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MG MGF Technical - The 'Unsprung weigh-in' @ North Weald

Hi Folks - North Weald activity day is next week :o) Following on from Paul's interesting thread, we have the following volunteers for wheels and tyres for the weigh in:

1. Rob Bell - MGF Cup wheels
2. Steve - 15" Rover 8-spoke (Front: Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D2 195/50 R15, Rear: Michelin 205/50 R 15 86V Pilot Exalto)
3. SteveR - 15" MGR 5-spoke(VVC) Bridgestone RE720s
4. Dave Livingstone - 16" Trophy 11 spokes with Bridgestone SO2 PPs
5. Norman Law - 16" TF 11 spoke with F1s (well worn)
6. Andrew (SF) - 16" TSW Blades with Marangoni Zeta Linea tyres
7. Neil - Abingdon 75th 16''multispoke (F1)

(If I've missed anyone, please let me know)

I'll bring along a torque wrench and a trolley jack, but I need someone to bring along a set of scales (the bathroom variety may be adequate if reasonably accurate)...

Can anyone help out? I won't tell your SO if you don't ;o) LOL
Rob Bell

I have std 1.8i with falken tyres 195 front 205 rear which can be weighed but wheels are powder coated.

Tom
Tom Randell @work

Don't have any scales Rob, but i do have a power wheel nut driver that runs off of the cigarette lighter!

Amazing really, whn i opened it at Xmas i thought, "Oh no, they've been down to the bargain basment tool shop again", but it may actually come in handy next Friday! LOL :-)

SF
Scarlet Fever

I can't see that the powder coating is going to have too dramatic an impact on wheel weight Tom, so join the party!

Andy, LOL! This looks like the best opportunity to get to use that Chrimbo pressie! Put it this way, it's better than a pair of socks ;o)
Rob Bell

Yes, but if the weather turns as cold as they are predicting i might need a second pair of socks!!

LOL :-)

SF
Scarlet Fever

I may bring the F instead of the ZS - in which case 16" 6 spokes with F1s (I never remember if they are Abbys or Cup wheels?). And I'll chuck in a jack and socket + bar too.
David S

That's true Andy! Brrr!

Cheers Dave - that'll make the job an awful lot easier.

BUT has anyone got a pair of scales???
Rob Bell

sorry - we actually do not possess a set of scales, bathroom or otherwise :-)
David S

I'll bring some scales. Someone remind me though as I've got a head like a sieve.

norman at law-family.org.uk
Norman

I'll try to remember some bathroom scales too.
Steve

Brilliant guys, thanks! :o)

I'll try and remind everyone on Thursday! (Can someone remind me? LOL)
Rob Bell

Okay, here are the figures we got from the cars still at North Weald at 4.30 this afternoon! LOL

15" 5-spoke VVC [GY F1 GS-D2 205/50 ZR15] 15.0kg
15" 5-spoke VVC [Avon ZV1 205/50 VR15] 15.0kg
15" 5-spoke VVC [Bridgestone RE720 205/50 ZR15] 17.0kg (!)
15" 6-spoke 1.8i [Falken 205/50 ?R15] 15.5kg

16" Multispoke (from 75LE) [GY F1 GS-D2 215/40 ZR16] 15.5kg
16" 6-spoke "Cup/Abingdon" [GY F1 GS-D3 215/40 ZR16] 16.5kg
16" TSW Blade [Maragoni 205/45 ZR16] 18kg
16" 6-square spoke [GY F1 GS-D3 215/40 ZR16] 18kg
16" 11-spoke "Trophy" [Bridgestone S-02 205/45 ZR16] 19.0kg
16" 11-spoke "Trophy" [GY F1 GS-D2 215/40 ZR16] 18.5kg

A little controversy over the scale's accuracy, as Dave 'claimed' to have suddenly put on a stone in weight. Surely not that morning's fry-up breakfast??? ;o) LOL But differences and trends are there to see (with the obvious point to be made that this was just a small sample of the cars still around)

Big surprise is how much heavier the Bridgestone tyres seem to be relative to their competitors. Assuming that all the VVC alloys weigh the same, then the RE720 is a comfortable 2kg heavier per tyre than either the Avon or Goodyear competition! A similar higher weight can be seen when comparing the two 11-spoke Trophy wheel designs: the GY shod wheel was 500g lighter DESPITE being a larger tyre (215/40 versus 205/45). A surprise.

Less of a surprise was the fact that those lovely 11-spoke Trophy wheels are the porkers of the MG alloy range. Bit of a surprise to discover that the square spoke wheel is pretty heavy too!

The lightest wheel combinations, not surprisingly, were the 15" wheels (RE720 shod wheels excepted) - although the 16" Multispoke and Abingdon style wheel/tyre combinations aren't all that much behind - between 0.5-1.0kg heavier than the equivalent VVC 5-spoke wheel.

