Tyre size

[philbes]

I member from 3-1/2 years ago returning.  Left when I sold my 2012 Octavia vRS. 

 

I am about to buy a 2018 Fabia SEL 1.0TSi (110) manual for my wife.  It is fitted with 215/45-16 tyres & seems over tyred to me.  My current Leon FR 1.4TSi (150) with more power, and weighing a 1/4 ton more, only has 225 section tyres.

 

I am considering changing the Fabia to 195/50-16 tyres.  These are the same rolling circumference within 0.25% so will have no discernible effect on the overall gearing and are also cheaper.

 

Can anyone tell me the rim width on this car?  Is my suggested tyre size fitted to any model of Fabia MkIII?

[Ootohere]

Is the car coming to you with tyres due replacing?

Surely it is not cheaper replacing tyres before they need replaced.

 

They really are not over tyred,  it is what Skoda decided would suit a Fabia in the UK.

The Mk2 only had 205 tyres on the Monte Carlo or vRS when on 17" rims.   Some of us with them went to 215 tyres as VW, SEAT & Audi had them on the Polo, Ibiza or A1.

 

Is it not best to see how the car is as it comes and change tyres when replacement tyres are required. 

[brian245]

Depending which wheel design it has, it could be 6 inch or 7 inch.

Either width can take your 195/50 which is compatible with rim widths from 5.5-7 inch.

Personally, I would stick with the original size.

 

Edited 22 December, 2022 by brian245

[Ootohere]

7J x 16 ET 46  5x100

[philbes]

Thanks for the prompt answers, comments & advice.  Good to see that people on the Briskoda forum are just as helpful as when I left 3-1/2 years ago after I sold my 2012 Octavia vRS..

 

I don't intend to change the tyres that are on the car until they are worn to an extent that needs a change.  The car is actually a 2019 reg (first registered 31/5/2019). Tyres are currently Kumho Ecsta 51 (forgotten the letters before the 51!).

 

As suggested I will evaluate what the car is like on the current tyres before deciding whether to change size when a change becomes necessary (insurance company may have a view on a different tyre size being fitted).  My wife's current car, a 2010 Clio 1.2TCE (100) is on 195/50-16 tyres which I have always thought were bigger than the car needed (bigger tyres than previous Cavalier SRi & Sierra XR4x4 had fitted!).

[nta16]

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

I'm with you I think cars now are (well) oversized for tyres (and wheels).

 

I think for decades now wheels have been over sized and tyres too wide, and to fill the wheel arches, all about fashion.  It used to be the wheels were to take the weight of the car and fit over the brakes.  Bigger brakes needed bigger wheels, then on to willy-waving look how fast my car is it needs big wheels. 😄  The tyres also need to be wide and ultra low profile for looks and show how sporty the car is, even if it's just a low powered shopping trolley.  😄

 

I'd prefer the car on 14" steel wheels but that's just me, if someone wants 19" perambulator wheels that's fine, just not for me.  Before before the SRi and XR1X4, Cortina times, 70 was low profile. 😄

 

Edited 22 December, 2022 by nta16

[philbes]

I have done a bit more investigating and notice that some Fabias are supplied with 185/60R15 tyres on 6Jx15 ET38 wheels.  I may consider changing to these when the current tyres are worn out.  Will provide cheaper tyres and the higher side wall (+14.25mm) should give a better ride - more important to my wife than looks/road-holding/handling.  I'll take note of her comments on the car after she has driven it a few times.  She keeps her cars a long time (current Clio for 11 years) so the cost of changing wheels is not that significant. 

 

nta16 - I agree with your comments on tyre size increase on cars over the years.  The standard tyres on my mid-1970s company 2-litre Cortina were 165/80-13 but it was supplied with the optional 185/70-13 tyres; not my choice as the cars were then on long delivery and that was the first available car (colour was Purple Velvet + rust).  Those 'huge' tyres were commented on by colleagues whose company Cortinas had the standard tyres.

[nta16]

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

Wheel size is model spec still, my wife's 2015 Fabia Mk3 has 15" wheels with 185/60 r15 tyres (lovely mix of measurements) when we ran them at "Eco" pressure 35 psi the rolling resistance was less so presumably (fractionally) more fuel economy but the handling was less so more interesting (relatively) and the potholes a bit more noticeable.  Dropping back to 30 psi we felt was better overall for us.  Tried this with different tyres (makes and models) with the same results for us.

