[Arjun Reddy]

Originally Posted by phreakv6

My car is due for first inspection this week. I called for an appointment and got a shock when I was told that the first available date is Oct 9th! Not sure if this is par for the course for tafe/skoda. Coming from a hyundai, I was surprised.

My car has run around 7100km and I have a 700km trip planned this week. Will exceeding the 7500km by 300km before the first inspection affect anything? I am aware that the only thing that will be done in this inspection is an oil change if necessary and I just checked the dipstick and it looks good as its only been run on the highway. Just being cautious since its skoda we are talking about and I don't want to void my warranty or anything. Please advise.

I guess it's an oil top up. There is probably nothing to inspect and shouldn't take them more than 10 mins. Have a word with the service manager. Tell him about your planned trip and he might oblige to take in your vehicle. Tell him that your a Team BHP member. It always helps. Get it stamped and its peace of mind.You need to arm twist your way through sometimes if required.

[hemanthisgreat]

Would up sizing from the stock 205/55/16 to 225/50/16 on the Octavia 1.8tsi reduce fuel economy or speed. Looking forward to feedback regarding this.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by hemanthisgreat

Would up sizing from the stock 205/55/16 to 225/50/16 on the Octavia 1.8tsi reduce fuel economy or speed. Looking forward to feedback regarding this.

Check out this post in Chethan's Jetta ownership thread (lots of discussion regarding tire upgrade in the previous couple of pages before this post).

Upsizing to 225/50/r16 makes a lot of difference in handling, but not that much of a drop in fuel economy. The same should apply to Octavia 1.8Tsi as well.

[itwasntme]

Hemantisgreat, what about warranty?

[hemanthisgreat]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Hemantisgreat, what about warranty?

No clue. Will ask Skoda about this. May as well just stick with the oem size. The general opinion is that the stock Goodyear eagle NCT5 is not that great.

[vvb8530]

Originally Posted by graaja

Check out this post in Chethan's Jetta ownership thread (lots of discussion regarding tire upgrade in the previous couple of pages before this post).

Upsizing to 225/50/r16 makes a lot of difference in handling, but not that much of a drop in fuel economy. The same should apply to Octavia 1.8Tsi as well.

I am no expert but would not the 215/50 be a better and safer choice than the 225/50?

I am planning to change the tyres as soon as i get the delivery of my car so it would be great to get some suggestions.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by vvb8530

I am no expert but would not the 215/50 be a better and safer choice than the 225/50?

I am planning to change the tyres as soon as i get the delivery of my car so it would be great to get some suggestions.

215/50 has a 1.7% error on rolling circumference, whereas 225/50 has no error. So, in terms of sizing, 225/50 is the right upsize.

However, first you need to decide what you expect out of the tire change.

The stock GoodYears are known to be hard and noisy. If you just want reduced road noise and more comfort, you should stick to stock size and go for Michelin P3ST which is recommended by many users here. Even I changed my Jetta's tire to P3ST, but stock size.

If you love to throw the car around corners and love heavy acceleration, plan to remap the car for higher power and torque etc, then you would look for wider tires for improving grip, handling and braking. In this case, 225/50 is the right choice.

What is your criteria for tire change? Comfort or performance? If it is comfort, stick to stock size. If it is performance then go for up-size.

[vvb8530]

Originally Posted by graaja

215/50 has a 1.7% error on rolling circumference, whereas 225/50 has no error. So, in terms of sizing, 225/50 is the right upsize.

However, first you need to decide what you expect out of the tire change.

The stock GoodYears are known to be hard and noisy. If you just want reduced road noise and more comfort, you should stick to stock size and go for Michelin P3ST which is recommended by many users here. Even I changed my Jetta's tire to P3ST, but stock size.

If you love to throw the car around corners and love heavy acceleration, plan to remap the car for higher power and torque etc, then you would look for wider tires for improving grip, handling and braking. In this case, 225/50 is the right choice.

What is your criteria for tire change? Comfort or performance? If it is comfort, stick to stock size. If it is performance then go for up-size.

Well i did get the 1.8tsi for performance so am looking forward to some spirited driving however having said that comfort would still be a priority which is why i thought that 215/50 would be better than 225/50. I may then just stick to the stock size for now. How bad are the goodyears though? Michelins I am not very fond off may look for something in Yoko's.

[Hawkeye269]

Originally Posted by vvb8530

Well i did get the 1.8tsi for performance so am looking forward to some spirited driving however having said that comfort would still be a priority which is why i thought that 215/50 would be better than 225/50. I may then just stick to the stock size for now. How bad are the goodyears though? Michelins I am not very fond off may look for something in Yoko's.

Hey there, I too ended up sticking with the stock tyre size on my 1.8tsi after using similar logic. The performance part is largely taken care of with the torquey mill and smooth 7-speed DSG 'box, so I opted for an upgrade (as opposed to an upsize), and replaced the stock tyres with Pirelli Cinturato P7s. The improvement in ride and handling was palpable from the get go. Four months on, I'm supremely happy with my decision!

[graaja]

Originally Posted by vvb8530

I may then just stick to the stock size for now. How bad are the goodyears though? Michelins I am not very fond off may look for something in Yoko's.

