MGB & GT Forum

I've been looking for some new / used in excellent condition wheels for my 1980 MGB. The goal is to find some that aren't in any way junk, and still stay in the budget, which is $800 for wheels and tires after mounting and balancing. After some research on this site, here's what I've been considering: Konig Lace wheels (15x6.5 in.; 4x4.5 lug spacing) with .750" spacers and longer studs, with some tire akin to Cooper CS4 Touring 185/65-15. If I've missed something obvious, I'd be happy to be directed to other threads. Will this combo have any clearance issues / incorrect hub bore? I don't think it does. But I would be happy to have this confirmed before spending the money and time.

Thanks!

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The "B"udget: staying solvent with glues and aerosols.

You're going to become very close to the maximum amount of clearance, on the rear axle, with that combination. Do some measuring as you don't want to foul the rear wheel fender arches. RAY

I did do the measuring, and came to the conclusion that they wouldn't foul the fenders in the back or the tie rods in the front. Perhaps I should really ask whether the spacers (part No. BAE-2000005 on Summit Racing) will fit over the hub bore. I haven't been able to find out the exact measurement of the hub bore, but measured them (on the car that is) at ~2.5". Just out of curiosity, how much does it cost to get a set of Rostyle wheels refurbished and powder coated? Since our car is a Rubber Bumper car, without any lowering, the wheels and tires should fit. Plus, the tire size isn't any wider than the ones that are on it currently.

Thanks for the immediate response (I was pleasantly surprised by the speed at which questions on this forum get answered ).

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The "B"udget: staying solvent with glues and aerosols.

I'm looking at the same sort of thing, but with Konig Rewinds. They're available in different offsets, including zero, which eliminates the need for spacers on my car.

curious where you're finding 3/4" spacers?

Ive looked at building a set of BBS RS to fit on the B and it looks like it would take some pretty massive spacers (3/4" or so) to get the (typically fwd offset) 4x114.3 centers to fit properly on the B...

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MegaSquirt resource
SpitFireEFI.com

'67 B GT - ITB Miata-Swap

For such extreme widths, bolt on spacers are the way to go as they don't require longer studs. The narrowest I've seen are 1" thick.

Each to his own but... may I suggest to rethink and buy wheels that IMHO suit the car? I have these: http://www.vtowheels.com/15-stock-product1.html

Be sure to check clearance up in the inside of the rear wheel well. Under hard cornering on acceleration the squat/shift can cause rubbing up higher in the well, not just the arch lip.

I think Ive seen bolt ons at around 3/4" before even on amazon, but for some reason had it in my head he was referring to a shim instead

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MegaSquirt resource
SpitFireEFI.com

'67 B GT - ITB Miata-Swap

I can do a set of Minlite style 8 spokes for a little over $600.

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Hap Waldrop
Acme Speed Shop
864-370-3000
Website: www.acmespeedshop.com
hapwaldrop@acmespeedshop.com

They are at Summit Racing, part number BAE-2000005. And they are not bolt-on; they require longer studs, which were first mentioned in: http://www.mgexp.com/phorum/read.php?41,1129111,1129111#msg-1129111
(part number MSR-8255 at Summit Racing)

Do bolt-on hubs require you to cut the existing studs?
My (IMHO clever) scheme was to use this kind of spacer so that if I ever got a flat tire, or just wanted to use the original Rostyle wheels (which aren't in the best condition), I could simply undo the lug nuts, remove the spacer, and put on the Rostyle wheel onto the long studs, and then just tighten the lug nuts down (I found these open end lug nuts at Summit Racing, as well): SUM-7555015O

We found that with the .750 spacer, wheels with 40mm offset are only 1mm off center as compared to the original 22mm offset of MGBs. This would mean that with this spacer, any wheel with 38-42mm offset would probably fit just fine, as long as it doesn't foul the tie-rod ends, which was my main concern because I don't intend to drive it hard at all -- not after restoring it and spending all that money on it!

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The "B"udget: staying solvent with glues and aerosols.

Thanks for the offer! I'll keep that in mind (are the Retro Sport RSF's the same price, then? I like them a bit more in some ways, because almost everybody has the standard 8-spoke Minilites). And is that with shipping, or without. Shipping to OR could cost a pretty penny... Do you (or anyone else) know how much it generally costs to get Rostyle wheels refurbished, that is, straightened if need be, sandblasted, and powdercoated? And if these are all done, will they hold balance, or just lose it? I read on this forum many a story about Rostyles going out of balance every two months (!) and I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on them just to have them either go out of balance or out of straight again. Having them continually rebalanced could cost lots of money, and the friendship of your local tire shop.

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The "B"udget: staying solvent with glues and aerosols.

Have decided to go with some Hankook Optimo H727 tires in 195-60R15 and Enkei Compe 15x7 wheels with +25mm offset. The wheels seem to be made with Datsun 280z's or similar cars in mind, so should fit well, with maybe only small spacers needed. The wheels look basically like Minilites, and cost less, so they go well with the car. Here's a photo from Summit Racing, where we ordered them.

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The "B"udget: staying solvent with glues and aerosols.

I've been looking at those too. They're available in offsets from 0 to 38 mm, which could eliminate the need for spacers.

By the way, if you order tires from Summit, as we did, you should check other places to see if they are cheaper there--Summit has a price-beating guarantee that saves money! Wheels and tires ordered as a set also have free mounting and balancing before shipping out to you; all you pay for extra is valve stems.

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The "B"udget: staying solvent with glues and aerosols.