16 Inch Wheels on a 170 4x4

[tintinandcharlie]

Are there any 16 Inch wheel options for a 2013 Yeti that DON'T fit over the larger 170 brakes? The answer is probably buried somewhere in an existing post, but repeated searching has failed to turn it up.

Awaiting bestowal of collective wisdom....

[Schtum]

I suspect that the answer is "probably not" but....  I used to run 16" Audi A3 alloys on my  Mk5 Golf GT Sport 170 TDI which has the same 312mm brake discs. 

 

The only time I had a clearance issue was when a tyre fitter put a stick on balance weight right where it clobbered the brake caliper on every revolution. 

 

I've also got some aftermarket 16" alloys which we used to run on my wife's previous 3 VW Tiguans which, again, had 312mm discs, without any clearance issues. 

[tintinandcharlie]

Cheers for the quick response.

I've briefly tried some A6 wheels at 16" to improve the ride quality. It did seem better, so I'll go searching for some pukka Yeti ones based on your information.

Some new springs and dampers are also planned....

[Paul52]

In the early days of the forum there were a number of members (around 20 from memory) who negotiated for the 16" Moon alloys as fitted a standard on the Greenline on their new (usually Elegance spec) Yetis. This involved going to Skoda UK as it couldn't be specified through a dealer. Mine is one of those and although it is a 1.2 TSI if my memory serves me correctly several were diesel 4x4s and I don't recall any comments about brake sizes, which I would have thought would have come up if there was a problem. Most of those original owners have moved on but you could try searching UK 16" Special Wheels Club or similar because there was a lot of debate at the time of the relative merits of the 16" and 17" wheels.

[Expatman]

I am one of the original members of the 16” club. Changed my 2012 Yeti for a new final manufacture 1.2 Tsi DSG Yeti in 2017, again with factory fitted 16” wheels. Always found Skoda(UK) HQ very willing to intercept and modify factory order to effect the change from 17” to 16” wheels. 16” wheels definitely provide a smoother more refined ride and with Goodyear ALL Season tyres ride is about as good as you will get with a Yeti. More modern suspension designed Crossover/SUV’s provide a better ride (VW T-Roc and T-Cross particularly) but I haven’t been able to find a satisfactory replacement for my Yeti which are anywhere near as good overall. I keep looking but haven’t found anything yet!

[Carlston]

3 hours ago, Expatman said:

I am one of the original members of the 16” club. Changed my 2012 Yeti for a new final manufacture 1.2 Tsi DSG Yeti in 2017, again with factory fitted 16” wheels. Always found Skoda(UK) HQ very willing to intercept and modify factory order to effect the change from 17” to 16” wheels. 16” wheels definitely provide a smoother more refined ride and with Goodyear ALL Season tyres ride is about as good as you will get with a Yeti. More modern suspension designed Crossover/SUV’s provide a better ride (VW T-Roc and T-Cross particularly) but I haven’t been able to find a satisfactory replacement for my Yeti which are anywhere near as good overall. I keep looking but haven’t found anything yet!

 

The Yeti uses 7Jx16 ET45 rims for its 215/60R16 tyre size.

 

The Karoq front wheel drive uses 6Jx16 ET43 rims for its 215/60R16 tyre size.

 

The Karoq 4x4 uses 6Jx16 ET43 rims for its 225/60R16 tyre size.

 

As you can see in the chart below, 6J is the minimum rim width for both 215/60R16 and 225/60R16. It's surprising that the Yeti went for such wide rims, ie. 7J for its 215/60R16 tyre size. By comparison, the Superb MK3 uses a 6.5J rim for its 215/60R16 tyre size.

 

ETRTO approved rim widths

215/60R16 6.0-6.5-7.5
225/60R16 6.0-6.5-8.0

235/60R16 6.5-7.0-8.5

 

All things being equal, a 215/60R16 fitted to a 6J rim will give a more comfortable ride than fitting this tyre size to a wider rim such as 6.5J or 7J. So although a 215/60R16 fitted to a 7J rim may give a Yeti an acceptable ride for many, it is not the ultimate combination when it comes to ride comfort. For example, fitting a 215/60R16 to a 6Jx16 ET43 rim from the Karoq, should provide a noticeable improvement in ride comfort compared to using the 7J Yeti rim with this tyre size...all other things being equal.

