I posted this originally in the wheels channel, but have had no response, so would be very grateful for any advise;

 

 

I’m looking to replace the standard Twister 7.0J x 16" ET46 wheels that came with my Skoda Octavia MK4 SE Tech with the Vega light-alloy wheels 7.5J x 18” ET48.  Simple newbie question, will they fit, will I have any issues?

 

Sorry if I’m breaking any rules!

Yes they will fit, all mk4 Octavia use 5 bolt 112mm PCD wheels

 

I guess you have 205/60 R16 91V tyres

7.5J 18 inch rims need 225/45 R18 91W tyres

The 18 inch have outside diameter 7mm more, so when treads worn 3.5mm would be same as new 16 inch, so not worth worrying about any speedo difference.

 

The obvious question is why, the tyres are more expensive, wheels more susceptible to pothole damage, will not ride as well on poor quality tarmac (due to smaller sidewalls which absorb small surface imperfections), use more fuel, more likely to be damaged on a kerb.  Lot of downsides.  
 

If you are buying new tyres, then may I suggest getting all season tyres, modern summer tyres are not suitable for all year use in UK as they tend to be poor in cold rain, and useless in sleet, slush, snow, frost etc.

 

Hi SurreyJohn, many thanks for your informative response.  

The main reason I’m looking to upgrade the wheels is purely cosmetic, maybe I need a little rethink.

Of course they will fit. It's a completely standard Octavia wheel. Also R18 looks a million times better than R16, unless you're extremely sensitive to road surface. And 225/45 counts as a low profile tyre, but really it's pretty fat as low profile goes.

Edited 23 February, 20224 yr by zetzet

Can anyone guess why 17" Pulsar wheels are not available for iV (PHEV) model?

1 hour ago, timster said:

Can anyone guess why 17" Pulsar wheels are not available for iV (PHEV) model?

Because they want you to buy 18 or 19 so the car looks better on the road. 🙂

At this very moment the Romanian Octavia stock (visible online) includes a PHEV with the 17" wheels, which was a real surprise for me. However, it's the Rotare Aero, not the Pulsar. I don't think there's a technical reason for not using the Pulsar on PHEV; it's just very uncommon. All the PHEVs I've seen before this last one were configured with the 18" as standard and 19" as option. It's not even possible in the Romanian car Configurator to have a PHEV with the 17" wheels; I guess the one currently in stock was ordered many months ago...

 

later edit:

I doubt you'll understand much of it, but the essentials will be quite clear. The trim levels here are different from what you are used to in Western Europe; this "Ambition" trim would be level 2 out of 5, so not too fancy, hence the 17" wheels. Here it is:

https://stoc.skoda.ro/car/C-2021-0749131-RO

 

Edited 23 February, 20224 yr by SkOmk4