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MG MGA - Tyres and wheels and Heavy steering

My 1600 is fitted with Riken 195/60/R15 86H tyres and they are fitted to 48 spoke wheels which have an overall width of 5.5 ins. The steering is as heavy as a tractor.
I note the original tyres (according to Workshop manual ) are 5.60-15 tyres on 4 inch wheels so my present tyres are well over width and under diameter (24.2 ins compared to 25.9 ins ) so the heavy steering is not surprising.
It is time to change and I am considering either 175/80/R15 or 165/80/R15 (former 26ins dia and latter 25.3 ins ie both much closer to orig dia tyres).
Any experience/advice/comments etc appreciated ?
..also the wheel seems to be non standard in width and spoke nos..can' t find it in any catalogue ?
n ferguson

The 48 spoke wheels are the original number of spokes but it sounds like your's are wider than standard. Either of the two tires you are looking at should work fine, I run 165SR15 Dunlops. Where did you find the 175 size, they have been hard to come by?
John H

John, try British Wire Wheels. They have many different tire sizes. I have 185/70/15. They are in Calif near Fresno.
JEFF BECKER

Have you checked that the steering rack moves under fingertip action and also that your toein/out is correct. Too much toe out makes the steering stiff also check tyre pressures - suggest not lower than 28 psi.
J H Cole

Couldn't heavy steering result from someone putting grease into the rack instead of oil as is correct?
T McCarthy

I thought MGAs didn't have any toe-in or out, just parallel.
Steve

Good point Steve but in reading recent messages some owners have elected to go for a small amount of toe in or out. There is a tendency for the MGA to have heavy steering and I find that the optimum set up for my MGA is with about 0.5 degrees of toe in but others have reported using different values. Despite manufacturers recommendations I'm not sure if you will find an overall consensus on this. I had to construct a trammel like device to experiment with the adjustment on my car but it gives interesting results.
J H Cole

JH Cole..can you expand on the finger tip test for the rack. I have the belief that any part of my sterring would take a 10 ft lever to move?
n ferguson

The workshop manual does not give much guidance on the rack movement saying that it should be adjusted so that it is '..just possible to turn the pinion shaft...' I follow the advice of a specialist renovating firm fron Cornwall who adjust the shims on their racks such that it can be pushed in with a fingertip. The check against it being too slack is that you should not get vibration coming up through the steering wheel.
J H Cole

I am working thro. the suggestions donated and my beady eye spotted wedges of black grease on the nipples for the steering gearbox and the pinion. I gave the car to a non specialist service bay a few weeks ago (with a detailed lube chart ) but seems they may have one product in the gun and went for it.....
I note one comment that this could be the reason for the stiffness..any more comments?
...also can I just press in the correct oil via the nipple and displace the grease or is life more complex?
n ferguson

I've used grease in mine for 20 years with no problems at all. (the gaiters available at the time decayed rapidly incontact with oil). I have just tried switching to oil for teh first time, no noticeable difference apart from squelching noises as the oil gets pumped around the rack.... If the steering was heavy before, the grease has nothing to do with it.

At the bottom of the steering shaft, there is a bronze cap which has a number of shims behind it. If there are too few shims, the steering will be tight. If there are too many, it will be loose.

Given the two spring loaded dampers on the rac, I'd be surprised if you could push a rack around without leverage and using only finger pressure.

The other variable is, of course, typre pressure, if it's low, steering will be heavier.
dominic clancy

Everyone seems to asume the problem is the rack. have you unhooked the tierod ends and turned each spindle seperatly? The question of oil or grease makes little or no difference. Used grease on my first A in the 70s never knew the diff till later. Steering u-joint could be siezed also. This u-joint can be taken apart cleaned regreased and reused. The finger tip movement of rack assumes you are moving just the rack.
R J Brown

Is there a possibility that the steering shaft and rack are not aligned at the universal joint? Have they been taken apart or are not original to the car, or has there been major work that would have affected the position of the rack or column mountings? This produces more of an effect of lack of self centering than heaviness, but it does feel as if steering requires greater effort than it should. Grease that fresh should not cause any problem.
John DeWolf

This thread was discussed between 02/05/2007 and 06/05/2007

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