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MG MGF Technical - MG TF 16' ultralight alloys

Don't suppose anyone has any of these they want to sell / know where I can get some? They were available separately or as part of sport pack 3 with the TF. Andy Kitson, still keeping yours??
marc h

Marc, I'm not selling mine - they're great! (As Tony the Tiger would say!) But they are still available from X-Part (for the same price they were available from MG Rover). They might even be available from B&G too - and that might be worth investigating...

As I recall, a whole batch of these wheels came up on ebay in December 2005/ January 2006 - which might mean that keeping an eye on the electronic flea market is a good idea - you never know!

How's things with you?
Rob Bell

Hi Rob - ok at the mo - how about you?

Was hoping to find the wheels for a bit less than the MGR price! Scanned e bay for months and zip. Will try X part as I think they save (all in) 10kg? I hear you fond some SO2s recently? Where from?
marc h

Roy found them for me - got them from local tyre suppliers. I am so happy to be back on these tyres, they're so much better than the Goodyear F1s :o)

Dave usually gets his S-02s from Micheldever, so these guys are certainly worth a try.
Rob Bell

Marc,
Sorry, but I've decided to keep mine. Given the likelihood of rain when I'm sprinting, with GY F1's they offer a good wet weather set up compared to my slicks!
Cheers,
Andy
A Kitson

They look good as well, but I'm quite happy with my Cup wheels. Just a pity South Lanarkshire Council were responsible for me having to get one repaired, so it's got a non-original finish (sigh). I was trying to miss one lot of potholes and hit the extra one in the middle of the road - big ouch and not a few ****s.


Mike Cunningham

I still love my old Cup alloys too Mike - but you can't fit them easily over the AP Racing calipers (certainly not without fitting heroically thick spacers anyway!)
Rob Bell

Cupwheels weigh about the same but you can't fit the AP brakes.
The design to clear the AP's is weaker so more material was be added for the same strength. This is why the wheels weigh about the same even tho the ULW's are forged alu and the cups cast alu.

Perhaps you can get your hands on the brakes mayflow cars used ? these can be used with the cupwheels.
Sander

That's why I've only got 280s - but they're so much better than standard, almost like the proverbial giant hand!
Mike Cunningham

Cup brakes can be used - but the calipers do not have weather seals, which can cause problems when used on an everyday car...

Seriously considered this option as well, but running costs are also higher compared to 'mass-manufactured' systems such as the Trophy AP road car set up.
Rob Bell

hmmmm - AP racing calipers. Were these standard on the Trophy cars? I've got the bigger disks on my F but haven't upgraded to Trophy spec calipers as I'm still running on std VVC alloys. If Im going to get the ULW alloys I might as well get the AP calpiers - assuming they make a significant difference?
marc h

Rob, just looked at your website and you record the weight of the ULW alloys as 6.2kg, not appreciably less than the VVC standard alloys that you record at 6.4kg. Hardly worth changing for the sake of less than a KG. I seem to recall someone telling me they were 2.5kg lighter - maybe thats against the later heavy TF wheels c8.7kg?
marc h

Hi
i found some for you here (sorry but only in black):
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/mgtf-MGF-ultra-lightweight-magnesium-alloys-with-tyres_W0QQitemZ260184445577QQihZ016QQcategoryZ9888QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
see you
PAD Pascandrea

Mmmm - shame I don't have a spare £500+ - they'd be great for the occasional track session or just showing off!
Mike Cunningham

Correct me if I'm wrong but it's all about unsprung weight. I had the standard wheels on my car with Mike Satur's Big Brake Kit (Mintex 1144s all round)and I think that the car handled and braked better than my car does now with bigger wheels and AP Racing callipers. By fitting the ultralight wheels you may save some weight but you are adding weight by going for the bigger callipers and discs (have you felt how much heavier the AP brakes are). After having been down the bigger brakes and bigger wheels road I'm not 100% convinced that's the way to go. I think the car looks better but I'm not convinced that performance has improved.
David Clelland

well, i dont think i need to really up brake performance. im happy with my current set up. i was hoping to save 2-5kg per wheel. a 10kg saving would have been worth the expenditure - a 0.8kg saving wouldnt be. thats why im keen to know if robs weights are correct.
marc h

Ball-park correct I think. I've actually not had a chance to weigh mine without tyres! But they are certainly light. And AP brakes with the larger VHS rear rotors are awsome! :o) And I am only on 1144 pads at the moment... ;o)

I am very very happy with mine. I've even grown to love the combination of grey wheels on a BRG car...
Rob Bell

If I remember correctly, they don't reduce the unsprung weight that much compaired to a set of Cup/Abingdon wheels. I really must put one of mine on the scales again.
Erik

Guys,
There is no point what so ever going for light weight alloys if you a) Add a heavier caliper eg AP/trophy and b) compound this with a heavier tyre. If you go for the mag alloys you need to go for a low weight tyre, low weight caliper eg Hi Spec and light weight friction material or you really are just wasting your money. As Dave Clelland correctly states its all about unsprung weight. Give 1177's or higher a full test and possibly a better disc material before wasting your cash on pointless upgrades. I know I 've done the Nurburgring with standard calipers and original VVC alloys and out stopped lots of allegedly superior kit!
H.T. Garnick

But if you're going for larger brakes, compounding the weight problem by fitting heavier alloys isn't going to help.

I've come from standard sized rotors with 1177 pads - I think I've been using these for longer than most people on a road car - and I agree the combination is awsome.

But I also know for the track work my car gets, along with the competition use, the combination is very waring on the materials used, and is associated with lots of problems of abnormal pad wear...

Larger discs, greater cooling, greater leverage, better pad location offered by multi-piston calipers and the potentially cheaper running costs is where I am coming from - not strictly for lower unsprung weight. If I wanted lower unsprung weight alone, I'd probably go for Mk1 VVC 5-spoke alloys... :o)
Rob Bell

The disks are heavier with the AP's compared to stock but not the calipers ! The AP calipers are lightweight also (alu). You could consider getting "2-peice" disks with aluminium centre which will save weight. Lotus for example uses the same caliper (AP, not MG branded obviously ;))on the Exige's big brake (track) kit with slightly smaller disks and an alu centre.

I also don't know who started calling the ULW's magnesium, they are actually forged aluminium, not magnesium.
Sander

Absolutely right Sander :o)

Not sure where the magnesium story came from, but at the price MG Rover were demanding for these wheels, you'd have thought that they were made from exotic materials!!! LOL
Rob Bell

Hi Rob want a spare lightweight? I have one sitting in my garage.
Dave

How much do you want for it Dave? Would make for the lightest full-size spare! :o)
Rob Bell

Contact us via our Ebay shop Kar-solutions (just google us) and make an offer it isn't listed yet as I still have to get the tyre removed as I bouhgt it for the new F1 it has on it.
Dave

This thread was discussed between 07/11/2007 and 11/12/2007

MG MGF Technical index

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