I just wanted to start off a thread to see what other folk set their pressures on their 18" alloy wheels on their Karoq to.  I know there is an ECO pressure and a Normal pressure and a "Full load" pressure and I was interested to know what folk settle on for normal driving. I'm interested in pressures for the stock 18" wheels (215/50R18) -  otherwise it will get very messy 🙂

 

I have a 2WD 1.5TSI DSG and my tyres and pressures are:  Bridgstone Turanza T001  215/50R18 92W           35PSI all round

 

My Observations: This is between the ECO pressure and the Normal pressure ratings (label inside the fuel flap).  I do find a bit of wheelspin in the wet which is why I did not go up to full ECO pressures on the rating label but at lower (normal/unladen driving mode) pressures I find the tyres make more noise (roar) and the whole car a bit more "wallowy" over uneven surfaces.  This is my compromise.

 

Before anyone points out.......

I appreciate its only a 2WD with a small and light engine/front end and an eager DSG box so its to be expected (the spinning front wheels if its pushed to hard too quickly). It just takes a little time to adapt to it but once adapted (in the mind and right foot) its just fine.  I came from a Tiguan with Sports suspension 4WD and a 2.0L diesel lump and an old fashioned Auto box and I much prefer the Karoq with its slight wallowing suspension over the crash and bang of the sports suspension of the Tiguan "Sport"🙂. Not so keen on the less grip aspect of course but I knew that at time of purchase.  The 11Yo Tiguan (same car shape/chassis/size) as the current Karoq was way to firm and it was not a pleasure for the passengers in the rear or when driving on anything other than a billiard table smooth road).  It did stick to the road much better of course (the multi-link rear suspension probably helped there too as well as the 4WD and stiffer setup) and I could throw it around corners at alarming speeds and it never lost its footing once.   Horses for courses - I'm not complaining. I hated the phantom gear change feeling (after setting off as the haldex shifted from 50:50 to 20:80) so that made me never want Haldex 4WD again (as well as the £1K plus bill when the drivesharft seals went and the constant bills for Oil in here and Oil in there and the lower MPG etc.).

 

Cheers,

Paul

 

I found mine wallowed at 2.2bar so I’m up at 2.4 (35psi) like you. 

2.5 kg sur les quatres pneus et 2.6 chargé

Hi peps1   I hope I got this right -  2.5bar normal (36.26PSI) and 2.6bar (37.71PSI) fully loaded. 

 

Do you get a lot of wheelspin or is your Karoq a 4x4 with different size tyres to 215/50R18 92W?

 

🙂

 

Edited 22 August, 20205 yr by smipx

OK, not 18s, but I run my 17s with standard Bridgestones at 40psi all round and haven’t spun the wheels so far.  MrsDSL, however, has managed to do it twice. 🤔

So I realised that a lot of people work in the new fangled "bar" scale so to help (mainly me when I come to look back at this) I have included my inflation sticker together with a handy psi to Bar conversion table.  See for my R18 tyres they are suggesting 2.1Bar (30.4psi) for normal.  That seems crazy low to me.  Even for ECO for the R18 they are suggesting only 2.5Bar (36.2psi) and for fully laden they are suggesting the same 2.5Bar. 

 

Does anyone know what the 6ap figure is meant to be - I assume this is "atmospheric pressure" and I kind of assumed that 1BAR was 1 6ap at sea level??  the fully laden for my R18 is supposed to be 2.6 BAR and 2.7 "6ap".   Is this a special figure for high altitude locations???

 

A bit of googling tells me that 1 atm (I assume that is what they mean by "6ap") = 1.01325 bar  = 100kPa 

I don't really get how then derive the 6ap figures - I assume this is of no relevance to me 🙂

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Edited 22 August, 20205 yr by smipx

Hi DSL,

 

So far it seems everyone is running at ECO / Fully Laden (or even a bit above) pressures for everyday use (including me) then....

The reason I'm a bit paranoid is because I ran my old Tiguan at 32psi which was the figure in the fuel flap for unladen and I was told I ruined my tyres (the rubber was starting to crack in the treads) and the edges were wearing a little more than the centres.  Two seperate garages told me to "up the pressures to 37Psi" after confirming that the Tracking and balance was "spot on" (the Tig) and I did so because the evidence was pretty clear.  It made the ride as firm as a ballet dancers bottom though and I was always a bit unhappy at teh higher pressures because of that.  I was always also skeptical because the label in the flap said 32psi and I trusted teh manufacturer to tell me the right figure (it was mostly driven by just me for commuting with no load) and now I get the Karoq - the label in the flap is saying 30.5psi for "normal" with up to "3 people and up to 3 suitcases" (or what I assume is their pictorial for "normal load").   

 

I just don't trust it.

 

🙂

 

Edited 22 August, 20205 yr by smipx

For me (running at full weight pressures) is prob a habit from my Disco days, I tended to run them at max weight as it was a right PITA hiking pressures up and down when I’d have a load of camping stuff in the back.  The ride on 40psi is firm but not too firm, will try 35psi sometime to see how it is.  I know higher pressures are supposed to give better mpg figs but not sure it makes any appreciable difference.

Edited 22 August, 20205 yr by DSL

I think I might just up mine to the "full fat" 2.5Bar (36.2psi) figure, leave it there and live with any occasional wheelspin (which is rare now I know how to treat the DSG  - i.e. like a "bull in a china shop" at junctions in the wet when I'm turning left or right or if I'm starting off "uphill" in the the wet.  If its un uphill junction turning left/right in the wet and I need to make rapid progress then I will be taking it very easy - no nipping in to a "gap" in the traffic in that scenario (with a 2wd and lively DSG 🙂.  I might try "Eco" mode in those situations and see if it makes any difference.  

