Hi everyone

Is it plausible to upgrade from OEM 215/65 r17 tires on et40 7x17 wheels to 235/60 r17 tires on the same rims. My car is a 2023 mk 1 kodiaq

Thank you

15 hours ago, evangelos_ said:

Hi everyone

Is it plausible to upgrade from OEM 215/65 r17 tires on et40 7x17 wheels to 235/60 r17 tires on the same rims. My car is a 2023 mk 1 kodiaq

Thank you

215*0.65 = 139.75

235* 0.6 = 141.

Ok, the rolling radius is fine.

7*25.4 = 177.8

177.8/215 = 0.82

177.8/235 = 0.75

Well, the aspect width looks ok to me too.

Are the 235's OK on the 7J x 17 rims though?

I think 7.5 is fine but not 7. @Carlston will know the score.

Edited 21 July, 202521 Jul by Ootohere

1 hour ago, Paws4Thot said:

215*0.65 = 139.75

235* 0.6 = 141.

Ok, the rolling radius is fine.

7*25.4 = 177.8

177.8/215 = 0.82

177.8/235 = 0.75

Well, the aspect width looks ok to me too.

My concern is about the rear clearance from the suspension and also the protrusion on the road side, as the tires gain 10 mm on each side. The OEM 235's are fitted on 7-inch wheels et43

1 hour ago, Ootohere said:

Are the 235's OK on the 7J x 17 rims though?

I think 7.5 is fine but not 7. @Carlston will know the score.

Yes they are. The 18-inch OEM wheels that bear 235 mm wide tires are 7-inch wide but have 43 mm offset

Edited 21 July, 202521 Jul by evangelos_

A 235 tyre is generally not paired with a 7J wheel.

A 7" rim will do from 195 to 225, with the ideal widths being 205 and 215. To run a 235 tyre, you need a minimum of a 7.5J, with 8/8.5J being better suited.

10 minutes ago, evangelos_ said:

Yes they are. The 18-inch OEM wheels that bear 235 mm wide tires are 7-inch wide but have 43 mm offset

Yes, but I'm not sure what the score is with this... A quick search showed most of the 235s on 7J rims were Transporters, so maybe there is a difference there? Either way, VW normally do the lower end of tyre sizes (E.G. a 7.5J with 225).

Alloy wheel Trinity 18" Kodiaq I...

Alloy wheel Trinity 18 Kodiaq I

Rim dimension: 7,0J x 18“ ET 43

Thank you occyVRS for your input. However the above wheel comes exclusively with 235's on Kodiaq.

235/60R17 7Jx17 ET40 wheels will fit the Kodiaq MK1.

The Kodiaq MK1 uses 235/55R18 and 235/50R19 on 7J rims.

As you can see in the ETRTO chart below, the standard rim width for a 235/60R17 tyre is 7.0"...hence it's highlighted in bold.

ETRTO approved rim widths for passenger car tyres

235/60R17 6.5-7.0-8.5

235/55R18 6.5-7.5-8.5

235/50R19 6.5-7.5-8.5

235/45R20 7.5-8.0-9.0

Edited 21 July, 202521 Jul by Carlston

Thanks Carlston really helpful, I appreciate it

What are you hoping to gain from this change?

Basically better looks and better stance. With the current 215's it looks very skinny and visually unbalanced. As long as safety is not compromised by this change

Hi, welcome by the way.

Fair enough. Totally, totally beyond me but it's not my vehicle it's yours. The widest tyres I've ever had were 225 (at the rear, rear wheel drive) and that was on a powerful lightweight British sportscar, my last car was on 145/80r13 (yes 80, 70 used to be low-profile).

You will get further conformation and information from the following websites -

tire size dot com - https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/

will they fit dot com - https://www.willtheyfit.com/

And provided their database is correct, wheel size dot com (Škoda) - https://www.wheel-size.com/size/skoda/

Hope that helps, good luck.

Thank you Nigel!

13 hours ago, nta16 said:

...my last car was on 145/80R13...

145/80R13 may be a high profile 80 aspect ratio tyre, but all of the standard tyre sizes on the Kodiaq MK1 have a higher sidewall height, except for the 235/45R20...as shown in the chart below.

