Apologies if this has been asked before.

I have just bought a late 2015 L&K Yeti. The last time I had to worry about tyres (or even cars) was over 30 years ago but sadly due to circumstances I am now back in charge of my own destiny.

The two back tyres need replacing. It came with Goodyear Run Flat tyres. The tyre company I went to were surprised that it had run flats and questioned whether a Yeti should have them and whether they are compatible with the TPM?

I said I would take advice before I got back to them.

Any intelligence with be gratefully absorbed!

There is no harm in having them.

You have a TPMS so you will know if you get a puncture as long as you set tyre pressures and the TPMS.

 

TPMS were designed and introduced for that very reason.

 

Just do not get Run Flats fitted to replace the run flats that are on if you do not want them.  Do you have a spare wheel and tool kit?

Edited 3 February, 20206 yr by Roottootemblowinootsoot

Just a question but aren't run flats supposed to have a different wheel/rim?

Experts say no,  But then plenty take run flats off a MINI / BMW and fit non run flat tyres.  Or vice versa.

 

The thing is we do not know what wheels @HelenandCo  has on the Yeti & if OEM.

 

Are they actually Goodyear Run Flat and not Goodyear Selfseal tyres?

Lets assume since the post said Run Flat they are that.

Edited 3 February, 20206 yr by Roottootemblowinootsoot

32 minutes ago, Roottootemblowinootsoot said:

Experts say no,  But then plenty take run flats off a MINI / BMW and fit non run flat tyres.  Or vice versa.

 

The thing is we do not know what wheels @HelenandCo  has on the Yeti & if OEM.

 

Are they actually Goodyear Run Flat and not Goodyear Selfseal tyres?

Lets assume since the post said Run Flat they are that.

Best thing I ever did was take the run flats off my mini, they where awful.

They are Run Flat. No I don't have a spare wheel but getting one is next on my list. What is OEM? 

The 2 front ones are virtually new so it would be more cost effective, for now at least to just replace the back ones - if they are safe.

Original Equipment manufacturer.   So the standard fit wheels the cars left the factory with.

 

Does the car ride comfortably enough?    & what size are the tyres?   Someone here can tell you the standard fitment.

1 hour ago, john999boy said:

Just a question but aren't run flats supposed to have a different wheel/rim?

 

I was also under the Impression that proper run flats needed a different wheel, one that doesn't have a well in it.  

Tyres are 225/50 R17 98W. My first thought on a test drive was that the suspension was very hard. I think now probably down to the tyres. However, having got used to it it does ride comfortably enough...

 

1 hour ago, HelenandCo said:

run flats and questioned whether a Yeti should have them

 

Run flat tyre need different type rims from normal tyres.

EH2+ is the marking that is on the inside of the wheel for runflat tyres.

Extended humps on both sides.

They can look inside the wheel to see if the rim is suitable for a run flat tyre?

 

Thanks AG Falco

 

copied  from a tyre web site 

 

Are run flat wheels different?

The short answer: yes. Run-flat tires and regular tires that are the same numeric size will have the same physical dimensions, and can fit properly on the same wheels. The only difference with run-flat wheels is they usually have an extra hump behind the bead seat.

Do you have a photo of the wheels?

Also the suspension with be different.

Have Skoda ever sold a car with run flats?

 

Thanks AG Falco

17 minutes ago, AGFalco said:

Have Skoda ever sold a car with run flats?

No.

I don't want to stir things even more but are you aware of the insurance implications of having (presumably) different wheels or (potentially) incorrect tyres?

Edited 3 February, 20206 yr by john999boy

 

4 minutes ago, john999boy said:

21 minutes ago, AGFalco said:

Have Skoda ever sold a car with run flats?

No.

 

So my suspicion would be a previous owner fitted run flat tyres to the incorrect standard wheels that came with the car.

Probably done because the car had no spare tyre/wheel.

 

Thanks AG Falco

Thanks guys. Seems I have opened a can of worms that has not filled me with joy!  I'll take a photo of the wheels tomorrow, For now all I want is a safe insured car. I haven't yet spoken to the dealers I got it from. May be worth a try tomorrow?

11 minutes ago, HelenandCo said:

Thanks guys. Seems I have opened a can of worms that has not filled me with joy!  I'll take a photo of the wheels tomorrow, For now all I want is a safe insured car. I haven't yet spoken to the dealers I got it from. May be worth a try tomorrow?

