280mm brakes (again)

D4KGP wrote:

Surely a standard 16" wheel should fit over those discs, or am I on the wrong track here?

 

By standard 16" wheel, do you mean a steelie? Finding a steel 16" wheel in the stud pattern would be an interesting challenge!
Or do you mean a normal alloy MGF/TF 16" wheel? I dunno if a 16" would fit in the spare wheel well, I know that a lot of the 16" equipped MGF/TFs had a tin of squirty tyre gunk in place of the spare wheel. I've gotta set of 16"s laying about the place, awaiting the big brake conversion , that I've also got lurking in the shed, I should see if one would fit in the hole.

I like steel wheels, if available, i would have steels instead of alloys. I have found a company that would make me some 15 x 6J steels, but i would have to buy 1500, which is probably more than i would need.

 

Daedalus wrote:

I like steel wheels, if available, i would have steels instead of alloys. I have found a company that would make me some 15 x 6J steels, but i would have to buy 1500, which is probably more than i would need.


 

Just think of all the spares you'd have!
It's probably easier to paint your wheels another colour to disguise them a bit if you don't care for the alloy look!
Mind you back in the old days it wasn't unheard of to cut away the narrow steel rim from the centre and the weld on a wider rim or they'd cut the rim in half and weld in a rolled flat bar into the rim to widen it. Skills such as these have long gone now!
 

I was surprised my 135 had a 16" alloy spare when i got it.. Id assumed all those with 16" road wheels came with a tin of gloop - apart from those who carry a 14" spare and just accept they will have to do a 3 way swaperoo if they get a puncture on the front. All the 16"s spares are full sized alloys, just painted black to differentiate them which seems excessive but was just because it was easier than having a small run of 16" steel rims made up in our PCD just to offer an optional spare.

I like the idea of banded steel wheels and have been keeping my eyes open for a set for my daily driver. My MGB project car nearly got them but that has now ended up with some 16" Enkei alloys that were on my donor car with stud adaptors.

I can buy the hoops easy enough, its just the centre, because of the tiny PCD, i suppose i could try gettins some spun and them lasered, it would just be the pressing tool then for the bolt holes

To answer a couple of questions.
Yes the standard MGTF 16” wheels will undoubtedly fit over these 280mm discs. I have standard 15” wheels with the 6 spoke pattern and they fit. I know that some of the earlier 15” wheels do not but I don’t know which ones.

Secondly I have loaded a standard 16” wheel from a TF160 into the boot well and been able to close the bonnet. (I selected a random wheel with a tyre from some spares I have). I suspect the tyre is one from a front wheel rather than the wider one from the rear. To find out I’d need to lift it out and confirm the size but sadly Im not about to do that.

On my TF there is a standard 16" aluminium 16 spoke spare. But on the other TF that is waiting for me to spend more time on it, there is the gunk set.

I wasn't aware that you were all talking about 15" wheels, so I apologise for interjecting.  G.

I can confirm that a 16" wheel fitted with a 215/40 16 tyre will fit perfectly in the spare wheel well.👍👍👍 No problemo!

There is a minor inconvenience that some cars fitted with the standard 14" spare had a shorter threaded bolt on the hold down that won't engage the nut when using a full size spare. Cars with 16" spares as standard have a longer threaded bolt.