitting standard springs take it back to the better ride that I know is available from the Yeti. what about the dampers/struts if I change them what model do I chose as having the most comfortable ride.

I have considered changing the wheels and tyres from 205 x 55 x 16 to 205 x 65 x 15.

I would really like to keep the car but hate the low speed jittery ride.

Suggestion gratefully received.

 

@BoneShaker - This is a complex question. I'll try and make some statements to help you by getting rid of myths:-

1. Shorter springs do not have to mean a harder ride. That is dependent on the spring and damper rates rather than the spring length, so if Skoda did not change the rates you won't get a softer ride from longer springs.
2. Your proposed change of tyre size would increase the wall height, which for a given make and model of tyre will soften the ride, but changing to a different make of tyre in the OEM size might also do that. That said, make 3 might harden the ride. Since you have a "Greenline" you maybe have "fuel saving tyres" which will have very stiff sidewalls.
3. If changing wheel size you can't always retain the same tread width just by changing profile. In this case, I happen to know that the closest rolling radius to a 205/55R16 on a 15" wheel is a 195/65R15. Incidentally, I have no complaints with the ride of my Octy on 205/55R16 but never run "fuel saving tyres" (the usual quote is that they will save "up to 1% per wheel against a regular tyre").

 

@BoneShaker Welcome.  The lower suspension & tyre profile which is not 'low profile' or the less clearance due to under panels does not mean the ride has to be awful.

 

Cheapest change first possibly.

What is the Brand of the 205/55 R 16 tyres that are fitted? 

 What tyre pressures are you running?

Good point; I've seen some stupidly high pressures recommended to "save fuel". Even that presumes that the tyres haven't simply been over-inflated by some {censored} with a high pressure air line.

Can you even get 15” wheels over the brakes?

 

There’s a good chance that if they lowered it they also stiffened it, to make up for the reduced suspension travel.  Whether this was in the spring rates or dampers is anyone’s guess, although I would suspect springs would be stiffer.  It could also be down to unsprung mass (the wheel/tyre mostly).

You cannot get 15" wheels over the brakes PLUS the Yeti was never Type Approved to use that size wheel, so you would need to inform the insurance company that a non-approved fitment has been done.
Technically the car is illegal with that size wheel.

My Greenline was by far smoother to drive than my other Yetis.

Indeed running current Yeti on 16” winter wheels replicated that cars relative comfort.

It seems likely something has changed on your car to affect the ride?

Also if you happen to be running with less weight onboard now the ride will feel stiffer too.

Hi 

Thank you so much for your help.

The tyres are Michelin Energy Saver so they could well be the problem, I had not even thought of that.

The pressures are as recommended and printed on the fuel flap 2.2 bar front 2.3 bar at the rear. I try and run it never

less than half empty to keep the weight up.

I think changing the tyres will be the first sensible step Dunlop Blue Response have got good

comfort ratings and I have seen a few already on Yeti's.

I already have a set of 15" black alloys so I guess I veered in that direction.

The 55/65 rating is a ratio of the 195/205 tyre width, so a 65 with a 195 width barely increases the height were as 65 on the 205 width is more and stays within the 2.5%

overall variation, so that is the reason why I made that choice.

Any other comfy tyre suggestions would be welcome.

Many thanks

Michelin CrossClimate + would be a good investment in comfort and all year round driveability.

 

Do the 15" Black Alloys you have go on OK?

 

The 2.5% ratio means nothing, that is not a rule of anything.   Insurers and changes from Factory fittings / options and then as you will be told here Type Approval, 

Construction & Use etc.

But all over the UK people modify from standard and change wheels / and tyres, but Declare with Insurers.

http://kouki.co.uk/utilities/visual-tyre-size-calculator

 

13 hours ago, BoneShaker said:

The tyres are Michelin Energy Saver

Yes, they're notorious for stiff sidewalls, and, as implied above, might save you about 4% of fuel consumption. I can do 10% better than other people by looking ahead and using acceleration sense to get off throttle at the right times when slowing.

 

As for the tyre pressures, are you checking them yourself on cold tyres using a BSI marked pressure gauge? Garage air lines are known to be up to 20% out. Hot tyres (normal road driving) can add another 10% to that, so your 2.3 bar recommended could be as high as 3.0 bar if you set pressures at a garage.

@KenONeill

Who is it that knows that Garage Air Lines are up to 20% out?  Do the forecourt maintenance companies and employees know this and those that have the 'machines' and that are charging customers 20 pence or 50 pence or more to get 'air' that will have them running safe tyre pressures?

