My SEL EXec has Goodyear 215. 45 R18 tyres.  I am aware low profile tyres are noisier. However I find that i can feel the roughness of the road surface through the steering wheel . It varies depending upon how smooth the surface is. Tyre pressures are correct. Dealer has done a test drive and say this is normal. Not sure I believe him.  I wonder what experience others have had with low profile tyres on 18" wheels.

215/45R18 low profile as in 45% of 215 mm.   But not really rubber band low.    Your car will be normal, instead of them driving yours, you drive another.  Pressures might be correct but is that lower than the ECO / high pressure.      Bigger wheels lower profile tyres can be crashy but a 17" wheel with a 215 tyre and more profile can be as noisy.  Same rubber on the road.     Ps. Whoever from the dealership drove your car will have a top of range model and not be driving on 195/ 65r 16 tyres. 

Edited 22 August, 20223 yr by roottoot

Mine has the same tyres and I feel the road surface but even 16/17 inch you feel the road surface 

2 hours ago, skoda1982 said:

Mine has the same tyres and I feel the road surface but even 16/17 inch you feel the road surface 

 

Although you still feel the road surface with 205/60R16 and 205/55R17 tyres, compared to 215/45R18 these bigger sidewalled tyre sizes will make the road bumps feel softer, ie. give a better ride.

 

Keep going to even higher sidewalled 205/70R15 tyres, perhaps fitted to 6Jx15 ET35 or 6Jx15 ET38 rims, and the Kamiq could start to ride like a Rolls Royce.

 

Compared to the 205/70R15 tyre size, the 215/45R18 tyre size is often twice the price.

 

Vredestein Quatrac 5 205/70R15 96T (all-season tyre with the 3PMSF symbol, so good all year round including snow)

 https://www.camskill.co.uk/m138b0s7998p144823/Vredestein_Tyres_All_Season_Car_Vredestein_Quatrac5_Vredestein_Quatrac_5_-_205_70_R15_96T_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_C_NoiseClass%3A_A_Noise%3A_69dB

 

Yokohama Geolander A/T G015 205/70R15 96H (all-terrain tyre, so good on muddy tracks where normal road tyres can really struggle, ie. get stuck)

https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/yokohama/geolandar-at-g015/205/70/R15/H/96/m?tyre=35841793

 

6Jx15 ET35 5/100 57.1 steel rim

https://www.oponeo.pl/felga-stalowa/vw-w21-19547013091#20860106

 

6Jx15 ET38 5/100 57.1 alloy rims (from the Fabia MK3)

https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/cs_CZ/hlinikove-disky/c/alloyWheels?q=%3ApriceAsc%3AcarType%3AFabia%2BIII%2B%282014%2B%29&text=#

 

The Kamiq uses 256mm or 276mm diameter front brakes discs, so 15" wheels will clear the front brake calipers on all models.

 

The 205/70R15 tyre size was fitted to late model Jaguar E-type cars and early model Jaguar XJS cars.

 

Jaguar E-type

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_E-Type#/media/File:1972_Jaguar_E-Type_Series_3_5.3_Front.jpg

Jaguar XJS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_XJS#/media/File:1989_Jaguar_XJS_Convertible_in_Signal_Red,_front_left.jpg

 

Edited 22 August, 20223 yr by Carlston

@poolebob you didn’t say which type of Goodyear tyres your car has (I am guessing Efficientgrip performance 2) these are basically long life Eco summer tyres (quite hard designed to last long time).  Basic physics will tell you that something that is tough and wear resistant is not going to soft, squidgy and quiet.

 

There are 2 basic ways of softening the ride, as @Carlston has said can switch to smaller rims and deeper tyres (the outside circumference is about the same), or can switch to softer tyre.

 

In general any tyre with sport or Eco in its name is firm.  They can actually become very hard in cooler temperatures, and for many wet grip falls off below about +10c, and becomes hopeless as you approach 0c.    If you change to all season tyres they will be quieter (and grip lot better November-March)

 

However the 215/45 R18 size is rather obscure so this means only get limited selection of tyres (and they cost more).  There are only 3 good all seasons in that size : Continental all season contact; Hankook kinergy 4S2, Vredestein Quatrac Pro.   There are some mid range tyres too Maxxis, Goodride etc in that size.    Prices vary so which you can get might determine your choice (note all season tyre prices tend to jump mid September as people prepare for colder weather, so if going to get them order soon, even if not fitted until few weeks later)

 

 

Rocking about in the South of England with Geolanders on 15" wheels fitted to a Kamiq is a bit of overkill.

Then you have to remember as winter tyres they are pretty crap. 

But then until you use tyres you do not know these things.

 

They will smooth out the ride but not reduce the noise.

 

Edited 22 August, 20223 yr by roottoot

These are low profile.  215/40 R 17 Goodride & 205/40 R 17 TIGAR's that i ran. 

