Skoda Laura : Tyre & wheel upgrade thread

androdev · 21st June 2008, 09:56

The recommended tyre sizes are mentioned on the back of the fuel lid.

ACM · 21st June 2008, 20:10

Had typed a detailed reply /query that I guess lost with the internet link, so here goes again.

Firstly thanks Androdev & veelubai for the inputs.

My take:

Saw Fuel Lid & checked out the Link as well.
Yes 205/55 R16 seem to be Stock. So the Initial owner of my car did go for an upgrade to 205/60 R16 -

Expected Impact:
1) 3% lower speed being displayed - Can live with this not important - most speedo have error upto 7% to start with anyways.
2) Lesser Acceleration - Possibly true, never noticed, never drove another laura for more than a few kms except the test laura at the dealer. Not significant difference I guess.
3) Tires can touch body of the Car under heavy loads - (not acceptable if this happens.) But have loaded the car with 5 adults and 2 children + fully loaded Dicky for trips to international Airport and not faced an Issue. So though in theory this could be an issue, I have as yet not faced it.

Not comfortable using 4 nos 205/55 R16 and 1 spare of 205/60 R16 as there is a size difference and I do make outstation trips upto 500 kms a day at times.

My Current thought
Preference 1: Go for 4 nos 205/60 R16 Yokos for 6300 each - economical and proven bet on my car as far as size is concerned. Any technical reason WHY I SHOULD NOT GO FOR THIS OPTION? WHY THIS MAY BE A MISTAKE CONSIDERING PARAMTERS THAT MATTER TO ME MENTIONED BELOW?

Preference 2: Go for 5 nos 205/55 R16 - more expensive option due to addtional tyre. But if required for some technical / safety reason would do it.

Preference 3: Go for 5 nos 225/50 or 55 R16 - again more expensive. Will this aid in anyway my key objectives? Which is better/ correct 50 or 55, all earlier threads reffered to thickness 55 even with width 225 - WHICH FITS THE RIMS BETTER. IS 225 OK FOR STANDARD / STOCK RIMS?

Parameters that matter to me are:

1) Low noice
2) Comfort for Old Parents and hopefully a preganant wife (on bombays potholed roads) before the life of the tyres run out.
3) Safety, life of tyre (no Buldges / Cracks)/ braking
4) Reasonable costs - So No Rim changes, nor any tyres costing 8000 plus each. ofcourse 4 nos vs 5 is a significant difference by itself.

Lastly am planning for a tunning box / remap around nov when these tyres would be around 18K kms old, any recommendation changes considering this?

Veelubai · 21st June 2008, 23:12

ACM , ithink even if you get 4 205/55 tyres using a 205/60 spare tyre will be fine for the time being. Since you are thinking of a a remap/tuning box also look at 225/50 R16, but the question is , is it really needed? especially when you are inclined towards ride comfort.

ACM · 24th November 2008, 13:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veelubai

ACM , ithink even if you get 4 205/55 tyres using a 205/60 spare tyre will be fine for the time being. Since you are thinking of a a remap/tuning box also look at 225/50 R16, but the question is , is it really needed? especially when you are inclined towards ride comfort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by androdev

ACM:

this is pretty good link to understand the consequences of tyre size changes. nothing life threatening though :-)

Visual Tyre Size Calculator | Kouki Tech

i have not been successful with my tyre change yet. still running on the OE bridgestones.

Dear Androdev and Veelubai

Finally went in for Yoko S-Drives, 205/55 R16. thought I should let you know what I decided based in part on Inputs from you. Have attached below a link that present the trials and tribulations in detail. Check out Posts 168 & 179 on that link. Actually 179 should have been re-posted here.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modify...ml#post1060684

shatrughna · 6th January 2009, 21:57

Hi there. Anyone has any idea about Continental SportContact2 205/55 R16 91V, please. I had gone to a dealers godown yesterday and saw that most of the Lauras had Goodyear NCT 5 Eagle or Bridgestone Turanza which we have discussed in this thread. However, I found 2 cars - could be the fresh lot - with continental tyres as mentioned above. Tyres looked ok but Turanza looked better.