The general opinion is that Good Years are hard and have very high road noise. They are made to last though. This is what I learnt in the Jetta thread when I got my car and ended up upgrading to P3STs. If you are not comfortable with Michelins, then you could check out Yokos or Pirellis or Continental (I am going for Continental MC5s for my Polo GT TSi).

[vvb8530]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye269

Hey there, I too ended up sticking with the stock tyre size on my 1.8tsi after using similar logic. The performance part is largely taken care of with the torquey mill and smooth 7-speed DSG 'box, so I opted for an upgrade (as opposed to an upsize), and replaced the stock tyres with Pirelli Cinturato P7s. The improvement in ride and handling was palpable from the get go. Four months on, I'm supremely happy with my decision!

Thanks for the info Hawkeye. Could you please throw some light on the dent to the pocket caused by the Pirelli's? Also are the Pirelli's durable enough to handle the roads of Bombay? The reason why I have not liked the Michelins is because of the softer side wall making them not so durable on our roads in my earlier ride.

Originally Posted by graaja

The general opinion is that Good Years are hard and have very high road noise. They are made to last though. This is what I learnt in the Jetta thread when I got my car and ended up upgrading to P3STs. If you are not comfortable with Michelins, then you could check out Yokos or Pirellis or Continental (I am going for Continental MC5s for my Polo GT TSi).

Thanks for your help Graaja.

[Hawkeye269]

Originally Posted by vvb8530

Thanks for the info Hawkeye. Could you please throw some light on the dent to the pocket caused by the Pirelli's? Also are the Pirelli's durable enough to handle the roads of Bombay? The reason why I have not liked the Michelins is because of the softer side wall making them not so durable on our roads in my earlier ride.

I have a fairly short (by Bombay standards) daily commute, vvb8530, about 25 minutes... which includes the JJ flyover. Having said that, there are a few rough patches on the route I take, and I haven't had any cause for complaint with the Cinturato P7s either with respect to comfort or durability. I should mention though that once, while heading back from Pune, I got a flat just before the Talegaon toll booth on the expressway. I called Skoda roadside assistance and they sent somebody within half an hour / 45 minutes, during which time I caught up on my emails and made a few phone calls! The flat was due to sheer bad luck, can't blame the tyres (a sharp object had gone in between the tread pattern). So yeah, in my limited experience they are durable enough to handle Bombay roads.

As far as "dent to the pocket" goes, it only cost me ₹2,000 per tyre. The break up per tyre is as follows:

• usual buyback price for stock Goodyears: ₹5,000
• buyback price I received (after a bit of bargaining): ₹5,500
• cost of Pirelli Cinturato P7 (after a bit of bargaining): ₹7,500
• net amount paid: ₹7,500 - ₹5,500 = ₹2,000

I opted for the Pirelli Cinturato P7s over the Michelin P3ST for the following reasons:

1. Price: Pirelli was running a discount scheme at the time, which was why I could get them at ₹7,500 apiece; the Michelin, on the other hand, was being offered by various dealers in the range of ₹9,600 to ₹9,850
2. Durability: I had heard similar stories about the Michelin not being as durable, but since this is merely anecdotal I don't know how much reliance to place on the relative durability of the Cinturato P7s vs. the Michelin P3ST
3. Compatability: FWIW, internationally, the P7s are used by the Volkswagen Audi Group on high end (in each range) Audis, VWs and Skodas

By the way, I recommend Kenny at PAL Tyres (Lamington Road) very highly. He deservedly enjoys a stellar reputation on this forum. See the thread started by Tejas: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/mumbai...ad-mumbai.html

If, however, you are in the suburbs and Lamington Road is too far for you, you may want to check out Jitubhai at Saifee Tyres in Santacruz. See the thread started by GTO: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/mumbai...uz-mumbai.html

In either case, I think you'll get even better service if you mention that you're a member of Team BHP, and that they were recommended to you on this forum. Also, as always, it pays to be smart and shop around for prices and deals!

[zee_bat]

What is the correct upsize if I want to change the rims to 17"? I want the least road noise and most comfort as possible, driving in Delhi traffic doesn't give opportunities for showcasing performance anyway

[streetracer_919]

Originally Posted by zee_bat

What is the correct upsize if I want to change the rims to 17"? I want the least road noise and most comfort as possible, driving in Delhi traffic doesn't give opportunities for showcasing performance anyway

225/45/17 will be the correct size. I am running the same on my Laura. But dont expect much comfort in this size as the sidewall thickness is less. You can feel even the smallest broken patches in the road. I am using pirelli P1 cinturato tyres and very satisfied with it. In my opinion you can use 225/50/17 if you want slightly better comfort.

[motor_breathing]

In 225 50 R16 there are not many choices. Michelin no longer imports PS3 in this size and not many dealers have this in stock. I have changed Goodyear NCT5 205 to Yokohama Decibel 225,50 R16. With exchange, it cost me 5K per tire. Front now looks nice. Rear wheel still looks a bit inside. A 1 cm spacer could fix that. Steering became little more tight I feel. Yoko seems definitely better than stock NCT5.