[mdsaab]

Wish you the best for your Pondy registration, hope things go well and smoothly.

Regarding the tyre pressures being absurdly high.
Even when we took home our ANHC the ride was extremely fidgety and bouncy.
took the car to a nearby tyre shop and got it checked. and the fellow had to reduce air. Wasn't surprised as after reading about it so many times was kinda expected.
But once you put the right tyre pressure, the ride does improve dramatically.
I really wonder why manufacturers, or dealers keep the tyre pressure levels so high?

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by vinj14

After a couple of days of driving the car and feeling like i was on a bullock-cart i decided to checked the tyre pressure. Shockingly it was 52psi for all the tyres (apparently a few other laura owners also had the same problem. Says a lot about the quality of the PDI!!). Anyways i brought it down to 30psi and ever since the ride quality has improved leaps and bounds!! I think the manual recommends 31 but the service guy told me to keep at 30psi.

I keep pressure at 32 psi all round. I think the recommendation on the fuel tank cap is 2.2 bar or 32 psi for half load. For full load they recommend an insane 48 psi for the rear tires. One a recent highway trip I maintained 34 psi all round for the onward journey. For the return journey I kept 34 psi for the front and 40 psi for the rear, and I must say the car felt much better on the return trip and also delivered better FE.

My tyres are of the same size as yours btw. But I run mine on Michelin Primacy LC, which are soft compound tires.

P.S. Drive safe on ECR. Smooth road without medians, with plenty of boy racers.

[vinj14]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

I keep pressure at 32 psi all round. I think the recommendation on the fuel tank cap is 2.2 bar or 32 psi for half load. For full load they recommend an insane 48 psi for the rear tires. One a recent highway trip I maintained 34 psi all round for the onward journey. For the return journey I kept 34 psi for the front and 40 psi for the rear, and I must say the car felt much better on the return trip and also delivered better FE.

My tyres are of the same size as yours btw. But I run mine on Michelin Primacy LC, which are soft compound tires.

P.S. Drive safe on ECR. Smooth road without medians, with plenty of boy racers.

Thanks. This is interesting. I always assumed you could go one/two notches above or below the recommended tyre pressure depending on your load and requirements. A range from 30 to 40 seems rather wide. You sure we can choose from this wide a range? Also (at the risk of sounding stupid), does the recommended tyre pressure differ for the petrol & diesel versions?

My car is currently running on stock 16' goodyear eagle NCT5. The tyres are decent. Just wanted to know whether i could expect a significant difference if i switched to michelin primacy LC or primacy HP of the same size (205/55/r16).

Would appreciate all your opinions..
Thanks

[VW2010]

Just wanted to know whether i could expect a significant difference if i switched to michelin primacy LC or primacy HP of the same size (205/55/r16).

Depends on what difference you are looking for. My change from the above profile when i do it after say 25K or 30K would be the 225-45-17 inch rim which would require RIM change as well. For the same 16inch rim i will still go for a broader tyre like a 225-50-16.

But thats a long call. The softer compound will give a softer ride, lower noise and from our members review a comparable FE and handling if not better.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by vinj14

Thanks. This is interesting. I always assumed you could go one/two notches above or below the recommended tyre pressure depending on your load and requirements. A range from 30 to 40 seems rather wide. You sure we can choose from this wide a range? Also (at the risk of sounding stupid), does the recommended tyre pressure differ for the petrol & diesel versions?

My car is currently running on stock 16' goodyear eagle NCT5. The tyres are decent. Just wanted to know whether i could expect a significant difference if i switched to michelin primacy LC or primacy HP of the same size (205/55/r16).

Would appreciate all your opinions..
Thanks

I suppose we can choose to keep the air pressure between the max and min recommended by the manufacturer depending upon the load and road conditions. So if you are carrying close to full load you may want to be as close to the full load recommendation as possible. Lower the air pressure better the ride and vice versa. I guess the reverse applies for cornering ability. But the full load recommendation of 48 psi seems to be very high and would impact ride. I feel the recommendation is based on European conditions where the roads are super smooth. For our road conditions I think 38 or 40 psi for the rear tires should be ideal for full load. If you are going over some very bad roads then you can reduce it to about 36 psi. Attaching a snapshot of the recommended pressures as per Skoda website.

THe recommended pressure for half load seem to be the same for petrol and diesel versions, but for full load there seems to be a difference. The diesel version being a little front heavy could be the reason for that.

