MGF Users Quality Database

Compiled by Tony Thompson
All the views expressed here are submitted by MGF owners and are their personal unaltered opinions.
They represent the views so often expressed across a variety of BBS boards.

If you would like to contribute to this data base go to the data entry form Data Entry Form

or
and include your name, model, car registration number, the item or part, the supplier, cost, quality,
purchase date, supplier's response if you complained, and a % rating.

The more opinions that are received for a specific item, the more accurate the overal rating will be.

Last updated 10 May 2009

CONTENTS:

Engine Bay
      Engine
      Filters
      Coolant
      Other
Brakes
      Calipers
      Discs
      Pads
Clutch
Suspension & Steering
Tyres

Exhausts
Body Interior
      Hoops & Windstops
      Interior Trim
      Storage
      Other
Body Exterior
      Boot racks & Luggage
      Splitters
      Other
Dealers and Service
Used Parts

Engine Bay

MGF Owner	Model	Item	Supplier	Cost	Date bought	Quality	Supplier response	% Rating	Overall % Rating
*Engine*
Paul Nothard	MGF VVC 1999	Gas flowed head and "popped" spark plug repair.	Peter Burgess	Reasonable.		Mixed. Head work seemed good. Spark plug repair was agreed to be done using method#1 but found out (during service) that cheaper method#2 was used instead. Talked to Peter about this and apologies were forthcoming stating miscommunication. Possible, but I have a good memory of events! Overall, I feel a bit misled with some of the work - although technically he delivered.		Only 60 Could have been much, much higher if it had gone well.	60
Paul Nothard	MGF VVC 1999	Sabre Heads gas flowing	Sabre Heads	£500+fitting	Jan 2004	Very high. Full gas flowing, repair to stripped plug socket and post HGF 'strengthening' all done. Roger has vast experience and it shows with healthy honest advice combined with some very skilled work. At least on a par with DVA work		95	95
Alan Dunstan	MGF 18.i 1996	Head gas flowed & ported. Larger inlet valves	Mike Satur	lots	2002	Excellent. Work done on time & to cost. Subsequently had leaking inlet manifold gasket & surprised original gasket type was still there as it must have separated.		90	90
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	`PTP lightened flywheel`	`Private purchase`	£ 100	2003	`Terrific. Should have had one of these fitted ages ago. :o) Engine speed/ throttle response much sharper now. No problem in town traffic - no problem with stalling as some horror mongers might have you believe`		90	90
Erik Baekelant	MGF 1998	PTP Ltd. RT-Sport 165 kit	Power Train Projects	£ 2042.44 GBP inc. VAT & shipping	March 2004	VVC-ish above 4000rpm. All parts included. Fitted by MG-Rover, but problems with MAP hose/sensor and engine bay cooling. Great service but didn't really help with engine bay fan		80	80
Gerry Hiorns	MGF 1997	`Honda ivtec 2.0 ltl conversion with 6speed box`	`Mike Satur`	£ 9.5k+	Nov 2004	`As this was the first 'f' ivtec conversion (as far as I know) a lot had to be done to achieve it. Commitment was of a high standard, tech ability was also high giving a very reliable result.` `98% is above the benchmark. Only if the supercharger was fitted at the same time would 100% be granted.`		98	98
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8 1996	Ported Cylinder head	DVA Power	£ 300	Aug 2005	MGF Centre provided the cylinder head (TF135), which was in excellent order to start with. Dave then took my head on in short order following a cylinder head failure. The quality of work is astonishing and his attentiveness to detail first rate. A pleasurable experience doing business with him.		99	99

