MG Sports Cars

I need help figuring out what modern wheels I can put on my 1973 MGB.

I know I need a 4x4.5 with a 0+ to 23+ offset.

I want to put on 15 inch rims and am told the width threshold (without chassis modification) is 5 inches.

Is this true?

I don't like Mini Lites and don't want wire wheels. Can anyone direct me to a modern wheel that will work?

Additionally, what size tires can I use --- the lower the profile the better.

Mark

Denver Colorado, USA

"am told the width threshold (without chassis modification) is 5 inches"

No. I run 14X6s. I know of 15X7s, but that does have some problems. So, 15X6 or 6.5 with the correct offset could work.

"the lower the profile the better"

And, the harsher the ride.

Welcome Mark!

I agree with what Carl said...

Your questions are more complicated than they first appear. As a general statement, 5.5" wide wheels should be an easy fit, 6" wide (+22) wheels should work fine depending on tire size, and some folks manage to get 7" wide (+22) wheels inside the rear fenders without any obvious mods.

If you take a census of the cars in our photo gallery - noting that many of the write-ups include tire and wheel sizes - you'll see that people are using all sorts of combinations. Read carefully though, since a lot of the cars have narrowed Ford or GM axles and many of them have Panhard rods, modified fender lips, or...

My own car has 15"x6" Panasports (+22mm offset) with 205/50 Falken Azenis tires. They would have gone on a lot easier if my Ford axle weren't actually wider than a stock MGB axles. As it was, I had to grind the fender lips back to the spot welds and also mill my wheel hubs for a little extra offset. Also, I have a Panhard rod, and my axle is mounted dead-centered.

Some factoids and generalizations to keep in mind:
(1) the rear is certainly more challenging than the front. Oversize wheels usually aren't a problem on the MGB front-end, although if you have an Adco (aftermarket, oversize) anti-sway bar your tires may rub against it on very tight turns (at low speeds).
(2) tire rubbing at the rear is mostly an issue on turns, when the body moves sideways relatively to the axle.
(2a) MG notoriously mounted most rear axles off center, which aggravates the issue. Check your axle...
(2b) Do you have rubber or urethane ("prothane") bushings? Softer bushes let the axle move more...
(2c) Are you willing to fit a Panhard rod to positively locate the axle side-to-side (because if you are, it will help!)
(3) Actual tire width (for a given size) varies a bit from manufacturer-to-manufacturer and model-to-model.

Wow...two great responses. I'm used to the Toyota FJ Cruiser forums (for my other car) where you get heckled a lot.

Where in Colorado are you?

If I gave you a couple links to wheel websites that I like --- could you give me your best hunch on if they will work and a corresponding tire that might work?

Mark

I took my car to Sports Car Craftsmen in Arvada today. Paul noticed that my rear wheel well edges were already folded up so they don't rub the tires. I have some crappy old aftermarket alloy wheels that have a wide offset.

I've checked the images out for body mods that I like --- I'll have to do the same for wheels.

I'm in Longmont... send me a "private message" if you're headed up this way sometime.

I'm definitely no expert on wheels and tires. I've only bought two sets for my own MGB. I'd encourage you to post the links here, where you'll likely get a variety of opinions and perspectives.

Next time you're talking to Paul, please mention "British V8" and tell him he should consider advertising with us. I've talked to him, but I might as well have been talking to a wall. I don't think he has any idea how many readers we reach in the Denver area.

The Motorway, in Fort Collins, is one of our loyal and dependable sponsors. They're really great guys!

Here are some 14 x 5.5, 4x4.5 rims and tires.
However I don't know the offset.
I think they are 38mm --- but am not certain.

I know Minilites have a 23mm offset.

Is 38mm too much?

[denver.craigslist.org]

Mark

Too wide?

[cgi.ebay.com]

I'm confused about what you're getting at... both links seem to show 14" wheels, but you said in your first post that you were thinking of fitting 15's.

Your first post also said "I don't like Minilites" and then you asked about Konig Rewinds - which obviously were designed to look like Minilites!

