Should I downgrade 18" to 16"?

[lukenfoci]

I only ordered Ibiza FR Sport with 215/40R18 wheels and have some concerns. 86mm of side wall seems not much, as in my old Superb I had 225/40R18 and I ended up 3 times with damaging the tire (and it had 90mm side wall). My currents Superb sits on 235/45R18 (side wall 105.75mm) and it seems like a very sweet spot. If it was just my driving Ibiza, I could probably manage but the car is predominantly for my wife and daughter, and they cannot care less about potholes/kerbs, so I am really worried that I will go bankrupt on buying new tires.
So the question comes - do the owners of 18" wheels often suffer from damaged tires/wheels or am I worrying too much?

Also, could you please tell me how is the ride quality - is it too stiff or is it just perfect. My Superb has adaptive suspension and I often ride in Sport and I enjoy it. Is our tiny Ibiza be a similar ride?

Thank you for your input.

 

[SRGTD]

I don’t own - or haven’t owned - a current shape Ibiza but I did own one of the Ibiza’s ‘siblings’ - a current shape VW Polo GTI+ with 18” alloys and 215/40 R18 tyres. In 4 years of ownership I had one damaged alloy but that was not due to the profile of the tyre or driver carelessness; it was caused as a result of me being forced into a kerb and onto a pavement by a dustcart / bin lorry that came around a blind bend towards me in the middle of the road and I had to take evasive action! In normal driving, neither the alloys nor the tyres sustained any damage, but I am very careful when parking and keep a look out for potholes. When buying tyres, I also try to ensure they have good rim protection; tyres with a more pronounced rim to provide the alloys with additional protection against kerb damage will be marked ‘FP’ on the sidewall (FP = flange protection).

As for ride quality; I don’t know how the Polo GTI’s suspension compares to an Ibiza FR’s. With both being sports models, they are probably similar in terms of ride quality. My Polo had adaptive dampers and I always had them in ‘Normal’ mode and found the ride was fine. However, ride quality / compliancy is quite subjective and what’s OK for one person may not be for another person.

Hopefully, someone who owns - or someone who has owned - a current shape Ibiza FR on 18” alloys will add their views / experiences to this discussion topic.

 

[serdar_18fr]

The only "adaptive" or should we say "variable", part of the DCC are the shock absorbers and they had to find a compromise on steel springs to feel both comfortable and agile when needed, while the springs and shocks in a non-adaptive "sports" chassis tend to be just a bit stiffer, so I would say you won't feel the exact comfort you get on the Superb's DCC. Ibiza FR may feel crashy in some situations but it's mostly down to personal tastes, I for one wouldn't mind a stiffer chassis.

As for downgrading to 16s, I would say don't do this to your Ibiza FR looking wonderful on those 18s I'd rather try to make wife and daughter a little more informed about the consequences of ignoring potholes

 

[lukenfoci]

The only "adaptive" or should we say "variable", part of the DCC are the shock absorbers and they had to find a compromise on steel springs to feel both comfortable and agile when needed, while the springs and shocks in a non-adaptive "sports" chassis tend to be just a bit stiffer, so I would say you won't feel the exact comfort you get on the Superb's DCC. Ibiza FR may feel crashy in some situations but it's mostly down to personal tastes, I for one wouldn't mind a stiffer chassis.

As for downgrading to 16s, I would say don't do this to your Ibiza FR looking wonderful on those 18s I'd rather try to make wife and daughter a little more informed about the consequences of ignoring potholes

I know that 18" look nice but it is going to be very hard to make my wife and daughter to drive in a reasonable way

 

[mty12345]

I know that 18" look nice but it is going to be very hard to make my wife and daughter to drive in a reasonable way

Not got an Ibiza, but been driving my leon on 225/40/18 for the last 8 years. Roads here are terrible, have hit plenty of potholes, no issues.

