Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/)

-   -   Review: Skoda Octavia (3rd-gen) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/142516-review-skoda-octavia-3rd-gen-61.html)

I would beg to disagree, in my friends vento whenever we go for trip with 4ppl and luggage it use to scarp many humps. It is not as soft as city but not stiff enough to its own cousin Rapid. My point is just looking at GC will not give a complete picture as suspension setup(stiff/soft) maters more than just GC value.

What tyre pressure was your friend having? I always keep 36 front & 39 rear when car is on full load, that too nitrogen. Values may seem quite high but they work wonders when car is fully loaded. Ask him to try it and it may help. I have never scrapped my Vento throughout 15K+ of running on full load.

Yes people do say Rapid has better suspension but what intrigues me is that when both cars are made in same factory how can suspension be that different. Only a VAG parts manager at factory could elaborate.

In that case, I would suggest you to close your eyes and go for the Jetta. Jetta's ride is far better that that of E90's... :)

GC value, Wheelbase, Suspension stiffness (damping), Suspension travel and front / rear overhang.... - All contribute to how the car behaves over humps.

Jetta's bottom does not scrap over humps. Problem is only with the extra-long Mud flaps. :thumbs up

What is the general tyre pressure which needs to be maintained for city driving in the 1.8 TSi

I'm not aware about tyre pressure for 1.8 TSi, maybe Laura/Octavia owners can give details about it. Mostly in VAG group, tyre pressure are mentioned on the inner side of fuel filler opening. Have a look at it and it would give you a detailed info. I mostly follow those specs and they work fine for me.

IIRC for my Laura 1.8 TSi Skoda recommends something like 31 psi for 205 /55/16 tyres for normal load. For full load they recommend a very high 40 psi for the rear. I find 30 psi good for city rides and 33 psi good for highway runs when driving alone. For full load I prefer about 34 psi for front and 38 psi for the rear.

It should be similar for the Octavia too as tyre sizes and weights are similar. The Octavia is slightly lighter than the Laura if I am right.

As El lobo 6061 says, its available on the inside of the fuel lid.

For the 1.8 TSI, its 33 PSI front and rear for normal load and 36 front 46 rear for full load (5 PAX + full boot).

For the rear tyres :
Something like 32/33 normal -> 38/40 full (20-25% increase) ; is commonly observed across many cars. But 33-> 46 is almost adding 40% more pressure. Wont the tyres build up more pressure anyway, after driving some distance and heat builds up ?

Just checked the fuel lid of my Laura and it is 43 psi for the rear and not not 40 psi as I had mentioned earlier for full load. 46 PSI for the rear tyres will give an extremely hard ride and I don't think its right for Indian road conditions. Hit a big pothole at speed and you are bound to damage tyres or even the suspension as tyres will be as hard as a rock with no ability to cushion.

Yes the recommended pressures are unusually high. Quite common with VAG cars. I believe these stickers are the same that they paste on the cars they sell in Europe. The same cars sold in India have some changes in terms of suspension stiffness and ground clearance. Similarly even tyre pressures should be lower for Indian conditions. On bad roads you are sure to damage your tyres if you run at 46 psi and such hard tyres are surely not good for the suspension if the roads are not perfect, not to mention the uncomfortable ride.

Tyre pressures should always be measured when the tyres are cold. Generally after some running pressures go up by about 2~3 psi. So if you are filling up when the tyres are warm, you should add a couple more psi to the recommended pressures.

Just a wild question.
Doesnt the tyre pressure monitoring system start showing warnings in case pressure goes up by 2/3 psi, which is pretty common

Every time you fill up the tyres, you have to set the TPMS "SET". If you don't set it up, it will remain deactivated. Till date I set it about 4-5 times, and never got any warning message, although each and every time when I went to refill the tyres, the pressure was down by 4-5 psi than normal. I usually fill up in a gap of 10-12 days. And I don't use Nitrogen. Its a scam in my opinion :p

No, it's not in my opinion. TPMS usually detects if pressure falls by 10psi or more and has proved a lifesaver for me on more than one occasion. The puncture was detected before the pressure reduced drastically and repaired immediately due to TPMS.

I guess by the scam, he meant the Nitrogen and not the TPMS.

TPMS is indeed a good thing to have especially on the highways where a tyre burst due to excessively low pressure can be deadly.

I absolutely meant nitrogen to be a scam :) TPMS is a thoroughly useful feature. I guess if the TPMS does not alarm, it means your tyre air level is safe. So all in all a useful safety feature. But I must say, whenever the tyre pressure is low, I get this sixth sense feeling that it's low :p

Definitely agree, atmospheric air is 78% nitrogen so we all are getting it free of cost.