Karoq ride comfort and quality

All Skoda Karoq related discussions
Tone
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2021 11:31 am

Post by Tone »

What does anyone think about different wheel sizes. My dealer says that the 19” wheels are effected worse by potholes etc. because the actual tyre is thinner. I’ve got an Edition on order with 19” wheels and would like to know if it is a good idea to go for the 18” wheels instead.

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kodiaq
Posts: 841
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2018 6:33 pm
Location: Poole, Dorset.

Post by kodiaq »

Try going back a page (to page 1) on THIS thread and you will see what people think. Especially read my comments!!
Colin Lambert.
Poole, Dorset.
Diploma Auto Eng.
Moderator Karoq & HR-V Fora.
(Kodiaq Forum Moderator, resigned!)
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24 VRT
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2020 3:54 pm
Location: North East Hants.

Post by 24 VRT »

Tone wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:32 am What does anyone think about different wheel sizes. My dealer says that the 19” wheels are effected worse by potholes etc. because the actual tyre is thinner. I’ve got an Edition on order with 19” wheels and would like to know if it is a good idea to go for the 18” wheels instead.
If I were you I'd live with the 19'' wheels for a while and see what you think.
We have an Edition on those wheels and, contrary to the views being expressed by others, we find the ride perfectly fine. Surprisingly, manufacturers dont just get in job lots of the cheapest alloys they can find and then shove them on their cars regardless. Chassis/suspension set up is reviewed to provide the best balance between ride comfort, road behaviour, performance, etc. and, in addition, the aesthetics of the wheel on the vehicle it is destined for are considered. As far as the Karoq goes, I think the 19'' Crater alloys look good inside what are roomy wheelarches and where the car's ride height allows for larger diameter wheels to be carried off (nothng worse than large diameter alloys that look like they have been shoehorned up into the wheelarches giving the appearance that the car has 'sunk down' on its wheels)..
There are other aspects to consider here which also have a bearing on the issue - tyres (not in terms of size, but in compound hardness - soft up to hard), tyre pressures, driving style, type of roads used most and the age of the car. A new car on new hard compound tyres with new suspension that has still to bed in, plus new seats that have yet to' settle' and yes some could feel they are driving on cartwheels rather than rubber tyres. Give it all a year, and things will have settled down. Tyre pressures are often too high on new cars (saves them getting flat spots when sat around in compounds for long periods ahead of delivery) - dealers should adjust these as part of the PDI but don't (ours were over-inflated).
If you are buying brand new and spend your driving life haring around on country lanes full of potholes, then don't be surprised if you get tyre/wheel damage, but if you drive at a speed appropriate to the road, then you should be OK if you are unfortunate enough to be unable to avoid a pothole. If you want to go yomping over deep holes then buy a proper 4x4 not a SUV.
GeoffH
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Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2018 4:19 pm

Post by GeoffH »

I’m so pleased I found this thread.
I have valued Colin’s advice since my first Yeti, many years ago, and then when I had my Karoq 1.5 SEL DSG and got some first class tips from him.
I had four wheel drive on my Yeti and found it invaluable in the snow living high up in Co Durham.
I was delighted when I read the spec of the Karoq 2.0 Sportline 4x4 and thought I’d found my ideal vehicle until I saw it had the wretched 19” wheels with low profile tyres….. then I found this thread about ride comfort, or should I saw discomfort.
Unfortunately there’s no option to choose more sensible wheels and tyres… my dealer even looked to see if he could order one with winter wheels and tyres to no avail so I have decided not to go ahead with this purchase.
I decided to go to “Plan B” and order a Honda HRV only to be told there are no more coming into the country until June!
I think I’ll just keep my very comfortable Peugeot 3008, which has only done 13500 miles, until things improve supply wise.
GeoffH
Karoq 1.5 TSi SEl DSG with Heated Screen, Heated Steering Wheel, ACC, Signpost Recognition, Lane Assist, Park Assist, Blind Spot Recognition.
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CJJE
Posts: 450
Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2020 6:39 pm
Location: Stone, Staffordshire

Post by CJJE »

My Sportline 2.0TSI 4x4 has 8.0J x 19" Vega wheels & 225/45 R19 92W Bridgestone Dueler H/P tyres. (Note that the FWD cars with 19 inch wheels had 225/40 tyres which will be slightly less comfortable than the 225/45s.)

I'd suggest you take a test drive in a 4x4 Sportline to see how it feels rather than rely on other people's complaints. I was also unsure about the tyres when I bought my car, and so opted for the Dynamic Chassis Control option just in case I needed it. But in practice I find the ordinary Drive mode perfectly satisfactory most of the time, and only occasionally switch it to the Comfort mode. (Note: that setting gives quite a floaty ride and reminds me of the Citroens I used to own back in the 80s and 90s.)

