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I'm using the vw fluid which they refill when they service the car. I ask the service centre guys to add 2 extra bottles of the fluid to my bill for future use. I use a mix of this fluid and water which has worked well for me till now.

Hi Drivethru, I think it's a perfect mileage to change your tyres. Not as elaborate as your Jetta but when I swapped my tyres at 32K on my Polo, I was concerned with the road noise as well.

I had Yokos put on my car, and trust me, they are extremely good. Having driven another 8K on them, they are serving me well till now. With the onset of monsoons from today in Mumbai, I am hoping they will do just as well. Speak to Mark from Premji tyres in Thane, the guy is as genuine as they get. You can't go wrong with them. However, I had mine swapped at Sahni Tyres (at the Turbhe-Palm Beach crossing) and they are pretty good as well. They opened another outlet for Bridgestone in Nerul (next to Jhama). I can PM you Mark's number if you want to put a word with him.

Hi,

You can use sonex or even a sachet of shampoo... :)

Sachet of Sahmpoo always comes handy. But dont really worry about this and simply refill it with water. I usually use water from my RO to make sure i dont clog the pipes with salt.

But i simply refill with water.

I am still trying to get some good will going with the service centre to see if i can get some discount on parts replacement for my Steering gear and compressor(AC).

I am seriously considering an upgrade to 17" alloys with 225/45 tires when the time comes to change the tires on my car. I have a friend who has done this to his Octavia.

Has any Jetta (and Octavia and Laura) owner upsized to 17" alloys? If yes, how is the quality of ride compared to 16"? I would like to get your opinion on this topic. As always, thanks in advance for all the inputs.

If you drive on bad roads, avoid. You will have to slow down a fair amount more for bumps, not to mention the extra care you have to take for the low profile tyres. If the roads you drive on don't have to many potholes or bumps, and you are happy with a stiffer ride then you may go ahead. Is it more grip you want, or the better looks?

Thanks Akshay. My primary requirement is grip, look is secondary. And sometimes I have to drive on very rough roads filled with potholes. I thought a combination of wider and lower profile tyres will give the best of the grips. Also, the 225/45/R17 has about 0.38% error on circumference.

If 17" is not practical, is there any 16" 225 wide tyre that may be used in place of the stock size?

225/50 16 can be used instead of the stock size. It makes no difference to the ride and will provide you with significantly better grip. Using the same on my Laura.

For a sedate to normal driving style the stock 205s are good enough. If you tend push hard on highways, corner hard on two lane state roads , brake late etc... an upsize can be considered. Avoid 17s unless you are particular about looks. They need to be looked after and will cost you a lot of money as well. You cannot compromise on the quality of alloys and good brands are expensive. Go for 225/50/16 Michelin Pilot Sport 3 on stock alloys. I am on my second set of these tyres and they are really good grip and comfortwise. Tyre life is a bit low though.

I consider grip as primary requirement and looks as a bonus, but if it is going to be a pain maintaining an 17", then I will stick to the stock alloys. As I do push the car on highways and like to do corner hard as well, I will plan for an upsize to 225/50 R16.

One last question. Will the stock alloys of Jetta take the 225/50 R16 tyres? I believe you have used these on the Laura and Adi has used on his Octavia. Just want to make sure about the Jetta.

I believe the alloy size is same for 16 inch wheels of the Jetta/ Laura/ Octavia which is is 16 x 6.5J. They will just about take the 225/50 tyres. My Borbets are 16 x 7.0J. I was particular about looks so I went for wider 16" Borbet alloys although my stock alloys were also 16". I avoided 17" at the time particularly because my usage is extensive and I did not want to sacrifice practicality. Do consider Bilstien shocks if you like to corner hard. You will lose some cushioning at slow speeds, but what you will gain is tremendous cornering ability and straight line stability.

Thanks. In that case, my first upgrade will only be the tyres. Regarding Bilsteins, I would like to get them, but I guess it will affect the warranty. So I will wait for atleast 3 years, to use 50% of the extended warranty.

That way, I think even a tyre upgrade also will effect warranty? :)

Jetta with its OEM setup, grips / handles and corners very well. Is something more required in real world conditions? I really could not understand.. stupid:

My understanding is that if the circumference is maintained within some percentage of the stock tyres, it would not void the warranty. Can someone please confirm this?

Like they say "Yeh Dil Mange More!" :)

They will not even notice the tyres have been upsized. And if they do and try and say warranty is void for a tyre upgrade, politely tell them to stop talking nonsense.

Even with Bilsteins you can get by, except they probably won't entertain any warranties related to suspension. Though with suspension components warranty is hardly ever given unless it is a really new car, they normally say its wear and tear and deny any warranty claims.