As far as I know, genuine Minilites (still Made in U.K.) are available with a wide variety of offsets... you can virtually get them made to order, but you pay for quality and authenticity. Call John for details if you're interested:



Panasports (made in Japan) come in just a few offsets, and +22 is the popular size for MGB. You can get them from Moss, or from a Moss distributor such as Mantell Motorsport.





Superlite (made in Australia) will machine their wheels to whatever offset you need, but I believe they recommend +28 for a 15x6 on an MGB. In my opinion, that extra little bit of offset is probably a good thing. I don't think any of the British V8 vendor-sponsors sell Superlites, but we did have a Superlite distributor (Brian Kraus) at our 2007 meet.

Will +38 work? It's possible... but I wouldn't bet on it. On the front, I'd guess it's very likely the wheel would rub on the antisway bar (and it would look funny), but I don't know if it would rub on anything else.

All in all I'm trying to find an aftermarket wheel that fits my car.
The links I placed in the previous posts are purely for fitment examples.
I'm finding that even though I want 15's, I can't find the width I need. It's looking like the 14's are my only option.

What I'm really surprised by is no one has the answer to my question about wheel size and offset thresholds.
Hasn't someone run into this problem before? Not everyone buys minilites right?
I reviewed every MGB car profile on the site and tried contacting people who looked like they might not have made body modifications and who had the wheel size that I'm seeking --- and haven't heard back.

It seems like there may be an opportunity to come up with a spec sheet to help the BritishV8 members.
Maybe we could get together with different wheels sometime and test them all out.

You haven't really told us what width you need in that 15" wheel... 6" wide? 7" wide? Wider still? IMHO, 6" is a really nice width for an MGB, and if you go wider the extra weight isn't worth the extra traction and tire cost (unless you've got a whole lot more power than I do!)

Are you working on a tight budget? Mostly looking for used wheels? There aren't so many choices anymore because it's been awhile since companies like Honda, Datsun, Mitsubishi and Saab were using the 4-on-4.5 pattern - but wheel companies that cater to racers usually design their wheels so that they can machine the hubs to various offsets. Those wheels aren't cheap, they aren't listed in the two-page ad spreads in Motor Trend, and they aren't likely to turn up so often on Craigs List..

Rumor has it that American Racing (Weld Division) is coming out soon with a new series of lightweight wheels specifically designed for old British sports cars. I haven't heard yet if it will have 8-spokes...

You might do well to talk to some of our vendor sponsors who have experience putting modern wheels on a variety of customers' cars. Here's a list: [www.britishv8.org] They'll have more diverse experience.

This post needs some color... here are some 16x7 "American Racing" wheels that Pete Mantell installed on Jack Pease's MGB (which has unmodified fenders).

I run Rage alloy wheels (America's Tire/Discount Tire) 15x6.5 with Yokohama Avid tires (see Hub Cap thread below for a poor picture). Sorry but I don't remember the model.

I only get minor rubbing during hard cornering. Fender lips are not rolled yet.

Offset as measured below:

I actually called Pete yesterday after seeing those wheels. I haven't heard from him.

Edd, that's awesome to know.
How do I read the picture you attached?
Sorry I'm so ignorant with all this.
Usually I see offset in millimeters. I've never actually had to calculate it from a drawing.

Edd,

Are these the ones you're running?

[www.discounttire.com]

1.48 inches times 25.4 mm per inch equals ~38 mm... no?

15 x 6.5 should suit a 205/50R15 tire very nicely.

If you're keen to fit a fat anti-roll bar, consider ordering the one from Moss UK instead of fitting an Adco. (According to Larry Shimp, it's designed to give more clearance.)

---

Edd, we need more and newer photos of your car for our gallery!

Cool. I feel like I'm coming into the light on this.
I appreciate everyone's feedback and ideas.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2008 01:06PM by RockyMountainMGB.

The 1.48 inches would be 37 mm. I don't remember whether the offset is positive or negative, sorry.

I found a better picture of the wheels:

Edd...that's exactly what I've been looking for.

You're the man!

I just wanted confirmation that someone has done this before purchasing wheels that I can't return.

Thank you very much.

Mark

You're welcome.

BTW, my car is a '77 that has been lowered and converted to RB. Not sure this makes a difference v. your '73.

Good luck.....