I have a 2023 Karoq 1.5 tsi fwd with 18" wheels and 215/50 r18 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 tyres.

I am considering downsizing my wheels to 17" and use 215/60 r17 Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres for more comfort and less harshness, vibration and road noise.

I am afraid of increasing body roll and worsening handling.

I'd appreciate if you can share your experience with a similar attempt.

There are quite a few Karoq wheel / tyre size change threads on here if you look.

The Skoda approved 17" tyre sizes for Karoq are 215/55 R17 and 225/55 R17 (for 4x4).

 

 

Edited 2 September, 20232 yr by agedbriar

Hi@toot, I guess I've read most of them, but it seems that the discussions concentrate on using smaller inch wheels for winter tyres, how smaller tyres are cheaper than 19 or 18 inches, then revolve around approved sizes for different models, but mostly skip the few questions in between about improving comfort and reducing the harshness, vibration and drumming noise caused by the stiff suspension setup and maybe lack of care for vibrodamping. However subjective it may be, I'd like to simply hear if someone downsized its Karoq's 19 or 18 inch wheels to 17 or 16 inches, used higher 55-60 or even 65 profile tyres, and satisfactorily achieved improved comfort without worsening handling and causing more body roll.

I don't have high expectations, I will be happy if such a replacement can provide our family with an ok ride where we won't feel every tiny imperfection on the road.

 

Hi @agedbriar, thanks for the list. So I should downsize to 16" wheels if I want to use 60 profile tyres. How about 215/65 r16? Not approved but online calculators show that it will fit and it is within the 3% range. Would it cause more flexing and mess up cornering?

I use 225/55 R17 in the summer and 215/60 R16 in winter. Very good feeling with both. Even when (occasionally) I push it in manual on a windy road uphill, close to where I live.

2 hours ago, Gayrisafi said:

Hi@toot, I guess I've read most of them, but it seems that the discussions concentrate on using smaller inch wheels for winter tyres, how smaller tyres are cheaper than 19 or 18 inches, then revolve around approved sizes for different models, but mostly skip the few questions in between about improving comfort and reducing the harshness, vibration and drumming noise caused by the stiff suspension setup and maybe lack of care for vibrodamping. However subjective it may be, I'd like to simply hear if someone downsized its Karoq's 19 or 18 inch wheels to 17 or 16 inches, used higher 55-60 or even 65 profile tyres, and satisfactorily achieved improved comfort without worsening handling and causing more body roll.

I don't have high expectations, I will be happy if such a replacement can provide our family with an ok ride where we won't feel every tiny imperfection on the road.

 

Hi @agedbriar, thanks for the list. So I should downsize to 16" wheels if I want to use 60 profile tyres. How about 215/65 r16? Not approved but online calculators show that it will fit and it is within the 3% range. Would it cause more flexing and mess up cornering?

 

You could try 215/65R16 on 6.5Jx16 ET43 5/112 57.1 steel rims.

 

6.5Jx16 ET43 5/112 57.1 is similar to the standard 6Jx16 ET43 5/112 57.1 Karoq rims but 0.5" wider. This would help with your requirement for good handling.

 

215/65R16 is commonly used instead of 215/60R16 in some countries that have poor roads, on cars such as the Yeti and Karoq.

 

Body roll is controlled by the springs and anti-roll bars, not the tyres. 215/65R16 won't have quite as much lateral grip through the corners in summer conditions compared to the lower profile 215/50R18. However, Michelin CrossClimate are excellent through the colder winter months, so you will actually have more grip in cold weather than your current Goodyear UHP (Ultra High Performance) summer tyres.

 

In the UK, we aren't limited to Skoda approved tyre and rim sizes. That's for some EU countries (such as France and Germany) where they can only fit tyre and rim combinations that are listed on the car's CoC (Certificate of Conformity).

 

Michelin CrossClimate 2 215/65R16 98H (Euro label B B 71dB) (3PMSF symbol) (all-season)

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m139b0s8008p208549/Michelin_Tyres_All_Season_Car_Michelin_Cross_Climate_2_215_65_R16_98H_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_B_Wet_Grip%3A_B_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_71dB

 

Alcar 9187 6.5Jx16 ET43 5/112 57.1 steel rim (from Audi A3)

https://www.oponeo.pl/felga-stalowa/alcar-kfz-9187#23311315

 

Another option is 215/60R17 on 6.5Jx17 ET38 5/112 57.1 steel rims from the Kodiaq.