Primacy LCs are super silent compared to the Goodyears. You will also find an improvement in the ride. They are very absorbient and comfortable. Gripwise, I find them to be good, no issues. Being soft they probably would not give you the same cornering ability. But you can increase the pressures a little bit if you are in the mood for some serious cornering. Michelin claims improvement in FE. I found my Corolla's mileage improving by about 3 to 4% compared to the FE with Bridgestones.

[vinj14]

How about these goodyear eagle F1 GSD3 tyres? They look amazing and from what i hear they are amazing perfromance tyres.
It's available in size im looking for as well (205/55/ZR16 91W)
I know for comfort and a super quiet ride the primacy LC's are the way to go..
If i was looking for a great set of performance tyres would this be an option worth considering??

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by vinj14

How about these goodyear eagle F1 GSD3 tyres? They look amazing and from what i hear they are amazing perfromance tyres.
It's available in size im looking for as well (205/55/ZR16 91W)
I know for comfort and a super quiet ride the primacy LC's are the way to go..
If i was looking for a great set of performance tyres would this be an option worth considering??
Attachment 587952

I personally would stay away from them (All Goodyears for that matter). I had the prev gen Eagle F1 which they called the GSD2 on my Corolla. The tyres were very hard and made an awful humming sound, even on good roads. Ride comfort went for a complete toss. Apparently most V grooved tires are prone to this humming sound. I then had to discard these tyres after just 8,000 kms of running since they developed uneven wear on alternate ribs. I had a run in with Goodyear on this and they simply washed off their hands saying my car had faulty suspension. Just for the record Bridgestones before the Eagle F1 ran for about 40,000 kms and another set of Bridgetones ran for another 35,000 kms following the Eagle F1s on the same car. I am very particular about regular wheel balancing and alignment too.

Don't know if the newer GSD3 is much improved. Actual users can probably throw more light on this.

[razor4077]

GSD3s are decent tyres, but they have a short lifespan, and you can expect road noise fairly early in the life cycle. There are better options at the price point - do check out the tyre & alloys section.

Congrats on getting a stonker of a car! Love the way she looks, especially with the improved rim design (one of the nicer OEM designs I've seen in a while). Nice smart accessories too that you've added.
Have fun, and do keep updating this thread with your ownership experiences.

[vinj14]

Went for a beautiful drive to pondicherry (300+ kms up and down). Was a 'luxurious' driving experience. Even in high speeds i felt safe and completely in control ( not a fair comparison but this was something i really couldnt get in my ANHC). Braking, cornering ability, steering feedback all would get a 5 star rating in my opinion. The journey really wasn't tiring at all and even after the long drive being stuck in the city traffic didn't stress me out..
Skoda laura you've just passed the litmus test and any feelings of guilt that i harboured (about buying a new car when i just bought one a yr ago) has been banished!!

Oh.. before i forget!! Just want to pass on some facts about the FE!!
Drove 320 kms and the car consumed 18.56 ltrs of diesel ONLY!!
FE = 5.8l/100kms ( 17.2 km/l) !!
Really was impressed with that. It's one thing reading about the great FE figures on websites and forums but to actually witness it.. a completely different feeling and oh so satisfying!!

[sameer sultan]

Originally Posted by vinj14

Went for a beautiful drive to pondicherry (300+ kms up and down). Was a 'luxurious' driving experience. Even in high speeds i felt safe and completely in control ( not a fair comparison but this was something i really couldnt get in my ANHC). Braking, cornering ability, steering feedback all would get a 5 star rating in my opinion. The journey really wasn't tiring at all and even after the long drive being stuck in the city traffic didn't stress me out..
Skoda laura you've just passed the litmus test and any feelings of guilt that i harboured (about buying a new car when i just bought one a yr ago) has been banished!!

Oh.. before i forget!! Just want to pass on some facts about the FE!!
Drove 320 kms and the car consumed 18.56 ltrs of diesel ONLY!!
FE = 5.8l/100kms ( 17.2 km/l) !!
Really was impressed with that. It's one thing reading about the great FE figures on websites and forums but to actually witness it.. a completely different feeling and oh so satisfying!!

<img src="http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=588900"/>

<img src="http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=588901"/>

Great to hear you had a super drive in your Laura.

The Skoda engines are known to turn out excellent FE when driven by a light foot. My Octavia would give 19 kmpl on the highways.

