News & Events

News

Euro 95 is out, E10 is in. Will the MGF & MGTF be able to run on E10 petrol?

From Tuesday (October 1) petrol stations in the Netherlands are selling the fuel E10 as a replacement for Euro 95. E10 is cleaner but not all cars are compatible, motoring organisation Bovag warns. E10 contains up to 10% sustainable bioethanol and cars that run on it produce 2% less carbon dioxide on average. The European-wide measure is aimed at reducing dependency on fossil fuels. Petrol stations with fewer than two petrol pumps are exempt from the measure.

Car dealers’ federation Bovag estimates some 700,000 cars in total may be unable to use the new fuel. As a rule, drivers of cars registered prior to 2002 are advised not to use E10 in their vehicle, as problems have been reported. Possible damage can be caused by bioethanol's corrosive properties which can lead to damaged seals, plastics and metals.

In order to avoid these problems, owners can turn to so-called premium fuels, such as the more expensive Firezone Premium (98 RON), Shell V-Power (98 RON) and BP Ultimate (98 RON).



Toyo Proxes T1R tyre problems

This warning in the MG Enthusiast a short time ago is the result of several MGF and TF owners having reported handling and stability issues when replacing worn Toyo Proxes T1R tyres. The problems have all arisen when they change the tyres on the rear of their car with identical new Toyo Proxes T1R tyres, leaving their less-worn older Toyo Proxes T1R tyres on the front, and it applies to cars with 15" and 16" diameter wheels and the different size tyres applicable to both.

The problem manifests itself immediately after tyre change of its nature when the cars become very unstable, especially at speeds above approximately 70 km/h. This phenomenon was first seen in October 2014, and over the following weeks several additional owners who all simply renewed their worn rear Toyo Proxes T1R for apparently identical new Proxes T1R suffered exactly the same problem. Tyre pressures were not to blame, and so this pointed to an issue related to the new tyres. The problem is as noticeable as it is simply because the MGF and TF are so sensitive to tyre choice - a small difference in tyres fitted to most mainstream cars which doesn't cause any problem can easily upset the MGF and TF.

Following very helpful discussions with the Toyo's Technical Department, the source of the problem has been quickly identified and a solution found. Basically, Toyo have had to apply some very small changes to the tyre make-up to ensure they fully comply with the Tyre Labelling Regulations (the label that gives various performance factors of the tyre). Unfortunately the small changes involved are enough to affect the MGF and TF and are generating the loss of stability. The new spec tyres are all Proxes T1R manufactured in Toyo's Malaysian factory and the Proxes T1R tyres made in their Japanese factory from September 2014. All existing Proxes supplied and fitted to cars up September 2014 will have been made in the Japanese plant and will be to the older specification.

Identifying the tyres is quite simple as the country of origin where they were made is clearly moulded into the sidewall along with a date code with a four digit number.
The last two numbers of this code are the year and the first two are the week number, starting from 1 January. There is often a prefix of letters and sometimes an additional number before the date code numbers, but the date code always remains the last four numbers. The example in the second image shows V6H1416, where V6H is a prefix and 1416 refers to week 14 of 2016.

MGF an TF generate more wear on rear tyres, so it is common that owners will be facing renewal of the rear tyres before the front. Owners of cars that have been using these MG-approved Toyo Proxes T1R for some time are most at risk of encountering this problem, as it is reasonable for owners to expect that replacing the worn tyres with new identical (as they believe) MG-approved tyres will not create problems. But the new spec Proxes T1R (ie. all tyres made in Malaysia and those made in Japan from September 2014) will, when fitted to the rear of an MGF or TF while the earlier spec Japanse made Proxes T1Rs remain on the front, almost certainly cause the problems described.

However, if the front tyres are replaced with the newer spec Proxes T1R to match the rear, than the handling should return to normal, as has been seen on several cars originally affected. There is obviously a cost implication to owners in this. (Incidentally there is no specific data to say that having old spec Toyo Proxes T1R on the rear and then fitting the new spec ones on the front will cause any problem as it is the rear tyres that are controlling influence, but we do not have any data from cars set up in this way.

One final important point is to ensure that the correct MG-recommended tyre pressure are set, as a too common issue is that owners and indeed tyre fitters feel they know better than the MG chassis development engineers and unilaterally decide to apply their own thoughts on pressure. This usually relates to the common 36 psi/2,4 bar rear pressures for the MGTF and MGF Trophy 160 models, and dropping these to normal MGF pressures significantly degrades both handling and stability.

