Skoda Laura : Tyre & wheel upgrade thread

deepakvrao · 19th August 2007, 19:35

Guys,

I'm new to this and have read a lot of posts regarding tyres and upsizing. The stock tyres are 205/55/16. I dont want to upsize the rims so I was thinking of 225/50/16. According to the tyre size calculators the circumference will then remain the same.

235/50/16 also seems pretty close in size. Whould these sized tyres jut out beyond the body of the car? What would you guys recommend? What could I expect to pay for 225/235 size tyres?

Do you think this will help highway handling enough to be worth the effort & cost?

What make tyres would you guys recommend? One of the reasons for the change is that the stock tyres are quite noisy and this has been confirmed by other Octavia II owners in other forums abroad. I'm hoping for a quieter ride.

Was thinking of Goodyear but hear I see a lot of recommendations for Yokohoma/Michellins etc. Frankly I have not seen these in any store in Bangalore - OTOH I have only been to standard MRF/Bridgestone etc. Maybe they will be available in JC road?

Will I get anything for the existing tyres which have done 10K km? How do I go about the sale the the existing tyres?

Sorry for so many questions but these have come after a lot of lurking and reading. Would be grateful for any help.

Rehaan · 19th August 2007, 23:24

Hi Deepakvrao,

Take a look at this thread as it might just give you a better idea of a few things regarding tyres - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...-your-car.html (READ FIRST: Choosing The Right Set Of Tyres for your Car)

As for the specific questions, im sure they will be answered here shortly.

cya
R

deepakvrao · 20th August 2007, 06:53

Rehaan - thanks. I have read at least 20 posts regd tyres and my main question is about tyre noise I guess. Will Michellins/Goodyear be quieter than these Dunlops?

Akshay1234 · 20th August 2007, 10:36

michelins would be quieter than goodyear for sure.

Amey · 20th August 2007, 11:09

Although i dont have the Laura, i have the Octy and am using Michelin Pilot Preceda 2 on them for quite some time now.
I am using 205/60/R15 and i must say these are some great tires.
So i would definitely suggest Michelin PP2 with whatever size you want, 225/235. Although i am not sure if PP2 comes in those sizes. Inquire about it.You wont regret going for Michelin.

iraghava · 20th August 2007, 12:19

Deepak - 225/50 r16 is the correct upsize, for a more detailed list, you can have a look at this thread:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...-your-car.html (READ FIRST: Choosing The Right Set Of Tyres for your Car)

I wouldn't recommend 235's on stock rims as the width of the rim might not be ideal to hold that tyre and in any case I think 225's are more than good enough for your car. Can you anyways check & post the width of the stock rim here?

As for the tyres I would stay away from GoodYear if you're looking at low road noise, better options would be:

Michelin Energy MXV8
Michelin Pilot Primacy
Yokohama A300

deepakvrao · 20th August 2007, 15:04

Thanks guys.

Amey, Raghava,

Any idea what the Michelins should cost? Approx? Will I get anything for 10K old Dunlops?

Raghava - 225 should be fine I think. Would I still need to check the rim size. How do I check that - its not in the manual at all.

Sorry - cant edit posts so I am posting again.

The rim calculator says that a 225/50/16 will fit a 6-7.5 * 16 rim. Now as far as I can see this is not mentioned on the outside of the rim - is it on the inside?

androdev · 20th August 2007, 16:55

the tyre upgrade might not result in lower noise on the roads you travel.. it might improve on highways but maybe not on the city roads. it would be nice if there is a way to verify it before buying keeping the tyre pressure and roads same.

of course, i have no proof for what i have just said and i hope i am wrong. i am also interested in replacing my OEM bridgestones if your upgrade works out well.

meanwhile, you might want to download some MP3s instead :-)

iraghava · 20th August 2007, 17:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepakvrao

Any idea what the Michelins should cost? Approx? Will I get anything for 10K old Dunlops?

I think the Michelin/Yoko's would cost somewhere around 6-7k per tyre. And you won't get much for the Dunlop's, maybe 1k per piece or more,depends totally on the dealer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepakvrao

Raghava - 225 should be fine I think. Would I still need to check the rim size. How do I check that - its not in the manual at all.

The rim calculator says that a 225/50/16 will fit a 6-7.5 * 16 rim. Now as far as I can see this is not mentioned on the outside of the rim - is it on the inside?

