Good day all. 

Just wondering if I can go up a size on my mk1 fabia Estate on a 56 plate. I'm currently on 14 inch and was wondering if I can put 15 inch wheels on, as the tyres are nearly at the end of their life. Would this effect the handling, speedo ect. 

Also how easy it is to fit a towbar on them. Thanks for looking 

The only problem with fitting a towbar is lifting the thing. Someone on here is probably about to tell you that you need the latest canbus interfaced VAG approved microcontroller freeze dried wiring adapter... It's not true. As long as you can do basic wiring, you just need a bypass relay.

 

Yes, the Fabia also came with 15" and 16" wheels, so fitting 15's isn't a problem.

 

If you dont want to get into comparing offsets and bolt seats and all that, the easiest thing to do is just get a set off another VAG car. Just make sure that they're 5 x100 mm fitting pattern, not 5 X 112mm or the older 4 stud fittings. So basically that's any Fabia, polo or Ibiza from this century, MK1 Octavia, TT, Golf mk3/4. 

 

As long as you stick to, or are very close to the standard tyre size Skoda used, which is 195/50/15, you won't have any Speedo issues. The handling will probably be a bit tighter. 

You don't even need a bypass relay. Will explain a little later today.

The factory 'trailer coupling' wiring is as shown here:

 

 

 

The various connections to the trailer light socket just tee off the feeds to the existing rear bulbs.  13-pin socket wiring is shown, 7-pin is obviously simpler and probably what most people will do on a car of this age.  

The function of the bypass modules that gives you a beeping in time with the direction indicators being used is actually built in to the Fabia electronics as a visual display of trailer-board indicator action, you just have to enable it by adding 1 to the coding of the onboard supply control unit, using VCDS. This is what it looks like (on my Polo) once you do this (and have a non-LED lighting board connected):

 

 

So is U10 a factory fitted 13 min trailer socket or a 13 pin generic socket that a 7 or 13 pin trailer socket can be connected to with a suitable adaptor?

 

The waters are muddied by F216, the cut out switch is normally inside the trailer socket, that they have given it a connector number makes me think its within E10 and the towing socket is fitted as standard.

 

Can you put me right?

 

I searched in vain hoping to find a factory socket containing the wire feeds I needed for my Yeti, I could not find one but that doesn't mean it isn't there, I'll be peeved to learn that it is but it would enable me to remove 2 wires running across the rear and some splice connecters, albeit Molex glycerin filled telecoms ones but vulnerable nonetheless and a potential problem.

OK, I understand now having read the column on the right, they tell you how to wire it in and where to splice into the existing loom, strange that they would give the connectors numbers.

 

Can you tell me the VCDS name for the coding parameter and where it is found just in case I have it on the Yeti.

13 minutes ago, J.R. said:

So is U10 a factory fitted 13 pin trailer socket

I believe so, yes.

It's not showing you how to do trailer coupling wiring, it's showing how it's done from the factory.

 

11 minutes ago, J.R. said:

strange that they would give the connectors number

Do you mean the A5, A6 etc? They aren't connectors, they are inline splices in the loom(s).

I very much doubt the same applies to a Yeti, but this is the 2-second coding change required on Polo 9N/Mk1 Fabia platform: VW Polo (9N) Central Electronics - Ross-Tech Wiki Can be done with VCDS Lite, probably even the unregistered version.

5 minutes ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Do you mean the A5, A6 etc?

No the F216 and A10, but now I understand that it is the wiring diagram of the factory fitted trailer wiring option which would be a different loom I understand.

 

Thansk for the VCDS coding, I will have a look sometime.

If perchance that option is available then I would have to remove the bypass relay or the additional bulb loads could not be sensed.

 

I doubt that it is given there exists a canbus node towing module.

15 hours ago, Leighfurby said:

Just wondering if I can go up a size on my mk1 fabia Estate on a 56 plate. I'm currently on 14 inch and was wondering if I can put 15 inch wheels on, as the tyres are nearly at the end of their life. Would this effect the handling, speedo ect. 

 

What is your current tyre size and rim size?

 

If you're on 165/70R14 fitted to 5Jx14 ET35 rims, there are some non-standard tyre options for those rims. 175/65R14, 185/60R14, 185/65R14, etc. Perhaps 175/65R14 would be the pick of the bunch because it's a common and cheap tyre size and will be a good fit for the 5J rims. The Skoda Citigo also uses 165/70R14 and 175/65R14 on it's 5J rims.

 

Vredestein Quatrac 5 175/65R14 82T

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m137b0s7975p134030/Vredestein_Tyres_All_Season_Car_Vredestein_Quatrac5_Vredestein_Quatrac_5_-_175_65_R14_82T_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_D_Wet_Grip%3A_C_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_69dB

 

The 175/65R14 tyre size will give you a much better ride than many of the 15" tyre sizes such as 195/50R15.

 

If you like 195's, then 195/60R14 fitted to a 6Jx14 ET43 rim will give you a much better ride than 195/50R15. However, 195/60R14 is not a common tyre size and considerably more expensive than the common and plentiful 175/65R14 tyre size.

 

Vredestein Quatrac 5 195/60R14 86H

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m137b0s7982p144833/Vredestein_Tyres_All_Season_Car_Vredestein_Quatrac5_Vredestein_Quatrac_5_-_195_60_R14_86H_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_D_Wet_Grip%3A_C_NoiseClass%3A_A_Noise%3A_69dB

 

Edited 3 October, 20223 yr by Carlston