 

Surprisingly, a 235/60R16 tends to be a cheaper tyre size than both 215/60R16 and 225/60R16...and could be a good option on the Karoq 4x4 with a 7Jx16 rim...or possibly an over-size Yeti tyre.

 

As you can see in the chart below, 235/60R16 has an outside diameter 1.3% bigger than 225/55R17 (which is one of the standard Karoq 4x4 tyre sizes). Up to 1.5% difference from standard is normally considered insignificant.

 

Outside diameter of tyres

225/55R17 679.3mm

235/60R16 688.4mm (+1.3%)

 

7Jx16 ET45 5/112 57.1 has been used on quite a few VAG cars over the years including (so there a plenty of secondhand rims available, and new steel rims are still available in this size):

Audi A4 1995-2007

Audi A6 1997-2011

Seat Exeo 2009-2013

Skoda Superb MK2 2008-2015

Skoda Yeti 2009-2017

VW Eos 2006-2015

VW Passat 2005-2014

 

Here are three examples of the 235/60R16 tyre size. In these examples the tyres are not over-specified for the Karoq 4x4, ie. not XL (eXtra Load) and not V/W/Y speed rating. By not over-specifying a tyre the sidewalls remain as soft and flexible as possible which helps to provide the best ride comfort...all other things being equal.

 

Uniroyal RainExpert 5 235/60R16 100H (summer tyre)

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m62b0s425p212999/Uniroyal_Tyres_Car_Uniroyal_RainExpert_5_235_60_R16_100H_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_C_Wet_Grip%3A_A_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_71dB

 

Vredestein Quatrac 6 235/60R16 100H (3PMSF) (all-season tyre)

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

 

Yokohama Geolandar AT G015 235/60R16 100H (3PMSF) (all-season tyre) (All-Terrain tyre)

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m62b0s425p148190/Yokohama_Tyres_Car_Yokohama_Geolandar_AT_G015_235_60_R16_100H_RPB_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_E_Wet_Grip%3A_C_NoiseClass%3A_B_Noise%3A_72dB

 

As you can see in the below two photos, a 235/55R17 gives the Yeti a beefier look compared to the standard 225/50R17 tyre size. However, I would prefer the 235/60R16 option in preference to a 235/55R17. Not only would the resulting 16" wheel weigh a lot less than the 17" wheel, but unlike the 235/55R17, the 235/60R16 is not over-specified for the Yeti/Karoq. 235/55R17 is often XL (eXtra Load) and also tends to have a speed rating more than H (130mph). This all adds up to an unnecessarily heavy and stiff tyre.

 

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

 

Compared to the below 7Jx17 alloy rim (10.1kg) from the Karoq (which is quite a light 17" rim), you can get 7Jx16 ET45 alloy rims that weigh a much lighter 7.3kg (from Audi A4/A6 1997-2004) saving 2.8kg each rim, ie. this 17" alloy rim is almost 40% heavier than some lightweight 16" alloy rims.

 

There's some dispute over the weight of the 10.1kg alloy rim, because the black version is listed at 10.9kg. So the lightweight 7.3kg 16" alloy rim may provide a even bigger weight saving compared to these 17" alloy rims, ie. a 10.9kg rim is a whopping 50% heavier than 7.3kg. No wonder the above Yeti owner with 235/55R17 tyres found his 17" wheels to be on the heavy side.