 

2.0 Cortina you must have been well thought of in the company.  My mate's dad had a new 1974 Mk3 2000E, purple with black vinyl roof, when he passed it on, with very low mileage and FSH, to his son who ruined it with 80s inset aftermarket glass tilt sunroof and false bling chrome wire wheels.  My wife got use of that car for a year in the early 90s, but I had to use in that winter snow, it had oversized wheels and tyres (185/70 up from 175/70 IIRC) fun until someone boxed me in at the front and angled insert kerb behind me, luckily a passerby rocked and slid the back end on the snow to help me out, people still knew such stuff then, lost on BMW drivers now.  My wife drove my Skoda Estelle 2 (saloon) instead, funnily enough that never had any trouble in the even without sandbags in the now "frunk", plenty of wheel arch clearance for snow build up from the 13" wheels.  😄

 

Stories from the last millennium.  😆

 

Edited 22 December, 2022 by nta16

[Ootohere]

My 1970 Mk2 Cortina Delux had a 2000 E engine and auto gearbox fitted. 

I put it into a very solid wall. 

My 2.8 Auto Granada had Winter Remould tyres. 

  I really would not want to be driving either these days.   I do like a FWD car on tyres that hold the road, track straight and go around corners. 

Edited 22 December, 2022 by toot

[Carlston]

19 hours ago, philbes said:

I member from 3-1/2 years ago returning.  Left when I sold my 2012 Octavia vRS. 

 

I am about to buy a 2018 Fabia SEL 1.0TSi (110) manual for my wife.  It is fitted with 215/45-16 tyres & seems over tyred to me.  My current Leon FR 1.4TSi (150) with more power, and weighing a 1/4 ton more, only has 225 section tyres.

 

I am considering changing the Fabia to 195/50-16 tyres.  These are the same rolling circumference within 0.25% so will have no discernible effect on the overall gearing and are also cheaper.

 

Can anyone tell me the rim width on this car?  Is my suggested tyre size fitted to any model of Fabia MkIII?

 

The Fabia MK3 should have come with 175/70R14, 185/60R15, and 195/50R16.

 

As always, VAG goes bonkers on the final size and instead of fitting 195/50R16 fits 215/45R16 in order to impress gullible potential owners in the showroom.

 

I would have gone for the 1.0TSI 95HP instead of 110HP because the slightly lower powered car uses smaller 256mm front discs which means that 14" rims will clear the front brake calipers.

 

Unfortunately on the 1.0TSI 110HP car, Skoda have fitted bigger 288mm front brake discs which means that you have to fit a minimum of 15" rims.

 

The 215/45R16 is fitted to 7Jx16 ET46 5/100 57.1 rims. Changing to 195/50R16 will allow you to use less offset, with ET35 to ET38 being fine. Changing the offset from ET46 to ET35 will increase the front and rear track by 22mm giving a better stance.

 

However, on the Fabia MK3 110HP car, I would probably go for 195/60R15 on the standard 6Jx15 ET38 5/100 57.1 rims. 195/60R15 has an outside diameter 2.0% bigger than 185/60R15, but 195/60R15 is a cheaper tyre size than 185/60R15 and on the 6J rim will noticeably improve the ride comfort especially if you lower the tyre pressures by about 3psi (0.2 Bar). You can lower the tyre pressures because the bigger 195/60R15 can support the same amount of weight as the 185/60R15 with about 3psi (0.2 Bar) less tyre pressure. This is because it has a higher load index. 88(560kg) instead of 84(500kg). When a used 195/60R15 tyre has 6mm of tread wear, it will have exactly the same outside diameter as a new 185/60R15.

 

Vredestein Quatrac 195/60R15 88H

https://www.blackcircles.com/catalogue/vredestein/quatrac/195/60/R15/H/88/m?tyre=41007440

 

6Jx16 ET35 5/100 57.1 steel rims

https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/details?vehicleId=1087670437300683876&rimCode=ALCAR6664

 

6Jx16 ET35 5/100 57.1 alloy rims (from the Scala)

https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/en_CZ/alloy-wheels/c/alloyWheels?q=%3ApriceAsc%3AcarType%3AScala%2B%282019%2B%29&text=#

 

Edited 22 December, 2022 by Carlston

[Ootohere]

Go back to the first pages in this section.

