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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - Wheel spacers

I've found a set of 7inch alloys with 195s on them which fit my r/b B except that on full lock the rims rub against the front roll bar. With spacers the probelm will be solved. Any problems with putting spacers only on the front wheels? There is not enough room under my nearside (left) rear wing (fender)to fit a spacer so it's front spacers only or no alloys.
Any solutions other than spacers? Is it possible to modify the roll bar? I favour spacers for simplicity.
Marc

Spacers should work fine, especially on your non-drive wheels. The only thing I would pay attention to is whether the steering geometry gets screwed up ... you'll have the center of the tire's contact patch in a different position relative to the kingpin axis than would otherwise be the case. It will either behave a little strangely or it will work fine; you'll see soon enough!
Harry

Marc, I have been running my MGA with 1 inch spacers on the front wheels now for 21 years!. Have never had a problem and handling/ tire wear is not a problem. Suggest you bolt the spacer to the hub though to make it part of the total hub assembly.
regards
mark
mark mathiesen

Marc,

Obviously sorted rear axle. You may wish to check with MG Owners as I understand they have a similar problem on Supersports.

Paul
Paul

Thanks for the advice - in fact I tried the wheels with spacers. They worked but the studs were too short to feel good about it. On closer examination, I discovered that the roll bar should be modified or re-designed, and in fact I've started a new thread asking for information on this.
For the information of all, the SAAB 7 inch alloys fit brilliantly although I wouldn't be able to get more than 195s on them because my left rear wheel arch is very close. Others might well be able to use 205s. The SAAB alloys are really just a slightly slimmer version of the R V8 wheels and look exactly the same. I think that the MGRV8 uses 8 inch wheels.

Paul - I didn't do anything to the rear wheel arch. The reason why your minilites didn't fit my car is that they use (I believe) an offset 22. This is what the Club supplies. This allows that wheel to appear to fill the wheel arch but actually merely places it towards the outside of the car. The SAAB wheels are offset 30 and this allows the fitting of a 7 inch rim which fills the whole arch. (I think that this is the correct theory - I am only now starting to understand the business of offsets, ETs and PCDs). Also I've been told that the closer the wheel is into the centre of the car, the greater the stability. This means that wheels with a low offset figure tend to have more on the outside and less on the inside and will not provide such a stability benefit. Of course, the differences may be very marginal, I really don't know.
Marc

Marc,

Should not be a problem restudding with longer studs as I have just restudded rear with new halfshafts.

Assuming SAAB has correct PCD, do you have any details of rear brake setup for possiblity of using for rear brake conversion.

cheers

Paul
Paul

I thought SAAB went away from the 4.5" PCD in around 1987 and then to a 5 bolt pattern even more recently. Could everyone please be as specific as possible when discussing these interchangable parts.
I've been wondering if the Minilite look-a-likes sold on SAABs in North America in the past would fit a 'B. Are these the wheels you're talking about?
Derek Nicholson

Hey guys,
I don't know about other countries but in Australia using wheel a spacer is illegal.

Mark have you had any problems with the RTA in QLD for using your wheel spacers.


Spriggsie
Clem Spriggs

My SAAB alloys are pre-1987 - 7 inch wheels with ET30. As it happens, I've taken the spacers off as I wasn't at all happy with the remaining stud length. I can tell you that the road holding with the 195s is tranformed. I would never have imagined such an improvement.
The wheels foul the anti-roll bar on full lock but otherwise I manage very well. I am just beginning the project of having the roll bar re-designed as I can see that a slight reshaping will solve that problem.

I shall have a closer look at the wheels in the next few days to see if I can find out the actual make. It's quite true that in 1987 the stud patter was changed ever so slightly - but enough to make those later wheels unuseable on an MGB.

Spriggsie - what are RTA and QLD? unless you mean the Road Traffic Act and something beginning with Q in which case - no probs as far as I know.
Marc

Marc, I reckon Clem was asking the other Mark (in Oz) - as Qld = Queensland
David

I vaguely remember reading that the Minilikes installed by SAAB were made by Panasport, but then again my memory isn't what it used to be.

TTFN
Derek Nicholson

Marc,
Sorry RTA => Road and Traffic Authority or the biggest bunch of penicl pushing good for nothing fun spoiling bastards who make it a nightmare to modify a car in N.S.W (and before you ask New South Wales, a state of Australia)

QLD => Queensland another state in Australia with better laws that N.S.W.

