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MGB 15" Minilites for a MGB

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DJThom

Jedi Hopeful
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15" Minilites for a MGB

Hi All:

I've been thinking about putting 15" minilites on my B for awhile and now I'm getting a bit more serious about doing some research.

Question 1: Is there a preferred brand between Superlite, Panasport, real Minilite and Minotaur (can't find their website, are they a captive Moss brand?). Are there others? Does it just come down to cost or is quality/appearance significantly different?

Question 2: What would be the optimal rim width/offset and tire combination for a 15" rim? I have lowered my '76 B by 1" to conform to the earlier CB ride height.

Question 3: On the various websites there are various gallery pictures of finished. Superlite have a polished wheel. Does anyone have these or a good picture of them on a car? Not sure if they'd be too over the top or look good without seeing them in person or getting opinions.

Question 4: I'm not in a super hurry. Do they ever go on sale?

Thanks
Darren
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

Darren - Look at the MGOC accessories web site at: https://www.mgocaccessories.co.uk/acatalog/ They have 1" oversized Minotaur for MGBs, everything else being the same for the MGB. They have them in the anthracite finish which is very attractive, the center and spokes being a charcoal gray with a polished rim. I don't know about now, but when I ordered wheels for our MGB several years ago, the price, even with shipping from the UK was quite reasonable. The price quoted on the web site is with VAT, which we don't have to pay over here and it is removed automatically, reducing the price by 17.5% - enough to cover most of the shipping when I got them.
Cheers,
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

Darren - Hap does Superlites, I can get Minotaur's
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

There are a couple of pictures of MGBs with Superlite on my website, just go the Superlite page, and you'll see them there. The link to the website is listed below.
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

Hap, do you have the fully polished type that are shown on the UK site, or only the silver and charcoal variety?
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

DJ, I don't know about the whole aluminum wheel being polished, but they are available in chrome plated special order.
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

There are pictures of all four brands of wheels, on MGBs, in the British V8 photo gallery: https://www.britishv8.org/Photos-MG-Conversions.htm

My MGB had 14" Minotaurs on it, but I'll be uploading new pictures of it with 15x6 Panasports very soon. How did I choose a width? A bigger or wider wheel would have more unsprung-weight and moment-of-inertia (not good!) and the tire I'm using (Falken Azenis - a very sticky tire for autocrossing) is only available in one 15" size anyway (205/50R15), so a 15" wheel wider than 6" wouldn't provide me any more contact area.

If I were using a different tire I might have picked a bigger or wider wheel. Frankly, the more torque your engine produces the more reasonable it is to increase wheel/tire size. (Tires and wheels are basically flywheels... so smaller provides more performance unless you're up against the traction limits of the tire.) I've got a pretty torquey 215cid V8, and I still don't feel I need a bigger tire - but if I had a 5.0L V8 I'd certainly want bigger tires!

I noticed that Moss had both Minotaur and Panasport wheels on sale in December... each for about seventeen percent off. (So, yes, these wheels do go on sale from time to time.) Moss sells the Minotaur 15" in a 5.5" width and the Panasport in a 6", 7", or 8" width. I believe a Panasport 15x6 is actually lighter than a Minotaur 15x5.5, and it also has a "machined" edge (which I think looks better and also shows scuffing damage less.) Also, the Panasports (and Superlites) have a steel surface for the lug nuts to bear on, whereas the Minotaurs don't.

I don't know if it really matters on a street-driven car, but I thought it was interesting that racing guru Carroll Smith only recommended two brands of cast wheel for racing use. It's been some years now, but in "Engineer to Win" Smith complained that most cast wheels aren't stiff enough and have too much run-out for racing use. Panasport and Momo were credited as being the two exceptions he could recommend.
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

Well, I personally race tested my Superlites /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif This is me at the 2005 SCCA national championship runoffs, and the Production Car Festival at VIR.
 

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Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

Thanks guys for the comments thus far. I have heard elsewhere also that the Superlites are of very high quality. Are the "machined" edges only available in 6" width and wider? What size tire could I run with a 15x6" without worrying about rubbing?

For reference, here is a link showing the fully polished wheel.

https://www.gbcarparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=15x55MinilightMGPolished

Without seeing it in person I'm still not sure if it'd be too over the top. I like the charcoal wheel, but my car is BRG and I think that combo wouldn't go so well.
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

195/60 if you're on poly bushings...
185/60 or 185/65 otherwise
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

Fine looking car Bret.
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

brett said:
I'm running 15" Superlites that I bought from Hap.

I love them, 14" just looked too weak for a B IMHO.
Click to expand...

What you are saying is that they didn't get it right until the MGC.

I agree! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

billspohn said:
brett said:
I'm running 15" Superlites that I bought from Hap.

I love them, 14" just looked too weak for a B IMHO.
Click to expand...

What you are saying is that they didn't get it right until the MGC.

I agree! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif
Click to expand...

Shhh! My GT is very sensitive!
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

Beautiful - I've a set of 14" Moss Minilites still in the box waiting for me to get to that car!
 
Re: 15" Minilites for a MGB

There's a luminescent miniature COW on the lid of your GT, Closer!!! Neat. Beats steer horns onna bonnet, hands-down! :jester:


...I'm just jealous of th' wheels. :wink:

Welcome aboard the Forum!
 
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