Unfortunatley, the weigh-in was somewhat a victim of the weather - perhaps at the next event we ought to consider a 'rematch'? :o)

Thanks to everyone for chipping in and getting hands dirty! :o))
Rob Bell

Rob
Picking up the discussions yesterday the National Tyre Distributors Association use standard average tyre weights for estimating haulage tonnage. Interestingly for car tyres they use 8.0kg for new and 6.5kg for used. The Used Tyre Working Group also use 6.5kg as the average car tyre weight requiring disposal, sorry recycling. However this doesn't mean that the avarge of 6.5kg would be at minumum tread depth as many tyre reach end of life early. Consequently there is probably an even greater difference in weights from new to minimum tread. This is getting a bit too close to my work now so I'm off.

Everybody have their tread depth gauges at the ready?

Neil
Neil Stothert

My brand new GS-D3s weighed 500g more than Dave Smith's part used tyres, so it does look that we do need to measure tread depths :o/ I didn't fancy doing that last night! LOL But no reason why we can't pop outside and quickly measure them now ;o)
Rob Bell

>> (If I've missed anyone, please let me know)

Yup, me.

Huh, I'm hurt... ;-)
Phil Brindley

>> Everybody have their tread depth gauges at the ready?

Don't need one, as I found out when the wheel came off, I hardly had any tread.

www.mytyres.co.uk did someone say?
Phil Brindley

Got a tread guage - Rob, do you want my tread data?

SF
Scarlet Fever

Yes please Andy!

>> www.mytyres.co.uk did someone say? <<

I've not tried them Phil, but I've heard folks speak highly of them :o)

Is this how your F1-shod VVC alloys ended up weighing 2kg LESS than Steve's RE720 shod wheels??? Wow.
Rob Bell

My RE720s have 4 - 5 mm tread across the entire width
They're V rated by the way.
Those scales have always hated me :-(
Steve

=> Is this how your F1-shod VVC alloys ended up weighing 2kg LESS than Steve's RE720 shod wheels???

Quite possibly Rob. I've ordered a set of Toyo's so when I get them fitted I'll have a weigh-in. Will also weigh the same wheel with the old tyres so any variance between mine and Steves scales can be noted and adjusted for.
Phil Brindley (Work)

PS. Mine were the Avon ZV1's not the GYF1's, I think they were Neil's.
Phil Brindley

Okay, thanks Phil. :o)

Scale calibration might be an issue though - so when you weigh your new Toyos it might be an idea to re-weigh your old Avons.

Cheers :o)
Rob Bell

15" 5-spoke VVC [GY F1 GS-D2 205/50 ZR15] 15.0kg
15" 5-spoke VVC [Avon ZV1 205/50 VR15] 15.0kg
15" 5-spoke VVC [Bridgestone RE720 205/50 ZR15] 17.0kg (!)
15" 6-spoke 1.8i [Falken 205/50 ?R15] 15.5kg

16" Multispoke (from 75LE) [GY F1 GS-D2 215/40 ZR16] 15.5kg
16" 6-spoke "Cup/Abingdon" [GY F1 GS-D3 215/40 ZR16] 16.5kg
16" TSW Blade [Maragoni 205/45 ZR16] 18kg
16" 6-square spoke [GY F1 GS-D3 215/40 ZR16] 18kg
16" 11-spoke "Trophy" [Bridgestone S-02 205/45 ZR16] 19.0kg
16" 11-spoke "Trophy" [GY F1 GS-D2 215/40 ZR16] 18.5kg

and I'll add the following:
16" 11-spoke ULW [GY Eagle F1 215/40] 15.6kg
Erik

Rob,

I'll dig out my tread guage tonight (the tyres have only done circa 2K miles so they should have plenty of tread left on 'em).

--------

Erik,

Very interesting indeed mate! Ultra Light Weight 16" wheels are actually heavier than the original 15" ones! :-)

SF
Scarlet Fever

Thanks Erik :o) At 15.6kg, that's a useful 3-3.5kg saving over the 'standard' 11-spoke alloys!

Hmm - I'll have to see if I can get myself a set of these... ;o)
Rob Bell

Just missed your post there Andy! Thanks - the tread depth information should be quite instructive :o)

Regarding the ULW - remember that the 215/40 ZR16s are likely to weigh an awful lot more than well worn 205/50 VR (or ZR) 15s...
Rob Bell

Rob, my 16" Cup/Abingdons average out at 6mm - less on the outside, can't imagine why :-)
David S

LOL I wonder David? Thanks

Need to measure my tyre tread depth as well...
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed between 23/01/2004 and 04/02/2004

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