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MG MGF Technical - Tyres
| Hi, Sorry for keeping asking dumb questions but I ve only just bought my MG and am completely clueless, so thanks to all for all your help. Its a 97 vvc, and ive just checked the tyres. I am probably wrong but i thought the vvc came with 16" alloys...maybe this is just for 2000 on cars? Just checked my tyres and they are obviously 15" whelles. Tyres are Good year Eagle Touring 205/50r15 on the rear and Goodyear eagle touring 185/55r15 on the front. Are these any good as I havnt seen them on the tyre recomendation list via this site which said to get nct 500's. If not what is their dissadvantage and what should i go for in a new tyre? Thanks again Ben |
| Ben |
| Ben, Firstly welcome... With your questions you've opened yourself for a barage of advice. The VVC comes with a5" rims as standard but 16" rims where available as a dealer option. The Tyre sizes youhave are the correct ones for the rims you have, narrower on the front than the rear. In terms of the make the Eagle NCT are Original Equipment and although an OK tyre there are far superior models on the market. Commonly Goodyear F1's or Bridgestones. There is a lot in the archive about this but one thing you MUST be aware of is if changing tyres NEVER put stickier tyres on the front axle compared to the rear. Not a good thing and the car may bite back. I lived with NCT's for 6 years without a problem but the F1's I have now are far more sure footed. Micheldever Tyres can shod all four tyres for about £260 all in. Tim |
| tim woolcott |
| Thanks Tim, So are the tyres I have NCT's then? I didnt realise. So they are OK but I can get better for £260, Eagle F1's. Thanks for your help tim. Ben |
| Ben |
| So are the tyres I have NCT's then? I didnt realise. So they are OK but I can get better for £260, Eagle F1's. Yep, they're the NCT's. The Tyres are OK but just be a little careful in the wet. But when it come to changing the tyres go for something higher spec. You could do what I did to hasten the tyre change... go on a couple of track days or Andrew Walsh's driver instruction day.... :0) You have a sports car treat it as such and have some Real fun :) Tim |
| tim woolcott |
| Hi Ben, welcome to the site. Just to say that Tim is spot on there - you have NCT-3s - their full title being (a very long winded) Goodyear Eagle Touring NCT-3. As Tim says, they are adequate in the dry, but poor in the wet. I wouldn't necessarily rush out to replace them right now, but when they've reached the end of their lives, you should think of something different. BBS recommendations for tyres are summarised on http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/tyres.htm Wheel-wise, again Tim is quite right - 15" wheels were standard fitment on all but special edition MGFs until the launch of the 2000 model year cars. http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/wheel_options_for_the_mgf.htm |
| Rob Bell |
| Tim 'The VVC comes with a5" rims as standard but 16" rims where available as a dealer option.' 5 inch rims ... a typo but the mental picture is a good one. General If you dont resort to track days or driver instructions just what is the life of a tyre. On my previous cars: V Astra 10,000 front 30k back V Senator 81,000 when I reshod all 4 Land Rover 75K Mini 2.5K front 15K back. ( I sold this as I could not afford the tyres any more --- student days) F Escort 25K The shortest life on a type was 50 miles when I put a nail into the wall of one of the brand new set of Land Rover tyres, @£160 each I was glad the supplier just fitted a new one. |
| tony |
| Sounds like a great idea! Thanks Tim |
| Ben |
| Depends on the brand and type of tyre Tony - but 20k is a good life for standard tyres (I got 26k from my first set of rears, and then found the pleasures of Sprint and Hillclimbs, and tyres have never lasted quite as long since! LOL) |
| Rob Bell |
| <<<5 inch rims ... a typo but the mental picture is a good one>>> that’ll be them nova wheels again! http://www.novaortho-med.com/wheel.htm |
| tony |
| Ben, If you want to look at the www.easytrack.co.uk/mg Dave Livingstone has organised some discount offers on track days. Rockingham on 25th Jan, Brands in Feb and as others have mentioned earlier Silverstone in March. A good way to meet some of the peop's on this BBS.. and hasten the tyre replacement date. Tim |
| tim woolcott |
| Nicely linked there Tony....... |
| tim woolcott |
| sorry, bored @ work. t |
| tony |
| Are.... just twigged... your the Tony coming to the skid pan on Saturday.... |
| tim woolcott |
| hi tim - yeah saturday can’t come soon enough! i managed to get the back end right out whilst accelerating hard up a very steep hill last night. an unusual sensation that one… anyway, see you saturday t |
| tony |
| Skid pad ... Saturday expand please Tony ( not the one comming ) |
| tony |
| I organised a morning of skid pan training for some of the BBS's who were intersted. We're of to Croydon skid pan on Saturday. Sorry full this visit :0( If your interested though: www.nationaldrivingcentre.co.uk discount for 4 or 8 attendees Tim |
| tim woolcott |
| Sounds like tyou ll like to get through lots of tyres then! track days sound cool. Ill check out the website. Used to have an MX-5 (Sorry!) as a company car, and managed to nearly die twice losing the back end on rainy days in that. Once on a roundabout (which can be expected) and once chasing my mate in a fwd golf gti in a straight line. God knows how that happened but was v scary as i nearly hit an oncoming lorry but kinda fun! Is the mgf as easy to lose the back end as the front engined mx5? Just so I know how fast not to go round roundabouts in the wet! |
| Ben |
| "Is the mgf as easy to loose the back end as the front engined mx5?" For sure! Yes! The 15" Goodyear NCT tyres are worse than the 16" Goodyear Eagle F1's. A lot of owners swop the NCT's for Bridgestones to improve roadholding. I've had both 15" tyred car (F 1.8i) and 16" tyred car (TF160). Both cars can feel sketchy and at times like driving a supermarket trolley... Dry road performance outstanding; poor conditions and I'd rather be in the Focus! |
| Ian Walker |
| Ben, I switched from the standard NTC3's to Bridgestone RE720's and found it a massive improvement. The tyres were cheaper too (£40 each for the front - get 195/50 instead of the 185/55 and £60 each for the rear). |
| Leigh |
| Guys, just a quick one on this, at the moment I have Eagles all round but soon to change the back for new ones, would it be ok to change them to F1's, it would mean that the front would be different to the back. Is this a problem? Regards, MG |
| Mike Gibson |
| Grippier Tyres on the rear shouldn't cause any terminal Oversteer like NCT's. If anything you may get a little more understeer. What is a no no is having grippier tyres on the front. |
| tim woolcott |
| Check with a reputable tyre dealer - IIRC you are near to Micheldever who will give you an honest answer, as well as a good price on tyres. It would usually be OK to fit the 'better' tyres to the rear, I did this with NCTs on the front and Bridgestone S02s on the back for a while without problems. I wouldn't recommend keeping the configuration for too long. Steve |
| Steve |
| Thanks guys Regards, Mike Gibson |
| Mike Gibson |
| I still have the original NCTs on the front at 28500 miles although they are just about shot. is this a record for a car which has done the 'Ring', been autotested for three seasons and driven pretty hard when yours truly is behind the wheel. Mind you the wife is very gentle! david |
| david stonehouse |
Mind you the wife is very gentle! stuff the tires please supply details of wife :-o |
| ------ |
| Ben, If you're interested in track days, drop me an email so that I can put your address on my circulation list. The discounted days we've currently got organised are at Rockingham and Brands. Rockingham is unfortunately now full, however, there are still places at Brands on Sunday 16th Feb for £125 - open pit lane (which means as much track time as you can handle!) Dave |
| Dave |
This thread was discussed between 15/01/2003 and 17/01/2003
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