 

Skoda were spinning a roomier, wider, wider track, lighter, more efficient All New 3rd generation model with connectivity.

Well some were lighter than ones that had been heavier when it was Mk2 Fabias. 

Mk 3's had a tornado line. some had a wider track.  

 

They handled better than the cars previously.  & that was without a whole new platform. Not even new Type Approval. 

 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/332414-road-test-reviews-on-the-all-new-3rd-generation-fabia-due-in-2015

 

 

 

Edited 22 December, 2022 by toot

[philbes]

Thanks, Carlston, for taking the time to type all that.  Useful info & gives me lots to think about. I hadn't realised that the 110 had bigger front brakes than the 95.

[nta16]

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

54 minutes ago, Carlston said:

has 6mm of tread wear

The Avon ZT7 I had put on my wife's car start at 6.5mm, and seem to wear quite quickly.  I knew they started at 6.5mm by all the whinging in various places by those that thought all ("summer") tyres started at 8mm.  🙂

 

Imagine a concrete ditchfinder 195/60 r15 trying to wear to catch the 185/60 r15 ZT7 on diameter, though it's all nominal.

 

As with much in life the cold figures don't always give the full story, never mind the width feel the quality (not that I'm old enough to have really seen that!). 😄

 

[Carlston]

19 minutes ago, nta16 said:

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

The Avon ZT7 I had put on my wife's car start at 6.5mm, and seem to wear quite quickly.  I knew they started at 6.5mm by all the whinging in various places by those that thought all ("summer") tyres started at 8mm.  🙂

 

Imagine a concrete ditchfinder 195/60 r15 trying to wear to catch the 185/60 r15 ZT7 on diameter, though it's all nominal.

 

As with much in life the cold figures don't always give the full story, never mind the width feel the quality (not that I'm old enough to have really seen that!). 😄

 

 

The point about the 6mm tread wear comment is to show that there's not a massive difference in the outside diameter of 185/60R15 and 195/60R15 tyres.

 

Let's say you have new 195/60R15 tyres with 7.6mm of tread depth. The tread wears down by 6mm, so that they only have 1.6mm of tread depth remaining. The 195/60R15 tyres will now have exactly the same outside diameter as new 185/60R15 tyres.

 

It's better to consider the percentage difference, and 195/60R15 have an outside diameter 2.0% bigger than 185/60R15 when both tyres are new. However, not everyone has a good grasp of percentages.

 

Edited 22 December, 2022 by Carlston

[Ootohere]

@Carlstonyou must well know that you can have tyres with the same sizes on the tyre walls from different manufacturers, say Pirelli Zero Nero v Dunlop Sport Maxx and put them on rims and measure the circumference with a tape measure and you get a different figure.

 

There are 205/40 R 17's from some that actually are the same circumference as 215/40 R 17's from others.  

 

Real world, not just imagination.  

[Carlston]

8 minutes ago, toot said:

@Carlstonyou must well know that you can have tyres with the same sizes on the tyre walls from different manufacturers, say Pirelli Zero Nero v Dunlop Sport Maxx and put them on rims and measure the circumference with a tape measure and you get a different figure.

 

There are 205/40 R 17's from some that actually are the same circumference as 215/40 R 17's from others.  

 

Real world, not just imagination.  

 

The outside diameter of the tyres that I've measured have all been within about 1% of what they are supposed to be...and I've measured quite a few.

 

If tyre manufacturers make the outside diameters of their tyres far too big the speedometer could under-read...and that would be illegal.

 

I do tend to buy premium brands, so maybe that helps.

 

I certainly wouldn't buy Pirelli...too many bad experiences with Italian products...and their poor customer service.

 

Edited 22 December, 2022 by Carlston

[Ootohere]

@Carlston

you certainly know all the scores on the doors and i believe you might well take a tape measure to tyres, and that you buy premium tyres for small diameter and narrow wheels.

 

You never tell us what you drive though, or where you drive. 

My nose bothers me about if you actually work on vehicles or sell parts. 

 

Having the same rims and different tyres of the same size but for different uses is a good time to get out the tape measure.