3 hours ago, Skoffski said:

@KenONeill

Who is it that knows that Garage Air Lines are up to 20% out?  Do the forecourt maintenance companies and employees know this and those that have the 'machines' and that are charging customers 20 pence or 50 pence or more to get 'air' that will have them running safe tyre pressures?

I can't remember a full cite, but tests of delivered pressure using calibrated gauges to check actual against airline indicated pressure have been done. Oh and BTW I always check my pressures on cold tyres using a BSI marked gauge.

 

Also, it does you no credit to imply that an air compressor delivers anything but air.

I certainly never implied that an air compressor delivers anything more than air, just that when you set a pressure that the compressor should shut off at that pressure should be accurate because peoples safety matters to them and to the owners of the equipment. Up to 20% high or low is not acceptable.

 

I have checked with professional Pressure Gauges for years after using Garage / Workshop Compressors or Filling Station 'Free Air' or pay for air services.

Never found inaccuracies.

 

Air compressors deliver H20 as well sometimes with poor maintenance of water traps / filters as you can see when you remove a tyre newly fitted or tube punctures.

(I was a spray painter, serviced plenty of air compressors, inflated many tyres that were deflated to refurbish wheels..)

Edited 6 June, 20197 yr by Skoffski

Wasn't 15" a standard wheel size for early poverty spec Yetis? Steelies and wheel trims.

 

Anecdotally, our old golf (which the Yeti is based on) had 15" steelies and had no problem fitting over the calipers. 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/148948-yeti-tyre-and-rim-guide

 

A bloke on here tried it and they fitted. Reckoned they were the same overall diameter as his 17's. 

 

So TUV etc aside, if the question is purely 'is it possible' then the answer is 'yes'!

 

Personal opinion and with rose tinted glasses, with the right wheel design and colour, 15" wheels with super beefy tyres could have a certain visual charm on the right Yeti. Like a mini monster truck.

 

 

 

11 minutes ago, Shaunieboy said:

A bloke on here tried it and they fitted. Reckoned they were the same overall diameter as his 17's.

 

1) After having that facts about type approval and insurance companies' ability to refuse cover for non-compliance several times, he toned down his blustering a bit and then went quiet.

2) He tried it because they were going cheap on eBay and he bought them on impulse without really checking.

3) You know what they say about buying cheap....

 

1 hour ago, Shaunieboy said:

Wasn't 15" a standard wheel size for early poverty spec Yetis? Steelies and wheel trims.

 

Not according to The Plumber's excellent Yeti Tyre and Rim Guide.  There's no mention of 15" wheels in the Wheels and Tyres section of the May 2009 owner's manual, or any later edition that I've checked.  The June 2011 Yeti brochure (the earliest I have) doesn't mention 15" wheels either: the E and S got 16" wheels, the SE, SE Plus and Elegance got 17" except for the Greenline II versions which got 16".  And the Certificate of Conformity for my SE L doesn't list any 15" wheel/tyre combinations.

 

1 hour ago, Shaunieboy said:

Anecdotally, our old golf (which the Yeti is based on) had 15" steelies and had no problem fitting over the calipers.

 

Again, just because it fits doesn't mean it's been type approved for that model.  And wheels and tyres are pretty safety-critical, so not something that insurers are likely to be particularly inclined to turn a blind eye to.

 

According to Wiki the Yeti is indeed based on a variant (5L) of the same VAG PQ35 platform as the Mk5 (1K) and Mk6 (5K) Golf, amongst a number of other VAG cars of that era including the Mk2 Octavia (1Z).  (I'd previously understood it to use a platform also used by the Polo.  I wonder where I got that from?)  However, being based on a variant of the same platform as another model doesn't really say much about what running gear the manufacturer might have chosen to hang off that particular model's variant of the platform.

4 hours ago, Shaunieboy said:

Wasn't 15" a standard wheel size for early poverty spec Yetis? Steelies and wheel trims.

 

Anecdotally, our old golf (which the Yeti is based on) had 15" steelies and had no problem fitting over the calipers. 

 

No Yeti has ever been equipped with 15" wheels. Poverty spec was 16" steel.

9 hours ago, ejstubbs said:

 

1) After having that facts about type approval and insurance companies' ability to refuse cover for non-compliance several times, he toned down his blustering a bit and then went quiet.

2) He tried it because they were going cheap on eBay and he bought them on impulse without really checking.

3) You know what they say about buying cheap....

