New all-alloy Dunlop composite lookalike replacement wheels for the MGBGTV8 Just occasionally new replacement parts come up which are really an exciting development. Through his contacts in the West Midlands, Clive Wheatley has an alloy wheel specialist who makes high performance wheels. He has shared Clive's enthusiasm for creating an all-alloy wheel that looks like an original Dunlop composite chromed steel rim and alloy centre wheel fitted to the Factory built MGBGTV8 models. The continuing concern all MGBGTV8 enthusiasts have is watching their wheels for signs of the dreaded corrosion setting in on the chrome rims and then facing the decision whether to send the wheels off for a comprehensive refurbishment - an expensive exercise and increasingly difficult to find a speciualist who can do a good quality refurbishment. Finding a spare set of Dunlop composites is like finding hens' teeth and they are expensive. So Clive's all-alloy wheels are a welcome real alternative and very good value too. Clive Wheatley mgv8parts 01746 710810 www.mgv8parts.com Posted: 160722 New all-alloy 15" replacement wheels for the MGBGTV8 with an alloy centre and a highly polished alloy rim are available from Clive Wheatley mgv8parts. They are produced with the distinctive faceted feature of the wheel centre of the original Dunlop composite wheel to make a wheel which looks so close to the original yet is a strong wheel too. Clive says "the highly polished finish of the rim of the new wheel looks just like the chromed rim of the original Dunlop wheel. These wheels are made by a specialist in the West Midlands with over 24 years' experience of manufacturing alloy wheels including high performance wheels for motor racing customers." The all-alloy wheels are nano coated to provide protection from the potentially damaging effects road spray, particularly on the alloy rims. As with many alloy wheels, the manufacturer recommends washing the wheels when they are coated with a film of road spray. Most V8 enthusiasts with the standard Dunlop composite wheels would do that in any case but with alloys it's particularly desirable they are not left with a coating of road film. These wheels are not available as 14 inch diameter, as Clive Wheatley felt the substantial investment in tooling would be better used to produce a 15" wheel which allows a larger brake caliper to be fitted and the Hoyle front and rear suspension upgrades too. That enables the potential market for the 15" wheels to cover both Factory MGBGTV8s and the many MGBV8 conversions too. With 175 or 185/65 R15 tyres the rolling circumference is a little less than with the original 175 80 R14 tyre, so at 65mph on the speedo the actual speed is a little lower at 62.2 and 63.6mph respectively. Each wheel is 2kg lighter than the original Dunlop composite wheel. The new all-alloy replacement V8 wheels make good financial sense too because serious rust can set in on the chromed steel rims of the original Dunlop composite wheels. Refurbishment is possible by a very few specialists, but is expensive. Occasionally a set of these original wheels comes up for sale but they are not easy to find these days. So if you want to retain the originality with a set of Dunlop wheels, surely one of the key characteristics of the model, you need to make a careful check of the wheels for deep rust pitting on the rims when buying a Factory V8 because badly pitted rims cannot be re-chromed properly. The price of thse new all-alloy replacement V8 wheels compares favourably with the cost of refurbishing original Dunlop composite steel/alloy V8 wheels which is typically between £350 and £400 a wheel. V8 Register - MG Car Club - the leading group for MG V8 enthusiasts at www.v8register.net