In Jan 09 issue of Autocar, had read an article on the continental that they have launched their products in India last month and currently in the replacement market and so far not bagged any OEM orders but it seems that they have managed at least an OEM order for some Laura's.

iraghava · 6th January 2009, 22:47

Continental is a reputed brand in Europe and is indeed OE on a lot of German marques. However, I've not yet had the opportunity to test their Indian offerings.

shatrughna · 21st January 2009, 14:24

Hi Raghava any update on Conti now . I guess already some dealers are selling conti in major cities and some as OEMs too have arrived.

gpsbrar · 22nd January 2009, 15:17

First of all let me take a moment to thank ACM,Androdev and Veelubai for the loads of information. Without this info I think I would have been another victim of the tyre dealers who always end up selling you the wrong thing.

After going through the Thread I have zeroed down on Yoko S-Drives, 205/55 R16. The dealer is quoting 6400/- a pop.
Now I have a couple of questions :

1)Is the price I am paying correct.
2)While buying the above mentioned tyre what all things do i need to keep in mind in case I end up with some problem and I need to get the tyre replaced witthin warranty. (Basically how do I differentiate between a grey market and a normal tyre).

tazmaan · 22nd January 2009, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by shatrughna

In Jan 09 issue of Autocar, had read an article on the continental that they have launched their products in India last month and currently in the replacement market and so far not bagged any OEM orders but it seems that they have managed at least an OEM order for some Laura's.

Thats true Lauras now come with Continentals as OEM. The Dealer also said that all VolksWagon cars now have continentals as OEM which if true might just be a good start for Continentals. I just put Continentals on my Swift.

ACM · 27th January 2009, 23:58

After going through the Thread I have zeroed down on Yoko S-Drives, 205/55 R16. The dealer is quoting 6400/- a pop.
Now I have a couple of questions :

1)Is the price I am paying correct.
I PAID ABOUT Rs. 6000 6 months back at Vashi (Navi Mumbai) which is outside the Octroi zone at Mumbai. So the price sounds roughly correct.

2)While buying the above mentioned tyre what all things do i need to keep in mind in case I end up with some problem and I need to get the tyre replaced witthin warranty. (Basically how do I differentiate between a grey market and a normal tyre).
These are good tyres. Think they will last 30000 kms, as they are of the sporty kind vs the MXV8 from Michellin which are energy savers and last about 40000 kms. Get a proper bill, and ask the dealer to give you the Yokohoma persons phone number. (as for warranty it you would need to be in direct touch with yoko guy who would come over to your place and check out the tyres if there is a defect.)
Mine developed a bubble in one of the tyres in the first month and after haggeling and mentioning that I would place the review on the net, the tyre was replaced Free of Cost.
But yes they are good tyres.

arunjohnpaul · 14th August 2009, 16:29

Hello!!
Can someone advice me on what tyres and wheels to go in for my New Skoda Laura Elegance. Please advice. Avg driving speed would be around 140kmph. Peted. Safety first - handling(wet & dry), braking, Comfort Second - noise, ride. I'm going for 17 inchers. Kindly advice. The tyre profile i want is 235 / 45R17
- Yoko Advan Sport or Michelin PP2?
- HR or ENKEI?
- will a 245 / 40R17fit?

karan561 · 17th September 2009, 21:30

I was out of town recently (interning in Bangalore) my Laura needed a tyre change which was running on 215/55 G IIIs. So my father got it changed without my consent and got a set of 205/55 Bridgestone MY-01s. I was wanting to install S-drives. So i was quite pissed. But surprisingly these are performing pretty well till now.

Nikhilb2008 · 17th September 2009, 22:06

Those are very good tyres. Only drawback is, they are available only through grey market. BS live up to their name. BS tyres. They dont make any good tyres in India. We get the crap tyres. They market and sell the good tyres in all other countries.

reignofchaos · 17th September 2009, 22:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by arunjohnpaul

Hello!!
Can someone advice me on what tyres and wheels to go in for my New Skoda Laura Elegance. Please advice. Avg driving speed would be around 140kmph. Peted. Safety first - handling(wet & dry), braking, Comfort Second - noise, ride. I'm going for 17 inchers. Kindly advice. The tyre profile i want is 235 / 45R17
- Yoko Advan Sport or Michelin PP2?
- HR or ENKEI?
- will a 245 / 40R17fit?

