Octavia wheel upsize & ride quality

kroner · 24th January 2006, 13:33

All:

I want to get alloys/ tires for my new Octavia. The stock setup is 195/65 R15. I'm thinking of the following:

(1.) 225/45 R17 - Looks great, handles great, worried about the ride
(2.) 225/50 R17 - Sames as above, better ride?
(3.) 225/55 R16 - Best ride of the three I guess?

Food for thought:

- All of these are with 4% of the rolling radius of the stock setup.
- 225s fit very nicely in the Skoda wheel well.
- The tire height for (2.) is almost exactly the same as the setup on the Skoda RS (205/55 R16). In my understanding the ride quality should be similar.
- I'm leaning towards (2.). Am I crazy or is this a good move?

Looking for your inputs... esp. from Octavia owners that have upsized.

To reiterate: my real worry is a bad ass ride. This is a daily driver. Not some whacked out wannabe drag racer job. No offence.

Thanks.

Rtech · 24th January 2006, 13:45

Ahh...good topic! I was/am in the same dilema as well. Torn between the looks of the 17"ers and the compromise fo the 16"ers.

If I think with the head, 215/55/16 are the best upsize. Good compromise between looks, handling and ride quality.

kroner · 24th January 2006, 13:58

Which ones are you using? How's the ride quality vs. handling.

Sahil · 24th January 2006, 14:05

If u have an RS then i would suggest you can get away with 225's if its a TDi or 2.0 Petrol then be ready for a significant drop in performance and mileage.
17 inchers r a complete no no on the octy. they look awesome no doubt but the ride quality is pathetic, and i knw of ppl having suspension problems due to this. I agree with Rtech, he has give the ideal upsize.

kroner · 24th January 2006, 14:40

Its a 1.8 Turbo Petrol, so yes effectively its got RS performance. I will be getting an ECU remap as soon as I've broken the sucker in. 1000 km to go.

That said I'm not going to be too excited about losing any performance or FE. How much will 225s affect me given the upcoming ECU upgrade?

In other countries 225/45 R17 is a pretty standard upgrade and installed with the correct wheel offset (35-38 for the Octy) I've never heard of an issue. Apparently the Indian Octys come with a slightly jacked up ride height, so again that size shouldn't hurt.

What you say about ride quality does bother me though...

How about 225/55 R16? Wider for the look & putting the extra power down, tire height is higher than 215/55 R16 for more comfort...

karthik247 · 24th January 2006, 22:46

225 would be hard on the suspension. My frnd's got 225/?/R16, and the only prob seems that the steering gets a bit too tight. No much of a difference in FE. Mayb a drop of 1 or 2 kms

Beemer · 25th January 2006, 00:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by kroner

What you say about ride quality does bother me though...

Kroner ,stick to the Original size ,dont get fooled by the looks of those large alloys and the tyres .. I know they look great but no matter what ,the day you go for the bigger alloys/tyres(doesnt matter whether its 16 or 17) ,you 've to compromise on the ride quality ..

P.S Why do you wanna loose out on the fabolous ride quality your Octavia is capable of .. DONT PLAY WITH It ..

nitrous · 25th January 2006, 02:21

Quote:

If I think with the head, 215/55/16 are the best upsize

If we think with our heart, 22 inch rims wouldn't suffice

viper · 25th January 2006, 08:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by karthik247

225 would be hard on the suspension. My frnd's got 225/?/R16, and the only prob seems that the steering gets a bit too tight. No much of a difference in FE. Mayb a drop of 1 or 2 kms

Hey,

1 or 2 kms is a big drop in FE

Viper

Rtech · 25th January 2006, 10:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beemer

Kroner ,stick to the Original size ,dont get fooled by the looks of those large alloys and the tyres .. I know they look great but no matter what ,the day you go for the bigger alloys/tyres(doesnt matter whether its 16 or 17) ,you 've to compromise on the ride quality ..

P.S Why do you wanna loose out on the fabolous ride quality your Octavia is capable of .. DONT PLAY WITH It ..

Beemer, the RS comes standard with 16" wheels. Its ride quality is still fantastic. And the improvement is handling is really worth the upsize, especially for the 1.8T. That it looks good is a bonus.

kroner · 25th January 2006, 10:02

Take a 215/55 R16 upsize for instance.

The rolling radius is within 2% of stock and the tire height is right in between the stock Rider and the stock RS.

The tires are marginally wider than the RS' 205s.

In this case wheels chosen with the correct offset (35-38 for the Octavia) should not rub under ANY circumstances and the ride quality should be right in between that of a stock Rider and the RS.

Subjective opinions aside, does anyone have evidence a logical explanation why this setup would create a bad ride?

Please also keep in mind that I WILL be upgrading the ECU to get more power out of this engine. I definitely want more rubber on the road to deploy this power safely.

Rtech · 25th January 2006, 10:16

Quote:

Subjective opinions aside, does anyone have evidence a logical explanation why this setup would create a bad ride?

It won't! Go for it, you really will need the extra grip and handling advantage offered by the larger wheels/tyres. The 15" wheels and 195 tyres are desperately inadequate for the 1.8T.

autopsyche · 25th January 2006, 10:38

Hi Kroner. Got your mail as well.

