Big tyres on Midget wheels?
QI’m looking to get some Minilites for my MG Midget. It’s a 1974 model with round wheelarches. I’ve read that although most of the wheels available are 5in wide (5J), it is possible to squeeze in 5.5J wheels. Would you recommend this – and what tyres would be best?
Dave Townend, Broadstone
AThe standard factory combination for your Midget was 4J wheels and 145R13 tyres – but 155R13s were a common upgrade. To preserve the car’s handling balance and avoid overloading mechanical components, we wouldn’t recommend going much further than this. So 5J Minilites with 155R13 tyres would perhaps be ideal.
You could go as far as 165/70R13 tyres – but this wouldn’t necessarily offer any advantages. Our own preference would be to recondition your original 4J wheels and invest in really good classic 155R13 tyres – such as a set of Michelin XAS.