[RitchieRitch]

Hi all,

Thanks for reading my post.
I am in the process of fixing up a 2002 MG TF and have encountered numerous problems as I am sure you all have. This post concerns the wheels required for the bigger brake kit. There are numerous other problems I am having which will be put in other posts.

The car I purchased had limited edition 16 inch alloys fitted, although I am not sure if they were from an MG F or TF
They are nice alloys though
And after discovering the brakes needed replacing I decided to opt for the upgraded AP 2-pot callipers with bigger discs. After reading numerous reviews and learning they were quite straight forward to fit I decided to fit them myself.
All went well until I went to put the wheels back on. And that didn't work.

For some reason the driver's side was just about ok. The gap between the wheel and the calliper was about a millionth of a mm. But the passenger's side was not happy.
Anyway, I decided that enough rotations of the wheel would grind down the wheel and the calliper to the extent that the wheel would rotate freely so i did this. So my nice brand new shiny red callipers are now very silver on the edges. But it worked and the wheel now spins. Didn't feel great at the time though.

But that wasn't the problem. the problem is the brake hose. The current set up has caused the original brake hoses to wear against the rear of the brake hub causing them to fail and spill brake fluid everywhere, which isn't good if you decide that brakes are useful. That was a scary moment.
So my question is what brake hoses should I replace the original ones with as it will ultimately happen again?

Also, I have decided to purchase replacement wheels because 16inch wheels are useless with thise callipers. But the ones I have got won't fit because MG decided to use a stupid measurement with their 4 stud wheels. So I have these lovely 17 inch black gloss wheels which won't fit. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can purchase hub adapters from Mike Satur for £150 but wanted to know if anybody has tried these andwhat they think. The car only cost me 600 quid so I dont want to spend millions on wheels if I can help it

So opinions on brake hoses, hub adapters the 2-pot AP callpers please

 

[Steve_G]

There is some info on this page that might help. MGF and MG TF 304mm Big Brake Conversion Kit - Front - RP1634 | Rimmer Bros
Are you going for big back brakes aswell?

 

[ArntyR]

I think I'm right in saying that all 16" MG wheels will fit over standard TF calipers but I think these are the only OEM 16" wheels that'll fit over the APs on the front because of the thickness of the red caliper. Anything else needs spacers imo.
(Try comparing an AP with the silvery ones you removed...)
I don't know of any F/TFs with 17" wheels that have bolted straight on and worked w/out (scraping) problems. I'd be happy to be corrected tho'.

These 16" wheels are 'deeper'; they're the 'later model' wheels that Rimmers mentions should fit over APs

 

[Chris T]

The OEM AP callipers fitted to the TF were 4 pot, there was a plan to fit smaller 2 pot AP callipers in 2005 but MGR went bust before these could be put onto the production line – some have turned up on eBay over the years. Interestingly they could be used behind 15” wheels in the style of the one on the far right of the picture above.

 

[Steve_G]

I think I'm right in saying that all 16" MG wheels will fit over standard TF calipers but I think these are the only OEM 16" wheels that'll fit over the APs on the front because of the thickness of the red caliper. Anything else needs spacers imo.
(Try comparing an AP with the silvery ones you removed...)
I don't know of any F/TFs with 17" wheels that have bolted straight on and worked w/out (scraping) problems. I'd be happy to be corrected tho'.
View attachment 136092 View attachment 136093 View attachment 136091

These 16" wheels are 'deeper'; they're the 'later model' wheels that Rimmers mentions should fit over APs

It is my understanding that there is/was a 17" wheel from Team Dynamics that fits without problem. Getting a set might be a problem though.

 

[98luke]

Hi,

My understanding is that the 2 pot and 4 pot calipers only work with "some" 16" wheels. ArntyR has shown the ones that I believe work, 16" 11 spoke, 16" Twist of Pepper and 16" Hairpin. The 4 pot calipers do not fit under the 16" Abingdon wheels, I know, because I have the Abingdon wheels and tried the 4 pot calipers. You would need at least a 10mm spacer with the Abingdon wheels. I finally opted for 280mm discs all round rather that change wheels or use big spacers as these could put undue stress on the wheel bearings.

Regarding your solution to making the 2 pot calipers fit by using the wheel to shave material off the caliper suggests that there is now the smallest of clearance between the wheel and the caliper. The wheel may spin freely now, but what happens when temperature causes the components to expand, very likely to happen when you are driving and braking. I do not think such a small amount of clearance is desirable or safe. Maybe investigate a small spacer to give at least 5mm clearance. As mentioned above, spacers will put more stress on the wheel bearings so smaller the better, or use one of the 16" wheel options that do work without the need to space them out.