 

7Jx17 ET45 alloy rim (10.1kg) (from Karoq)

 

https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/cs_CZ/alu-kolo-ratikon-17-karoq/p/57A071497C+8Z8

 

7Jx17 ET45 alloy rim (10.9kg) (from Karoq)

https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/cs_CZ/alu-kolo-ratikon-17-karoq/p/57A071497D+FL8

 

Edited 20 September, 2023 by Carlston

[Expatman]

Thanks, very interesting, but practically when ordering a new car there are only certain changes to the standard specification that can be achieved. Getting Skoda(UK) to supply a Yeti with 16” wheels when the standard Spec is 17” wheels took a great deal of time and effort, dealers would not even entertain such a change and I needed to go up the Skoda(UK) management chain to find someone who would authorise the change. Eventually writing to the MD who finally authorised the change. 

[tintinandcharlie]

On 20/09/2023 at 01:38, Carlston said:

 

Compared to the below 7Jx17 alloy rim (10.1kg) from the Karoq (which is quite a light 17" rim), you can get 7Jx16 ET45 alloy rims that weigh a much lighter 7.3kg (from Audi A4/A6 1997-2004) saving 2.8kg each rim, ie. this 17" alloy rim is almost 40% heavier than some lightweight 16" alloy rims.

 

There's some dispute over the weight of the 10.1kg alloy rim, because the black version is listed at 10.9kg. So the lightweight 7.3kg 16" alloy rim may provide a even bigger weight saving compared to these 17" alloy rims, ie. a 10.9kg rim is a whopping 50% heavier than 7.3kg. No wonder the above Yeti owner with 235/55R17 tyres found his 17" wheels to be on the heavy side.

 

Where did you find the (interesting, and surprising) weight info above? Is there a specific Audi part number for the lighter wheels? Is the payoff that they will be weaker for potholes etc?

 

Thanks.

 

Iz

[Carlston]

31 minutes ago, tintinandcharlie said:

Where did you find the (interesting, and surprising) weight info above? Is there a specific Audi part number for the lighter wheels?

The lightest rims

15 INCHES

Part number	Weight	Size	Center centering	Lochkreis
8L0 601 025 E	here. 5.7 kg	6J x 15H2 ET38	57,0 mm	5 x 100
8L0 601 025 M	here. 5.7 kg	6J x 15H2 ET38	57,0 mm	5 x 100
8D0 601 025 D	here. 5.5 kg	6J x 15H2 ET45	57,0 mm	5 x 112
8D0 601 025 M	here. 6.6 kg	6J x 15H2 ET45	57,0 mm	5 x 112
4B0 601 025 N	here. 5.7 kg	6J x 15H2 ET45	57,0 mm	5 x 112
8L0 601 025 D	here. 5.7 kg	6J x 15H2 ET38	57,0 mm	5 x 100
4B0 601 025 A	here. 5.7 kg	6J x 15H2 ET45	57,0 mm	5 x 112
4B0 601 025 J	here. 5.7 kg	6J x 15H2 ET45	57,0 mm	5 x 112

16 INCHES

Part number	Weight	Size	Center centering	Lochkreis
4D0 601 025 M	here. 6.1 kg	7J x 16H2 ET42	57,0 mm	5 x 112
8W0 601 025 EF	here. 7.0 kg	7J x 16H2 ET35	66,5 mm	5 x 112
8W0 601 025	here. 6.9 kg	7J x 16H2 ET35	66,5 mm	5 x 112
4D0 601 025 AA	here. 6.1 kg	7J x 16H2 ET42	57,0 mm	5 x 112

17 INCH

Part number	Weight	Size	Center centering	Lochkreis
8W0 601 025 C	here. 8.7 kg	7,5J x 17H2 ET38	66,5 mm	5 x 112
8S0 601 025	here. 8.9 kg	8J x 17H2 ET47	57,0 mm	5 x 112
8W0 601 025 YES	here. 8.5 kg	7,5J x 17H2 ET29	66,5 mm	5 x 112
4K0 071 497	here. 8.8 kg	7,5J x 17H2 ET36	66,5 mm	5 x 112
8J0 601 025 G	here. 8.9 kg	7J x 17H2 ET47	57,0 mm	5 x 112
8D0 601 025 R	here. 8.7 kg	7,5J x 17H2 ET43	57,0 mm	5 x 112
8L0 601 025 AC	here. 8.7 kg	7J x 17H2 ET38	57,0 mm	5 x 100
8E0 601 025 AS	here. 8.9 kg	7,5J x 17H2 ET45	57,0 mm	5 x 112
8N0 601 025 H	here. 8.7 kg	7,5J x 17H2 ET32	57,0 mm	5 x 100
8E9 071 492	here. 8.4 kg	7,5J x 17H2 ET36	57,0 mm	5 x 112