*Filters*
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	K&N 57i	Kinnor Services / FilterPower.com	£ 95	1999	Kit quality is good: all parts supplied. Instructions were a bit basic when I purchased the kit though! Easy to install & sounded great. When the filter was 4 years old (after 40+k miles), the silver end cap came off the filter. I contacted the supplier (Lesley Smith at Kinnor) & had a replacement by return of post.	Faulty 4 yr / 40+k mile old part replaced FOC by return of post. K&N seem to take their 1 million mile warranty very seriously!	99	99
Emma Jackman	MGF 1.8i 1998	K&N 57i Induction Kit	www.DCDezign.com	£81 inc P&P	Sept 05	Complete kit, easy to fit. Instructions were quite basic, however Rob Bell has detailed instructions on his site. Car felt slightly sharper but it's worth it just for the induction roar. Sounds fantastic under acceleration.		99	99
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	ITG foam filter	Mike Satur		1998	Exposed foam air filter, from the Roversport catalogue. Easy to fit, sounds great, felt like the car had more power		90	90
Alan Dunstan	MGF 18.i 1996	Pipercross air filter system. 52mm body	Mike Satur	Part of other work	2002	Throttle body exceptionally good. Transforms car. Pipercross filter very good & sounds great. Has lately developed a mounting squeak at idle		90	90
Chaz	MGF 1996	Vader enclosed air filter	Mike Satur	Cannot remember but worth it	2004	Fantastic, easy to fit. Gives a much better throttle response and a nice bark, like the ITG particularly when combined with 52mm throttle body		95	95
David Clelland	MGF 1.8Mpi 2001	ITG Maxogen Enclosed Air Induction Kit	Mike Satur	Second hand	2003	Gives much better throttle response, particularly when combined with 52mm throttle body		95	95
`Johan Slagter`	MGF VVC 1997	`Enclosed air filter Green Twister, UNIV-TW70A, i.d. 70mm, with cold air hose UNIV-KFDTW01`	Green	`€ 225`	June 2004	`To connect the filter to the throttle body I used a Gates 90 degree angle hose, internal diameter 70 mm, part number G4278-17042`. `So far so good, far better throttle response, especially from standstill.` N`o need to remove resonance box for the cold air pipe, bit difficult to install.`		90	90
*Coolant*
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	Under floor Coolant pipes + clips	Mike Satur	£ 93.15 inc VAT + dly		Excellent – very easy to fit, except for usual system bleeding hassle.		95	93.3
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	Alloy under floor coolant pipes	Mike Satur	£ 65	Oct 2003	Excellent – great finish, fits perfectly :o)		90
Andrew Phillips		Aluminum under body coolant pipes	Mike Satur		2002	Replacement pipes in aluminum to cure rust problem.		95
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	Up rated radiator & ss hose clips	Mike Satur	£ 157 inc VAT & P&P	Feb 2004	Good, but a very, very tight fit. – hose connections could be better angled.		85	85
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Aluminum high capacity radiator	Mike Satur		2002	Higher capacity aluminum radiator – fit backwards and rivet fans on – not really a DIY job		95	95
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8 1996	Coolant level sensor	B & G	£ 90	Aug 2005	A very well thought out bit of kit. The alarm ECU is contained within a small robust black plastic box. The buzzer is good - and loud enough to be audible when driving. The warning light looks very aftermarket though - so I've connected this instead to the unused catalyst warning lamp in the main instrument binnacle. The instructions are extremely clear. Excellent		90	90
Kelvin Fay	MGF VVC 1997	Replacement Radiator	E-Car Parts Ltd., via eBay	£ 99.95	March 2006	Old rad was shot with a minor leak. New one excellent, brand new, good price, fast delivery. http://stores.ebay.co.uk/E-CAR-PARTS-LTD Fitted by Beech Hill Garage, see separate entry.		100	100

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Brakes

MGF Owner	Model	Item	Supplier	Cost	Date bought	Quality	Supplier response	% Rating	Overall % Rating
*Calipers*
Paul Nothard	MGF VVC 1999	HiSpec front brakes (Billet 4)	HiSpec	Reasonable		High - but with fitting and communication problems. Small problem with fitting - cured by shims - and it's very hard to get hold of them to talk through problems and/or questions.		Due to communication problems and the fact that these are best fitted by a mechanic and not a diy job, only 60%.	60
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	FX aluminum and titanium 4 pot calipers	Mike Satur		2002	Look superb, stop the car really well, very well made. Highly recommended		95	95
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	EBC Turbo Grooved discs	B+G		2000	Standard sized front discs, but drilled and grooved. Not much better than OE, but equivalently priced.		75	75
`Mike Hankin`	MGF Mpi 1996	`AP Racing 4 pot calipers & 304mm discs, braided hoses`	`Secondhand from eBay, hoses from B&G`	`£185`	`April 05`	`Truly awesome stopping power, pedal response very reassuring, essential track-day kit`		100	100