The width is never mentioned on the outside of the rim, you have to remove the wheel and see as it is stamped on the back side. It should say something like 16x6J or 16x6.5J.

Since your car has only 4 alloys (I'm assuming here since Skoda usually gives only 4) you can't even take a look at the spare & guess, only way to do so is to take off one of your wheels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by androdev

the tyre upgrade might not result in lower noise on the roads you travel.. it might improve on highways but maybe not on the city roads. it would be nice if there is a way to verify it before buying keeping the tyre pressure and roads same.

of course, i have no proof for what i have just said and i hope i am wrong. i am also interested in replacing my OEM bridgestones if your upgrade works out well.

Well the only way of knowing whether a tyre will increase or decrease the road noise is to try it out in somebody else's car who has the same tyres. Tyre dealers do not allow for one to TD their tyres & then decide what to buy.

Amey · 20th August 2007, 17:44

205/60/R15 PP2 cost me 5600-5800/- Not sure about wider ones, must be slightly expensive.

deepakvrao · 20th August 2007, 21:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by androdev

the tyre upgrade might not result in lower noise on the roads you travel.. it might improve on highways but maybe not on the city roads. it would be nice if there is a way to verify it before buying keeping the tyre pressure and roads same.

of course, i have no proof for what i have just said and i hope i am wrong. i am also interested in replacing my OEM bridgestones if your upgrade works out well.

meanwhile, you might want to download some MP3s instead :-)

Do you have tyre noise too? Bridgestones on my Lancer gave me tyre noise but only after about 25K km.

MP3s? I have about 250 ripped CDs - but all my own and ripped at high quality [EAC]. Cant stand the quality of downloaded music - not that you will be able to tell the difference in the Laura stereo

androdev · 20th August 2007, 21:25

i don't know.. i mean what do i compare the noise to? but ya.. it is more noisy than i would like it to be.. i am waiting for a couple more months to collect all the 'issues' and sort them out at one go. the left-side (passenger) side suspension is creaking (at random times).. this could be a potential nightmare. i haven't even got time to check the tyre pressure to see if it matches the recommended pressure.

iraghava · 20th August 2007, 21:31

Just got word from a source, in 225/50 R16 Michelin only has the Pilot Preceda 2 & Yokohama has the ES501.

itzzme · 20th August 2007, 21:42

According to informations i have, ES501 is called DECIBLE also. I heard it is designed for very low noise levels.
I think that should solve our dear friend's noise problem.

One very important note :
If you are very particular about noise from tyres, you should always rotate your tyres after every 4000-5000 KM.

kpzen · 20th August 2007, 22:13

Laura rims are 16x 6.5j
Camry AT comes with 215/16" Yokohama A430. So this could be another tyre option.

19th August 2007, 19:35	#1
deepakvrao BANNED Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 300 Thanked: 2 Times	Skoda Laura : Tyre & wheel upgrade thread Guys, I'm new to this and have read a lot of posts regarding tyres and upsizing. The stock tyres are 205/55/16. I dont want to upsize the rims so I was thinking of 225/50/16. According to the tyre size calculators the circumference will then remain the same. 235/50/16 also seems pretty close in size. Whould these sized tyres jut out beyond the body of the car? What would you guys recommend? What could I expect to pay for 225/235 size tyres? Do you think this will help highway handling enough to be worth the effort & cost? What make tyres would you guys recommend? One of the reasons for the change is that the stock tyres are quite noisy and this has been confirmed by other Octavia II owners in other forums abroad. I'm hoping for a quieter ride. Was thinking of Goodyear but hear I see a lot of recommendations for Yokohoma/Michellins etc. Frankly I have not seen these in any store in Bangalore - OTOH I have only been to standard MRF/Bridgestone etc. Maybe they will be available in JC road? Will I get anything for the existing tyres which have done 10K km? How do I go about the sale the the existing tyres? Sorry for so many questions but these have come after a lot of lurking and reading. Would be grateful for any help.
	() Thanks

19th August 2007, 23:24	#2
Rehaan Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 24,042 Thanked: 34,073 Times	Hi Deepakvrao, Take a look at this thread as it might just give you a better idea of a few things regarding tyres - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...-your-car.html (READ FIRST: Choosing The Right Set Of Tyres for your Car) As for the specific questions, im sure they will be answered here shortly. cya R
	() Thanks