215/55/R16 is a great combination of looks, comfort and performance. I think you should go for it. If you want i can give you the original RS Rims for your car. If budget is not a problem try for Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires, Yokohamas and Goodyear GSD3's would be the next choice.

17s will take away the ride quality and anything wider than 225 will be too much unnecessary friction.

Arush

2L8uLoose · 25th January 2006, 11:16

I got a set of 225/50/16's on my Skoda and there's absolutely no problem with the ride or handling...

nitrous · 25th January 2006, 14:24

Quote:

195 tyres are desperately inadequate for the 1.8T.

Absolutely, 150 bhp will keep the wheels spinning everytime u rev hard.U need a min of 215.

24th January 2006, 13:33	#1
kroner Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 21 Thanked: 0 Times	Octavia wheel upsize & ride quality All: I want to get alloys/ tires for my new Octavia. The stock setup is 195/65 R15. I'm thinking of the following: (1.) 225/45 R17 - Looks great, handles great, worried about the ride (2.) 225/50 R17 - Sames as above, better ride? (3.) 225/55 R16 - Best ride of the three I guess? Food for thought: - All of these are with 4% of the rolling radius of the stock setup. - 225s fit very nicely in the Skoda wheel well. - The tire height for (2.) is almost exactly the same as the setup on the Skoda RS (205/55 R16). In my understanding the ride quality should be similar. - I'm leaning towards (2.). Am I crazy or is this a good move? Looking for your inputs... esp. from Octavia owners that have upsized. To reiterate: my real worry is a bad ass ride. This is a daily driver. Not some whacked out wannabe drag racer job. No offence. Thanks.
	() Thanks

24th January 2006, 13:45	#2
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	Ahh...good topic! I was/am in the same dilema as well. Torn between the looks of the 17"ers and the compromise fo the 16"ers. If I think with the head, 215/55/16 are the best upsize. Good compromise between looks, handling and ride quality.
	() Thanks

24th January 2006, 13:58	#3
kroner Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 21 Thanked: 0 Times	Which ones are you using? How's the ride quality vs. handling.
	() Thanks

24th January 2006, 14:05	#4
Sahil Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 6,292 Thanked: 7,607 Times	If u have an RS then i would suggest you can get away with 225's if its a TDi or 2.0 Petrol then be ready for a significant drop in performance and mileage. 17 inchers r a complete no no on the octy. they look awesome no doubt but the ride quality is pathetic, and i knw of ppl having suspension problems due to this. I agree with Rtech, he has give the ideal upsize.
	() Thanks

24th January 2006, 14:40	#5
kroner Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 21 Thanked: 0 Times	Its a 1.8 Turbo Petrol, so yes effectively its got RS performance. I will be getting an ECU remap as soon as I've broken the sucker in. 1000 km to go. That said I'm not going to be too excited about losing any performance or FE. How much will 225s affect me given the upcoming ECU upgrade? In other countries 225/45 R17 is a pretty standard upgrade and installed with the correct wheel offset (35-38 for the Octy) I've never heard of an issue. Apparently the Indian Octys come with a slightly jacked up ride height, so again that size shouldn't hurt. What you say about ride quality does bother me though... How about 225/55 R16? Wider for the look & putting the extra power down, tire height is higher than 215/55 R16 for more comfort...
	() Thanks

24th January 2006, 22:46	#6
karthik247 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR, HYD Posts: 2,710 Thanked: 30 Times	225 would be hard on the suspension. My frnd's got 225/?/R16, and the only prob seems that the steering gets a bit too tight. No much of a difference in FE. Mayb a drop of 1 or 2 kms
	() Thanks

25th January 2006, 10:02	#11
kroner Newbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 21 Thanked: 0 Times	Take a 215/55 R16 upsize for instance. The rolling radius is within 2% of stock and the tire height is right in between the stock Rider and the stock RS. The tires are marginally wider than the RS' 205s. In this case wheels chosen with the correct offset (35-38 for the Octavia) should not rub under ANY circumstances and the ride quality should be right in between that of a stock Rider and the RS. Subjective opinions aside, does anyone have evidence a logical explanation why this setup would create a bad ride? Please also keep in mind that I WILL be upgrading the ECU to get more power out of this engine. I definitely want more rubber on the road to deploy this power safely.
	() Thanks

25th January 2006, 10:38	#13
autopsyche Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: New Delhi, Indi Posts: 1,519 Thanked: 33 Times View My Garage	Hi Kroner. Got your mail as well. 215/55/R16 is a great combination of looks, comfort and performance. I think you should go for it. If you want i can give you the original RS Rims for your car. If budget is not a problem try for Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires, Yokohamas and Goodyear GSD3's would be the next choice. 17s will take away the ride quality and anything wider than 225 will be too much unnecessary friction. Arush
	() Thanks

25th January 2006, 11:16	#14
2L8uLoose BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 628 Thanked: 6 Times View My Garage	I got a set of 225/50/16's on my Skoda and there's absolutely no problem with the ride or handling...
	() Thanks