Discs
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Drilled and grooved rear discs	Mike Satur		2002	OE spec rear discs, but drilled and grooved, work slightly better than normal		75	75
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	Rear disks	TDC, Fareham	£ 40 + VAT	Sep 02	Good		90	90
Paul Nothard	MGF VVC 1999	Discs & pads.	Mike Satur	Reasonable		Good		80	80
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	280mm Black diamond drilled front discs	Mike Satur		2002	Part of the FX 4 pot kit – look and work well, highly recommended		95	93.3
Alan Dunstan	MGF 18.i 1996	Black Diamond brake discs	Mike Satur	Part of other costs	2002	Excellent. Drilled & grooved. Don’t rust & wearing well. Better braking than standard or EBC disks		90
Kelvin Fay	MGF VVC 1997	Black Diamond 280mm drilled & vented front brake disc	Mike Satur	£195 + vat	July 2004	Part of my "brake improvement package": Servo bracket, braided hoses, bigger front disks and drilled/grooved rear disks with kevlar pads. The car now stops when you ask it to! Seriously, harder pedal, far less travel, more responsive braking.		95
Kelvin Fay	MGF VVC 1997	Black Diamond drilled & grooved rear brake disc	Mike Satur	£138 + vat	July 2004			95	95
Mike Cunningham	MGF 1.8i 1996	Brake upgrade - grooved large + Mintex 1144 pads & braided hoses	Mike Satur	£ 500	June 2006	Very good		90
Alan Dunstan	MGF 1.8i 1996	EBC Turbo discs, green pads & SS pipes	B + G / EBC	£ 350	2000	Good. Better braking than standard. No dust & plenty of feel. Not as good braking as I wanted. Looked good.		70	70
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	`MG Sport and Racing grooved discs`	`MG S'n'R`	`£40 / pair (approx`	`2002 - 3`	`Standard discs machined with grooves. Work brilliantly well to prevent glazing of pads and best still, good consistent brake performance on track days`		85	85
David Clelland	MGF 1.8Mpi 2001	Big Brake Kit	Mike Satur	Part of other work carried	2004	280mm drilled front and 240mm drilled + grooved rear discs + stainless steel hoses + Mintex 1144 pads fitted - BIG improvement over standard. No front/rear imbalance (even on track)		90	90
Pads
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	EBC Red Stuff brake pads	B+G		2001	Not recommended for road use		50	50
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	MINTEX rear pads MDB1673	TDC, Fareham	£ 21.70 +VAT	Sep 02	Good		90	90
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Mintex 1155 rear pads	Mike Satur		2002	Better frictional coefficient pads, but at a downside of increased brake dust and disc wear.		85	85
Mike Nunn	Trophy	Mintex 1144 front pads	Mike Satur	£ 80	1 March 04	Excellent, but noisier than oem’s, but work better without the black residue. The extra squeaks maybe annoying to some.		99	94.3
Alan Dunstan	MGF 18.i 1996	Mintex 1144 pads	Mike Satur	Part of other costs	2002	Very Good. Much better braking than standard or EBC greens. Lots of dust. Can resonate. Not a lot of feel until warm & quite noisy.		85
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	Mintex 1144 pads	`Techspeed`	`£74 set front: £60 set rear (approx)`	`2002, 2003`	`Absolutely awesome pads. You never ever feel that the brakes are going to let you down: they just reliably haul your speed down under any conditions. Only downside is that they eat discs for breakfast - and some may take a while to get used to their aggressive performance`		99
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	EBC Green Stuff brake pads	B+G		2000	Replacement pads, marginally better stopping, but a lot less brake dust		85	87.5
`Dieter Koennecke`	MGF	`EBC GREEN Stuff Front Brake Pads`	JRT	£ 25	2001	`Wear earlier than standard. Less brake dust to the rims. No fading if you go sometimes to track-days`		90	87.5
