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MG MGB Technical - Can I fit 15' wires to my MGB

I have been given a spare set of 15" wire wheels from a friends 1961 MGA 1600. As I need to replace the 165/70 tyres (on 14" stove painted wires)on my 1967 MGB I plan to have the 15's chromed and fitted with larger tyres for my car. My question is ,firstly , will they fit? and secondly, what size tyres will I need? Also are there any problems getting wheels chromed?
Mark Kennedy

Forgot to mention the car has Spax telescopic damper conversion front and rear, also heavier front roll bar and rear roll bar fitted. Not sure whether these modifications would affect choice of wheel/tyre size. Thanks, Mark.
Mark Kennedy

I don't see why you can't put on a set of 15" wheels on. You will need to purchase a lower profile tire so you won't rub on the rear.

Your spax conversions and the roll bars shouldn't obstruct with the 15" wheels.

Now as for the chroming...... I have heard that chroming a wheel can make the spokes brittle. Not a good idea. The better chome wires have stainless spokes.

Anyone have some better info?

Cheers,

Luis
Luis

From what I have read here, you DO NOT mant to have the wheels chromed. The process will make the spokes too brittle.
It sounds like you have some serious driving planned, remember that those wheels were intended for a less powerful car.
.

Mark - MG did (pretty much) the exact same thing when they put 15" wires or discs for the MGC on the MGB body. Worked then, will "work" now.

A couple of things, though. You will need to use lower aspect ratio tires to keep the rolling diameter the same. Not sure myself on the conversions. Or if you keep with the 165X15 or 180/70x15 or 195/60x15 progression, you'll need to change your speedometer inputs to match the new tire diameter. The car will also ride about an inch and half higher, too, without much lower aspect ratios.

BTW - I've often wondered why MG, when they had to change the bumper height for the dreaded US legislation in the seventies, didn't simply switch to the 15 inchers, instead of all the other other, more bothersome, expensive and less attractive changes they did make.

About those anti-roll bars - how they might foul the tires depends on the individual design - but it's hard to imagine a direct problem if they use the OEM routing. Handling will be altered, though, if your choice raises the car height, and as you probably know, rear bars, with their oversteer properties, need to be respected.
John Z

Mark-
Sorry, but MGA and MGB wirs spoke wheels are not interchangable as the splines of the hubs are different.
Steve S.

I'm sure Steve is right. I have yet to see someone install a set of Dunlop steel disc centerlock wheels (As on the Twin Cam A) on a "B", probably because they don't fit.

Man those are beautiful wheels. Hey how about someone discussing this with Dunlop and getting them to reproduce them? Anyone have connections?

Cheers,

P.S. The C did come with 15" wheels though and Moss and the others still sell them. Those do fit the B according to their catalog (know I read it somewhere).
Luis

Sorry Steve, but you are wrong. MGA & MGB have the same spline size and count. After about 1967 MGB's went to a more coarse thread on their hubs so they have a different wheel nut than the MGA's.

As for the cool Dunlop "knock-off" steel wheels, this is a different kettle of fish altogather. This Dunlop wheel did not use a spline to transmit the drive to the wheel, rather they used four round headed pins attached to the wheel that registered in four holes in the hub. If you look closely at a photo of a mga twin cam, you can see what appears to be "lug nuts" just behind the knock-off nut. These are the nuts that hold the pins to the wheels, so to fit these wheels to a MGA or a MGB you need the special hubs as well. Dunlop belived that the "pin-drive" could be fitted quicker and could transmit more power than the standard 48mm splined hub.
A group of well wealthy MGA Twin Cam owners looked into have some new wheels made a while back, but the cost was excessive, Over $25,000 for 100 wheels.
Ben Travato

Ben-
Spinner threads are irrelvant in this case. The number and type of the splines is the same, but their lengths are different. Mg evidently decided that with the B being heavier and having a more powerful engine than the A, the splines should be lengthened to safely absorb the additional stress. They're just different enough to keep the wheels from being interchangable. Of course, it just might be possible that the hubs were introduced on the more powerful MGA 1600 sometime before the switch to MGB production and that there are indeed MGAs with hubs mounting 15" wheels that will be compatable with the MGB. Anybody out there got a comprehensive Service Parts List for the MGA? Wire wheel hub part Numers, please?

Mark-
What year/version of the MGA did your wheels come from? Don't bother chrome plating the steel spokes of the wheels as the steel spokes will suffer from hydrogen embrittlement as a result of the plating process. Re-lace the wheels with polished stainless steel spokes instead.
Steve S.

Luis,
As long as you're dreaming, why stop with the Twin Cam wheels? The D-type/XKSS Jaguar had the same style with wider rims, and in alloy too!
henry rebman

I like the heading to the thread "15' wheels", I thought you were building a monster truck! :o)
Chris Moore

Oops! My mistake , should of course have been 15". Not a bad idea though. On second thoughts, I'd need a second mortgage to pay for the chroming! Many thanks for all the helpfull advice. Mark.
Mark Kennedy

For some odd reason I had the 15" wires from my dad's TR4 on my '66 B for a while. I know those will fit if you are set on 15" wires.
Chris Birdwell

This thread was discussed between 07/02/2002 and 15/02/2002

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