Hello all,

 

I recently got a 2016 2.0 TDI CR Octavia which came with stock 16" wheels that look terrible. I would like to upgrade to 18" and found some wheels from a MK2 VRS (they should be 7.5J/18/ET51 but I am awaiting confirmation from the seller). Now I have done some research and it looks like it will be a straight forward swap, however I noticed that the car label in the service book only shows that my car can be fit with 16" or 17" wheels, which is a bit odd.

 

Do you think that fitting the 18" wheels will be a problem in general or even a deviation for the MOT?

Many thanks in advance.

How the wheels look is a personal thing, the oversizing of wheels and tyres (for probably decades now) is a lot to do with fashion, marketing and sales.  Fashion often has little to do with practicality.  You'll probably not accept that 16" is already oversized.

 

In this forum and on the site you will find many owners of various models who want and do downsize the wheels (and tyres) the car arrived to them with for matters of comfort and practicality, our 3rd-world roads often bring the idea and hasten the change to a smaller size.

 

205/55/16 tyres against 225/40/18 tyres (all figures nominal) the 16" tyres have (nominally) 0.9" (25.7%) (23mm) more sidewall height giving pneumatic cushioning to the (smaller) wheels, rest of the suspension and car. 

 

 

3 hours ago, dkutsarov said:

Do you think that fitting the 18" wheels will be a problem in general

Big debate on whether any insurance provider has any influence over this but check your policy or with your provider as I think (I'm no expert) they want to know of such changes as they things can increases risks to you and them and if the model is only standard up to 17" and you want 18" they may (I don't know I'm not an expert) want to increase your premium (and some an admin fee too).

 

Grip, handling, comfort and road noise is about the design, construction and composition of the make and model of the tyre rather than its size over one or two size range, a very good small 'un will often be better than a good big 'un,

 

As always check any information from any source (bloke of internet, manufacturers and others databases) with if possible at least another couple of reliable sources.

https://www.wheel-size.com/size/skoda/octavia/2016/#trim-mk3-a7-5e-2013-2017-20-tdi--148

 

205/55/16 against 225/40/18 tyres - (all figures nominal) - https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/

 

If Carlston swings by he'll provided you with lots of details on the wheels (and perhaps tyres).

 

HTH.

 

Edited 7 March, 20242 yr by nta16
spelling

Hi.

If you  have any issues with insurance at all for a change of wheels then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.

Hello all,

 

many thanks for the quick responses. I called the insurance company today (Admiral) and was told that there should not be any problem to replace the wheels. I decided to upgrade only to 17" although 18" seems more tempting for me ( I just like when my car looks "better" in my eyes, although I know that this is not the smartest thing to do with our roads and taking into consideration that the car is used for commuting as well). I fully agree with nta16 to all points raised and thank you for the comprehensive response. Much appreciated!

 

At the end, my impatience to upgrade (I just can't look at the car as it is, I am used to my old car which had 18" on it from factory) made me choose a set of 17" alloy wheels in very good condition from a Seat Leon MK3 (see below an example of the rims). I think that they will suit the Octavia much better than the current wheels. I will collect them on Monday and if you are interested I can post a picture once I fit them.

 

Thanks again. 

On 09/03/2024 at 20:52, dkutsarov said:

I will collect them on Monday and if you are interested I can post a picture once I fit them.

Yes please report back.  Sorry I missed your post before now.

 

@Carlston will let you know what fits and you can let us know if those 17" alloy wheels from a Seat Leon MK3  fit and can be successfully used.

 

Hello all,

 

It took me some time to fit the wheels. But last weekend I finally managed to bolt them in and here are the results. I am personally happy with this small mod and think that these seat wheels fit better the Octavia.

 

After/before

 

Although the ride is a bit firmer, I do like the improved cornering and significantly reduced spin of the front wheels! Also it feels as if the acceleration is better.

 

Now I have to see what to do with the old wheels, that have almost new tires on them. Anyone interested?

