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 MGF Technical - A cautionary tale

Had a puncture in my rear tyre today, So I took out the jack and the wheel nut key, loosened the nuts jacked up the car and removed the wheel.

I then went to take out the spare (I knew it was brand new, never been used as I had checked the pressure when I first got the car) however it all turned to poo when I found that the bolt holding the spare wheel in had seized!!! No matter what I tried I coud not undo it.

Luckily I was at work and I managed to force the wheel away from its bulkhead enough to get a hacksaw in the gap and cut the bolt off!! I was just glad I wasen't at the side of a wet, dark road.

So before it happens to you, go and check you can undo the retaining bolt, remove it and coat it with copperslip.
kevins

I remember that Swain and Jones always used to copper slip lubricate the spare wheel retaining bolt come service time - it really is a very very good idea!

Jeepers Kevin, what a pain! :o( Presumably you're now going to have to drill the remenants of the retaining bolt out now and retap?
Rob Bell

Rob, the retaining bit fell on the floor when I cut away the bolt so when I cahnge the rad over Christmas I will see what I can do about it.

And to make matters worse they fitted the Directional tyre the wrong way round

And when I asked them to quote for new tyres I asked for D2s and Toyo Proxy T1R I also said NOT D3s as they are not suitable blah blah

So I get prices for Toyos and D3s!!!! I give up.

Toyos are: £65.38 for fronts and £89.95 for rears (Trophy sizes)
kevins

That's very infuriating Kevin - how much do you have to spell out your request?! :o( Mind you, part of the problem is that the rear profile tyre is now hard to obtain in the GS-D2... Go for the T-1R - it's by all acounts a good tyre.

Another tyre that I've heard good things about is the BFGoodridge g-Force Profiler. I think that these are available in the right sizes for the F - might also be worth investigating?
Rob Bell

have GSD3s - and no problems
David S

I have just got 4 Toyo T1-S for £200. Fitted and balanced.

I thought that was a good price - and they look GR8 !!
Clive

bolts,i took off my rear bumper last week,one of the bolts was a swine to shift,i did eventually,only to find i hadn,t actually undone the bolt but turned off the bracket,did get the bumper off but now it is back on with one less bolt,.........stop laughing rob you know what i,m like from my other projects,................
m e johnson

Just got a set of brand new 16" Abingdon six spoke alloys with 4 new F1 D2s for £310 off ebay - dead chuffed!
Patrick Beet

SO it was you !! bougjt them from R8CAB ? I was thinking of going for 350 :-)

Mike
Mike (Mersea)

David S,

Just a point, but if you have an accident with your car, could/would your insurance company reject the claim because you have fitted tyres that the Manufacurer says you should not fit? Bearing in mind they need little excuse to bounce a claim!!
Kevins

Kevin

MGR do not say you must not use ABC they just give recomendations as to what they think is best for your car.

The point then is to make sure that the tyres are equal in specification to the MGR recomendations or better still superior.

For us, with older MGFs, the original type tyres are no longer made - so what do we do now if insurers will not pay out on none original types?

Ted
Ted Newman

Ted,
From what I have read on other threads and other BBs MGR have actually stated that GSD3s are NOT for on the MGF/TF - there has been at least one case I know of where the owner of a TF went back to his tyre dealer and had the D3s replaced with D2s after speaking to MGR.

As to your other point, D2s ARE still available and are still made by Goodyear. There are other tyres made by other companies that are suitable substitutes for the D2 - i.e Toyo Proxy, Bridgestone SO-2.
Kevins

Ted
If you look at the section marked tyres in Rob Bells site there is a separate page with a warning from both MGR and Goodyear that stataes that neither company recomends the fitment of D3s to an F/TF.

Like I said - it could probably invalidate your insurance???
Kevins

I wouldn't know about TFs and their tyres I was just responding to your rather sweeping statement and there is not order not to use in my MGF handbook AND I did state 'quote' For us, with older MGFs, the original type tyres are no longer made 'unquote'.

I take your point about Robs excellent pages BUT that does not alter the fact that tyres for the older *F* are no longer made SO I must now leave my car in the garage because it will invalidate my insurance? - I don't think so.

Ted

Ted Newman

If that rule applies to all cars then I must start using cross-plies on my Austin Westminster! now theres a handfull!
Cecil Kimber

Mike,

Yes it was me. If it is any comfort, you would not have won with a bid of £350 as I had a max bid of £450.

However many thanks for not increasing the amount I had to pay!

Happy Christmas to you and Viv!

Cheers

Patrick (and Ann!)
Patrick Beet

I did not say you should leave your car in the garage, as you say you should fit tyres as good as or better than your originals - D3s are not as good as or better, they are worse.

What do you mean about an order not to use in your handbook? When your handbook was printed D3s were not available so they would not get a mention.

I also drive an older F - 1998, which tyres are no longer made? I was merely pointing out that it could be a get out clause if you were to have an accident and you had tyres on your car that in the words of the Car Maufavturer AND Tyre Manufacturer were NOT suitable for your car - that is a fact.

