Morris Minor Owners Club

Thinking of purchasing some 5.5x14 wheels from JBW for my convertible & just wondered what the downsides, If any, would be? Wider wheels slightly heavier steering but give a more planted feel & better grip in the wet I would say.

What do you guys think? Keep them standard or opt for the 5.5x14 smoothies from JBW.

Those look nice but I wonder what they actually look like on a car? Small differences in wheels can be very noticeable and not always in a good way....

Stephen

Wider wheels will increase fuel consumption - if your car is standard and you're planning on normal driving I would not bother with wider.

I never thought of increased fuel consumption. Is that because of the increase in rolling resistance? I’ve seen the silver ones on a few commercials & they look great.

Yes, because there is more surface area of the tyre in contact with the road and they will be slightly heavier. They may also cause increased noise while driving.

If you are a 'spirited' driver you will find wider wheels will hold the road much better but you will have heavier steering when manoeuvring at slow speeds, also give a more modern look
I have never kept accurate fuel consumption records but I would assume increased fuel consumption will be negligible

I like them, see below

I think the wider wheels look great. So I’ll make a decision once I get all the other jobs sorted. Wheels should be the last thing on my list

I expect the centre lineof the track will be wider than standard. That will increase the bearing loading. Likely not a great deal, but it used to make a difference when we added spacers to the likes of ford anglias…