 

 

Not according to The Plumber's excellent Yeti Tyre and Rim Guide.  There's no mention of 15" wheels in the Wheels and Tyres section of the May 2009 owner's manual, or any later edition that I've checked.  The June 2011 Yeti brochure (the earliest I have) doesn't mention 15" wheels either: the E and S got 16" wheels, the SE, SE Plus and Elegance got 17" except for the Greenline II versions which got 16".  And the Certificate of Conformity for my SE L doesn't list any 15" wheel/tyre combinations.

 

 

Again, just because it fits doesn't mean it's been type approved for that model.  And wheels and tyres are pretty safety-critical, so not something that insurers are likely to be particularly inclined to turn a blind eye to.

 

According to Wiki the Yeti is indeed based on a variant (5L) of the same VAG PQ35 platform as the Mk5 (1K) and Mk6 (5K) Golf, amongst a number of other VAG cars of that era including the Mk2 Octavia (1Z).  (I'd previously understood it to use a platform also used by the Polo.  I wonder where I got that from?)  However, being based on a variant of the same platform as another model doesn't really say much about what running gear the manufacturer might have chosen to hang off that particular model's variant of the platform.

An excellent and well thought-out response. 

 

Again just to emphasise, this is pure conjecture on my side . I wouldn't recommend or endorse any of the above regarding 15" wheels. I was coming purely from a hypothetical standpoint.

 

I agree with and was aware of all points apart from the first. So if I buy an aftermarket set of wheels and tyres for my car, and inform my insurance about them, they can still turn around and void my policy? Because of something skoda approve/don't approve?

 

What about an aftermarket exhaust? An engine remap? A completely different engine transplant? A kit car? 

If a car passes an MOT and is insured with all modifications declared then how is it illegal?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because the MOT covers roadworthiness and safety, not legality. A vehicle can pass an MOT but still fall foul of Construction & Use regulations (I have done this - I had a motorcycle which passed an MOT with a speedo clearly smashed to bits and not working; the speedo isn’t tested in the MOT).

I feel that's besides the point surely?

 

My Superb has had a remap, all declared to insurance. This wasn't an option at purchase, Skoda don't approve it. The car passed an MOT. Is it now illegal?

 

How is this different to fitting a set of not standard wheels? Or other modifications?

It is not.

Like fitting Air Bags Suspension to a Yeti, Octavia or what ever that was not Type Approved with Air Bag Suspension.

A LSD, Locking Diffs.

Like fitting a winch tray and winch. Like building a monster truck or a rally / drift car that has not had a IVA.

Internal or external roll cages etc etc.

You declare to your insurers your modified from standard vehicles.

 

The UK is pretty lax on such things unlike some European / EU countries.  It really requires vehicles to be road legal, safe and have insurance to be on the public highway.

You can turn a car / estate to a van or pickup and no IVA required. 

You can not so easily turn a van / light commercial to a car.

Edited 7 June, 20197 yr by Skoffski

3 hours ago, Shaunieboy said:

if I buy an aftermarket set of wheels and tyres for my car, and inform my insurance about them, they can still turn around and void my policy? Because of something skoda approve/don't approve?

 

Two points:

1. I don't recall saying anything about non-type-approved modifications being illegal, just that insurers have every right to be picky about them.  Obviously if such a modification has been declared and the insurer was OK with it, per the case with your remap, then the risk of having cover refused in the event of an incident should no longer exist (then again, insurance companies being what they are...but that is another subject).  The risk is not that the vehicle is illegal to use on the road, it's that you could end up facing a massive bill - and not just for your car, but for someone else's injuries - because the insurer refuses cover on account of a material modification not having been declared.  (I'm not 100% sure whether you can also be done for not having insurance, retrospectively as it were.  Someone else might know.)
2. It's not Skoda that do the approving, it's the regulatory body for the market that the vehicle is going to be sold in that performs the initial type approval.  Skoda then issues a certificate of conformity for each individual vehicle which confirms that it conforms to the 'type' for which approval was granted.  That makes it legal for Skoda to offer the vehicle for sale within the geographic area covered by the relevant regulatory regime.  You can e-mail them and ask for a copy of the EU certificate of conformity for your specific vehicle if you'd like to see it.  It's free.

 

Kit cars and the like are a different matter: the builder has to get them through the Individual Vehicle Approval process (previously the SVA) before be able to register them for use on the road.  Basically, you can't type-approve something which is a one-off!

Edited 8 June, 20197 yr by ejstubbs