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 - Spare vs 'mobility system'

(1) Has anyone used the "instant mobility system" yet for a puncture?

(2) Will it really get you very far if the puncture had completely deflated the tyre?

(3) Would you risk going to, say, France with the IMS alone?

(4) Apart from paying list price for a spare wheel from a dealer, any suggestions for sourcing a genuine mgtf/F (presumably MGF spare wheel fits the TF) spare?

Thanks

John
John

John

I often go to France etc with just a mobility system but then it is difficult to fit a spare wheel to a motorbike!

I much prefer to have a 'spare' but if the worse comes to the worse most of Europe have tyre shops that you will be able to limp to.

Ted
Ted Newman

I beleive a recent'ish survey showed that BMW drivers only have a puncture every 54000 miles - hence no spare on the Z3

JohnP

John
I got the IMS kit with my Trophy 160. I wouldn't trust it to go to the Supermarket, let alone abroad!
I got given a cosmetically damaged 16" alloy from my dealer for free (brand new car being taken off the transporter....oops.....scraped alloy on transporter ramps! - No good to them but OK as a spare for me!!) and got a part worn tyre (not unidirectional) from my local fitter put on the rim for £20. I then bought a Ford Mondeo jack and wheelbrace (same fitting as MGF's) from a Ford dealer for £40 (MG items were £80). You could even find a Mondeo in a scrapyard and get these items for next to nothing. Finally, all you need is the bolt to hold the spare in place under the bonnet. Brown & Gammons (www.ukmgparts.co.uk) have them for sale for about £2 including postage.
There you have it...much cheaper than the optional spare from the dealer and a whole lot more reliable than an IMS kit.
The only experience of an IMS kit I've had was a story my MGR dealer told me. His wife borrowed his ZT-T 190, and had a puncture. When she used the (sealed) IMS kit, the foam can was empty (!?!), and when they got another, it totally failed to fix the problem. The hole was only a small nail, but the tyre had to be written off because the IMS sealant ruins it! I'd never use it!!
Remember one thing though. If you have a Trophy or TF160, a standard steel wheel or anything other than a Trophy/TF160 wheel will not fit over the front calipers. If you did choose to get a steel spare, and got a rear puncture, you'd be OK. However, if you got a front puncture, you'd need to remove the rear wheel, replace it with the spare, then remove the front wheel, and place the rear wheel on the front. Not only is that a lot of messing around, but you'll have extremely bizarre handling due to having the wrong size tyre on the front (rears are wider than the fronts).
Get the spare!
Cheers
Paul
Paul

Please note the spare wheel on a trophy 160 is the same as all the other alloys on the car with the exception of them being painted orange, so a little rubbing down, a coat or two of silver spray paint, a couple of coats of clear lacquer and hey presto for a little time and effort a new wheel for around £60.00 ish. spare wheels available from usual sources I beleive.

Also the tyre fitted to the spare (on my car at least) was the 195 suitable for the front. Also as the tyre has a 50/50 chance of being the wrong way round the speed limit of 50mph needs adhereing to , beleive me these F1's feel strange when going the wrong way on the back axle.
HTH
Mike
Mike

<<I beleive a recent'ish survey showed that BMW drivers only have a puncture every 54000 miles - hence no spare on the Z3>>

They probably had a puncture at 4000 miles but as it didn't make any difference to the Z3's handling they drove it for another 50000 without realising:-)

Neil
Neil Stothert

Paul

Thanks for your full answer. I have a TF 160. Are you saying that only an official MG spare wheel will fit both front and rear? Any other suitable wheel will only fit the rears - and a front puncture means the double switch?

Has anyone used the IMS with any success?

John
John

John

<<Are you saying that only an official MG spare wheel will fit both front and rear? Any other suitable wheel will only fit the rears - and a front puncture means the double switch?>>

Thats right. The larger AP calipers on the TF160 need the TF160 (or Trophy) wheels to pass over them, as the spokes bow out enough to give satisfactory clearance. No other MG wheels, including alloys, give enough clearance, unless a spacer is used, which is not ideal.

Paul
Paul

Although I can't comment on the MGR IMS my wife's Alfa IMS doesn't inspire confidence. Reading the instructions on a dark country road and having to keep move the car forward for the liquid to cover the inside of the wheel and pumping in small volumes of air, what a joke. I would say it is quicker and more reliable to change the wheel. As for

<<The hole was only a small nail, but the tyre had to be written off because the IMS sealant ruins it!>>

not only do you have to buy more sealant but a tyre as well.

Neil
Neil Stothert

probably dumb question but, does the weight of the spare wheel in front, make any difference in car handling ect, Dave.
DC Morris

>>>probably dumb question but, does the weight of the spare wheel in front, make any difference in car handling ect, Dave.

Well, it reduces the weight for a start! I can't iamgine it affects the car's balance as much as a full boot and loaded boot rack.

For a long time Rover had told us that the spare was an essential component of the crumple zone. Then they took it out for the Trophy 160.

Pretty much the same way they said it was risky to drive with the hood down but no hood cover - then they didn't hand out a hood cover with the MGF 1.6.

So who do you believe? ;-)
David Bainbridge

good points Dave.
DC Morris

This thread was discussed between 11/02/2003 and 12/02/2003

MG MGF Technical index

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