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MG Midget and Sprite General - 73 MG midget tyres

Hello all,

This is my fist post, I'm restoring a 1973 MG Midget (1275,RWA) and I'm in the finishing stages. All it needs is some paint and wheels to finish. I've been looking around for nice wheels and stumbled upon these

http://www.midlandwheels.com/Shop/P-2488-5.5-x-13-JBW-Minilight-Anthracite--175/50x13-Fulda.html

I would like to know if anybody has experience with 175 wide tyres. I would like to know if they are going to rub my wheel arches(RWA).

Thanks in advance

P.S. also added a 'before' picture of when i first got it. (on a parking lot because the garage was filled with a Jaguar Mk2 that hadn't yet been sold)

J.R. Stokmans

Hi JR,
why not try to get some original wheels from eBay or so?
I've 165/70's under my '78 Midget (don't know whether the cars dimensions are different from a '73 one) and think that's about the max.

Ben
B Elfrink

I've got the original rostyle wheels but they are crooked(don't know if thats the right term in english but since you are Belgian 'kromme velgen') And I like the look of mini lites on a midget.
J.R. Stokmans

Should fit, but, the calibration of your speedo will be wrong - but, then, reading other threads, no-one in NL actually has a working one anyway ... :)

They are lovely wheels, and the price is not so bad either - dang stupid regulations, otherwise I might change!
rachmacb

thanks rachmacb,

Indeed the speedo will be wrong but they aren't that reliable anyway. Still haven't decided yet if I want a kph speedo or keep the original.
J.R. Stokmans

J.R.
Fill them arches...!!!
I had 175x60x14 on my rwa 1972 1" lowered and still did not rub.
Looked great!
I now have 185x60x14 and had to do a slight mod on the wheelarch lip.
The wheels look nice but you might need 60's or 70's tyres to make the car look better as 50's would need the car to be lowered a good 1 1/2".
Good look...
Rob.
Rob Newt

anyone got a pic off 14" on a RWA
Mick - trying to sort the wiring

I use 165/70 on 13" 'minilites with RWA. If I had thought about it, would have bought 14" rims and 165/60s (or near equiv).

With uprated springs and dampers, there's more movement in the tyres than the suspension...

A
Anthony Cutler

They will fit fine. However, 175-50x13 are a very small wheel - 505mm on my Dunlop chart, as against 565mm for the original 145x13. That's 12%, or about half a gear ratio, lower gearing overall. Not too bad if you have a 5 speed, but it would be miserable on a motorway if not.

Rach - what regulations were you referring to?

Rob- what rims did you use?
Paul Walbran

Paul - I'm planning to take my midget to Canada next year, and, well, they have advised me to try and stay as close as is left to the standard as possible - what's done is done and will have to be argued, but, I suppose I can wait awhile now to do the rest :) (They did promise me a garage space and use of tools if I want it though - nice folk - wonder if I can blag a job ...:)!)
rachmacb

Why oh why does everyone believe that a Midget or Sprite will be better with BIG tyres....!

Unless you have suspension set ups to suit, they will NOT be....

145 / 80 or 155 / 80 or even 70 profile are just fine, get good rubber.

Unsprung weight.... do some homework.....!

Mark.
M T Boldry

>>everyone ??

I used 155/80s with standard setup.

And now with heavily modfied suspension, I use 165/70.

I think 145s are a little on the small side, esp for the greater weight of the 1500.

Surely wire wheels are the heaviest?

A
Anthony Cutler

@Mark,

Don't tell me about unsprung weight, I'm an automotive engineer. Even if the bigger tyre is heavier the mini lites will be way lighter than the original rostyle or wire wheels. Even if the bigger tyre makes it heavier in total you won't even be able to notice it. It's such a small difference because of the 'clunky' parts used in the unsprung weight.

conclusion: because of better use of materials nowadays it won't noticeably effect the handling so just use the rims and tyres you think look nice.

P.S. anybody got a picture of a RWA midget/sprite with 14" rims?
J.R. Stokmans

I have a frogeye sprite with 14" rims and 185/60 r 14 tires. Would you like me to see if I have a picture of that one?
Trevor Jessie

Hi JR,

I run 175-65-14 on a scuare arche midget without any troubles(but i did had to hydrauliclypush out the arches a little and fitted a RTL on the axle).

On a RWA 185 arent a problem(depinding of how much your lowering the car).



Mark, you still dont get it, not everything on a spridget is fully funtional, sometimes you do things because you like it for the looks/coolfactor. :)
I think filled arches look great and if Holland didnt have so many speedbumps i would go for lowering the car and put even bigger wheels(15inch) on.

Arie de Best

>> "mini lites will be way lighter than the original rostyle or wire wheels"

that's a huge assumption - and I wouldn't bet on it. I thought there were books with this information in but no actual weights are quoted - next edition perhaps!
David Smith

Ant
it is the combined weight of hub and wheel you have to look at
the wirewheel hub is more heavy than the disc wheel one.

