RickyGlasgow

An update on this - I finally got the chance to swop out the master cylinder and servo assembly at the weekend. Early days, but it is so far = so good. If it does prove out I'll be pretty happy I don't have to go down the route of the ABS - apparently you need to program it on the car, which I don't have the software for, therefore would have to transport it to the nearest Xpart garage (~35miles) which is difficult when your car can't be trusted to go more than a couple of miles. Apologies if this is tedious - I just want to close the loop on this thread.
Related subject - I don't see any "How To's" on the ABS in general - best way to purge it, bleed it, program it ............

I see from previous posts that others seem to have fitted the MGMania servo bracket without issues. I fitted one yesterday, but not without issues. Specifically, the two holes through which the bolts left/right join the new brace to the existing bracket simply did not line up. It was like they were out by the thickness of the snorkel flange. The picture below explains it better - if you zoom in you can see the centre of the holes are level with the top edge of the existing bracket.
After consideration, I ended up cutting new fixturing locations in the brace just below the existing ones in order to get it fitted. Has anyone else had this experience? Am I missing something?

Update: new discs, pads, and stainless hoses fitted at the front (rears done previously). I have a pre-owned master cylinder and servo on hand so that'll be the next step if this issue rears its' head again.
I also fitted the servo brace bracket kit from MG-Mania - that's a seperate tale for which I'll start a new post. In brief, the bracket as supplied does not fit correctly and had to be adjusted to make it work.

Hi Hogweed. I had similar recent experience - I put new Toyo TR1 on the rear, existing Toyo T1R on the front. After much reading on the forums, decided I had to spoend the money to find out if it was worth it. It was a wrench to get rid of the T1R, there was nothing visibly wrong with them and basically 90% new tread depth. But it was worth it; as soon as I got the TR1 on all four corners that horrible feeling at 65mph+ just disappeared. Go for it.

Thanks guys. I had also picked up on the shaft adjustment on some discussion threads, nevertheless, I think I'll just go for the full assembly in the first instance - I'm fed up, just want it fixed!!! - plus the front flexis (upgraded because, why not?), nice grooved and drillled 304mm discs, and Brembo pads. Yes, the kitchen sink is getting thrown at it, but it's all good stuff and peace of mind for the future.
[Any theories why I could get 500miles no problem after giving it the 'kitchen sink' approach on the rears, and then it craps out on a 3mile trip? Or do we just file it under 'one of those things'?]
I'll report back here when done - it'll be 2-3weeks before I get back to it (right knee op today to try and save my running career!). Thanks again - I'm fairly new to the TF - always wanted an F/TF and the time was finally right a few months ago. It's great figuring things out, improving the car as you go along, and these forums are a fantastic resource.

Yes, has ABS.

I'll try and make this as brief as possible without missing any relevant details:
A couple of weeks ago I noticed the car (MGTF160 MY2004) was 'dragging' on a short local trip of 2-3miles. Had to stop, found the back discs were red hot. Waited 30-40min, they had free'd up and I limped it home at low speed. Figured I'd throw everything at it since it was on my to-do list anyway - replaced rear discs, shims, pads, calipers, and flexi hoses. Bled it thoroughly, road-tested, and all seemed good. Couple of days later travelled down to Yorkshire (from Glasgow) and back - shout out to Jon and Claire at Rough Luck Racing, new cambelt! - with zero issues. Now the weird bit - couple of days after that trouble-free 500mile round trip, I got the same dragging feeling on a short trip (3-4miles). I jacked up the front and found both fronts were hard to turn by hand and discs were hot. Unfortunately I couldn't verify if the rears were locked up as well, as my trolley jack failed on me, but the rear discs were certainly also hot. Had to park up, get home on the bus, and go retrieve it that evening. Brakes had free'd up by that point but still baby'd it home. Handbrake is not holding on.
Now, I already have new discs, pads, and braided flexi hoses on hand for the fronts (as it was on my to-do list, again), but would you have any other thoughts on this? All four corners - if that is truly the case - makes my mind go to the master cylinder, but without further troubleshooting I don't want to jump to conclusions. The pedal seems to return to it's normal position and doesn't feel harder/softer than normal. I have noticed quite a bit of 'flex' on the master/servo assembly - it moves noticeably as the brake pedal is pressed/released so I have also ordered up the servo bracket stiffener kit from MGMania (link below).
First thing is to replace the front flexis (rears already done) which have been known to collapse internally and hold pressure on the caliper side which slowly releases back to the rest of the system, and fit the additional bracket to the servo. Then, if/when it happens again I plan to verify all four corners are stuck, and then loosen the bleed valves to check if the issue is fluid pressure being maintained (points to system fault, MC etc.) or, alternatively, if the calipers are not still pressurised (points to fault with individual caliper). Any experiences/insight from the community that might help me root cause this intermittent problem?

I'd like to chip in with my recent experience, which all speaks to the point that tyre choice is super-important on these cars. So, it's a TF160; when I bought it one of the rears was in poor condition, so I immediately changed them both as a pair for Toyo Proxes TR1 (215/40R16). The fronts were existing Toyo Proxes T1R's (195/45R16), with loads of tread on them (although date stamped 2015, so 5yo). The car never really felt right in a straight line at motorway speeds (>60mph) - it didn't pull to either side, but it was light and often felt like it wanted to suddenly get wobbly. I did the due diligence on it - made sure the pressures were correct and maintaining that pressure, suspension parts checked for play, front tracking checked, and I couldn't shake that uncertain feeling at speed. Of course, I'd read loads on the forums here, and I kept coming back to the tyres, but it felt wrong having to replace the T1Rs with awesome amounts of tread on them. Eventually I convinced myself that thre was nothing for it; I'd just have to spend the money and find out. What. A. Difference. It feels stuck to the road now. The takeaway is - if you've crossed off all the common-cause things off the list, it is real. The wrong tyres, or mix of tyres, can make a world of difference. I was skeptical too - it's my first TF - but I'm 100% convinced now. It seems obvious with hind legs - look at the thread patterns below! - but I did have to take a bit of a leap of faith on it - paid off. For the record, because I know this is a thing too, the rears are Japan and the fronts are Malaysia - just what I happened to get, although both same tread pattern and new, obviously.  The first (asymmetric) pattern is the TR1, the second (symmetric looking one) is T1R

Darren at MGFnTFBITZ very helpful. For the record, see attached the part he supplied (Bosch LS 6127) 

Thanks for the tip! I'll post back here if/when I get the info.