 

Michelin CrossClimate 2 215/60R17 96H (Euro label C B 71dB) (3PMSF symbol) (all-season)

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m140b0s8016p208542/Michelin_Tyres_All_Season_Car_Michelin_Cross_Climate_2_215_60_R17_96H_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_B_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_71dB

 

Alcar 9021 6.5Jx17 ET38 5/112 57.1 steel rim (from Kodiaq)

https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/details?vehicleId=672860434273997936&rimCode=ALCAR9021

 

Here's a photo of someone who changed 225/50R17 to 235/55R17 on their Yeti. The one downside that he mentioned was that the 235/55R17 wheels felt heavier than the narrower 215/65R16 wheels that he used for winter. For less weight, he could have used 235/60R16 instead of 235/55R17, as 16" rims tend to weigh less than 17" rims.

 

Yeti with 225/50R17 (top photo) and 235/55R17 (bottom photo)

 

Vredestein Quatrac 6 235/60R16 100H (Euro label C B 71dB) (3PMSF symbol) (all-season)

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m139b0s12008p201646/Vredestein_Tyres_All_Season_Car_Vredestein_Quatrac_6_235_60_R16_100H_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_B_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_71dB

 

Alcar 9257 7Jx16 ET45 5/112 57.1 steel rim (from Yeti)

https://www.mytyres.co.uk/rims/details?vehicleId=182363349315490928&rimCode=ALCAR9257

 

Edited 3 September, 20232 yr by Carlston

8 hours ago, agedbriar said:

I use 225/55 R17 in the summer and 215/60 R16 in winter. Very good feeling with both. Even when (occasionally) I push it in manual on a windy road uphill, close to where I live.

I use the same size (225/55 R17s) for both summer and winter tyres, never felt handling was compromised in any way. 👍

14 hours ago, Gayrisafi said:

I have a 2023 Karoq 1.5 tsi fwd with 18" wheels and 215/50 r18 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 tyres.

I am considering downsizing my wheels to 17" and use 215/60 r17 Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres for more comfort and less harshness, vibration and road noise.

I am afraid of increasing body roll and worsening handling.

I'd appreciate if you can share your experience with a similar attempt.

Changed mine due to the terrible roads where i live from 19,s to 17,s rims with 225x55 r17 Michelin Primacy 4  tyres last year and very quiet, very comfortable ride

Thank you @Carlston @DSL@JEFF-the-Bowman

I guess I'll downsize to 16" wheels and buy 215/65 r16 Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres. I rarely speed above 110 km/h so if it will not affect handling and cornering considerably, why not go with the highest profile that I can fit for more comfort.

Our local shop told me that they have 6.5Jx16 ET45 5/112 57.1 alloy rims available, not the recommended ET43 offset.

Would ET45 offset cause any problems other than the look of the tyre being tucked in by 2 mm?

 

 

1 hour ago, Gayrisafi said:

Thank you @Carlston @DSL@JEFF-the-Bowman

I guess I'll downsize to 16" wheels and buy 215/65 r16 Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres. I rarely speed above 110 km/h so if it will not affect handling and cornering considerably, why not go with the highest profile that I can fit for more comfort.

Our local shop told me that they have 6.5Jx16 ET45 5/112 57.1 alloy rims available, not the recommended ET43 offset.

Would ET45 offset cause any problems other than the look of the tyre being tucked in by 2 mm?

 

 

All you need to know and more 👍

https://www.willtheyfit.com/

3 hours ago, Gayrisafi said:

Thank you @Carlston @DSL@JEFF-the-Bowman

I guess I'll downsize to 16" wheels and buy 215/65 r16 Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres. I rarely speed above 110 km/h so if it will not affect handling and cornering considerably, why not go with the highest profile that I can fit for more comfort.

Our local shop told me that they have 6.5Jx16 ET45 5/112 57.1 alloy rims available, not the recommended ET43 offset.

Would ET45 offset cause any problems other than the look of the tyre being tucked in by 2 mm?

Unless you live in a country that checks wheels against conformity certificates (which UK doesn't do at annual MOT) not a problem

 

2mm is not worth worrying about on a tyre that is 160-180mm wide.

 

As for handling, it might not be quite as tight if you are throwing it around corners at high speeds trying to save few milliseconds on each bend, but unlikely to notice in everyday driving.

 

The 215/60 R16 wheels are the only ones that can take snow chains 12 mm thick. So there is room all around those.

1 hour ago, agedbriar said:

The 215/60 R16 wheels are the only ones that can take snow chains 12 mm thick. So there is room all around those.

(Too late to edit the above post)

 

To consider though that the chains compatible rims above are 6J wide.