Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi i've spent about 4 hours the other day looking here trying to to find out if wider tyres would put too much strain on the steering rack and how much harder it is to park.

I couldn't find any one who had asked those questions, or maybe i didn't look for long enough. So i'm sorry if i'm asking a question that other people have asked before.

I'm considering buying some alloy wheels for my Morris van. One companey, Midland wheels are doing set of 14inch minilights, with tyres and all the works for £350. But they come with 185/70 tyres. Is this going to put too much strain on the streeing rack? I have a clonck on the rack at the moment and i'm running 14inch 155. Could this be because of the tyres being too wide or do you think this has nothing to do with the width of the tyre.

If anyone can help please do so and i would be very gratful.

Gaius Ross 23 Austin Minor Van Driver.

no problem,my pickup runs on 185s,steve

Agreed - go for them, and thanks for the information on the company

wider tyres are likely to make the steering heavier, but as long as you haven't got a small steering wheel it shouldn't be a major issue.

The rack itself isnt bad, but if you want to do heavy driving, you may want a bulkhead reinforcorcing plate... Although if the minor is fairly standard otherwise you may not feel it is worthwhile.

I run 175s front and 185s rear and yes, the steering IS heavier when parking, but not that bad really. You notice it more if you swap back to a standard car.

But if there is a 'clonk' at the moment - get it sorted out !
And make sure the wheels have the correct 4" pcd - and not 100 mm which is a standard for modern cars. They will have to be machined specially to get the 4".

The steering rack will not cause problems if it is in good condition. In the 1960s and 1970s the Minor rack was a very popular rack on race cars (along with Herald racks)

I also know people who have used the Minor rack on slick tyres.

Keep an eye on you track rod ends though.

The steering will be heavier but perfectly acceptable.

John

Thanks everyone. I really appriciate the time you took to reply. The info is very useful.

I have experimented a bit with wider wheels. Firstly I had very wide wheels with 185 x 14 x 70 front and back. I found it too heavy on the front, they only stayed a few days. On the back was fine though..very steady on the road.
I have now changed the set up and have 4.5j on the front with 165 x14 x 80 tyres and Minor developments 5j with 175 x 14 x 80 on the back. To me this feels more like an old minor. It leans a bit on corners, the front is not much heavier than the standard wheels and they generally look right. Quite expensive too.

Did you mean to say IN -expensive - or did they cost a lot !