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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - minilite wheels

I am looking for lite 13 x 5 inch minilite style wheels for a frogeye. The Minator wheels I have are 5.5 and weight more than the pressed steel originals. Were can I buy lite wheels?

Flip
Flip Brühl

You could try JHL but I'm not sure of weights/sizes or Kim Dear at Magic midget (also has 5” Revolution, Very lightweight - 4.3kg).

Or the racing guys.

Don't forget bigger tyres will also probably weight more.

http://www.magicmidget.co.uk/

http://www.magicmidget.co.uk/images/New%205%20Inch%20Revolution.jpg

https://www.jlhmorrisminors.co.uk/
Nigel Atkins

I have a brand new set of 13 x 5 " wheels and tyres x 5 , for sale. They were a canceled order.
J L HEAP

Do you have a picture of the wheels ? What size and make are the tyres ?
Chris Madge

Jonathan got in before me. I was going to recommend him!
I bought my wheels from JLH and I couldn't be better pleased. Excellent service and price and he's a genuine pleasure to deal with.
Greybeard

This is one of the 5 wheels, can check tyre make and size tomorrow.


J L HEAP

Do they use standard Rosytle wheels nuts (AHA8785) or others?
Nigel Atkins

IIRC 13" (later) Rostyle wheel and 145/80 r13 weigh 10-11kg, I forget what the wheel is by itself, probably in the Archives though.
Nigel Atkins

The wheels come with 16 new wheel nuts.
J L HEAP

Thanks for reporting back - and that saves any worrying, sorting and any long threads about it.
Nigel Atkins

David Smith, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Posted 21 June 2010 at 23:27:22 UK time
“13x5 UK-made Minator is 5.4 kg”


Ian Webb '73 GAN5, 67 GAN4 & 59 Frogeye, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Posted 02 July 2010 at 18:31:32 UK time
“Just to confirm what David says;
My 2 UK made Minators weigh in at 5.6 kgs each, 2 newer reputedly "Chinese" made Minators weigh in at 5.5 kgs each …
Std late steel rostyles 6.7 kgs each, early rostyles 7.1 kgs each.”
Nigel Atkins

"and that saves any worrying, sorting and any long threads about it."

Talking of long threads - check the length of thread available with the wheels fitted. The fronts on my MkIV Sprite were fine for my JLH supplied 'Minilites' but the rears were minimal, only six turns on the nuts and I think 7 is the minimum acceptable (others will confirm). I've fitted longer studs on the rear and they now have plenty of thread.

Also, check nut tightness regularly, at least for the first few thousand miles. I found that one front wheel tended to loosen slightly after a vigorous outing on the hill. No real idea why but I just have the feeling that the nuts needed to bed into the wheel. All fine now with no loosening, but I still check them regularly.

Colin
C Mee

I use modified nuts with my Minilites to provide a greater length of thread.
Alan


Alan Anstead

Don't want to worry you Colin as I might have remembered wrong but I remember it as thirteen turns of the wheel nut.

I discovered I'd got two different lengths of studs on one or two wheels.
Nigel Atkins

Colin

MSA blue book says 1.5 x stud diameter.
Dave O'Neill 2

Thanks Nigel and Dave.

There was a thread about Minilites and studs around the time I bought them and I'm sure a number of folk said they had no problem with standard studs, which is why I left the fronts alone.

I've just checked all round. The fronts have nine full turns. At 24tpi I think that makes it 3/8" = 1 x stud diameter! Long studs will be going on shortly! By my calculations, Nigel, 13 turns will give 1.5 x stud diameter.

The rears, with 2" studs have 18 turns, so that's 2 x stud diameter.

I did a good 60 miles on rural Shropshire roads today - enough to shake anything loose - and all 16 nuts were fully tight (45 ft Lbs) when checked just now.



C Mee

IIRC you can get away with 1 X engagement if the nut and stud are high tensile but that is often not the case with wheel nuts. I have seen the common wheel nuts shedding the most stressed threads at the inner end after a few years of use so best to go for 1.5 times engagement or more.
David Billington

Ohhhh Minilites and wheel studs - where shall we start?
Oggers

Trying to wake us up Oggers? That must have been one of the longest BBS silences ever! 38 hours!
Wouldn't have happened when Prop was here.
GuyW

thank you gentlemen,

I ll buy the magic midget ones, and I already have longer studs as the"tire man" damaged the originals.

Flip
Flip Brühl

Bit late, but Tyres are 175/60/13 Falkens
J L HEAP

Before we (re)start the minilites and wheelstuds you should start with the basics: frontwheelbearings!
Enjoy your read! :)
A de Best

If interested there is a set of original FWB's on fleabay They are listed as First line but they are old stock and the correct RHP make. Item number 233285690383 £19.99 incl postage.
Bob Beaumont

This thread was discussed between 05/08/2019 and 02/09/2019

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.