Hi chaps. My 2020 Karoq 1.5 TSI petrol auto has done 27k miles and needs new front tyres. I live in a semi rural location with terrible potholes. Any recommendations for what is best to buy? 
thanks in advance.

What size wheels and tyres are on your Karoq?

 

The fitters where ever you get them might say they will only put the new ones on the rear. (moving the rears to the front, so you need to say where you want the new tyres.)

?

What tyres are on now,

and have they never been swapped front to rear at any time?

 

The issue is if you fit All Season / All Weather type tyres to the front you have the original summers / ECO bias tyres still on the rear?

You will get plenty telling you that is just not 'simply clever'  & fit matching Type / size / compound etc etc.

 

Is your Karoq a FWD 1.5TSI DSG, not an AWD? 

There is a common view that putting new tyres on front is only acceptable if have at least 3.5 - 4mm of tread on the back as risk sideways tail slides during heavy braking otherwise (and don't want car swinging out into path of oncoming lorry).

 

If you live in a semi rural location, bound to have many smaller roads that suffer from muddy field run off, rutted surfaces, frost and ice etc.  So buy all season tyres.

 

Your problem is if you have never swapped tyres front-back (recommended at intervals, and if you only do it once, do it about 14k miles), is you have probably worn 2 tyres more than the other 2.  Using mix of summer tyres and all season tyres isn't a great combination either.

 

What you could do is buy 2 all season tyres, get them put on back, then buy 2 more by October (before the weather starts to get cold). Not ideal, but won't really get a problem whilst temperature is >10c.  However as temperatures fall handling will go iffy as grip will be much better on back in cold.   One caveat, shop around on internet, sometimes there are deals and buying 4 tyres together gets better price (not quite buy 3, get one free, but you get the idea).  I would never recommend using mix of summer and all season as a safe combination as a good idea longer term.

 

If you live and drive on country roads, then generally avoid summer tyres, especially anything called sport or Eco as they are aimed at good quality roads  (which is not norm in UK) in warmer weather.  They are made on assumption you switch to winter tyres November- April.

 

 

 

Edited 13 May, 20233 yr by SurreyJohn

Many thanks for all this.

1. The tyres are Bridgestone Turanza 225/40 R19 93Y all round. They were the ones supplied when I bought the car new 3 years ago.

2. They’ve done 28k miles which I suppose isn’t bad? The rear pair are fine, loads of tread.

3. I live in Surrey so don’t get real extremes of weather.

 

Any further recommendations plus approximate cost to be expected greatly appreciated.

Oh, and it’s a 1.5TSI DSG!

16 hours ago, Colchristie said:

My 2020 Karoq 1.5 TSI petrol auto has done 27k miles and needs new front tyres.

 

5 hours ago, Colchristie said:

1. The tyres are Bridgestone Turanza 225/40 R19 93Y all round. They were the ones supplied when I bought the car new 3 years ago.

2. They’ve done 28k miles which I suppose isn’t bad? The rear pair are fine, loads of tread.

3. I live in Surrey so don’t get real extremes of weather.

 

I have the same engine and the car came with same tyres from new. We managed to get half that mileage out of our front tyres. There were plenty of life in the rears.

 

If you've managed to get 28k out of the front tyres and there's still plenty of life in the rears, personally I'd replace the fronts with the same tyres.  If you still have the car in 3yrs time then I'd consider changing all four to All Season. That said I changed all four to all-season but to be honest, the cost hasn't  justified any gains so far.  I threw away two perfectly good Tuanza's on the rear.

 

PS  - I'd never entertain mixing All Season on one axle and Summer's on the other.

Edited 13 May, 20233 yr by kodiaqsportline

That’s great, many thanks.

I’m driving a 2020 Sportline 1.5 dsg also with 19in wheels and Interested that you’ve made no mention to how you find the overall ride despite the fact you say you have terrible potholes in the area. I’ve looked at changing to a smaller wheel but think the cost will be prohibitive and so I’m likely to stay with the current set up and just try to find a more ‘comfortable riding’ tyre.
Would be interested to see which tyres you choose and how they ride. 

Edited 13 May, 20233 yr by BTandSid

Good question! I’ve lower back problems so ride comfort is really important to me. I made the mistake of buying an Audi S line and a BMW 320 M a few years ago, boy did I regret that, every pothole I thought my fillings would fall out. Before going with the Karoq I tested the KIA Sportage, it was really nice but the ride was too hard, very like the S Line.

 

I’m happy with the ride on the 19”. Bit noisy on some surfaces but overall fine.

12 hours ago, BTandSid said:

I’m driving a 2020 Sportline 1.5 dsg also with 19in wheels and Interested that you’ve made no mention to how you find the overall ride despite the fact you say you have terrible potholes in the area. I’ve looked at changing to a smaller wheel but think the cost will be prohibitive and so I’m likely to stay with the current set up and just try to find a more ‘comfortable riding’ tyre.
Would be interested to see which tyres you choose and how they ride. 