When I upgraded my brakes I opted for braided hoses all round to maximise braking effort, I was also careful to route the hoses so that they would not foul any of the suspension or moving parts under all conditions. You probably need to do some work to find the best position of the hose to caliper.

 

[Austin2297]

Hello ChrisT.
Are you saying (as your post suggests) that all TFs were fitted with 4 pot callipers as standard up to 2005 when MG Rover went out of business?
Kind regards,
Austin.

 

[Chris T]

No, brakes were the 4 pot AP’s on 160’s and optional on 135’s with 16” wheels, however I understand that the intention was to move 2 pot AP’s that could be used with 15” wheels and they would be used across the range.

 

[RitchieRitch]

Hi all. Thanks for the replies and the quick responses. I always seem to get fast responses to my queries on here so I am thankful for you all for getting back to me so soon.

Anyway, since I was off work today I decided to make a 140 mile trip to Hull to meet a guy who was selling some wheels and hub adapters for an MGTF. I think he originally purchased the items from MGFnTFBitz and they included a set of 17inch alloys and some adaptors to fit them to the TF. I haven't tried any of it yet as I have only recently got home from the journey but I am remaining hopeful
(If the guy I purchased them off is reading this you have a great collection of cars in there. I've never seen so many fancy MGs. I am really jealous)

@ Steve_G
Thanks for the link. I'm sure it will prove helpful. And I'm not sure whether I will fit bigger brakes to the rear of the car yet. The front has proven to be more difficult and expensive that I expected. Although it's basically my fault for not checking things out properly first.
As for the team dynamics wheels, the guy I bought the kit off had some of these (17 inch) ones fitted to his TF and they were a direct fit. And they do look good. And I am quite relieved because I was a bit concerned about 17inch wheels rubbing

@ArntyR
Yeah, I did read up on the wheels before I did purchase the bigger brake kit and was told that only certain 16inch wheels would work with the kit. I think those ones in the pictures would work but the ones I have are different. I don't even know the name of the design. I measured the ones I had on the car and they seemed to meet the required dimensions, but obviously my measurements were off.
The original callipers were a lot smaller and would fit under any wheels really. In a way I regret not purchasing new ones of them, but since I needed new brakes anyway the upgraded 2-pot ones seemed the better option at the time for not much more money. And they do look good.
It's just a shame the wheels no longer fit. Even with spacers. They are nice and in great condition. Plus I have just had new tyres fitted on them. Ooops

@ Chris T
I did consider getting the 4-pot ones but they are silly money. Plus I don't really need the extra braking power. I have a 135. Did the 160 VVC come with the 4-pots as standard? The 2-pot and 4-pot AP callipers look similar int the pictures. I don't know if they are different in size but I would still have the same problem I'm sure. I guess I was hoping that because I had 16 inch wheels already I assumed they would work.

@98 Luke
I don't know which 16inch wheels I have. Possibly Abingdon if they don't work? There is a little ridge on the inside which rubs against the calliper, even with spacers fitted.
What brakes do you have fitted if you are running 280mm discs?
And I agree with your statement about the overheating issue. The smallest of clearances wouldn't be ideal. I actually got told off by the guy in the bodyshop I had take it to for even trying it. Haha!! He said I either need bigger wheels or smaller callipers. So I have gone for the bigger wheel option. It's just a pain that getting bigger wheels for these cars is so awkward

The brake hose issue is my biggest concern now. I am opting for braided hoses but I can't see how the standard size would work at present. They rub against the rear of the hub. I am thinking of getting slightly longer hoses so that they can be routed better

Thanks again for all your help

 

[Man in the Car]

The red four pot AP calipers were standard fit on the MGF Trophy and TF160, and were included in the 'Sportspack 2' and 'Sportspack 3' options for the TF 135 and 120 Stepspeed. The only difference between the two Sportspack options was the specific design of 16" alloys included. The Sportspacks weren't avaialble for the TF115.

 

[Man in the Car]

......there was a plan to fit smaller 2 pot AP callipers in 2005 but MGR went bust before these could be put onto the production line – some have turned up on eBay over the years....

The two-pot AP calipers are currently listed and available in pairs on Rimmers parts listing . The four-pot APs are shown as having been superceded by these two-pots as the four-pots appear to be NLA.

 

[Austin2297]

Thanks Chris. That’s understandable now.
Kind regards,
Austin.