I'm sure that only Australian laws would be so stuipd to not allow wheel spaces my comment was more aimed at Mark Mathiesen who lives in QLD. In Australia if we have an accident and our cars are modified and don't have a certificate of saying all is O.K. from an engineer you are liable for all damages including third party personnel damages with no insurance protection.

Spriggsie

P.S. I tried to leave a message before but for some reason it did not work
Clem Spriggs

To get more rear wheel clearance, the guy who painted my GT eased out the top of the wheel arch about 10mm, after folding the lip up, with a Portodyne tool.It is not noticable at all. He said more than 10mm would be.I run 215/65 tyres on 6in rims without interference.HTHs Barrie E
begerton@froggy.com.au

Paul - thanks for Andy Robinson's number. I visited him yesterday. Very impressive workshop littered with dragracers. I saw your old halfshafts too, they are rather twisted aren't they? Anyway, Andy has asked me to bring the car down in about 4 weeks and he will sort it out for me. He's also going to try and cure my 90mph vibration which he thinks could be a halfshaft problem. His Studebaker 12 litre drag racer does 0-60 in less than a second!!
It turns out that Andy used to do the resplining on Rover halfshafts after they were shortened by A1 Fabrications (deceased). What goes around, comes around.
Marc

Paul & Marc
Michael barnfather

Marc,

Considering he's on the US Technical Committee for Drag Cars, appeared as Technical Advisor on Scrapheap Challenge, he still finds time to deal with our pedestrian transport and finds time to explain everthing. I have no doubt that he will sort out your problems.

Cheers Paul
Paul

Paul & Marc,
Reading this string, clearly I am not the only one with Rover half shaft problems.
I have a Vitesse back axle with shortened half shafts, on dismantling to change axle ratios after only 10000 miles, both splines appear to be twisting and I had difficulty removing them. Is this usual, should they have been heat treated before fitting? Can this be done to them or do I have to start again

Michael barnfather

Michael,

I couldn't get a straight answer on Heat treating, Growler on the Midget thread came up with the best answer which is reshaping the shaft and shot blasting.

The cost of new uprated shafts is about £400 and I have two recommendations. If the shafts are spline to spline then try Richard Tyler at GKN Motorsport, if Flange and spline as with SD1 then Andy will have them made up in the US.

Marc,

Andy may be able to sort out Rear axle location and your CV question.

If you can sort the rear axle you could probably fit 205's or 215's.

I have just changed to Goodyear F1 on my 195's and they make a huge difference in grip over Dunlop SP200.

Cheers Paul
Paul

Actually Paul, I'm now using a UJ propshaft supplied by Dave Vale. There is no improvement in my vibration problem. Now I'm convinced that it is either diff/gbox alignment or a wonky (confusion in the USA) halfshaft. Anyway, I'm hoping that Andy will sort it out.

On tyres, I'm ecstatic with the used 195s supplied with my new SAAB alloys and riding on the 7 inch rims and set so far in towards the centre of the car they give me a stability and firmness that I hadn't imagined possible with an MGB so I'm not looking to try anything else for the moment - besides I'm skint.
What I would really like to is upgrade my brakes but as I told you in an email a few weeks ago, I've fallen out big time with HiSpec and they won't supply me with anything.
Marc

Marc,

Cambridge Motorsport supply Wilwoods but go for greenstuff pads rather than Wilwood pads (greenstuff should be available from MG Owners soon).

Paul
Paul

Clem , I have the cert for the spacers...its a long story!!
mark mathiesen

Seems like spacers may be illegal over here also, at the very least I know that stud pattern adapters are quite illegal for street use. I had a set on the back for many years, until I found the time to make up a new set of axle flanges.
Jim Blackwood

Mark Mathiesen,
I have a friend who would love to here how you got the spacers through rego he has gone through a great deal of grief over that, e-mail me the story some time.

Spriggsie
Clem Spriggs

In fact I have now cut down the anti-roll bar mounting blocks by nearly 1.5 inches - result: happiness. Full lock restored, 7 inch wheels behaving perfectly. Goodness knows why the blocks were so large in the first place.
Marc

This thread was discussed between 23/05/2001 and 06/06/2001

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