There are 3 elements to comfort, the rim size, the choice of tyre, and temperature.  Basically anything called Sport or Eco is going to be firmer, and summer tyres will be firmer than all seasons unless it is hot weather.

 

You can reduce rim size, clearly a 55 or 60 aspect tyre has lot more sidewall to absorb surface imperfections than a shallow 40 profile tyre.   The rims are in this catalogue

 

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

The idea that it is expensive to change to smaller rims, is often misunderstood, firstly check the prices of the tyres (the sizes are in linked catalogue), you will soon spot some of the tyres for larger rims are niche sizes and expensive (and limited choice).   Then don't forget you can always sell the existing wheels, on this site, or another internet auction site, to offset some of the cost.

 

But if you are keen to keep the existing rims, then choose the winter biased all season tyres, they will be softer and more comfortable whatever the weather.  But don't try and buy cheap all season tyres, they require expensive rubber compounds (there is a trade off between grippy, flexibility and wear resistance), cheap tyres often use simpler compounds that have little wear resistance, so tyres don't last.

 

 

 

10 hours ago, SurreyJohn said:

There are 3 elements to comfort, the rim size, the choice of tyre, and temperature.  Basically anything called Sport or Eco is going to be firmer, and summer tyres will be firmer than all seasons unless it is hot weather.

 

You can reduce rim size, clearly a 55 or 60 aspect tyre has lot more sidewall to absorb surface imperfections than a shallow 40 profile tyre.   The rims are in this catalogue

 

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

The idea that it is expensive to change to smaller rims, is often misunderstood, firstly check the prices of the tyres (the sizes are in linked catalogue), you will soon spot some of the tyres for larger rims are niche sizes and expensive (and limited choice).   Then don't forget you can always sell the existing wheels, on this site, or another internet auction site, to offset some of the cost.

 

But if you are keen to keep the existing rims, then choose the winter biased all season tyres, they will be softer and more comfortable whatever the weather.  But don't try and buy cheap all season tyres, they require expensive rubber compounds (there is a trade off between grippy, flexibility and wear resistance), cheap tyres often use simpler compounds that have little wear resistance, so tyres don't last.

 

 

 

 

Bear in ind that in a test, the conclusion was that the wet grip from prmium eco tyres was much poorer than the non-eco versions and was on par with non-eco Chinese tyres. 

ECO is not Economy / Budget / cheep.   It is 'Less Grip / Traction / Friction'   Low rolling resistance tyres.  ie, to eek out fuel economy, and not even necessarily mean any saving in the cost of replacement. Maybe Premium / more expensive ones last no longer than less expensive ones.

@ SurreyJohn, is there a price list anywhere for the rims?

Or is it simply a case of checking out the design of a suitable rim and sourcing from a third party? Which I’d guess would be cheaper any way.

(Tried to edit my last post but no go) 
 

9 hours ago, BTandSid said:

@ SurreyJohn, is there a price list anywhere for the rims?

Never found a price list for rims, or a 2023 UK version of the rim catalogue, but the German Karoq accessories brochure has latest selection 

 

https://www.skoda-auto.de/_doc/d2d2b64a-e915-4ae4-b9d1-785a20123fa1

 

All you can do is copy the descriptions or part numbers into a google search and try and get prices, failing that ring up (or go to) some parts Dept of dealers for the prices.

 

Might even be cheaper to order them from a European dealer and pay £50 delivery because places like Germany regularly supply second sets of wheels for winter use. So might be lot more price competitive, or spare sets available cheaply because car has been sold

 

On 13/05/2023 at 21:05, Colchristie said:

’m happy with the ride on the 19”. Bit noisy on some surfaces but overall fine.

 

In your case and location I would replace with the same.

 

Michelin Cross Climate 2 SUV.  I have the 1.5Tsi DSG and I always pat myself on the back for paying the premium for them.  They stick to the road like anything, cut out 99% of all wheel spinning and give me 1000% more confidence that the awful Turanza's they replaced.  My rims are the 18's though so not sure if available in the 19's you have. I run them at 2-3psi below the recommended "normal" pressure too and it makes them nice and forgiving on the potholes. They are also wearing nice and evenly.

Edited 16 May, 20233 yr by smipx

1 hour ago, smipx said:

Michelin Cross Climate 2 SUV.  I have the 1.5Tsi DSG and I always pat myself on the back for paying the premium for them.  They stick to the road like anything, cut out 99% of all wheel spinning and give me 1000% more confidence that the awful Turanza's they replaced.  My rims are the 18's though so not sure if available in the 19's you have. I run them at 2-3psi below the recommended "normal" pressure too and it makes them nice and forgiving on the potholes. They are also wearing nice and evenly.

I’ve previously run CC on an Impreza, Forester and Freelander and never had any issues; not the cheapest but you get what you pay for and I’d never scrimp on tyres. 
Looking at swapping to smaller rims and tyres is looking at being a real pita so might just stick with the 19s and fit CCs if they come in an appropriate size

4 hours ago, BTandSid said:

...so might just stick with the 19s and fit CCs if they come in an appropriate size

Cross Climates have been available for several years in 225/19/40. They should cost around the £800 mark, fitted.