Mr Kimber - Where did I say it was a rule?

Please do not shoot me for asking a question. If you decide to fit unsuitable tyres that is your lookout, I was just asking the question - would it affect your insurance?? A perfectly valid question.
Kevins

Patrick,

Merry Christmas to you and Ann, I too am glad I didn't push up the price you had to pay.

Mike
Mike (Mersea)

Kevin

I am glad that at long last you have stated what you mean! At no time have I mentioned D3s (what ever they may be) I merely stated what my MGF handbook says AND that for me is what I would quote to an insurance company - every new MGF/TF comes with a handbook it does not come with an internet connection.

BTW a 1998 MGF is newish (in my books) I have a 1995 ordered 1996 delivered MGF MPi.

Ted
Ted Newman

apologies and thanks to all who have conversed with Kevin while I've been working :-(
To the insurance question - I neither know nor care frankly. I do know that many of the statements are unproven rumour - no more, no less. No offence, but hardly a shred of empirical evidence exists as to the relative merits of different tyres. What I do know is that the original fit Goodyear NCT3s were bl00dy lethal for spirited driving, and fortunately are NLA. I also know that we have D2s on the front and D3s on the back and it sticks like glue. Maybe D2s or Proxes or Bridgestones all round would be marginally better but it's not used for competition, I have the Monty turbo and the midget racer for that. What has caused a far greater detrimental effect is having the ride height reset last week as it was down to 300mm on the front with lowering knuckles - we couldn't get off the drive without scraping the underside and one wheel arch liner rubbed a lot! But they c0cked it up, set it to 360 in spite of written instruction to use 330, and now it handles like a drunken pig. Needless to say it will have to go back. This is the first time it's been near a garage since B&G did the head gasket back in spring 2001, just to remind me why I do practically all my own servicing and repairs. HTH
David S

From memory Dr Bell posted the warning on his website when D3s came out at first and there was some concern over the handing of the car with them fitted. However, since a number of people now use them they have reported back that after they are properly scrubbed in they are very good tyres indeed. In fact I think that I'm correct in saying that Rob now uses them himself. I also think that Goodyear would take exception to someone saying that the replacement tyre for their F1 D2s (the D3) "are not as good as or better, they are worse".

I've asked my insurance broker in the past if they want to be informed when I change tyres and the answer was NO. I've also had an insurance claim since I changed my NCT3s to Toyos. The car was inspected and I didn't have any problems at all. Kevin I think that you're being a little paranoid about this.
David Clelland

Hi,

<... have D2s on the front and D3s on the back and it sticks like glue ...>

Couldn't agree more, and I never noticed any difference in the 'running in' period, or bothered for that matter.

If car owners had to replace tyres with the original make then all the tyre fitters from Kwik Fit upwards would have been sued out of existence by now. And all those poor tyre manufacturers whose tyres aren't original equipment, why are they bothering?

Probably the only way you could be on dodgy ground is if you fit tyres of different make on the same axle. Rumour has it, and it's rumour only, that UK drivers are being hit by on the spot fines for this in France. I don't think anyone would worry in the UK, just look at the millions of cars there are with unmatched tyres. (Back to suing KF again.)

Regards, Kes.
Kes

"...when D3s came out at first and there was some concern over the handling of the car with them fitted"
===yes, I was one who responded back then, and I did find the car felt very peculiar and 'wobbly' at first, but this disappeared completely after 500 miles.
David S

Just to confirm: yes, I've got GS-D3s all round, and overall, I'm pretty happy with them. If anything, they seem to grip better than GS-D2s I had previously, and they seem to be lasting much longer too (the 'D2s barely lasted two seasons - the 'D3s have had one season so far, and still has masses of tread!)

The warning on the site, as DC says, is there because so many people have had problems with the 'D3s. Possibly because of the protective silca layer not wearing off quickly, and possibly because of the tyre imbalance that sometimes occurs when changing a pair of tyres... Either way, at the time of writing, neither MGR nor Goodyear were recommending the tyre for the TF or MGF (probably for legal 'we've not tried those tyres yet' reasons).

>> stop laughing rob you know what i,m like from my other projects,................ <<

LOL - you're lucky to have one bolt! I've lost two... flippin' rear bumper! :o(
Rob Bell

Thanks for all your comments, I have obviously upset everyone by daring to ask a question, how remiss of me. I must remember not to express an opinion for fear of upsetting people - Ted I never said you mentioned DS3s, I was answering a comment from David s and David I was not being paranoid, your comments are exactly the reason why I don't join car clubs

I thought this forum was different, how wrong I was.................:(
Kevins

My goodness Kevin did you get out of bed on the wrong side this morming? I can't speak for anyone else, but I certainly wasn't "having a go at you".
David Clelland

This thread was discussed between 16/12/2004 and 20/12/2004

MG MGF Technical index

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