Forget both. Get Advan Neova

.

@Karan: AFAIK the Bridgestone MY01s are better than S-Drives.

ACM · 22nd September 2009, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by arunjohnpaul

Hello!!
Can someone advice me on what tyres and wheels to go in for my New Skoda Laura Elegance. Please advice. Avg driving speed would be around 140kmph. Peted. Safety first - handling(wet & dry), braking, Comfort Second - noise, ride. I'm going for 17 inchers. Kindly advice. The tyre profile i want is 235 / 45R17
- Yoko Advan Sport or Michelin PP2?
- HR or ENKEI?
- will a 245 / 40R17fit?

You may have already gone of the change.

the order would be:

1) Yoko Advant Sport
2) Yoko S drive
3) Michelin PP2
4) Michelin MXV8
5) Yoko DB 500

21st June 2008, 09:56	#136
androdev Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 3,097 Thanked: 22,341 Times	The recommended tyre sizes are mentioned on the back of the fuel lid.
	() Thanks

21st June 2008, 20:10	#137
ACM Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,745 Thanked: 4,361 Times View My Garage	stick to 205/60 R16 Had typed a detailed reply /query that I guess lost with the internet link, so here goes again. Firstly thanks Androdev & veelubai for the inputs. My take: Saw Fuel Lid & checked out the Link as well. Yes 205/55 R16 seem to be Stock. So the Initial owner of my car did go for an upgrade to 205/60 R16 - Expected Impact: 1) 3% lower speed being displayed - Can live with this not important - most speedo have error upto 7% to start with anyways. 2) Lesser Acceleration - Possibly true, never noticed, never drove another laura for more than a few kms except the test laura at the dealer. Not significant difference I guess. 3) Tires can touch body of the Car under heavy loads - (not acceptable if this happens.) But have loaded the car with 5 adults and 2 children + fully loaded Dicky for trips to international Airport and not faced an Issue. So though in theory this could be an issue, I have as yet not faced it. Not comfortable using 4 nos 205/55 R16 and 1 spare of 205/60 R16 as there is a size difference and I do make outstation trips upto 500 kms a day at times. My Current thought Preference 1: Go for 4 nos 205/60 R16 Yokos for 6300 each - economical and proven bet on my car as far as size is concerned. Any technical reason WHY I SHOULD NOT GO FOR THIS OPTION? WHY THIS MAY BE A MISTAKE CONSIDERING PARAMTERS THAT MATTER TO ME MENTIONED BELOW? Preference 2: Go for 5 nos 205/55 R16 - more expensive option due to addtional tyre. But if required for some technical / safety reason would do it. Preference 3: Go for 5 nos 225/50 or 55 R16 - again more expensive. Will this aid in anyway my key objectives? Which is better/ correct 50 or 55, all earlier threads reffered to thickness 55 even with width 225 - WHICH FITS THE RIMS BETTER. IS 225 OK FOR STANDARD / STOCK RIMS? Parameters that matter to me are: 1) Low noice 2) Comfort for Old Parents and hopefully a preganant wife (on bombays potholed roads) before the life of the tyres run out. 3) Safety, life of tyre (no Buldges / Cracks)/ braking 4) Reasonable costs - So No Rim changes, nor any tyres costing 8000 plus each. ofcourse 4 nos vs 5 is a significant difference by itself. Lastly am planning for a tunning box / remap around nov when these tyres would be around 18K kms old, any recommendation changes considering this?
	() Thanks

21st June 2008, 23:12	#138
Veelubai BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: B'lore/Trichur Posts: 317 Thanked: 87 Times	ACM , ithink even if you get 4 205/55 tyres using a 205/60 spare tyre will be fine for the time being. Since you are thinking of a a remap/tuning box also look at 225/50 R16, but the question is , is it really needed? especially when you are inclined towards ride comfort.
	() Thanks

