The question of differences related to MGB Axles – Wire vs RoStyle Wheels comes up quite frequently. Some owners want to change to the classic look of wire wheels. Others may be looking to change to a 15 inch wheel with wider tires.
The short answer is that the wire wheel/banjo axle is shorter/narrower by about 1.5 inches total, 0.75 inches on each side. The tube/RoStyle wheel axle is wider. This is actually quite logical really. The MGB bodies are all the same. However, with a wire wheel setup you have the bubs and splines. These require more room as they are bigger/wider than the wheel hub for a RoStyle wheel. Given the bodies are all the same, as mentioned, adjustments are needed to get the wheel/tire centered in the wheel arch.
To get a better explanation and visual proof of the differences this video by John Twist will help explain this difference of MGB Axles – Wire vs RoStyle Wheels.
John Twist of University Motors Ltd. is a great resource and supporter of the MG community. His website has a great deal of information available for free. Also, John has created hundreds of videos shared on the University Motors channel on YouTube. some of which are embedded here. Given all the contributions John makes, please consider using the donate button on his website home page if this information has helped you. Also you can use the button provided here.
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