I test-drove an Octavia RS and it seemed noisier and less comfortable for long trips than the standard Octavia CR140, especially regarding road noise and firmness of ride. Would replacing the 17" standard wheels of the RS with 16" reduce noise and make it more comfortable riding? I know, I know -- the 17"s, or even 18"s look great, but I can't hear myself think. The RS is actually cheaper in Italy, where I will buy it, than the plain Octavia with a lot of options. I also prefer the looks of the RS.
Any thoughts or advice?
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Welcome to C4P, Deecee.
I don't think 16" wheels will fit over the vRS's bigger brakes.
Have a look at this summary of traffic police tests conducted on, among others, the Octavia vRS petrol and diesel:
www.skoda.co.uk/pdf/METROPOLITAN_POLICE_SERVICE.pdf
EDIT: Rats, it doesn't seem to be there any more. I know they found the 17" wheels gave better all-round performance than the 18"s.
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Thu 16 Jun 11 at 19:08
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It urns out that the 16" wheels do work with the bigger brakes. Interesting that the 17"s work better than the 18", though I had pretty much crossed off the 18"s already.
I enjoy the handling advantage but substantially greater noise levels would be a deal-breaker for me.
Thanks for your help.
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 17 Jun 11 at 00:58
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Welcome Deecee, good choice of car ;-)
I've a Vrs with 18" wheels and i have smaller winter wheels with deeper profiles too. On the winter wheels the car is a lot more isolated from bumps in the road, but it comes at a cost - the car looses it's sharp turn in. You could be driving any standard car then, it looses part of the fun.
In case you want to buy smaller wheels, the details are:
Rim size / Type: 16x6 / J
Offset: ET50
PCD: 5x112
Centre Bore: 59mm
I've got 205/55/R16 tyres fitted to those rims. Hope this helps.
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Very helpful.. Thanks.
Any thoughts on road noise, as well as handling, with the two sizes of wheels/tires (especially 16" vs. 17")? What kind of rubber were you using in those two cases?
Thanks again.
edited to remove unnecessary quoting of message you're replying to
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 17 Jun 11 at 00:59
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Get some decent felt under the boot floor. Skoda owners say there's no difference between an Audi and a Skoda - there is, and that's soundproofing. Different tyres won't make a huge difference on this car.
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The last car (I'm on my 2nd vrs) was a fair bit quieter on the 16s, and quite loud on the 18 Dunlops, although I got used to it, so much that I forgot I was going to lay some sound deadening in. The new one came with 18 continentals, I've not tried the winters on this one but I expect volumes are about the same. The 18 contis are quieter by quite a margin than the 18 Dunlops but I preferred the handling of the Dunlop, even if the conti has much better grip, it's got far too soft a sidewalk for a car marketed as a warm hatch.
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Skoda Octavia II - Octavia vs. Octavia RS - Dave_