Edited 18 April, 20242 yr by dkutsarov

13 hours ago, dkutsarov said:

Hello all,

 

It took me some time to fit the wheels. But last weekend I finally managed to bolt them in and here are the results. I am personally happy with this small mod and think that these seat wheels fit better the Octavia.

 

After/before

 

Although the ride is a bit firmer, I do like the improved cornering and significantly reduced spin of the front wheels! Also it feels as if the acceleration is better.

 

Now I have to see what to do with the old wheels, that have almost new tires on them. Anyone interested?

Could be interested, what size tyres , condition of wheels, how much?.

TIA Mick.

I'm not a fan of most alloy wheel looks generally but must admit the SEAT wheels are more attractive.

 

A finishing touch would be to have the centre Skoda badges oriented on the wheels the same on each wheel, same for the position of the locking wheel bolts especially as they have a black plastic cover and the other bolts appear not to, though neither of these things might bother you and others.

 

Glad you're happy with your new wheels and tyres.

 

I have to say that I have not thought of the orientation of the caps with respect to the bolts. That is a good one. Next time the wheels come off, I will do that, however that will be possibly in 25 000 miles to fit new tires 

 

I got this new set of shiny wheel caps, hence the difference to the original darker ones, however the set did not include caps for the locking wheel bolts and I had to improvise. Maybe I should just remove the darker cap as the bolt itself is brighter

 

 

Well now you need to orientate the badges and take into consideration the black bolt cover position, the tyre valve position and the aesthetic of the wheel, it's spokes and spaces, you need 25k-mile to sort that properly.  🙃

 

For wheel changing (or moving) with the stupid wheel bolts (instead of nuts on to studs) I use two alignment wheel stud tools to compensate for the lack of wheel studs as the VW wheel slipped off the very narrow centre lip and like an idiot I tried to stopped the wheel falling 1" (25mm) to the ground and I had interment back issues for the next 5 years from that 1 second of stupidity.  And the next time I do wheel rotation I'll make sure I have two more of the tools instead of using the two on the two different wheel positions (bl**dy silly bolts and why five when four is enough).  I also keep the locking wheel bolt in the same position on the wheel that way I have an 80% chance of knowing if the Dealership/garage actually took the wheel off.

 

Alignment tool.

On 19/04/2024 at 11:42, dkutsarov said:

Next time the wheels come off, I will do that, however that will be possibly in 25 000 miles to fit new tires 

I would halve that, and sometime around 12-14k miles, get them switched front-back to even out wear.

 

Generally in UK front left wears fastest (due to roundabouts) and rear right the slowest.  As long as you have a spare easy job at home, swapping them in sequence (don't bother to fully tighten the bolts or put the locking lug bolt on the spare, as will come off before you drive it)

I agree (but on time rather than mileage as that's more suitable for my wife's car's short journeys) and almost put about (wheel) tyre rotation but not everyone believes in it and VWSoda make the job not only a PITA but potentially a pain in the back and without the (often underinflated or flat) spare wheel more so hence my suggestion of 4 "alignment tools".

 

ETA: I personally always remove the locking wheel bolt first and put (one of) the alignment tool(s) in that position and replace the locking wheel bolt last, same for torquing up.  

 

 

Four wheels, directional tyres. -

Edited 20 April, 20242 yr by nta16
ETA:

Hello all,

It did not take long and I decided to upgrade to 18" wheels. They are from a Golf GTD and fit just great. I have not seen a single picture online of an Octavia with GTD wheels, so decided to post it here for everyone. However, do I prefer the 18" compared to the 17"? Yes, just because of the looks. But the ride now is so much firmer and the MPG also got down. Although the latter might be due to the different tyres... Anyway, happy to hear your comments if any.

They are lovely-looking wheels, but now your car seems to sit too high.

On the 16" wheels and chubby tyres, the clearance looked right. It looked like the car would happily bump along rough conditions and up and down kerbs without a worry.

Now on the 18" wheels, the front end looks like one of those all gas-suspension Citroens with the suspension up on tip-toes.