Hello, I'm looking for some advice on fitting winter tyres to my 2024 Karoq. Hopefully too late for this winter, but in readiness for following years.

 

The car was supplied with standard 18" alloy rims, but the full size spare is a 16" rim (6J x 16 ET43). As the 16" wheel was supplied as a spare, I'm assuming the brake disc / caliper is sized to suit and has clearance, so I was considering getting another steel wheel - 6J x 16 ET43, then buying two winter tyres and only swapping the front wheels as and when required.

 

The other thing I'm unsure about is the bolt pitch diameter, but I think that might be stamped on the spare, if I look again.

 

I've been looking on www.autopink-shop.co.uk (https://www.autopink-shop.co.uk/rims/details?vehicleId=1388704077032469616&rimCode=MWD16236) Have any contributors had any experience of their service and would be willing to recommend?

 

Are there any other considerations I need to be aware of? There's a note about TMPS (tyre pressure monitoring system) on the above-mentioned website.

 

Thanks 😀

If you are thiinking of having winter tyres on the front and the factory-fit summer tyres on the rear, you will end up with a dangerously unstable car.

Fair comment, thanks 👍 I must admit I only thought about improving traction on the driven wheels.

A cost-effective solution that gives excellent capabilities is to fit four of the very best all-season tyres and then sell the four summer tyres that the car came with.

 

See https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre-Tests/Best-All-Season-Tyres-2024-2025.htm

 

To get the best out of those reviews you should watch the Youtube version (for detailed commentary) and also look at the web page (for the charts and tables). The two complement each other.

Thanks for this mumpsim... very useful 😀

If you are UK based 4 seasons are the way to go imo...

He is Aberdeen based and there is snow, and streets with cobbles and EV,s and 4x4 on totally unsuitable tyres all around the Oil Capital of Europe.

 

Plenty All Season tyre threads in the Tyre Section, latest vids etc and many in this section. 

 

Various key words.

Briskoda Karoq All Season

Briskoda Karoq Winter

Edited 8 January, 20251 yr by Ootohere

Thanks Ootohere 👍

@mumpsim Very interesting tyre comparison feature on the YouTube link 👍

Last year I put new winters on the front of my Karoq leaving the summers on the back. Big mistake! The first snowfall and the car was undrivable, losing the rear even at town speeds in a straight line. Straight to the tyre shop and got another two matching winters on. I have two sets of wheels, the summer set have two different makes of tyres without any problem, the winter set have 4 identical vredestien winters on and are great. If you can't do two different sets of wheels then 4 identical all season tyres would be the way to go.

If you are in Aberdeen, then buy a set of rims and get winter tyres, fit them late October, and switch back to the summer set in April

 

Here is brochure of the rims (with tyre sizes) and pictures, and part numbers so you can order them through a spares Dept

 

https://www.skoda-auto.com/_doc/6d5c59b3-5d97-451a-ab78-2ef185e6e373

 

In UK it is normally cheaper to order tyres separately (use internet search for good prices), but Skoda also sell complete wheels (rims fitted with tyres)

 

https://www.skoda-auto.com/_doc/c829936c-f0c1-48a3-bd99-55a507038e8c
 

Thanks SurreyJohn. I might look at getting a set of steel rims with tyres. I wouldn’t go as far as to buy alloys for winter. 
 

My other option, as mumpsim mentioned, is to buy four all season tyres and sell the factory fit Nexen tyres that have <1,500 miles.

 

The review has identified Pirelli as the favoured option. I’ve had Michelin Crossclimate before, but they’re also a bit more expensive. 

31 minutes ago, Simon79 said:

Thanks SurreyJohn. I might look at getting a set of steel rims with tyres. I wouldn’t go as far as to buy alloys for winter. 
 

 Steel wheels come with a thin coat of paint. They will probably begin to rust after one Aberdeen winter. If you spray-paint them with a rattle can before you fit the tyres, you'll likely get two winters out of them before they start to look tatty. It's no more than cosmetic and it may or may not concern you.  If you are in it for the longer term and want them to stay rust-free, you'll need to have them powder-coated before the tyres go on.  That adds to cost, of course.

 

I speak from experience!

I'm 40 miles north of Aberdeen. As previously stated I have two sets of wheels. Personally I think all season tyres are a compromise,  not the best in summer as they want to be winters, and not the best in winter as they want to be summers. My winter wheels are the standard 18" alloys on the car from the factory with vredestien winter extreme tyres in the factory 215/50×18 size. My summer wheels are a set of vw scirocco 18 inch wheels which are 1 inch wider than standard and much nicer wheels shod with 2 Michelin primacy tyres due replacing and two kormoran summer suv tyres and the sizes are 235/50x18. For me this works well, changed the wheels in November and will change back in spring. I will probably buy 2 new kormoran soon so I have a full set the same for summer. As far as I know kormoran are owned and made by Michelin but are a much more affordable tyre. The two I have were on the rear of my previous yeti, and been on the rear of the karoq and have done nearly 30,000 miles between the two cars and have no perishing, cracking and still have 6mm tread. I wouldn't use steelies on a nice car, if you look on Gumtree, Ebay or even marketplace you will seeloads of decent 17or 18 inch alloys with winters on much cheaper than you will get wheels and tyres from skoda. Anything that says vw, Audi,seat, skoda 5 x 112 and 17 or 18 will fit straight on to your Karoq. Your car will still look nice with decent wheels not rusty steelies which new skoda wheels will be after a couple years up here

@SurreyJohn   Really WINTER tyres are not necessary for Aberdeen or maybe not even Aberdeenshire as the do plough and grit/salt roads.

If you do live and drive in the areas that get worst affected and where the snow gates are and you are within that areas then maybe you would fit them.

But the old days of us having Summer & Winter tyres changed with All Season / All Weather tyres because Cold and Wet weather can come anytime of the year.

Personally i used to run Winters all year other then when we had really Hot spells of weather. Not necessarily the summer.

It was 2012 i think we had 23*oC in Aberdeen in March and a few scorchio weeks and it dropped to minus degress on the 2nd April. 

May had record Temperatures.

One day i was dashing along on the A939 and the next mornig the roads were blocked with snow.

 

In 2013 and it was March that the snow hit as people sometimes change back from the Winter Tyres. 

 

Edited 9 January, 20251 yr by Ootohere

I’ve used Michelin Cross climate tyres successfully on my Octavia and my last Karoq. The YouTube feature that mumpsim linked to identified Pirelli as the best tyre from the test.

My experience is that the tread pattern on cross climate tyres definitely helps cut through the softer snow, but the factory fit Nexen tyres are poor.

The village we live in seems to be susceptible to heavy snow when it does arrive, and isn’t very well served by the council snow clearing, as they rightly so are concentrating on the main routes.

^^^ But the Postie still get around, and The Home Delivery Drivers and little old men and ladies in their Kia Picanto or even Mazda MX5.

What matters is what car the Snow Plough driver drives to get to work and what tyres they have.