 

Why don’t you get a tread depth gauge, measure them now, run them for 1000 miles at a given pressure then recheck the depth? 
Mine did about 2000 miles at 2.2bar and the shoulders are about 1mm more worn than the centre. I also didn’t like how it handled so the wear convinced me to up the pressures. 
 

another thing to consider is higher front pressures and lower in the rear. I used to run my Octy Vrs at 2.4 in the front and 2.2 in the back, ride and road holding was much nicer with lower rear pressure. Depends if you regularly carry loads but if it’s just you and a front passenger I’d keep the front higher and lower the rear. 

Just taken the 18" Braga's off the wife's SEL after 26,000 miles replaced with my Superb Sportline 19" Vega's. Ran the 18" tyres at 2.5 bar all the time with even wear across the tread and was still 3mm left. Good econonmy averaging 45mpg with a best of 66.0mpg (1.5TSi manual).

I think the 6ap figure is δap (or Δap)  i.e. Delta- ap  and I interpret that to mean "In the case of a change in atmospheric pressure" (or a quite poor translation to "High Altitude" conditions) but I might be wrong....

It does make you wonder why they suggest 2.1Bar for the 18's at normal load at all - period.  Do you think it might me a typo??   If anyone runs at that they are going to get exessive outer tread wear, poorer MPG and a ride so wallowy on the standard Karoq suspension that they will get sea sick   - surely.

Edited 22 August, 20205 yr by smipx

... But better stopping distances in teh wet maybe???  There must be a reason for them to suggest it if it is not a typo. 

For my 215/50 R18 92 W

Skoda suggest on the flap 2.1/2/1 normal and 2.5/2.5 ECO

Kwik-fit suggest 2.3/2.3 F/R

Tyrepressures.com = 2.3/2.3

Michelin website specify a most precise 34.824psi ( both F/R) =  a shade over 2.4Bar

 

No-one but no-one specifies 2.1Bar or for that matter 2.5Bar.

It's a mess 🙂

 

 

 

 

Smipx,mes pneus sont bien en 18 karoq version scout donc 4x4 et pas de problème d'usure inégale

C'est vrai, un peu tape cul mais tenue de route et freinage sans reproche  😌

Let's not forget that 4x4's come with 225 wide tyres vs. the 215 width of the 2x4.

And slightly higher pressures. 👍

 

Im thinking (from my research) that there is actualy quite a bit of flexibility in the pressures that you set for your own circumstances, driving style and wishes for safety, grip, even/uneven wear and fuel economy.  There is a lower and an upper limit which one should not exceed for normal "on-road" use but within that (which for my tyres are 2.1Bar to 2.5Bar) its up to the individual to decide and adjust to fit the circumstances.  I have settled on 35psi (around 2.45Bar) for now.  I also checked my insurance and it states that the pressures must be to the manufacturers specifications or it could invalidate a claim so......... for anyone running at above the ECO / Fully laden figure please do check your insurance as should the worst happen they could screw you over. 

 

Quite why all of the websites state a different figure to any of the figures on my fuel flap label is beyond me but I am guessing that they are going over the minimum figure (as tyres can lose pressure a bit over the course of a month and also, on a cold UK winter morning, they could be a bit lower than the minimum and on a hot day they would not go over the ECO figure if kept at the mid point thus keeping you "legal" as far as insurance goes.  Just my guess. 

 

cheers

Paul

 

Currently running the wife's Karoq at 2.7 bar with 8J x 19" Skoda wheels and Bridgestone S001 235/40R19 tyres. Lower profile equals higher required pressures.

I think the stickers are a bit "Off the mark" really.

 

To my mind the first figure (on my car where it is the 2.1Bar on the R18) I think it ought to say "MIN" for "Minimum Pressures"

The ECO figure should be renamed to "NORM" for "NORMAL DRIVING / LOAD" 

and the "heavy load" figures should be left as-is.

 

I'm still not really convinced that the lower 2.1Bar figure is even right when indicated as a "Normal Pressure". I wonder how they arrived at that figure. I have my suspicions that they might have made a mistake or there is some other reason at play but I am not the expert here and I have known to be wrong on many occasion 🙂.  There are so many articles on the internet about people running around with under inflated tyres in the UK. 

 

Surely if its okay to run them all the time at what they call "ECO" then that is what should be stated as "Normal".  I bet its because they can then squeeze another 1-2mpg out of the car and get slightly lower emissions on the stricter emissions and economy tests if its on the official label. If that were the case though it would be a "never to be used" figure under normal loads but we all here are running at the higher figures.  There must be a reason we are all running at the higher figures.   The reason I started this thread was to see how many people are running at the lower (1st row) of figures and so far the answer is "no-one".  I was hoping a few people would have come back to say "I run at 2.1Bar" becasue it gives me xx% extra grip when I throw it around the corners" or "I run at 2.1Bar because it stops so much quicker in the wet at the lower pressure" but so far everyone is running at the ECO or above pressures. 

 

That's what's a bit confusing.        

 

 

I'm happily running at the lower (1st row) sticker figures, which on 4x4's, fitted with 225 mm wide tyres, are factory set 0.2 Bar higher (see pictures above).

 

Edited 23 August, 20205 yr by agedbriar

13 hours ago, agedbriar said:

I'm happily running at the lower (1st row) sticker figures, which on 4x4's, fitted with 225 mm wide tyres, are factory set 0.2 Bar higher (see pictures above).

 

Thanks for that.  Glad to know some people are.  I was beginning to wonder 🙂

 

Same for me, 2.4 bar. My motivation is not the grip, but the softer ride, as I do not have DCC and the 2.0tdi 4x4 DSG suspension is set stiffer than the lighter counterparts.