Went up to Progress Skoda in Bedford this afternoon and got some pictures of their vRS TDI demo with the B14 alloys. They look fantastic as I'm sure you will agree. They have a high gloss anthracite, sort of smoked glass, finish. Much sharper than plain silver and so much more cool than black.

Having them on a black car doesn't really do them justice. I've seen them looking great on Race Blue, but think they will look best on Corrida Red or Sprint Yellow.

Technical bit; they are 8J rim width as opposed to 7.5J of the factory option Zeniths. One bonus of these is that, as they are dealer fit you ought to be able to do a deal on tyres to get the brand you want.

18" - B14s (dealer fit):-

18" Zenith (factory option):-

PS> They're so good I had to have a set on the vRS TDI I ordered today, together with being able to get them with Michelin Pilot Exalto 2 tyres (which I'm more than happy with on my Fabia), rather than the hard/noisy factory fit Continental Sports.

PPS> A BIG thank you to Terrence (the Guv'nor) and Sean of Progress Skoda for getting their car ready for me and allowing it to be photo'd.

Progress? Did they used to be WJH?

They look OK but only because I have never been a huge fan of the OEM vRS alloys.

Still think that 18" alloys on the OctyII look too small and if and when I can afford it and have the inclination I'd have 19" new style RS4's, like these :drool:

Progress? Did they used to be WJH?

I think so; Progress started in about October '06 and they used to be a three named dealership before (WJH probably).

Agreed - 18's on the Mk2 look tiny.

Them RS4's tho...gorgeous

Progress? Did they used to be WJH?

Yes they were WJH Motors, they changed to Progress last year.

I had both my Mk1 Octy vRS's serviced at WJH......BADLY!!

I hope Progress are better than WJH as its only 10mins away from my work and handy for servicing. My Mk2 vRS will be due a service soon, so if anyone has had any experience of Progress, I'd like to hear your feedback.

They look OK but only because I have never been a huge fan of the OEM vRS alloys.

Still think that 18" alloys on the OctyII look too small and if and when I can afford it and have the inclination I'd have 19" new style RS4's, like these :drool:

Phwooooar - Stunning!

I agree even 18"s look small, mainly due to the higher doorline(if thats the right term!) I assume they do this for safety. Have you ever tried resting your elbow out of the window...Its up around your ears!

Will 19"'s fit the mk2 vRS?

19's will fit.

Opens the 17s vrs 18s can of worms. Looking at the difference between the two at the dealers on Saturday the wife and I coukd tell little difference between the two. In terms of asthetics, paying the £450 for 18s was more down to psychological factors that actually filling out the arches properly. I think these B14s look well cool. Thanks for the pics, was wondering what they looked like. Still even 19s would only go some of the way to sorting the gap....or so I imagine. Do the dealers sell 19s and if so how much would they cost to stick on my new vRS, which has just gone on order?

Do the dealers sell 19s and if so how much would they cost to stick on my new vRS, which has just gone on order?

Skoda do not have a 19" option. Whether you could persuade them to fit from another part of the VAG group is anothr matter.

19" BBS CHs would be what I'd choose if, a.) I could afford them and b.) the car to go with them!

Steve

Fitting 19s would surely bring the profile of the required tyre down to '35' and you would lose 1/2 inch from the, already short, sidewall height. I think the 225/40 18 is a low enough profile without ruining the ride and causing excess tramlining etc.

Fitting 19s would not close the gap in the wheelarches per se, you have to fit lowered the springs to do this. The Silver vRS with BBS 19s (above) has IMHO clearly been lowered, which make the difference in looks and a BIG difference to the ride/handling etc. The vRS I find is firm enough already and I LIKE a bit of a gap - more Rally than Track!

If you like the B14s they are £180 inc VAT each and a tyre 225/40 18 will typically be around £125 - £140. OK that adds up to around £1200 BUT you might, hopefully, be able to persuade your dealer to give you a P/X price on the 17" Zeniths that the car will come out of the factory with (he could probably sell them to someone buying an Ambient).

I did, and got the Net price of the B14s to a figure I am more than happy with; PLUS I was able to get off the factory fit Conits and onto Michelin Pilot Exaltos that I wanted.

Fitting 19s would surely bring the profile of the required tyre down to '35' and you would lose 1/2 inch from the, already short, sidewall height. I think the 225/40 18 is a low enough profile without ruining the ride and causing excess tramlining etc.

Fitting 19s would not close the gap in the wheelarches per se, you have to fit lowered the springs to do this.

Lowering is definately the way to go, even if you are on OEM 17's it will transform the look/handling of the car IMO.

If you like the B14s they are

Thats the way to do it!

Thanks Makefish,

Will probably stick to the Zenith 18s for now.

Got to get my car first and get used to it I suppose. Then I can have a proper think about wheels. Bet my Insurance company will love me!

I went ahead and got the Skoda 'dealer fit' B14 style wheels on my car. They are 8.0J x 18", part no. CCB 609 001 for