MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGB Technical - Datsun steel wheels.

I have a 66B that I'm switching from wires to disk wheels.I like the look of the early steel wheels with dog dish hub caps.The problem is the 4" width. The Datsun roadster and Z cars used a 14X5 steel wheel that looks alot like a early b wheel.Has anyone ever used this wheel on a B is the offset right?
RPB Brownlow

I can offer a slightly different answer in that I had early wheels made into 15x6 and 15x7 wheels by Stockton Wheel in CA. These are going on my V6 conversion with flared fenders.
They can make them any size you would want using the old centers.
Thomas Rynne

A Datsun 240Z wheel bolts onto the MGB.
Bill Spohn

I have an 80 LE with wheels from a Z car. It came with the car, so I can't be sure whether it was the 240, 260 or 280 Z. They fit very well and no problem with offset. The tires are 185/70R14 which is the specified size per the glove box label. I think they are more attractive than the standard LE wheels. I don't think I can post a photo of it here, but will e-mail a side view photo that shows them clearly if you like.
Rick Penland

I've owned Datsuns for more years than I can remember and the wheels do have the same common bolt pattern. The key is the offset and many aftermarket mags for Zs did not have the correct offset. I wouldn't say that all wheels fitted to Zs will fit the MGB CORRECTLY.
Mike MaGee

I once used a set of 14x6 after market mags which came off a 240 . There was no offset problems. If you do a trial fit, do it on the LH rear wheel. If it fits there, it will fit on all the other wheels. Barrie E
Barrie Egerton

I purchased 6" x 15" alloy wheels for a late version datsun 240 ( not the Z) and they fit very well. The 6" wheels with 195-15-55 tires handle like the car is on railroad tracks. the 5/8" less diameter also lowers the car slightly.

Once you've tried decent wheels and tires you will wonder why you didn't do it a long time ago. Make sure you buy some expensive hi perf tires - it makes all the difference in the world.

I had to change seats to Fiero buckets after I changed wheels and tires. The only thing holding me in place was the steering wheel. I was sure I was going to break the mounts or bend the shaft, holding on around corners. With the lateral support I can now drive the car to the limit - which is pretty high. -- and a lot more fun.

Barry
Barry Parkinson

I did some measurements on my 80 LE with Z car wheels using a straight edge to see how they would clear in the rear. If it were possible to compress the fenders down onto the wheels, I suspect it could barely rub the tire at its widest point. Late 70s and 80s rode a little higher in the rear than the 66 you're considering. Also, the 66 ran a different rear axle than the later models. I think you'll be OK with Z car wheels. Mine are not aftermarket Z wheels, but the standard ones that most Z cars came out with.
Rick Penland

I've read numerous posts about wheel offsets for the B.

Barrie--If you do a trial fit, do it on the LH rear wheel. If it fits there, it will fit on all the other wheels. What's different with the LH Rear than the rest? I recently bought some after market wheels from Discount Tires. There was only one manufacturer in California that fabricates to the B offset. I'm looking for some others because these are carbon color, too dark for my Red B. Not the same color as shown in the catalog.
What I want to do is go to a scrap yard and tell the owner that I want to buy wheels off of a particular car, ie. Datsun, Volvo, etc. I read that not all the Z wheels have the same offset, but do have the same bolt pattern. Is there a list of cars that came with the same pattern/offset as the B?

Thanks
Shook

For some reason the LH rear wheel arch has less space than the others. Due to axle posn. or spring mounts, I don't know, but it seems to be a common feature. Barrie E
Barrie Egerton

Have a look at this site,
http://www.mgusedparts.com
and then to the about us page,
There is an MGB GT with 1979 Nissan Skyline Mags fitted. They are an almost deadset copy of the alloy wheels fitted to the MGBGTV8
maurie prior

Maurie,

Nice looking wheels, especially on a red car.
Shook

I have a '66 MGB with the banjo rear end, for disk wheels, which had the stock 4" wheels.

I considered going with the Stockton Wheel option as Thomas did. But I got scared off because I wasn't sure what the increase in polar moment would be. There was some magazine that figured, that when they fitted larger wheels, they lost the equivalent of 5HP on their acceleration (due to flywheel effect). Shouldn't be a concern for Thomas, because he's going with the V6. But I did not want to risk making my B any slower.

I ended up fitting 14x5.5" Libre wheels (13 lbs), which have a +14mm offset. Most of the Libres and Libre knockoffs I looked at had a +5mm offset. I had to grind 1/4" off my LH rear fender lip to keep the wheel from rubbing under fairly sedate driving. But when I hit a moderate bump, the top corner of the tire still rubs high up in the wheel well.

So, my advice is to tred carefully. Your '66 likely sits lower than some of the later Bs. IMHO, even a 5" wheel will be problematic, if the offset is not positive enough.

I found this Datsun wheel site to be helpful when doing my research. Scroll down to the listing of wheels nearer the bottom.

http://kmhafer.datsun510.com/wheelFAQ.htm


Terrence Goodell

Thanks for the Datsun wheel link. I posted above that my car has Datsun wheels, but didn't know the type. They're 14x6 81-83 Datsun 280 ZX wheels "Popular 510 wheel 6 pointed star---". They look very good on the car, better than the standard LE wheels.
Rick Penland

This thread was discussed between 20/12/2005 and 24/12/2005

MG MGB Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGB Technical BBS is active now.