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MG MGA - Twin Cam Wheels

Why do Twin Cam wheels have those four ugly nuts just outboard of the spinner?
Nick and Cherry Scoop

Those are pins that engage the 4 dimples in the hub to take the strain off splines. That is if the twin cam wheel hubs have the splines at all. I should ask someone that has a twin cam.
C.R. Tyrell

The Twin Cam wheel does not have splines.
The other end of those four nuts are pegs that locate in holes in the hub.
The pegs transmit the driving force.

Mick
M F Anderson

I believe the 12 alloy bodied XKE Jaguars had the same type of Dunlop wheel peg drive.
George G.

Attached is an image of the Twin Cam hub showing the holes into which the pegs fit.
Note no splines.

Mick

M F Anderson

I have attached an image of a Dunlop wheel from a D-Type Jaguar as raced at the Le Mans 24 Hour event, which it won several times.
It shows the pegs on the inside of the wheel.
The Jaguar wheel differed in that it had extra small ventilation holes and was made in alloy.
The Twin Cam has a Dunlop steel wheel with only the larger ventilation holes.

Mick

M F Anderson

"The Twin Cam wheel does not have splines.
The other end of those four nuts are pegs that locate in holes in the hub.
The pegs transmit the driving force."

I (unfortunately) have no first hand experience with Twin Cams. But given the means of drive, is there a tendency with these wheels and hubs for them to develop "clonking" with the passage of time and the inevitable wearing of the pegs and hub holes?
T Aczel

Having owned both a wire wheel MGA and a Twin Cam I found that the wire wheel splined hub was more likely to wear and "clunk" than the peg drive Twin Cam.
My Twin Cam had a very hard racing career early in life and never developed any wear of the pegs or matching holes.
I am of the opinion that both Jaguar and MG changed from splined wire wheels to peg drive disc wheels on their competition variants because of greater strength and reliability.
Another possible reason was that the Dunlop disc wheels were more suitable for the Dunlop disc brakes.

Mick
M F Anderson

Thanks for all the info Mick.
C.R. Tyrell

I think another reason for the change to peg drive wheels was easier wheel changes during completion. Not easy to get wheel splines to match up when you're in a hurry!
George G.

Brilliant answers and illustrations, Mick. And a very good practical engineering solution it was, too.

I shan't call them ugly in future, though I did spot them on a very ugly Twin Cam at Brightwells Auction last month: orange-peel paint like you've never seen, over every square inch of the body. It still made £24,200, though.

Thanks, everybody.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

Funny, I've never seen them as ugly - more purposeful.

Bill Spohn

This thread was discussed between 17/10/2014 and 20/10/2014

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