Its an old one but I'm going to say it again.

 

Being forced to take larger wheels annoys me to the point of making me angry. Its not necessary for the car - its a marketing led thing and a backwards step for refinement. I am sick of it. 

 

You want a better spec, you're forced upwards. You look for the same engine in a lower spec to avoid the big wheels with low profile tyres,  it isn't sold. Even if it was, to add back as options the features you'd miss from the higher spec model is a less cost efficient way of doing it. You're boxed in.

 

I really do wish Skoda would stop alienating people with this. Compare to other markets and it isn't done everywhere. Compare historically and with larger or more upmarket cars and you find even luxury level cars riding on less. Don't tell me its necessary for the car, Skoda !  I'd have thought decades living under communism and having to uphold lies in every aspect of life would make you culturally averse to doing it with this or anything else. Its one of the based things I lke about central and eastern Europe. You let yourselves down with this. Or, are Skoda UK to blame ? Perhaps this is the case. If anyone knows who controls wheel allocation, please tell us.

 

Realise please, since the Superb is NOT a luxury build of car in tbe way of say E Class or S90, you do not want anything that can add noise and reduce ride refinement.

Is it not bizarre, that in going up in spec you are forced to take something that brings you DOWN in refinement ? Look Skoda, if people fancy 18s with low profile tyres or even 19s, let them choose of course, but also let people have the BETTER 17s and higher profile tyres, if they want them, as a standard starting point. Yo're not doing us any favours by forcing an "upgrade" when you go for higher spec or engine, or utimately yourselves either if people avoid purchase.

 

Still angry. 

Even Jaguar ( XF ) allow you to choose 17s with higher profile tyres in a higher spec model.

 

Merc E Class, non-AMG 2l diesel 4x4 estate - 17s, 55 ratio

 

And each of these is a more sound deadened car. Skoda is less so and cannot afford to add noise because of the wheels.

Sadly we are in the minority, the majority of people see low profile tyres as a selling point, there will be more posters here who have put bigger wheels on their cars than smaller ones.

 

The funniest thing about low profile tyres relates to Formula 1 where the tyre makers want to introduce low profile tyres so they are closer to road car tyres but the teams do not want them, the reason . . . . . . 

 

 

 

low profile tyres would make the cars slower!

Just checked the German config.

 

You can get a 2l TSI with 16 inch wheels !  Even 17s sold as an option. Here we start at 18s and low profile tyres - and our roads are noisier. 

If Skoda UK b-s us about being needed for the car they are just bringing themselves into disrepute. LET PEOPLE CHOOSE.

 

It is most frustrating.

15 minutes ago, Meow said:

Just checked the German config.

 

You can get a 2l TSI with 16 inch wheels !  Even 17s sold as an option. Here we start at 18s and low profile tyres - and our roads are noisier. 

If Skoda UK b-s us about being needed for the car they are just bringing themselves into disrepute. LET PEOPLE CHOOSE.

 

It is most frustrating.

 

Assuming the rest of the German spec car is the same, brakes for example. I'm sure they are, but that's usually the limiting thing for 16" wheels. 17" should clear everything I would have thought though.

I think probably 17s would be an ideal choice for this car. With a higher profile ratio too. 

 

If only Skoda would lettuce decide.

 

I'd like to be able to choose this on any engine and spec.

The larger wheels look a bit nicer but spoil the ride and the noise level (P7) on 18 or 19 inch ruins any pretense that the Superb is a luxury vehicle.

 

Only reasons I didn't downgrade is because

a) minimal test drive was a second hand diesel on 17” even then the road noise concerned me, wife phoned with an emergency and only had less than 5 minutes in passenger seat.

 

b) not willing to get less for no discount on price.

 

c) salesman told me with DCC it would be a magic carpet ride

 

d) was an impulse buy

 

 

After almost 18 months (very low mileage, mind) still not bonded with the car....not as great an experience as my heart initially wanted to think.

 

 

Will the dealer swap floor stock with higher profile? I got mine to swap 19 for 18. I would indeed prefer 17 tho.

 

I am just about to fit (probably) Michelin Primacy 4's chasing better NVH vs ContiSportContact 5 that's there now. The only tyre that can be heard from SPACE!

 

Not that many 235/45R18 quiet tyres available here in Australia. Bridgestone Serenity Plus are awesome, but not available here in that size. 

Edited 10 July, 20196 yr by digifish

Of course you are free to go after-market 16 or 17"

It's a UK thing.

 

We seem hell bent on fitting as big a wheel as possible, 'for looks'. I'm just back from Sweden and you see similar spec vehicles on smaller wheels - whether Skoda, other VW Group, BMW, Merc etc. And I've observed the same in France and Germany.

 

It can look quite odd at first, but the main issue here is choice - there's no reason that buyers can't have several wheel size options. Aside from brake clearance as Ross has pointed out of course, but most should be able to run a 17" as the smallest wheel size.

