Hi,

My Dad is trying to get hold of a set of 4 wheels and tyres for a Skoda Octavia Mk2 2006 1.9TDi. He currently has 17" alloys on it but finds it a bit harsh and noisy and is hoping to switch to a 16" or even a 15" wheel and appropriate tyre instead.

He's been looking on gumtree and other places but delivery seems to be very expensive for wheels with mounted tyres according to him and he says couriers will only transport them if they are boxed individually. Is this true? Anyone know of any couriers who can do this for a more reasonable cost?

Thanks,
Craig.

ps. if anyone has any wheels/tyres for an Octavia for sale then please let me know. I didn't want to double post in the Sale/Wanted forum as the main question was about delivery.

I've used Paisley Freight a few times with no problems.http://www.paisleyfreight.com/alloy-wheel-courier.php?source=google&segment=paisleyfreight.com&gclid=CjwKEAiAuea1BRCbn-2n7PbLgEMSJAAB QvTTSX-sQD0dUa1W0kN-7B4u3FKC9lEVraCnAMVTXWpbAxoC4sXw_wcB

Yep, done it a couple of times, Paisley Freight, Direct Courier Services etc. around the £30 -£35 mark.

They don't have to be boxed but they do have to be wrapped individually, think cardboard discs and bin liners and a few metres of packing tape.

Thanks guys, that looks pretty reasonable to me. I'll pass on the details to him.

DO NOT USE PARCEL2GO! Think I left a rant post on here last year, but I'd avoid like an in-law with the plague.

Message received, loud and clear!

One thing to watch is wheel clearance as going smaller in wheel diameter may interfere with brake clearance.

Yeah, 15's should fit on the car but I've advised him to go for 16's to be sure.
His main reason for doing this is to reduce cabin noise because his Octavia is really noisy. Not sure if that's a common problem on that car.

I had an Octavia as a courtesy car and found it very good all round. Well built, quiet and being a 1.6TDI Greenline, very good on fuel as well.

This one is a 2006 1.9TDi models which he got as a damaged-repairable project. It had basically been left with the handbrake off and had rolled into a stationary object which damaged the right rear corner. It was otherwise in good condition and was fairly low mileage but wasn't worth repairing in the eyes of the insurance company due to the value.

Once repaired it was apparent that the DMF flywheel was on the way out so he had it replaced with a solid flywheel and clutch kit. But it has always been a noisy car inside and despite various checks for things like exhaust clearance, no solution has been found. He says it is bad enough that it becomes difficult to hold a comfortable conversation inside when at cruising speed. He thinks it is mainly road noise hence the change in tyres from 17" 45 profile to something with more rubber. I'm not entirely convinced that will completely fix the problem but it should help a bit.

I told him to replace the dog bone engine mount as it is only £20 or so and could be allowing the engine to move around but he just had it inspected and said it looked fine. The car has had 2 MOT's since it went back on the road so I'm pretty sure it won't be wheel bearings at fault.

A 1.9 TDI should also be OK fuel wise. SWMBO has a 1.9 TDI Touran (105bhp) and it's more economical than expected. Before I had a 1.9 TDI (150bhp) Seat Leon, which was thirsty on fuel, but moved quite swiftly when asked to.

Has he got some half decent tyres on the 17"s ?

The brand / model of tyre can make a surprising difference, even worse with winter or all season tyres....

I'm not sure what tyres he has on currently but that could certainly be a factor. I know the Octavia has been criticised a lot for road noise though so I think it's more than just the tyres.

I'm going to suggest he try this: http://www.nkgroup.co.uk/product/car-soundproofing-full-kit-no-engine-blanket/

and if that doesn't help then maybe the tyre change would be the next step.

All VAG are sensitive to tyre compounds. My Toledo sounded like it had four knackered bearings when I first got it, I replaced them with Falken ZE-912 and everything went silent.

Unfortunately I couldn't stand the harshness of 17's (and the inability for the car to stay in a straight line over the slightest bump!), so I also dropped to 16's. I couldn't go lower as 15's wouldn't fit over the front discs.

our 1.9 TDI octavia is not noisy, something odd's going on, "what is the noise like" ect.

The outer door seals on ours seal well but they are a "precision fit" I could see this causing problems if not fitted correctly or missing/damaged. The tires on ours are the original spec 16" tires (manufacture and model) this may also have a bearing on it, "low" profile tires on the 17" may well be more sensitive in this respect.

Dan

[Edited on 10/2/16 by Bluemoon]

[Edited on 10/2/16 by Bluemoon]