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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Axle location

I took the midget out today for the first time in seven months. In that time I swapped the wheels and it's on KN Minatours wearing 165 tyres. The N/S/R has rubbed on the arch (square arch car).

The axle appears to sit very much to the left with virtually no gap between the lip and the tyre. On the right there is at least a half inch, maybe three quarters.

Is this normal? If so, how can I centralise the axle?

Or do I just run narrower wheels and tyres?



Clive Berry

Yes to an extent they all do that.
Some can run 175’s without problems others rub a 165

You can:
Roll the inner lip on the arch
Use a panhard bar (though officially it should not be used to pull the axle over)
Re drill the rear spring mountings
Live with it
O K

As well as rolling the wheel arch lip, you can also put a slight spread on the inner wheel arch using a scissor jack. When a wheel rubs, it is actually up inside the wheel well rather than the lip that catches first. So spreading there does help. You may also find different tyres of the same 165 tread width have different overall widths across the side walls so some brands rub, whilst others don't.
I use 165s as well.
GuyW

Clive

I've had the same problem and have done everything that Guy suggests. This has reduced the rubbing but not eliminated it in hard cornering.

As Guy says, the cross-section of 165 tyres might vary between brands and a different tyre might remove your problem but you'll need confirmation from someone. My Yokohama AEO1s definitely rub!

A Panhard Rod should stop or control the axle's lateral movement but I've not tried that yet.

I gather that some axles (centre lock wire wheels?) are shorter which means that 175s will fit with no problem.

I'll need a new set of tyres next year and am thinking of going back to 155s to deal with the problem.

Colin
C Mee

The distance left and right is different after every hard cornering. The 1/4 ecliptics move in the frame and the leaves. A panhard rod helped me agains scuffing (and improved the roadholding!!!!)

Flip
Flip Brühl

Thanks gents.
In energetic cornering the spring will deflect laterally taking the body away from the tyre but still allowing the tyre to rub the inner wing higher up.

On mine the lip is rubbing on the side wall in gentle straight line use. The front suspension is so deranged on this car that enthusiastic cornering is not advisable. If we have another lockdown I can fit the new front end :)

So, centering the axle would mean altering the holes in the axle bracket/boss? Easy enough to open up and weld in a new hole, so to speak.

The tyres fitted are very "butch". Wide and square. Can't remember the brand at the moment. The 155's I have are Conti Aqua something or others and much more rounded. I feel another wheel swap coming.
Clive Berry

I worried about this when I noticed it on the Frogeye, but I'm relieved to learn that it's normal. Of course, I don't get the wheel arch rubbing with my 165s on 5" Minators, but I addressed it as follows.

There is a bit of play in the 1/4 elliptic spring mounting holes, so I loosened them slightly, with the jack under the diff so the load was still on the springs. I then adjusted my home-made Panhard rod to centralise the axle, and retightened the bolts.

Les
L B Rose

This thread was discussed between 18/10/2020 and 21/10/2020

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