If they are standard Yeti wheels then they are not suitable or safe to use with run flat tyres.

I don't know what spec your car is but if it doesn't have a tyre pressure monitoring system then it cannot legally use run flat tyres.

I have been involved with Yetis since they were first sold here and they have never been offered with run flat tyres.

I suggest you go back to the seller and insist that they fit proper legal tyres.

The Run Flat tyres are not dangerous.  They will just not work as run flats if there was a puncture. 

They might come off the rims if you carried on driving. As non run flats would.

If they are the correct speed and load rating then they are not a danger.  

 

By the 1st January 2015 every new car in the UK had to have a TPMS fitted.

Skoda introduced them as standard before that.  Spec made no difference.   The OP says a late 2015 L&K Yeti.

Edited 3 February, 20206 yr by Roottootemblowinootsoot

If in any doubt, email the manufacturer Customer Services and get them to confirm one way or the other whether they consider that tyre to be safe on your vehicle. Ensure any answer they give you is in a printable format; email, letter.

 

I got conflicting information on what was the correct pressure for my cold weather tyres. I contacted the manufacturer, Nokian, and they emailed me back the pressure they recommended. The Skoda wheel and tyre info sheet inside the fuel flap recommended 2.4 bar (35psi), Nokian recommended 2.7 bar (39psi) which was the one I went with. 

Interesting, as the Nokian web site states:

 

Quote

Nokian Tyres has tested the winter tyre pressures for most of the car models. The indication has been that the number should be 0,2 bar (20kpa) higher than the recommended summer tyre pressure. This is due to to different construction in a winter tyre and the effect of cold to the pressure. You can check your vehicle’s manual for the recommended tyre pressure. Note: Always measure pressure when the tyres are cold.

 

So it seems they can't offer consistent advice.

 

Note also the passage I've highlighted in red: that could be read as tending to confirm one of the suggestions I've seen about why winter tyre pressures should be set higher.  The theory goes: the assumption is that, in countries where switching to winter tyres has been* the norm, people usually keep their cars in a garage which can be noticeably warmer than the outside temperature - hence setting the tyre pressures higher in winter in such countries (where they tend to have much colder winters than is the norm in the UK) because when the car is taken outside the tyres will get colder and lose pressure.

 

There is also this web site (which I believe has been referenced a number of times on Briskoda for its winter tyre reviews) which states:

 

Quote

It is not necessary to inflate winter tyres differently than you would summer tyres. It is important to check your tyre pressures every two weeks, and to do so while the tyres are cold.

 

The Yeti owner's manual used to recommend the additional 0.2 bar for winter tyres (in the General Maintenance - Wheels and Tyres section).  The advice was removed from the new-look 2013 owner's manual.  Whether that was because the advice was deemed to be incorrect, or they just decided to leave it out, is unclear.

 

There seems to be a lot of misinformation, misunderstanding and myth in this area.  The thread I linked to above (also below) probably covers most of it!

 

 

* With the increasing availability of all season tyres which carry the TPMSF certification, I'd expect the use of dedicated winter tyres to be declining even in mainland Europe and the Nordic countries (except where studded tyres are accepted/required).

Edited 4 February, 20206 yr by ejstubbs

You missed the point of my post. Get the answer from the horses mouth, someone who could be held accountable if the information provided was found to be incorrect.

 

If the information I received was incorrect and the tyre subsequently suffered a catastrophic failure I had the email to prove I was following the advice provided by the manufacturer. Which is obviously much better than having a printout of an opinion of a user name on an internet forum.

Thank you all for your information and advice. I spoke to Skoda customer service who told me to speak to my local approved Skoda retailer. Their advice was to put regular tyres back on it. So that's what I'm doing. I will be very interested to feel the difference in the ride as it is very hard at the moment. I will also invest in a spare tyre (it seems ridiculous to me that a 4x4 comes without one as standard).

My 14 reg L & k  4 x 4 came with a 16 in spare .........but  no TPMS!

45 minutes ago, HelenandCo said:

Thank you all for your information and advice. I spoke to Skoda customer service who told me to speak to my local approved Skoda retailer. Their advice was to put regular tyres back on it. So that's what I'm doing.

Have the wheels been confirmed as OEM or suitable for run flats though as you may be starting a different mixed up conundrum?

Here is a picture of one. I will take advic when the tyre fitter comes this evening. Cars were never this complicated in my day - nor did they have computers.