MG Sports Cars

Rob, their web page shows them, when I call them they only had what they have in stock. I also send an e-mail for tech question and their answer was no longer available. They suggested check different stores, they may have them in stock.

I like the XXR but they do not have them in 5 x 4.5 and the back space that I need. Rear wheel drive wheels are getting hard to find.
There is company that here in in town that makes custom wheels for $200 and up each.

Maybe you could convince American Racing to sell you the centers & have the local shop weld them into the rims where you want them? Another alternative might be to get the whole wheels from American Racing & then have the local shop cut the centers out & put them in new rims w/backspace you want. I don't know if that can be done w/aluminum wheels, but Stockton does it w/steel ones.

Just when I think I've got it figured out...more complication or you find out the wheels don't work with the axles or you can't get the offset.

Rob, thanks for the diagram on the mge site. That's helpful. I think I still have too many unfixed variables (axle width/flare width/tire size)- I think the approach may be to find a wheel/tire combo I like - find a width that feels about right and make things fit around them.

That is the way to do it Tom.

I found some nice wheels that I like froma BMW 540i they have a nice offset in the rear and the ocrrect offset in the front.
I would have to change my bolt pattern to 5 X100 mm That is one choice.
The other chouce is as you suggested Rob. I know the shop that can do it.

Tom, if you use the flares from Lilves, then you can do the same thing I am doing. 15 or 16 X8 with 4" offset in the rear and 5" offset in the front. or 54" rear alxe with Nissan Panasports minilites 15X7 with 225X50X15 in the rear and 205X55X15 in the front.
They also come in 16" .

So far I've made my own set of molds for flares - so I've got quite a bit of lattitude to tweak things on the outboard side. I started getting all torqued up about how the rears would fit, but that's actually pretty easy - just a matter of finding a tire width I like, followed by a wheel - since I was considering a new rear axle - that can be cut to length and on the outside - the flares can be built/tweaked to fit the tires. The front - a little different story - through the fender headers and turning radius may be more of a determining factor for tire choice. I haven't fit the motor yet, so I'm not sure where the pipes will end up. For the time being I'm liking the hankook ventus r -s2 245/45/16 for the rear on an 8" rim and a 205/45/16 on a 7" rim for the front.

Bill,

There is the sportmax 941 - similar to the xxr - 10 spoke that does come in 5 x 4.5 - may not have the offset though.

Found the wheel that I will be using on my RD 16X8 4" back space and 16X7 4" backspce on 5X4.5 bolt pattern

[www.etwheels.com]

Damn you Bill,
Those Cobra wheels are what I had envisioned on my conversion one day.....looks like you beat me to the punch! Very nice indeed and reminiscent of the MGB-GT/Ford 289 conversion I remember seeing back in1967 at the BMC dealership in Hamilton, Ont - it also had Cobra Halibrand KO's.........(insert deep sigh here!)

Nice find Bill. It's a good looking design and nice to see one so customizable. I'm gonna drive myself nuts on this until I pull the trigger on wheels/tires. If this weekend goes well on firewall mods - maybe next week. Worst case is by the beginning of Sept. I should make up my mind.

Sorry Graham. They also have the pin drive bolt on kit. mmmmm!!!!

Also look at the LT III wheels, they also come in different offsets. Minilites with a deep dish on the rear.

Those wheels are very similar looking to the ones I got from american racing (427P's) but AR doesn't do them in 16". That would have made finding tires way easier!

OK taking another run - not having much luck nailing down rims with mixed widths in 16". Whose running 17" rims?

The thought - ASA AR1s 17x8 on the rear with 245/40/17 and 17x7 up front with 225/45/17s - keeps the circumference at 24.7" in the rear and 24.6" in the front. Getting a little thin on the rubber though. Also started sourcing parts for a fabricated x-member (mustang II spindles, tubular a-arms and rectangle tubing for the x-member).

Any experience out there w/17s?

Very little. We discussed 17's on the Roadmaster thread a few pages back, I think we decided on 275/35 or 40-17's for the back and 225/45-17's on the front. I bought a set of 315/35-17's for my roadster but they're on the Roadmaster right now and probably will be until I get my IRS completed. So we've not driven on them yet.

Jim

Check out Evan Amaya's car in the photo gallery. He has 17's IIR.

A little less rubber than I think is ideal - but lots of tire choices and I'm getting to a point of overthinking it. Think I'm just going to pull the trigger and get on with it.

Yeah, I was just thinking that'd give you a feel for how well the 17" wheels/tires "fit" from a diameter perspective. You'll be using flares if i recall so you can go wider of course.

I like Evan Amaya's car, esp. the rounded rear wheel arch - more modern - but thinking those 205s will look kinda skinny with flares. I promised myself I'd figure it out this week - so I placed the order: ASA AR1s (pretty much flumoxed the tire rack rep with the mustang/granada bits). Now I just have to make it work.

what size & backspace AR1's did you get? And tire size?

I tried to get those AR1 for my 2005 WRX STi but they didn't have them with adaquate backspace to clear the Brembos. I really like those wheels.

Didn't you mean "flummoxed"?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2008 01:14PM by MSDMGBV8.

I went with 17x8s on the rears with 245/40/17s - rear wheels have a 35mm offset (about 5.75" backspace) - 24.7" diameter
17x7s on the fronts with 225/45/17s with a 48mm offset (somewhere around 5.75" backspace also) - 24.6" diameter
tires are hankook ventus RS2s

Could have gotten smaller backspacing on the fronts with silver wheels instead of black (down to a 28mm offset)- go figure.

since I decided to build my own x-member and using a ford rear that will have to be shortened - I didn't worry too much on the offset - on the front, I think it's going to work out pretty well with little scrub radius - so fairly wide tire with relatively low steering effort - we'll see. I was intrigued by one of the posts on the experience - where someone moved the front axle centerline forward 1.5" - perhaps a little extra space for header/tire clearance.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2008 02:59PM by t.lay.