20th August 2007, 06:53	#3
deepakvrao BANNED Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 300 Thanked: 2 Times	Rehaan - thanks. I have read at least 20 posts regd tyres and my main question is about tyre noise I guess. Will Michellins/Goodyear be quieter than these Dunlops?
	() Thanks

20th August 2007, 10:36	#4
Akshay1234 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10,265 Thanked: 12,317 Times	michelins would be quieter than goodyear for sure.
	() Thanks

20th August 2007, 11:09	#5
Amey BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 679 Thanked: 248 Times View My Garage	Although i dont have the Laura, i have the Octy and am using Michelin Pilot Preceda 2 on them for quite some time now. I am using 205/60/R15 and i must say these are some great tires. So i would definitely suggest Michelin PP2 with whatever size you want, 225/235. Although i am not sure if PP2 comes in those sizes. Inquire about it.You wont regret going for Michelin.
	() Thanks

20th August 2007, 12:19	#6
iraghava Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bhaiyyaland Posts: 8,033 Thanked: 265 Times View My Garage	Deepak - 225/50 r16 is the correct upsize, for a more detailed list, you can have a look at this thread: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...-your-car.html (READ FIRST: Choosing The Right Set Of Tyres for your Car) I wouldn't recommend 235's on stock rims as the width of the rim might not be ideal to hold that tyre and in any case I think 225's are more than good enough for your car. Can you anyways check & post the width of the stock rim here? As for the tyres I would stay away from GoodYear if you're looking at low road noise, better options would be: Michelin Energy MXV8 Michelin Pilot Primacy Yokohama A300
	() Thanks

20th August 2007, 15:04	#7
deepakvrao BANNED Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 300 Thanked: 2 Times	Thanks guys. Amey, Raghava, Any idea what the Michelins should cost? Approx? Will I get anything for 10K old Dunlops? Raghava - 225 should be fine I think. Would I still need to check the rim size. How do I check that - its not in the manual at all. Sorry - cant edit posts so I am posting again. The rim calculator says that a 225/50/16 will fit a 6-7.5 * 16 rim. Now as far as I can see this is not mentioned on the outside of the rim - is it on the inside? Last edited by Rtech : 20th August 2007 at 16:58.
	() Thanks

20th August 2007, 16:55	#8
androdev Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 3,096 Thanked: 22,219 Times	the tyre upgrade might not result in lower noise on the roads you travel.. it might improve on highways but maybe not on the city roads. it would be nice if there is a way to verify it before buying keeping the tyre pressure and roads same. of course, i have no proof for what i have just said and i hope i am wrong. i am also interested in replacing my OEM bridgestones if your upgrade works out well. meanwhile, you might want to download some MP3s instead :-)
	() Thanks

20th August 2007, 17:44	#10
Amey BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 679 Thanked: 248 Times View My Garage	205/60/R15 PP2 cost me 5600-5800/- Not sure about wider ones, must be slightly expensive.
	() Thanks

20th August 2007, 21:25	#12
androdev Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 3,096 Thanked: 22,219 Times	i don't know.. i mean what do i compare the noise to? but ya.. it is more noisy than i would like it to be.. i am waiting for a couple more months to collect all the 'issues' and sort them out at one go. the left-side (passenger) side suspension is creaking (at random times).. this could be a potential nightmare. i haven't even got time to check the tyre pressure to see if it matches the recommended pressure.
	() Thanks

20th August 2007, 21:31	#13
iraghava Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bhaiyyaland Posts: 8,033 Thanked: 265 Times View My Garage	Just got word from a source, in 225/50 R16 Michelin only has the Pilot Preceda 2 & Yokohama has the ES501. Last edited by iraghava : 20th August 2007 at 21:32.
	() Thanks

20th August 2007, 21:42	#14
itzzme BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 314 Thanked: 6 Times	According to informations i have, ES501 is called DECIBLE also. I heard it is designed for very low noise levels. I think that should solve our dear friend's noise problem. One very important note : If you are very particular about noise from tyres, you should always rotate your tyres after every 4000-5000 KM.
	() Thanks

20th August 2007, 22:13	#15
kpzen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Faridabad Posts: 5,610 Thanked: 1,876 Times View My Garage	Laura rims are 16x 6.5j Camry AT comes with 215/16" Yokohama A430. So this could be another tyre option.
	() Thanks