JR
why not go for soem revolution style wheels?

As for the tyre width 165 is plenty for a midget.
Remember that you are working with 30/40/50 year old parts that where designed for skinny not sticky tyre's.
They can and will fail if the load is to big
Onno Könemann

Agree with David,I recently fitted nice SCP Minators to my Frog and although I did not weigh them, in the hand it would be difficult to tell the difference between them and originals.Also agree with Mark,i use 155x70 with quality rubber,much easier on wheel bearings and those famous weak stubaxles.
cheers, Alistair
A.G Peters

... coz they are NICE!
rachmacb

Normal minilite's are boring!
Polished edges and me is not a good combo

I am however thinking about powdercoating them black!
that would go nice with the primrose i think

alloy's are way more comfortable than wire's or steelwheels
might have something to do with the age of the steel wheels though...
Onno Könemann

Hey Onno, what a coincedence as I too was thinking of putting black minilites under my car.

Mark Boldry has black spoke wheels under his red midget and I totaly loved the look!

To be honest, I like the minilites alot but I think 60% of the spridget population have them so I have been thinking of getting something totaly different, classic but different.
You end up at special wheel fabricators and to have them drill out our special boltpatern, fabricate their modell wheel on our needed of/inset is, I feer, very costly.
I have thought about these light metal wheels from cobra's, the ones with 5? spooks and a 3wing centrelock.
Sorry, no picture available.
Arie de Best

What David said and I'd be interested in weights of wheels and tyres. One reasonable unsprung weight saving is switching from a wheel that needs an inner tube to one that doesn't. Were all the early Spridget wheels tubeless?
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

185/60/14



Tim Dalton

Found a picture on the internet, apperently you can get them for bolts too and have a dummy 3 wing centrelock.

Arie de Best

16 inch... hm 15 or 14 would be nicer...
and 7.5J demands alot of wheelarche pushing-out. :)

Arie de Best

Just weighed them on the bathroom scales
185/60/14 centrelock minilite = 16.6Kg
155SR 13 on stock wire = 13.2Kg
Tim
Going out to buy a pipe now....
Tim Dalton

Ive done my homework Mark...and I will stick to my 185x60's thanks

Rob Newt

i've only a bare 13*5J K&N miniator wich weighs in at 5.8KG (shabby home scale)

Arie
why not take these

Onno Könemann

Onno, they are nice wheels but im not into them.
Besides I need atleast 14inch because of the modified brake-kit.

Very diffecult to find something original and still like it.
Ive seen some rare/expensive spridgetwheels but wouldnt put them on my car even if I got them for free!

Arie de Best

Just measured:

175/60 13 Yokohama O32R on 5.5" Cobra Slot: 12.5Kg

145/80 13 Dunlop SP Sport on later 4.5" (?) Rostyle: 13.0Kg (the last wheel I have from the 70s!); initially it was showing 13.5/13.0 but settled on the latter.

I would expect the 165/70 13 on the 5" SCP Minilite would weight less than either of above - will weigh next time I have one of the wheels off.

A
Anthony Cutler

Onno - they are shameless bling ...!!!! LOL - I only say that, coz they are pretty nice really, but, I can't be bothered to change anything and then get spun :(
rachmacb

I think the problem with tyres is the lack of good quality tyres in the smaller sizes, 145-155x13 tyres are only used on cheap and cheerful cars. Performance tyres seem to start nearer the 175-185 sizes. Its worth noting that the best improvment you will make to your brakes is to fit stickier tyres!

Just a thought Carl

photo of 185x60x13

C Bintcliffe

cor those wing vents look good, where can I get some?
David Smith

175/50 R13 is a common size on Minis.

The following site came up in a thread a few weeks ago when I was asking if anyone recognised what I now know to be a set of KN Jupiters I'd just bought. Think it was Brad who found it?

http://www.mini-mayfair.net/felgen.html

anyway - much alloy wheel anork-ness, so Arie - take a look and decide which you are going to target! The reason I got the Jupiters was because I wanted something a bit different to the minilites. at 6", they certainly fill the width of the arches - I trial fitted one to the front, and looking along the wing the outside edge of the wheel is just about flush. They don't have rubber on them at present, but I'll weigh them when I have a moment.


Just heard that I've passed MOT today with no work needed, so maybe I'll have the budget to get the wheels refurbed...
MarkH1

On my 1972 RWA, I run 175/70-13 on the street with no problems whatsoever. I autocross on 185/60-13 and use a panhard bar to eliminate the minor rubbing in hard corners.

It is perfectly possible that there would be performance advantages to the smaller tyres, but this, IMHO, is outvoted by the fact that I have never found anything remotely resembling a performance tyre in anything less than a 175. Dunno whether any books happen to mention this or not.
David "I prefer the choices at 175" Lieb
David Lieb

185/60 R14....... ;) :)

S Deakin

This thread was discussed between 19/05/2010 and 23/05/2010

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