Edited 22 December, 2022 by toot

[Carlston]

25 minutes ago, toot said:

@Carlston

you certainly know all the scores on the doors and i believe you might well take a tape measure to tyres, and that you buy premium tyres for small diameter and narrow wheels.

 

I once looked at a new VW Golf MK4 when it first came out, so in the late 1990's. It was fitted with 175/80R14 tyres. Those looked a bit too narrow for that car. The salesmen said he could supply the car at no extra cost fitted with 205/55R16 tyres. That seemed a bridge too far. Can I have 195/65R15 I asked as those looked just about right for the car? The special offer is only for 205/55R16 he said, so I walked.

 

Over the years, cars are being fitted with bigger and bigger outside diameter tyres. That's a good thing because you get a better ride.

 

For example, take the 155/60R15 and 155/60R20 tyre sizes. The 155/60R15 tyre size has a 74 (375kg) load index, whereas the 155/60R20 has an 80 (450kg) load index. That a 20% increase in the load carrying capacity of the tyre, with the only difference being a 5" increase in diameter. So if you had a car that had 155/60R15 size tyres that used 36psi tyre pressure, you could change to 155/60R20 size tyres and use 30psi. The effect of this lower tyre pressure is a 20% increase in the length of the contact patch of the tyre with the road, and that would make a huge improvement in the ride comfort...unless the original ride was so good that you had no complaints...which would be unlikely because modern cars are set up quite stiffly for body control.

 

Edited 22 December, 2022 by Carlston

[Ootohere]

@Carlston

What is it you drive and on what size wheels / tyres? 

[Carlston]

28 minutes ago, toot said:

@Carlston

What is it you drive and on what size wheels / tyres? 

 

I'm looking at getting a new car soon.

 

Maybe a Citigo on oversize 185/70R13 tyres. The 13" rims won't clear the front brake calipers but I suspect smaller 239mm front brake discs from a VW Polo MK3 could be made to fit.

 

Or a Fabia MK4 on oversize 195/70R14 tyres.

 

Or an Octavia MK4 on oversize 205/70R15 tyres.

 

Or a Kodiaq on oversize 215/70R16 tyres.

 

If the Citigo had a single cylinder 500cc petrol engine producing power 37.5HP @ 6,000rpm and torque 50Nm @ 4,000rpm and a 37.5HP electric motor to bring total power up to 75HP and a battery of 30KWh I might go for that. The 37.5HP engine could be geared at 14mph/1,000rpm so that at 56mph (an economical cruising speed) the engine would be producing maximum torque, ie. 4,000rpm. Top speed on petrol power alone could be 84mph.

 

 

 

Edited 22 December, 2022 by Carlston

[Ootohere]

The Citigo iV is what it is & has a usable battery capacity of over 30 kWh and a 61 kW (82 hp) motor.

Adding an ICE and fuel tank makes no sense, there are BMW i3 Range Extenders to buy used if someone wants that and room in the car. 

 

Max legal speed in the UK with NSL's are 70 mph. 

Edited 22 December, 2022 by toot

[nta16]

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

13 hours ago, Carlston said:

The point about the 6mm tread wear comment is to show that there's not a massive difference in the outside diameter of 185/60R15 and 195/60R15 tyres.

 

Let's say you have new 195/60R15 tyres with 7.6mm of tread depth. The tread wears down by 6mm, so that they only have 1.6mm of tread depth remaining. The 195/60R15 tyres will now have exactly the same outside diameter as new 185/60R15 tyres.

 

It's better to consider the percentage difference, and 195/60R15 have an outside diameter 2.0% bigger than 185/60R15 when both tyres are new. However, not everyone has a good grasp of percentages.

Sorry, I wasn't disagreeing with your idea just pointing out the variances and nominal sizes.  I understand your use of percentage to relate it to the 3% for speedo.  Tyres get complicated for fitment, perhaps the nominal radius in mm of the two compared tyres might give the size similarity but then that could be misunderstood too.

 

I used to put up links to specifications to show even the same make and model of tyre could vary over different sizes in nominal width to profile, load index and rim fit but many don't like looking at specification tables and the one i think I used to use as an example no longer shows actual widths plus it's better for me especially to stick with generalisations unless doing specific comparisons.