 Budget price but not budget performance and not noisy. No harsher than any other tyres in that sizes.

 

 

Edited 22 August, 20223 yr by roottoot

23 minutes ago, roottoot said:

Rocking about in the South of England with Geolanders on 15" wheels fitted to a Kamiq is a bit of overkill.

Then you have to remember as winter tyres they are pretty crap.

 

Anyone who drives across muddy fields and muddy tracks in the summer could get stuck if they don't have all-terrain tyres. For winter it's probably best to change to something with the 3PMSF symbol.

 

All-terrain tyres don't appear to be available in the 205/60R16, 205/55R17, and 215/45R18 tyre sizes...at least not Bridgestone or Yokohama.

 

Edited 22 August, 20223 yr by Carlston

@CarlstonYou never answer what you drive yourself and where when i ask.  Do you use any of the tyres you recommend or suggest?

 

The OP never mentioned muddy fields or tracks, they have a Kamiq on 18" wheels. 

Here's a previous thread where a Kamiq owner was very pleased with the ride improvement when he changed from 215/45R18 tyres to 205/55R17 tyres.

 

Can I change from 18" wheels to 16" wheels?

 

6 hours ago, poolebob said:

My SEL EXec has Goodyear 215. 45 R18 tyres.  I am aware low profile tyres are noisier. Tyre pressures are correct.

 

Your right, they are noisier. But something I find weird whenever I read people talking about correct pressures on a forum or the dealership or tyre centre set tyres 'at the correct pressure' ifor me,  is nobody ever bothers to ask how is the car typicaly used. How can the dealership set the pressures when they don't know how I use my car?

 

I don't have a Kamiq but both my Skodas have two sets of pressures on the fuel cap. The first is for 3 people + luggage and the 2nd for 5 people and luggage. What I tend to find is when someone sets the pressure for my cars, they select the upper limit.  If like me, it rare there's more than one or two people in the car, the pressure should be even lower than that written on the fuel cap.

 

If the noise is annoyingly loud, I'd revisit the pressure question again. I'm just guessing but perhaps they're still over inflated for the way you use your car?

If you want official Kamiq wheels

16 inch are Castor, Alaris, Orion, Nanuq (see page 59 of link)

 

https://www.skoda.co.uk/_doc/639a0118-4da5-446b-a786-86e1f789b57b

 

205/60 R16 tyres are much cheaper than 215/45 R18s and widely available in usual 3 seasonal variants (summer, winter, all season).  There is only 3mm difference in diameter (which is equivalent to 1.5mm of tread wear) so probably won’t even notice any speedo difference

 

 

2 hours ago, SurreyJohn said:

205/60R16 tyres are much cheaper than 215/45R18

 

They certainly are much cheaper and according to a Kamiq owner (on the below thread) who has tried all three standard sizes, ie. 205/60R16, 205/55R17, 215/45R18, much more comfortable.

 

 

Vredestein Quatrac 205/60R16 96H XL

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m139b0s8005p201101/Vredestein_Tyres_All_Season_Car_Vredestein_Quatrac_6_-_205_60_R16_96H_XL_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_B_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_70dB

 

Edited 22 August, 20223 yr by Carlston

18 hours ago, SurreyJohn said:

@poolebob you didn’t say which type of Goodyear tyres your car has (I am guessing Efficientgrip performance 2) these are basically long life Eco summer tyres (quite hard designed to last long time).  Basic physics will tell you that something that is tough and wear resistant is not going to soft, squidgy and quiet.

 

There are 2 basic ways of softening the ride, as @Carlston has said can switch to smaller rims and deeper tyres (the outside circumference is about the same), or can switch to softer tyre.

 

In general any tyre with sport or Eco in its name is firm.  They can actually become very hard in cooler temperatures, and for many wet grip falls off below about +10c, and becomes hopeless as you approach 0c.    If you change to all season tyres they will be quieter (and grip lot better November-March)

 

However the 215/45 R18 size is rather obscure so this means only get limited selection of tyres (and they cost more).  There are only 3 good all seasons in that size : Continental all season contact; Hankook kinergy 4S2, Vredestein Quatrac Pro.   There are some mid range tyres too Maxxis, Goodride etc in that size.    Prices vary so which you can get might determine your choice (note all season tyre prices tend to jump mid September as people prepare for colder weather, so if going to get them order soon, even if not fitted until few weeks later)

 

 

The tyres are Goodyear Eagle 3 and run at 35psi which is pressure when lightly loaded.

I have just changed from a 1.5 SEL manual with 18” Goodyear tyres to an SE 1.0 110 dsg  on 17” Continental tyres and they are definitely quieter but not silent. Much depends on road surface and some in my area are whisper quiet, others not.

 

Another factor to consider when changing wheels is driving characteristics. My new car is much lighter to drive and more precise, though this could be as much to do with the weight over front wheels. Suspension bushings will also affect the amount of noise transmitted.