 

[SRGTD]

@lukenfoci; also bear in mind that changing your alloys to a different size to those fitted by Seat when the car was built is a modification for insurance purposes so you’d need to tell your insurance company - pretty much all car insurance policies will have something in the small print requiring you to do this. Some insurance companies may accept the modification with no change to your premium whereas others may make a charge (your insurance company may be an admin charge to note the modification on your policy irrespective of whether or not there’s a premium charge).

 

[lukenfoci]

@lukenfoci; also bear in mind that changing your alloys to a different size to those fitted by Seat when the car was built is a modification for insurance purposes so you’d need to tell your insurance company - pretty much all car insurance policies will have something in the small print requiring you to do this. Some insurance companies may accept the modification with no change to your premium whereas others may make a charge (your insurance company may be an admin charge to note the modification on your policy irrespective of whether or not there’s a premium charge).

I am aware of it, as I did similar things in the past. It was never an issue as long as new wheels were in line with manufacturers spec, so in my case if my research is right I will need 195/55R16 6.5J ET47.

 

[mty12345]

@lukenfoci; also bear in mind that changing your alloys to a different size to those fitted by Seat when the car was built is a modification for insurance purposes so you’d need to tell your insurance company - pretty much all car insurance policies will have something in the small print requiring you to do this. Some insurance companies may accept the modification with no change to your premium whereas others may make a charge (your insurance company may be an admin charge to note the modification on your policy irrespective of whether or not there’s a premium charge).

Weirdly when i declared my wheels, the insurance went down by £25 a year. Not sure how that works lol.

 

[pompeydave]

No doubt changing to 16” will make a difference to comfort but won’t look as nice in those arches. I have 17” on my 2024 FR and have no issues with comfort whatsoever .Yes 18” will be slightly more harder ride but not nearly like a hot hatch.
Just for the record I’m 59 now with a few aches and pains but wouldn't hesitate changing to 18” wheels.And when my lease is up next year I’ll certainly go for another Ibiza as it’s been faultless over the last 2 years.

 

[lukenfoci]

Not got an Ibiza, but been driving my leon on 225/40/18 for the last 8 years. Roads here are terrible, have hit plenty of potholes, no issues.

Sadly I had one too many, with exactly same size as yours in My Superb. First one was caused by a metal plate/flat bar maybe 10mm thick on the motorway, I noticed it too late and could not avoid it. Maybe I had too low pressure, I don't know. Tire was cut and alloy dented. They also had to close Dartford crossing for us so that we could safely pass from fast lane to hard shoulder, so we blocked traffic for 15-20 minutes. It was not a pleasant experience to replace the wheel (I had a space saver), while car was packed and with my whole family on hard shoulder. Second time was 3 or 4 weeks later, when my wife squeezed her between a car and the kerb - no damage to to the wheel but tire needed replacing again. Third time was me, while doing Corney Fell in Cumbria. Was giving way for a car to pass and sadly there was a rock I did not notice :/. Next week the car was on 16" and had never had a problem since.
Two lessons were to ensure I have always a spare wheel with me, and second is to have a reasonable amount of rubber . Maybe it was a car, maybe I was unlucky, but I drove many cars, did many miles but 225/40R18 were not good for me. 235/45R18 are a sweet spot for me, and 195/55R16 are very similar.

 

[lukenfoci]

Weirdly when i declared my wheels, the insurance went down by £25 a year. Not sure how that works lol.

Never happened to me, and I had two set of wheels for winter and summer... I had to call them twice a year to update what wheels were on

 

[lukenfoci]

No doubt changing to 16” will make a difference to comfort but won’t look as nice in those arches. I have 17” on my 2024 FR and have no issues with comfort whatsoever .Yes 18” will be slightly more harder ride but not nearly like a hot hatch.
Just for the record I’m 59 now with a few aches and pains but wouldn't hesitate changing to 18” wheels.And when my lease is up next year I’ll certainly go for another Ibiza as it’s been faultless over the last 2 years.

I am extremely pragmatic - functionality over looks . Would be great to have both but not always possible.

However reading all the comments I think I may give 18" a go and see how we are getting on. But need to get full size spare wheel first