 

Ran into the same issue with my Tiguan that's just arrived - 19s as std. Thankfully there was a perfectly nice 18" option and being an SUV runs some quite compliant 235/55 section tyres. Happy days!

Recently bought a SEL Executive on 235/18/R40. Was disappointed with the ride quality which I had been expecting to be much better than my previous Octavia. So have spent another £1000 buying 17" wheels an 55 profile tyres. Not fitted yet but crossed fingers will bring an improvement.

Lot of negative comment on the bigger wheels so to balance things up .... I absolutely love the handling and ride quality on the 19 inch Vegas fitted to my 280 .  

I'm sure it's the UK importer who agrees the spec

I don't want big wheels but would worry about resale value of non-standard 

Sadly another reason to move away from Skoda

 

The UK office must be staffed by people who thing big wheels are cool, maybe the roads of Milton Keynes are smooth so they ride well,  but certainly not case in Surrey where smaller wheels and 55-60 ratio tyres would be much better.

 

 

When I bought my SEL I had to specify  super rowi self sealing tyres , even though I didn't want them but they came in 17"

When it arrived it had Continental eco tyres so go figure. I think they are a bit hard so noisier than I thought but I am looking forward to changing them for something quieter when they wear out. At least I have the right size wheels!

My superb ordered in Sweden have 17" as standard and will have 16" on winter tires

 

I havent really compared noise but I don't think its worth the money to upgrade. 

It will also be 15mm higher due to rough road package.. not really going for the sporty look I guess 😛

Of course, if you are to make an aftermarket change to 17s where 18s are the standard supply, then I belive you also have to see to different brake discs or somesuch. Plus there's the insurance hassles.  And the cost.  And tbe re-sale complication.  

 

 

While you can get 17, 55 on an SEL, that's only on the little 1.4 or 1.5 engine. 

 

 

A general point about new sale Skoda fitted tyres. I hate that they have recently been using noisier brands Pireli, Continental.  There has been a time when they came with Dunlops - typically quiet. If asked, a salesman might blurt out in ignorance, oh yes Skoda engineers will have determined what best suits the car.  I seriosly doubtbit. Much more likely its a case of just what deal had been negotiated and never mind the noise. Seriously.

My gripe is that Skoda UK seem to choose oddball sizes that are not popular and so very expensive.

 

Hadn't noticed that, at least not on mine. 

 

Fwiw, brands that tend to be quiet include Goodyear e.g Eagle F1 summer and Ultragrip winter, Michelin CrossClimate a great tyre, some Dunlops ( but I recall reported wear issues on certain ones.).

 

In genral Perilli and Conti reoprted as noisier tyres  - the last thing you need on sub-luxury Skodas.

FWIW is you watch this video, higher profile is not necessarily quieter within the same make and model tyre. Here the 18" (VS 17 and 19) had the lowest in-car noise while the 17" had the smoothest ride (Noise vs Harshness). It would have to do with resonant frequency of the tyre and the cars resonant frequency of it's suspension/body/cabin etc. However Make/Model of tyre can definitely have a huge difference.

 

Start watching at 5:36

 

if you 

Edited 11 July, 20196 yr by digifish

5 hours ago, Meow said:

Of course, if you are to make an aftermarket change to 17s where 18s are the standard supply, then I belive you also have to see to different brake discs or somesuch. Plus there's the insurance hassles.  And the cost.  And tbe re-sale complication.  

 

While you can get 17, 55 on an SEL, that's only on the little 1.4 or 1.5 engine. 

 Czech configurator lets you pair largest engine with 16"s, sportline However has 18" as standard there. So its really just Skoda UK trying to be cool 😛

Edited 11 July, 20196 yr by pjkw

11 hours ago, xman said:

My gripe is that Skoda UK seem to choose oddball sizes that are not popular and so very expensive.

 

 

Noticed this too. My Tiguan and my Dad's Karoq run different sized rubber on the same sized 18" wheel. The Karoq runs a 215, two sizes narrower - most odd.

2 minutes ago, Wardy said:

 

Noticed this too. My Tiguan and my Dad's Karoq run different sized rubber on the same sized 18" wheel. The Karoq runs a 215, two sizes narrower - most odd.

It's a PITA for the 235/40 R19 that the Sportline uses.  A choice of 2 all-season tyres and decent Summer rubber is much more expensive than other R19's and even some R20's, in the same tyre! 

Is that the Karoq Sportline? That's just daft, having a 40-profile on something in that category....

15 minutes ago, Wardy said:

Is that the Karoq Sportline? That's just daft, having a 40-profile on something in that category....

No, Superb.  

 

If I had a Kodiaq Sportline then I'd likely not have an issue and would just fit newly released Quatrac 5 Pro tyres.