The MG T-Series covers two genuinely different wheel systems, not one. TA, TB and TC ran centre-lock wire wheels on splined hubs as standard. TD and TF switched to bolt-on pressed-steel disc wheels as standard, with wire wheels offered as a factory and dealer option. Knowing which system your car has — and, if it's wire, keeping the splines and spokes in good health — matters more to how the car drives and how safe it is than most owners realise.
Two wheel eras
| TA / TB / TC | TD / TF (incl. TF 1500) | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard wheel | Centre-lock wire, 19 in | Bolt-on pressed-steel disc, 15 in |
| Wire wheel option | N/A (wire is standard) | Yes — a documented period option |
| Hub | Splined, knock-on spinner | Bolted stud pattern (disc); splined hub if wire-optioned |
| Typical wire spoke count | 48-spoke, 2.5 in rim | 48-spoke 4 in rim, or 60-spoke 4.5 in rim (tubeless) |
The TC's wire wheels are tube-type; the wire wheels available for TD/TF are tubeless — a meaningful difference when sourcing tyres and inner tubes, and one worth confirming with your wheel supplier before you order either.
Wire wheels: TA, TB, TC (and the TD/TF option)
Wire wheels attach to a splined hub and are retained by a single large knock-on spinner rather than conventional wheel nuts. The spinner threads are handed by design: the near-side (left) wheels use a right-hand thread and the off-side (right) wheels use a left-hand thread, so that the rotation of the wheel under normal forward drive tends to tighten the spinner rather than loosen it. Get this backwards when re-fitting a wheel and you have created a real safety problem, not a cosmetic one.
::: owner-note After any wheel change, re-tighten each spinner again after the first few miles of driving — splines settle slightly under load, and a spinner that felt tight in the garage can loosen once the car has been driven. This is standard wire-wheel practice, not a sign anything is wrong. :::
The TC's wire wheels are 19 in x 2.5 in, 48-spoke, tube-type. Original tyres were 4.50-19 crossplies (the period Dunlop Fort/B5 pattern is long out of production; Longstone and other classic-tyre specialists now supply a same-size replacement pattern). TA and TB used the same 19 in wire-wheel format as the TC — confirm the exact tyre size against your own handbook, since running changes across three models and roughly two decades mean it is not safe to assume every early T-Type is identical.
Splines: the wear point
The spline is what actually drives the wheel — the spinner only clamps it in place. A worn spline (on the hub, the wheel centre, or both) lets the wheel work loose on its taper even with a tight spinner, producing a knock or clonk under acceleration and braking that gets worse, not better, over time. This is a wear item, not a maintenance item: it cannot be adjusted out, only replaced. Any play between wheel and hub that isn't explained by an under-tightened spinner is a reason to have the splines inspected by a wire-wheel specialist before the car is driven further.
Bolt-on disc wheels: TD, TF
TD and TF cars left the factory on bolt-on pressed-steel disc wheels, 15 in, using a wheel-stud pattern rather than a spline — closer to what a modern driver expects. There is no knock-on spinner to worry about, but the same basic disciplines apply: torque wheel nuts to the manual's figure, and treat a stretched or corroded stud as a failure that announces itself only once, not a fault to live with.
The exact stud pattern (PCD) is not something to guess at from a general guide — confirm it against your own car or the workshop manual before ordering aftermarket wheels, spacers or adaptors.
Choosing wire wheels for a TD or TF
Because wire wheels were a genuine period option on TD/TF, fitting them is a legitimate, non-controversial choice for an owner who prefers the look — this is different from fitting something that was never offered on the car. The TD/TF wire-wheel fitment (15 in, tubeless, in either 48-spoke 4 in rim or 60-spoke 4.5 in rim forms) is distinct from the TC's 19 in tube-type wheel, so parts are not interchangeable between the two eras. If you're converting a disc-wheel TD or TF to wire, budget for the hub conversion as well as the wheels themselves, and have the work done or checked by a specialist.
Truing, rebuilding and spoke tension
Wire wheels are a maintenance item in a way that pressed-steel discs are not. Check spoke tension at every service — a couple of slack spokes lets the whole wheel work, and a wheel that is allowed to run loose destroys itself and can fail outright. A wheel that has taken a hard kerb strike or pothole should be checked even outside the normal service interval; a bent rim on a wire wheel is not something to true at home with a spoke key unless you genuinely know the procedure.
::: Rebuilding and retensioning is specialist work — new spokes, a trued rim, and correctly tensioned and balanced, done properly, outlasts a home attempt by years. MWS (Motor Wheel Services) International, the UK's principal wire-wheel specialist, covers supply, rebuilding, restoration and balancing. :::
Pressed-steel disc wheels don't need this kind of attention, but should still be checked for a bent rim or cracked centre after any significant impact — a disc wheel doesn't announce damage the way a slack-spoked wire wheel does.
Choosing a tyre
The same two questions apply whichever wheel system your car has: construction (period-correct crossply, or a modern radial in an equivalent size) and age. On construction, both routes are defensible — crossplies preserve original handling character, radials give more predictable modern-road grip — but never mix crossply and radial construction on the same axle. On age, tread depth is not the test that matters: read the DOT date code on the sidewall and treat any tyre over about ten years old as due for replacement regardless of how much tread remains, since rubber perishes with age and UV exposure long before the tread wears out.
Longstone Tyres supplies correct-specification classic tyres in both the 19 in TA/TB/TC sizes and the 15 in TD/TF sizes, in period-appropriate crossply and radial patterns, and is a sensible first call when sourcing rubber for either wheel system.
Related reading
- Keeping the Running Gear Sweet — checking splined hubs, spoke tension and disc-wheel studs at each service
- MG TD & TF Modern Upgrades: Front Disc Brakes and Telescopic Dampers — another common TD/TF modernisation
- Specialists & suppliers — wire-wheel and tyre specialists
- MG T-Series values & price guide — wheel type and condition as a value factor