Sidewall height

235/60R17 141.00mm (about 5.5") (not a standard Kodiaq MK1 tyre size)

215/65R17 139.75mm (about 5.5") (standard Kodiaq MK1 tyre size)

235/55R18 129.25mm (about 5.0") (standard Kodiaq MK1 tyre size)

235/50R19 117.50mm (about 4.5") (standard Kodiaq MK1 tyre size)

145/80R13 116.00mm (about 4.5" (not suitable for Kodiaq MK1)

235/45R20 105.75mm (about 4.0") (standard Kodiaq MK1 tyre size)

Edited 22 July, 202522 Jul by Carlston

145/80r13 was a only a counterpoint reference, until fashion became a major aspect of selling everyday cars (nominal) 80% ratio was standard. Just because a car manufacturer designs a car for say 17"-19" wheels doesn't mean that smaller wheels couldn't have been used if the designers waned to. As with many things, particularly for men, its just another form of willy-waving, ego stuff, look how big my wheels are, my tank's bigger than yours.

As you know there's a lot more to tyres than just the sizes.

When you buy the car you're generally stuck with whatever range of sizes the manufacturer specifies, I've never gone against this in my recommendations but always say it's a fashion thing, and of course many people like these fashions and can do as they please.

I think this 2024 F1 wheel settles the debate, really. For performance and nothing else, a lighter, smaller wheel paired to a tyre with a nice rigid carcass, is the best.

Aside from brake clearance, it is indeed all to do with looks (as per my thread). As soon as you go up in sizing, you're increasing the unsprung weight and cost, while decreasing the ride quality. There's a reason brands like BMW spec a staggered 19"/20" setup on some performance/track orientated M cars.

I'm not saying cars should have 15" wheels. Especially on larger cars, this would look silly. I'm just saying that, realistically, you want to be at a 35 profile, at a minimum. Of course, this applies more to larger wheels - at 18" or so, a 40 profile is the sweet spot, really.

You've lost me, I'm all for smaller wheels and narrower tyres. Those in the photo don't look small to me. 15" wheels would only look silly because the designers fashion the ca's side view for larger wheels and for the wheels to fill the arches, very impractical in some instances particularly in some places.

Cars now are certainly larger, on the outside at least, and a lot heavier even so they're not mostly at van carrying weights of the past, even lardy VWs. A major pollutant to our environments is what comes off vehicle tyres.

Wheels are also based on vehicle weight.

The reason the likes of BMW on any of their cars but particularly performance track type model is to attract those buyers for their new cars. Just because someone or an amateur team takes cars on a track or even race doesn't mean they know that much about what's really required and these sports rely on fashions a lot anyway, but this is a bit distant from standard domestic cars. BMW are very good at marketing and brand loyalty and keeping resale value means they remain a bit aspirational still. IIRC some Police gave up on them as they were too fragile for their use.

On 21/07/2025 at 20:57, evangelos_ said:

Alloy wheel Trinity 18" Kodiaq I...

Alloy wheel Trinity 18 Kodiaq I

Rim dimension: 7,0J x 18“ ET 43

Thank you occyVRS for your input. However the above wheel comes exclusively with 235's on Kodiaq.

I have studded 235/55/18 tyres fitted on these. Completely normal.

Edited 24 July, 202524 Jul by linni

https://willtheyfit.com

Personally I use 215/65 x17 tyres on my Nanuq winter wheels. Actually they are All Season Goodyears

Edited 24 July, 202524 Jul by BoxerBoy

1 hour ago, BoxerBoy said:

...I use 215/65R17 tyres on my Nanuq winter wheels...

The Kodiaq MK1 has two standard 17" rim specifications...6.5Jx17 ET38 and 7Jx17 ET40.

The Nanuq is the narrower rim specification, ie. 6.5Jx17, so it makes sense to stick to the standard 215/65R17 tyre size with that rim specification.

In the ETRTO chart below, 6.5 is shown in bold for the 215/65R17 tyre size...and hence is the standard rim width for that tyre size.

ETRTO approved rim widths for passenger car tyres

215/65R17 6.0-6.5-7.5

235/60R17 6.5-7.0-8.5

Edited 24 July, 202524 Jul by Carlston