Updating my wheels.

[atc40]

I would like to update the wheels on my TR8, and was wondering if the standard 16" wheels fitted to the MGF would fit without any mods. I know they have the same PCD but would they foul the arches?
Have seen several pictures of them fitted on this forum so can anyone advise please.

Retired and loving it!

[busheytrader]

I've often seen 16 and 17 inch wheels on a Wedge accompanied by low profile tyres. I'm not sure what the absolute limit is but someone will be along soon to take care of that.

Bear in mind that the original springs, especially the front ones, will have sagged if still fitted and limit your clearance.

Adam



TR7 V8 DHC Jaguar Solent Blue. 9.35cr Range Rover V8, Holley 390cfm, JWR Dual Port, 214 Cam, Lumention, Tubular Manifolds, S/S Single Pipe Exh, 3.08 Rear, 200lb Spax & PolyBushes all round, Anti- Dive, Strut-Top Roller Bearings, Capri Vented Discs & Calipers, Braided Hoses, 4 Speed Rear Cylinders, Uprated Master Cylinder & Servo, AT 14" 5 Spokes or Maestro Turbo 15" Alloys, Cruise Lights, S/S Heater Pipes, Replacement Fuel Tank. No Door Stickers. Mine since July 1986, V8 from 1991 courtesy of S&S V8 conversion kit (built not bought) and big brake kit.

[john 215]

Hi,

Don't forget to factor in wheel nuts, standard TR7 wont be any good. Have heard reports of the centre require attention on some wheels to clear hub location. As the my honourable friend Adam correctly say's a lot will do with suspension height and tyre choice if the tyre rub or not.

Cheers John


LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC BEAUTY FITTED WITH OVERDRIVE GEARBOX

1979 3.5 FHC CURRENTLY GARDEN ART !

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6, BUILT NOT BROUGHT !!!!

[jeffremj]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">As the my honourable friend Adam correctly say's a lot will do with suspension height and tyre choice if the tyre rub or not.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Not really. There is no tyre choice, per se, if you keep the proper rolling radius and I can't see where suspension height comes into it unless you are making a low rider.

The tyres to use is easy to work out:

185/70 x 13
195/60 x 14
205/50 x 15
215/40 x 16
225/30 x 17

You can also get close with these fitments:

195/55 x 15
205/45 x 16
215/35 x 17

If you want to use 205 width, then these are the choices:

205/60 x 13
205/55 x 14
205/50 x 15
205/45 x 16
205/40 x 17

It is simple to workout with 215 widths.

Nice website here:

http://www.alloywheels.com/Tyre_Calculator

I have the old Montego Turbo alloys on my TR7 V8 and the wheel offset if just about OK, although the tyres seem to rub the strut, but only under extreme cornering forces - the static gap is around 1cm. This is using 205/50 x 15 on a 6" wide alloy. This is probably the area you need to check. The most expensive part was buying 16 new wheel nuts!

Here is a picture showing the closeness using Montego alloys:



Here is a picture showing the same car with Compomotive FH alloys that are 7" wide and with an offset that moves the alloys out to the maximum - the rear wheel arches need 'rolling up':



Note that the front arches don't need modification with the compomotives.

[john 215]

Hi,


<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><font size="3"><font color="red">I can't see where suspension height comes into it unless you are making a low rider.</font id="red"></font id="size3"><hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Exactly my point taken to a extreme, guess your wheels are close to the strut as they were intended for front wheel drive application and has positive offset as most front wheel drive wheels do.


Cheers John




LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC BEAUTY FITTED WITH OVERDRIVE GEARBOX

1979 3.5 FHC CURRENTLY GARDEN ART !

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6, BUILT NOT BROUGHT !!!!

[Hasbeen]

Before you go to 16s on a 7/8, it would be a good idea to try to find one so equipped, & beg a drive of it. If you could try one in similar conditions to which you usually drive your car, you could find the change would be great, but also it might be not so good.

The suspension of our cars was designed with the big bag of a 13" tyre as part of it. Going even to 15" wheels makes a moderate difference to the handling of one of our cars, & this is detrimental in some applications.

If you are driving in very good twisty roads, or track racing, low profile tyres should be a big advantage, if only because the best rubber compounds are now only available in lower profile tyres.

However if like me, you are finding there are just no corners on good surfaced roads at anywhere near legal speeds where you live & drive, this will not be an advantage. Every time they improve a road around here, & provide a good surface, they straighten the damn thing, so you would have to drive at near double the legal speed to make anything become a corner.

To find a road with enjoyable corners, at near legal speeds, I have to go drive the back roads. Even on some of them, speed limits are being reduced to the ridiculous. Three of our more enjoyable roads have recently had speed limits reduced from 100Km/H to 90, 70 & 60 Km/H respectively, in an attempt to stop our tourists attacking the bushland. They tend to look at the scenery, not the road.

Thus our enjoyable driving today is on lower quality roads than previously. On these wavy & perhaps bumpy roads, I find my 7, with it's 13" wheels, & higher profile tyres out corners the 8, with it's lower profile tyres on just 15" wheels. This despite the fact that the 8 has considerably upgraded suspension & shocks, with more grippy tyres.

To get the 8 to equal the 7 on poor road surfaces it's suspension would need to be made more compliant, [softer springs, stiffer roll bars, & better shocks]. Longer suspension travel would be great, but perhaps going a bit far.

With all cars it is a matter of horses for courses. Just make sure you are building your car for the course you use it on most.

Hasbeen

[dursleyman]

I don't like the modern trend for very low profile tyres. In theory they give better performance due to sidewalls having less "give" in them but they also suffer from more sidewall damage on our increasingly pot-holed roads. Quite small potholes will easily damage your expensive wheels/tyres.
Another factor also due to that short sidewall is ride quality. Because there is little/no give in the sidewall ride quality is much reduced.

I liked them for competition but don't want very low profiles on my TR7.

Russ

1981 TR7 Sprint DHC
Dursley
UK

http://tr7russ.blogspot.co.uk/

[Last TR]

I have 15x6 rims with 205-50 tires. I wouldn't go any lower profile for driving on public roads. It is noticeably rougher riding than it was with 13" rims and 205-65s. I also had front tire rub that I didn't have with the 13s; I assume because the widest part of the 15" tire is farther from the center.

Ken Morton
Anchorage, Alaska

1980 TR8, 1973 TR6, 1965 Volvo PV544, 1958 MGA, Jeep Cherokees

[DJV]

Just seen your topic and I have the 16 inch MGTF wheels on my car and there are no fouling problems and fitted with 215-40 x 16 Yokohama tyres. I do find the ride harsher than the higher profile tyres but the handling is very precise and gives as much confidence as a seventies car can do !! This tyre size keeps the speedo reading correct which is a bonus !

TR 7 V8 DHC