6th January 2009, 21:57	#140
shatrughna BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 894 Thanked: 68 Times	Hi there. Anyone has any idea about Continental SportContact2 205/55 R16 91V, please. I had gone to a dealers godown yesterday and saw that most of the Lauras had Goodyear NCT 5 Eagle or Bridgestone Turanza which we have discussed in this thread. However, I found 2 cars - could be the fresh lot - with continental tyres as mentioned above. Tyres looked ok but Turanza looked better. In Jan 09 issue of Autocar, had read an article on the continental that they have launched their products in India last month and currently in the replacement market and so far not bagged any OEM orders but it seems that they have managed at least an OEM order for some Laura's.
	() Thanks

6th January 2009, 22:47	#141
iraghava Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bhaiyyaland Posts: 8,033 Thanked: 265 Times View My Garage	Continental is a reputed brand in Europe and is indeed OE on a lot of German marques. However, I've not yet had the opportunity to test their Indian offerings.
	() Thanks

21st January 2009, 14:24	#142
shatrughna BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 894 Thanked: 68 Times	Hi Raghava any update on Conti now . I guess already some dealers are selling conti in major cities and some as OEMs too have arrived.
	() Thanks

22nd January 2009, 15:17	#143
gpsbrar Newbie Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 19 Thanked: 2 Times	First of all let me take a moment to thank ACM,Androdev and Veelubai for the loads of information. Without this info I think I would have been another victim of the tyre dealers who always end up selling you the wrong thing. After going through the Thread I have zeroed down on Yoko S-Drives, 205/55 R16. The dealer is quoting 6400/- a pop. Now I have a couple of questions : 1)Is the price I am paying correct. 2)While buying the above mentioned tyre what all things do i need to keep in mind in case I end up with some problem and I need to get the tyre replaced witthin warranty. (Basically how do I differentiate between a grey market and a normal tyre).
	() Thanks

27th January 2009, 23:58	#145
ACM Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,745 Thanked: 4,361 Times View My Garage	replies After going through the Thread I have zeroed down on Yoko S-Drives, 205/55 R16. The dealer is quoting 6400/- a pop. Now I have a couple of questions : 1)Is the price I am paying correct. I PAID ABOUT Rs. 6000 6 months back at Vashi (Navi Mumbai) which is outside the Octroi zone at Mumbai. So the price sounds roughly correct. 2)While buying the above mentioned tyre what all things do i need to keep in mind in case I end up with some problem and I need to get the tyre replaced witthin warranty. (Basically how do I differentiate between a grey market and a normal tyre). These are good tyres. Think they will last 30000 kms, as they are of the sporty kind vs the MXV8 from Michellin which are energy savers and last about 40000 kms. Get a proper bill, and ask the dealer to give you the Yokohoma persons phone number. (as for warranty it you would need to be in direct touch with yoko guy who would come over to your place and check out the tyres if there is a defect.) Mine developed a bubble in one of the tyres in the first month and after haggeling and mentioning that I would place the review on the net, the tyre was replaced Free of Cost. But yes they are good tyres.
	() Thanks

14th August 2009, 16:29	#146
arunjohnpaul BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Tuticorin Posts: 36 Thanked: 0 Times	Hello!! Can someone advice me on what tyres and wheels to go in for my New Skoda Laura Elegance. Please advice. Avg driving speed would be around 140kmph. Peted. Safety first - handling(wet & dry), braking, Comfort Second - noise, ride. I'm going for 17 inchers. Kindly advice. The tyre profile i want is 235 / 45R17 - Yoko Advan Sport or Michelin PP2? - HR or ENKEI? - will a 245 / 40R17fit?
	() Thanks

17th September 2009, 21:30	#147
karan561 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 5,068 Thanked: 22,246 Times View My Garage	I was out of town recently (interning in Bangalore) my Laura needed a tyre change which was running on 215/55 G IIIs. So my father got it changed without my consent and got a set of 205/55 Bridgestone MY-01s. I was wanting to install S-drives. So i was quite pissed. But surprisingly these are performing pretty well till now.
	() Thanks

17th September 2009, 22:06	#148
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,196 Thanked: 10,138 Times	Those are very good tyres. Only drawback is, they are available only through grey market. BS live up to their name. BS tyres. They dont make any good tyres in India. We get the crap tyres. They market and sell the good tyres in all other countries.
	() Thanks