6 hours ago, smipx said:

My rims are the 18's though so not sure if available in the 19's you have. I run them at 2-3psi below the recommended "normal" pressure too and it makes them nice and forgiving on the potholes.

 

The tyre wall on 225/40/19 is already thin so you can imagine what running them under pressure is going to do. If I were to run my all season's under pressure on Craters, I'd be **** scared of damaging the rims!

 

Edit - I of course mean further damaging the rims, as it's almost impossible to avoid

Edited 16 May, 20233 yr by kodiaqsportline

1 hour ago, kodiaqsportline said:

Cross Climates have been available for several years in 225/19/40. They should cost around the £800 mark, fitted.

Thought they did but not really taken the time as yet to check them out. I’d given thought to changing the whole set up but I like the vega rims so think now I’ll stay with the 19s and fit the CC 

4 hours ago, BTandSid said:

Thought they did but not really taken the time as yet to check them out. I’d given thought to changing the whole set up but I like the vega rims so think now I’ll stay with the 19s and fit the CC 

 

You can see in the Skoda alloy wheels accessories catalogue, that 225/40R19 and 235/40R19 are listed for the Karoq 2WD and 225/45R19 and 245/40R19 are listed for the Karoq 4WD.

 

Skoda alloy rim accessories catalogue

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

 

If you want maximum rim protection from potholes and kerbs and slightly better comfort, 245/40R19 could be worth considering even with the Karoq 2WD providing that you are happy with the resulting slightly higher gearing.

 

Some Karoq 2WD owners use 215/65R16 instead of 215/60R16, especially in countries with poor roads, and as you can see in the chart below, 245/40R19 has a 1.1% smaller outside diameter than the slightly oversize 215/65R16. Therefore, you might not consider the  outside diameter of 245/40R19 to be too extreme.

 

Outside diameter of tyres

215/65R16 685.9mm

245/40R19 678.6mm (-1.1% compared to 215/65R16)

 

You might think that a 245/40R19 is 20mm wider than a 225/40R19 tyre, but when both are fitted to the Karoq's 8Jx19 rim the difference is actually only about 12mm, as you can see in the chart below.

 

Actual width of tyres fitted to 8Jx19 rims

225/40R19 230mm

235/40R19 235mm

245/40R19 242mm

 

Edited 16 May, 20233 yr by Carlston

17 hours ago, BTandSid said:

Looking at swapping to smaller rims and tyres is looking at being a real pita so might just stick with the 19s and fit CCs if they come in an appropriate size

I was lucky,with peoples help on here and swatting up on rim J numbers, ET numbers etc etc i got a set of good rims for £150 with 3-4 mm tread depth on the tyres from e bay, sold my original wheels for £350 then spent a few weeks reading reviews and deciding on what tyres i wanted to get. The rims are not as shiny as my originals but when you get older comfort takes second place to looks  😊

One thing I found with Cross Climates (original versions) fitted to my previous Yeti, was that the finer patterns in the tyre picked up lots of small stones - difiicult & too numerous to remove and were audible on the move inside the car.  Of course this may not apply to more recent X climate versions   I certainly haven't noticed this so far with the Hankook AW tyres I recently fitted to the Karoq.

 

Mind you, the Yeti interior tended was less insulated from outside noises, particularly from the front wheels - I always used to hear noise from the brake pads when applying the brakes (don't hear this in the Karoq).

3 hours ago, croquemonsieur said:

One thing I found with Cross Climates (original versions) fitted to my previous Yeti, was that the finer patterns in the tyre picked up lots of small stones - difiicult & too numerous to remove and were audible on the move inside the car.  Of course this may not apply to more recent X climate versions   I certainly haven't noticed this so far with the Hankook AW tyres I recently fitted to the Karoq.

 

Mind you, the Yeti interior tended was less insulated from outside noises, particularly from the front wheels - I always used to hear noise from the brake pads when applying the brakes (don't hear this in the Karoq).

Still true on the CC 2 SUV alas. It is the only negative but it's not too bad and probably not too much worse than most other new tyres with lots of meat on the treads - If I notice one I remove it on the front as I'm getting in the car.  I did have to stop once when I was driving with the windows open on a nice warm day and find a stone and remove it but I never hear anything when the windows are shut (which they are 99% of the time for the climate control and pollen filter to look after things for me). 

 

Oddly - for me the noisy "grinding" brakes are more annoying when driving off for the first time on a given day. If left for a week they sound like metal on metal for the first few braking activities. I have checked them BTW and they are not faulty or badly worn (pads). The OEM factory pads seem to be a bit rubbish and as hard as nails. My discs are a bit scored (probably from said small stones) but not to any extent to warrant changing them at the moment (and certainly not an MOT fail) as I just had an MOT. It was like that from about month 6 though and that was when I was running the Turanzas.

Edited 17 May, 20233 yr by smipx