It does of course depend on the state of your local roads, as there are some speed warning 'bars' on the approach to roundabout near me which make any car I've ever driven at over 10 MPH shudder and bounce! It's so bad that I try to use it on any test run I make in a new car!
(The worst was a Volvo XC40.)

Chris
VW Golf GT 1.9TDI from 11/98 to 3/06; Skoda Octavia L&K 2.0TDI from 3/06 to 12/11; VW Golf Plus SE 1.6TDI DSG from 12/11 to 2/15; VW Golf SV SE 1.4TSI DSG from 2/15 to 11/20; Skoda Karoq Sportline 2.0TSI 4x4 DSG from 11/20.
karoqD
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2023 9:13 pm

Post by karoqD »

Which one guys do you suggest for Skoda karoq 2019 1.6 TDI.
18 inch , 17 inch and 16 inch?
the drive with 18 was a bit harsh so far.

Cheers
BTandSid
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2023 10:24 am

Post by BTandSid »

We bought a 2020 Sportline 1.5dsg back in May and it was fitted with 19in Vega rims as standard. Put up with them about a month, nightmare, picked up every pothole, speed bump . . and Significant Other began commenting every time we went out, looking out for every minor imperfection in the road ahead. General advice from other owners was to downsize rims and tyres but instead I kept the 19in rims and fitted CrossClimates and what a revelation they’ve been, chalk and cheese experience. They weren’t cheap but been an absolute pleasure.
Andrew Davidson
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Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2023 3:15 pm

Post by Andrew Davidson »

BTandSid wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2023 10:31 pm We bought a 2020 Sportline 1.5dsg back in May and it was fitted with 19in Vega rims as standard. Put up with them about a month, nightmare, picked up every pothole, speed bump . . and Significant Other began commenting every time we went out, looking out for every minor imperfection in the road ahead. General advice from other owners was to downsize rims and tyres but instead I kept the 19in rims and fitted CrossClimates and what a revelation they’ve been, chalk and cheese experience. They weren’t cheap but been an absolute pleasure.
Thanks for the advice. I recently bought a 2020 Edition and it has 19" rims and I'm finding the ride to be too sensitive. I put Michelin CrossClimate 2 tyres on my previous car -- a Saab 9000 -- and found them quite good so I may follow your example.
zhaque613
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2024 4:04 pm

Post by zhaque613 »

kodiaq wrote: Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:42 am I have had 3 Karoqs. 1 SE L 18 plate.1. Edition 19 plate 45 aspect 19 inch tyres current one Sportline 20 reg, 19 inch 40 aspect tyres.
Avoid anything with tyres of aspect less that 50.
The Sportline was so uncomfortable (for my 75 year old very bad back) that
I invested £300 on a set of s/hand 16 inch 60 aspect. MUCH better ride and road holding not affected. Go for the smallest wheels you can find (16inch) with the biggest aspect tyres and you will be fine. Avoid the 19 inch at all costs.
It seems to be an obsession with all European makes to fit these stupidly huge wheels with 'skinny, rubber band' tyres.
They are fine on sports cars but why the hell they fit them on SUVs is beyond me.
There is nothing more ridiculous than a RangeRover with 21 inch wheels and 40 aspect tyres. It just screams that the owner is a poseur 'Chelsea Tractor driver and wouldn't know an off road situation if he sunk up to the axles in mud!! :lol:
It seems that only the Japanese & Koreans fit sensible tyres these days. These trouble is that the equivalents for Skoda's SUV range are rally just high rise hatchbacks.
Hi there, can I ask did you change the 19s on your Karoq Edition to 16s? I have a Karoq Edition with 19s and want to downsize to 17s however one of the garages I have contacted advised me not to go less than 18 because of the larger brake discs on the Karoq? Did you face this issue by any chance?
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kodiaq
Posts: 841
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2018 6:33 pm
Location: Poole, Dorset.

Post by kodiaq »

Sorry to be so long replying/
These are the tyres, wheels I put on my Karoq.

I want to get rid of them as I have changed cars. If you are interested, make me a sensible offer. I'm in Poole Dorset.

I won't send them! I bought them from Yorkshire and the carrier made a complete cock-up of the delivery and lost one wheel. The seller had to threaten to sue them and then mysteriously after 2 weeks they delivered it!

Image
This tyre size keeps your speedo legal and gives a much more pleasant ride and also prevents curbing!.
ImageImage
Colin Lambert.
Poole, Dorset.
Diploma Auto Eng.
Moderator Karoq & HR-V Fora.
(Kodiaq Forum Moderator, resigned!)
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