MG Sports Cars

Could anyone please tell me what is the biggest and widest 15" rear tire you can mount without flaring the fenders? I wonder if a P225/50R15 could do the job? I'm a little concerned about traction.

Thanks,

Jac

Jaques, I think 225/50/15 is max on 7" rim for rear. Still have to flatten hump at bump stop and roll fender edge in. Perfect offset and rear axle centered also. Panhard or some type locating device. Wire wheel axle might give a little more room. Look at the "how it was done" articles on this site. Bill Guzman uses that size on rear and 205/55/15 on front.

Thanks Jim; I plan in fine tuning the wheel placement with "bolt-on" spacers but I was also a little concerned about touching the inner fender tubs. What started the whole thing about not using fender flares was my local purchase of a Dodge Omni's flare set that, when I went to pick, it up was damaged and it turned me off since I had to drive 100 miles round trip; I left without them. I think that most people want that "wide body" look but if I can stuff the widest possible tires underneath, it'll look great.

I've already made quite a few mistakes from well intended assumptions and I also realize that this is my first conversion and without the experience of guys that have walked that road (practical modifications), I'll probably make too many more.

Thanks for the answer; it is greatly appreciated.....

Jac

Not sure how much you can "fine tune" with bolt on wheel spacers. They are usually an inch thick.

Cars with 225/50-15:

[www.britishv8.org]

[www.britishv8.org]

If I may add my 2 cents -

You might also want to consider tire sizes available. I was hoping to run 15/225's however
my desire to go with a sticky street tire caused some issues.

At the time(about a year ago?) the top choices from the magazines(for auto-x/street) were a the dunlop
direzza star specs and a tire(whose name escapes me) made by yokohama. The yokohama came in
225's but the Dunlop was only available in 205's.

Unfortunately the yoko tire was a few hundred more expensive than the dunlop - and at $500 a set I decided
to go with the star specs - I don't have any auto-x events under my belt but I've ridden at events with my friend in his e46 m3 on these tires and they're absolutely superb. Unfortunately I had to settle for a 205mm width.

Thanks Carl and Robert for your input. Carl, if Graham made the 225 series "50" fit under his car without modifying the fenders, then, I know it was done right and is doable; his whole car is a well engineered show piece.

I came to the States as a young boy from Quebec City (40 years ago); do you think Graham still considers me a Canadien brother to land a hand to?!?!? LOL :-)

Cheers,

Jac

Je pense que je peut vous aider, Jacques.
A couple of "musts" come to mind. You must have an optimized axle width, rim size and rim offset combination that will centre the tires within the wheel wells. If the factory axle location bias is not addressed, useable tire width will be reduced. A mechanism to locate the axle/body (panhard rod, 4-link, ...) will obviously help.
225/50 rubber WILL require removal of the wheel well flange lip, some subtle messaging of the sheetmetal and some relief to the bump stop sheetmetal.
I have answered in a past post that my best guess to a max tire size that would require no/minimal rework is a 205 tire width, given the "musts" above.
If you plan on axle removal, try to borrow a rim/tire combination and locate it within the wheel well and you can get a feel for clearances to bump stop and wheel flange.

Mreci beaucoup my Canadian brother; I'm using a Ford 8" axle and BBS wheels that only came on the RX-7 convertible from "88 to '92. The reasons for these choices are, (1) that they look very close to the RV-8, (2) only 9-1/2 pounds and, (3) 5 on 4-1/2" Ford bolt pattern.

My tire seize as it stands is P205/60R15; however as I indicated, I want to increase the width and as keep close as possible to the same tire height to work with my 3:42 axle gearing. I'll take your advise and start out by rolling the fender lips and cut out some of the bump stop.

Thanks for the info and I'm pretty sure that you're probably a Toronto "Maple Leaf" hockey fan and since I'm a "Washington Capitals" fan, I'll be thinking of you next time they play, hey.

Cheers,

Jac

Quote:

....I'll be thinking of you next time they play...

Won't have too long to wait - they play this Saturday!

Alright then; good luck mate.......

Hockey? We haven't had a cold enough winter this year to make ice. ;)

Oh touché! Carl you get two minutes in the penalty box for "game delay" :-)

What is your choice of wheels. Back space plays a role on how much rubber you can fit under the fender.

Previous picture is of a 225x50x15 on a 7.5 wheel with 3.5 back space.

This picture shows a 7 wheel with 205x60x15 and a wheel with 38 mm positive offset. They fit under the fender.

Picture one more time.

Thanks Bill, I'll have to research the offset on my BBS; they came off an RX-7 convertible. The main question I have for you is "when is your ball-joint kit" going to be ready? It's been three years in the making. The proto-type on your website looks great........

Jac