Well, I tried checking for trueness of my tires/rims. They all appear to
be somewhat out of whack. #$%^&%$#. the side-to-side wobble (looking
at the tread straight-on) is minimal, but more pronounced with the flat
washers I was temporarily using as spacers for the $%%^&%$ "minator"
minilites , as they rub against something (tie-rod end?) in sharp turns
or hard cornering (the only evidence of this is grooves on the inside of
the rim). Without the spacers, there "appears" to be less wobble. I
tried the old tires I had on the 'B when I bought it, and took it for a
test run. The "shimmy" was reduced, but still there (it was a little
different too...complicated, eh?). I have thrown a rostyle rim in the
trunk to take to a machinist to fabricate some spacers for me. the
problem is, I'm still not sure how thick to make them . I'll go for
another spin later , to see how she behaves now, with the spacers
removed, and the tires rotated back to front.
Whew! I still say the best thing for me to do is try someone elses
wheels on my car. Then I will know for sure it is the wheels/tires, and
can act accordingly. Hopefully a proper spacer will do the trick.
BTW, as I was doing all of this tire changing, parked behind the 'B in
the garage is a MAZDA 626 LX Diesel (awaiting rings), with 15", low
profile tires, about the same circumference as the 'B's tires, and same
stud pattern! So, I take one off (it's already jacked up), and try it.
Unfortunately, the "hole" in the center part of the rim isn't big
enough! Otherwise, they may have fit. Now if 'Pop's '66 didn't have wire
wheels, i could have tried his!
________ ___
/ ______/ | | Greg A.M.Johnson '72 & '66 MGB
/ \ ___ | | Biology Dept.
\ \_\ \ /\ __| | Dalhousie University
\______ / \________| Halifax, N.S., Canada
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* See the British Automobile Touring Association of NS Home Page!*
http://www.ccn.cs.dal.ca/Recreation/BATANS/index.html
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