Source: MG Enthusiast

Upcoming events

Currently there are no events scheduled.

 
Past events

10 & 11-03 '18 - British CARS & Lifestyle 2018

British CARS & Lifestyle takes place in Rosmalen (Autotron), near 's-Hertogenbosch (south Holland, near Belgium and Germany). Located A59 Road (Exit 50 's-Hertogenbosch-Nijmegen). Autotron is very well-known in Holland and does have a lot of facilities.

British CARS & Lifestyle, Holland's major trade fair for UK-specialists since 1991. Not only Holland's major event for British car enthusiasts, but also most wife-friendly car-event. Along with virtually all cars ever produced in UK, the show incorporates those products of British manufacture which make life pleasant for all visitors to the show: home and garden, decoration, antiques, furniture, clothing and bric-a-brac fascinating to the whole family. More than 200 exhibitors and 14.000 visitors join the fair yearly - British CARS & Lifestyle is Holland's major event for this target-group.

MG Spares Day Houten 2018

The MG Spares Day 2018 is happening on 7 January at the Expo Centre, Meidoornkade 24 in Houten. Visit the Dutch Register teams between 10:00 and 16:30. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

   Visit us at the 2018 MG Spares Day in Houten


17 & 18-06 '17 - MGLive! 2017 – The world’s largest MG event!

We are delighted to announce the provisional date for MGLive! 2017. The MG Car Club will be returning to Silverstone, the home of British motorsport, on Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th June. Next year's event looks set to be the most exciting yet, with various changes being made to ensure previous visitors enjoy the experience as much as those who are going for the first time.

25 & 28-05 '17 - MGFIM 2017 (MG Friends In Motion)

It’s already two years since the last MGFIM was announced, so now we are going for the next edition. This time we’re back on the Continent and we will be exploring various areas of Belgium. The whole event is organised by members of the MG Car Club Antwerp, known to many for their renowned “Kempenrit”.

The event headquarters will be in the city of Aalst, conveniently located just off the E40 motorway between Brussels and Ghent. With just about 100 miles from the Dunkirk ferry port, 230 km from Cologne, 300 km from the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris and 200 km from Utrecht, Aalst is easily reachable from various parts of Europe.

The date is set to the Ascencion weekend again, which will be 25 to 28 May. There will be a comprehensive program starting with a welcome dinner on the Thursday evening. Lots of routes to drive and places to visit are being set up for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. While most will prefer to join for the whole event, day trips will also be possible.

Registration will start from January 2017, the event will go live for the MG Spares Day at Houten, Netherlands on the 8th of January 2017.

Website:
MGFIM

MG Spares Day Houten 2017

The MG Spares Day 2017 is happening on 8 January at the Expo Centre, Meidoornkade 24 in Houten. Visit the Dutch MGF Register team consisting of Ad Holtland and Adrian Clifford between 10:00 and 16:30. We look forward to seeing you there!

   Visit us at the 2017 MG Spares Day in Houten

The 2016 London Thames Bridges & Tunnels

How many other events run in such an iconic place? Britain’s capital city, a very special historic place and at night too when it really is at it’s best. London is a delight lit up at night, most of it’s famous landmark sights are illuminated and the traffic is surprisingly light during the early evening so we take the opportunity to show you this on 24 September.

Traditionally the start point is at Simon’s Diner, situated in the parking area of Wimbledon Stadium in south west London not far from the river. The address is 94 Summerstown, Wimbledon SW17 0BH. All cars have to be pre-booked onto the event.

This American themed restaurant offers toilets, excellent food and drink with hard working and enthusiastic staff so please arrive early and hungry as Simon donates a percentage of his takings for the evening to our charity.

For more information: www.mg-tbt.org

MGLive! 2016 – The world’s largest MG event!

MGLive! is the MG Car Club’s annual celebration at Silverstone – a family friendly day out with attractions for everyone. Join us in 2016 on the 4th and 5th of June, at the famous Silverstone circuit when the worldwide MG community gather to celebrate one of motoring’s greatest marques.

Learn all about Britain’s most loved sports cars through an array of displays and exhibitions, and watch history come to life on Silverstone’s world-famous race track. Entry is free for children aged 16 and under.

Along with a fantastic team of volunteers, the event is organised by the staff members at Kimber House. We are always looking at ways to bring fresh ideas to the event, so if you would like to contribute in any way, we’d love to hear from you.

Keep an eye out for the website in the coming months for more information about MGLive! 2016.

   Tickets now on sale: MGCC.co.uk