As for the driving stability it's incomparable. Truly 5 star.

[vinj14]

Hello BHPians..

Here whats been happening with my CAP BEIGE KING..

Went on a long drive and i felt stable, comfortable and in complete control sitting inside (what big diff compared to the toys the japs and the koreans make!!)
I've managed to unlock needle swap, cornering fogs and coming home lights using vcds (thanks to a fellow BHPian who was kind enough help)..

Now for your advice..

Im thinking about upgrading to the CASKA HU with gps. Would love to have bluetooth/usb/ipod/dvd/gps functions..
But the sound quality is amazing right now with the swing player, i'm scared the caska HU might bring down the quality.
Also, does anyone know whether the CASKA HU would support the parktronic functions with display (this is hugely important for me and if it doesn't support this feature i will drop the whole idea in a second!!)..
Found this picture on the net. This is exactly how it would look after fitting.



Awaiting your expert opinions and advice!

[VW2010]

whatever you do, please check regarding warranty before touching the electricals.

Get it in written if they say Warranty wont be void before cutting any wires.

Scary german company.

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by vinj14

Hello BHPians..

Here whats been happening with my CAP BEIGE KING..

Went on a long drive and i felt stable, comfortable and in complete control sitting inside (what big diff compared to the toys the japs and the koreans make!!)
I've managed to unlock needle swap, cornering fogs and coming home lights using vcds (thanks to a fellow BHPian who was kind enough help)..

Now for your advice..

Im thinking about upgrading to the CASKA HU with gps. Would love to have bluetooth/usb/ipod/dvd/gps functions..
But the sound quality is amazing right now with the swing player, i'm scared the caska HU might bring down the quality.
Also, does anyone know whether the CASKA HU would support the parktronic functions with display (this is hugely important for me and if it doesn't support this feature i will drop the whole idea in a second!!)..
Found this picture on the net. This is exactly how it would look after fitting.

<img src="http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=592184"/>

Awaiting your expert opinions and advice!

You can get a reverse camera fitted.
And the Caska will hook up to it.
Then when you reverse you will get a display of whats behind on the HU. From what i have seen it works pretty well

[vinj14]

Decided to ditch the idea of the getting thre CASKA. Didnt want to lose my animated parktronic and clima display. Will probably upgrade to a bolero (which comes in the L&k) if i find a good deal somewhere.

After unlocking pretty much everythin possible using vcds im thinking about retrofitting the multifunction vrs steering with paddles! I know it sounds crazy, risky, dumb, and far too overambitious but apparently its quite a straighforward procedure and can be done in 20mins.

Imagine a laura with paddles!!!

Downside is that ill surely lose my warranty! The 4 yr skoda sheild all gone!! So thats the confusing part. Whether to go all out with retrofitting cruise control & the mfs with paddles and enjoy these amazing additions for a few yrs (usually like changing cars every 4-5yrs). Or whether to play it safe and be satisfied with everythin else that the car offers??

Here's where i need you opinions and advice guys/mods.

[luky_13]

Originally Posted by vinj14

Decided to ditch the idea of the getting thre CASKA. Didnt want to lose my animated parktronic and clima display. Will probably upgrade to a bolero (which comes in the L&k) if i find a good deal somewhere.

Nah, I would choose the columbus or bolero over any other aftermarket HU, the Caska thingy doesn't gel. Looks completely alien. Be completely sure before you take the plunge, there is a lot more than just plug-n-play to these RNS units.

After unlocking pretty much everythin possible using vcds im thinking about retrofitting the multifunction vrs steering with paddles! I know it sounds crazy, risky, dumb, and far too overambitious but apparently its quite a straighforward procedure and can be done in 20mins.

Imagine a laura with paddles!!!

You haven't yet unlocked the FE to display in km/l. Change Bit 4-7, under 17-Instruments to Great Britain. And yes a Laura with flappy paddles is fun to drive (), again be sure what you are dealing with. Also it's going to take you much more than the anticipated 20 mins and a few hidden surprises!!

Downside is that ill surely lose my warranty! The 4 yr skoda sheild all gone!! So thats the confusing part. Whether to go all out with retrofitting cruise control & the mfs with paddles and enjoy these amazing additions for a few yrs (usually like changing cars every 4-5yrs). Or whether to play it safe and be satisfied with everythin else that the car offers??

This ain't for the faint hearted, remember you are dealing with a SKODA.