18 INCHES

Part number	Weight	Size	Center centering	Lochkreis
82A 601 025 AN	here. 10.0 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET46	57,0 mm	5 x 100
5G0 601 025 CF	here. 7.6 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET49	57,0 mm	5 x 112
5G0 601 025 UK	here. 10.4 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET49	57,0 mm	5 x 112
5G0 601 025 AG	here. 10.6 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET49	57,0 mm	5 x 112
5G0 071 498 A	here. 10.6 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET51	57,0 mm	5 x 112
5G0 071 498 A	here. 10.6 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET51	57,0 mm	5 x 112
5G0 601 025 DH	here. 10.8 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET51	57,0 mm	5 x 112
5G0 601 025 G	here. 10.7 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET49	57,0 mm	5 x 112
8N0 071 498	here. 10.8 kg	8J x 18H2 ET33	57,0 mm	5 x 100
7N0 601 025 P	here. 10.8 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET35	57,0 mm	5 x 112
3AA 601 025 S	here. 10.6 kg	8J x 18H2 ET40	57,0 mm	5 x 112
5H0 601 025 H	here. 9.3 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET51	57,0 mm	5 x 112
1K0 601 025 BA	here. 10.1 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET51	57,0 mm	5 x 112
1J0 601 025 AM	here. 9.9 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET38	57,0 mm	5 x 100
1K0 601 025 AD	here. 10.6 kg	7,5J x 18H2 ET51	57,0 mm	5 x 112

 

https://www.original-felgen.com/gewicht

 

Edited 9 October, 2023 by Carlston

[Brijo]

On 17/09/2023 at 22:57, Paul52 said:

In the early days of the forum there were a number of members (around 20 from memory) who negotiated for the 16" Moon alloys .... Most of those original owners have moved on but you could try searching UK 16" Special Wheels Club or similar because there was a lot of debate at the time of the relative merits of the 16" and 17" wheels.

Actually, only ten got the OK, and Paul52 was the lucky last one before the gate shut.  We think it likely that two of the ten didn't take their orders.

 

On 19/09/2023 at 22:34, Expatman said:

I am one of the original members of the 16” club. Changed my 2012 Yeti for a new final manufacture 1.2 Tsi DSG Yeti in 2017, again with factory fitted 16” wheels....

Expatman was the second, thus forming the UK16"SpecialBuildClub with The Plumber, who was the first to get 16" wheels ex-works.  If anyone's interested in the story (really?!), go to https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/255522-uk-16-special-build-club-membership-closed/

 

Edited 10 October, 2023 by Brijo

[Robjon]

I remain grateful to @Expatman for the help he gave me in my attempt to secure 16" wheels on my Yeti Drive.  Sadly, the gate shut before I was able to do this.  I had the choice of Yeti Drive with 17" wheels or no Yeti at all.

[Expatman]

2 hours ago, Robjon said:

I remain grateful to @Expatman for the help he gave me in my attempt to secure 16" wheels on my Yeti Drive.  Sadly, the gate shut before I was able to do this.  I had the choice of Yeti Drive with 17" wheels or no Yeti at all.

Still got my 16" wheel shod 2017 Yeti. It will be 7 years old next year so I have been looking for a replacement. Problem is I can't find anything to match it. Possibility is facelifted T-CROSS due early 2024 but until I've seen it in the metal too early to tell.

Not ready for EV yet for all the usual reasons, possibly a hybrid but can't see one that appeals yet.