Kelvin Fay	MGF VVC 1997	Black Diamond kevlar pads. Front & rear	Mike Satur	£34 + vat per axle	July 2004	Part of my "brake improvement package": Servo bracket, braided hoses, bigger front disks and drilled/grooved rear disks with kevlar pads. The car now stops when you ask it to! Seriously, harder pedal, far less travel, more responsive braking		95	95
Bob Millar	MGF 1.8Mpi 1997	TruPart Brake Pads	Local automotive parts shop	£15 - £20	1st July 2005	Woeful. Funds were tight so had to go for budget option. No feel or response. Will be replaced again ASAP		0	0
Other
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Stainless steel braided brake hoses	Mike Satur		2002	Improve pedal feel, transmits more force to the calipers		85	90
Kelvin Fay	MGF VVC 1997	Stainless steel braided brake hoses	Mike Satur	£36 + vat	July 2004	Part of my "brake improvement package": Servo bracket, braided hoses, bigger front disks and drilled/grooved rear disks with kevlar pads. The car now stops when you ask it to! Seriously, harder pedal, far less travel, more responsive braking		95	90
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	`Braided brake hoses`	`H J W`	£ 20	2001	`Aeroquip style braided hoses. Purchased to sharpen up brake response. Actual benefits of fitting these were minor: cause of 'sponge' is elsewhere in the braking system and wasn't cured by these hoses`		70	70
Neil Batts	MGF VVC 1998	`Copper brake pipes in engine bay`	`Local garage`	£ 300	Sept 05	Rear rigid brake hoses corroded in engine bay leading to failure. Occurred 2 weeks after passing MOT, garages comments “worker on test day could not see all of pipes”. Resultant bill for replacement with copper pipes in engine bay
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	`Servo steady bar`	`B&G`	£`20 (approx)`	2002	`I was staggered to discover how much movement there was at the brake servo - and this simple servo support brace makes a significant difference to this - and to brake feel. Highly recommended to any F owner with a spongy-feeling middle pedal`		90	90
Kelvin Fay	MGF VVC 1997	`Servo steady bar`	`B&G`	£22 (approx)	July 2004	Part of my "brake improvement package": Servo bracket, braided hoses, bigger front disks and drilled/grooved rear disks with kevlar pads. The car now stops when you ask it to! Seriously, harder pedal, far less travel, more responsive braking		95
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	`Servo steady bracket or bar`	`B&G`	£ 23.50	Mar 2005	Very effective at reducing servo movement and improving pedal firmness. Disappointing that bracket had to be modified to ensure clearance, considering this is a part specific to the MGF – see page on www.apttony.co.uk		85

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Clutch

MGF Owner	Model	Item	Supplier	Cost	Date bought	Quality	Supplier response	% Rating	Overall % Rating
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	Clutch lowering kit	Mike Satur	£ 25	2000	Good – the linkage requires adjusting before installation, but is straightforward to install (space restrictions in the foot well permitting of course!)		80	80
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	`AP Racing Clutch`	`Techspeed`	£ 180	2003	`Tidy pick up: not too aggressive. Purchased to replace the standard clutch that was starting to feel the strain of several seasons of Sprint championships and track days! Hopefully replacement should be better able to cope with the abuse. But early days...`		90	90

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Suspension & Steering

MGF Owner	Model	Item	Supplier	Cost	Date bought	Quality	Supplier response	% Rating	Overall % Rating
Paul Nothard	MGF VVC 1999	Various suspension and other mods	Techspeed	Slightly high		High. Cost but balanced out by the service offered.		85	85
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	Polyflex bushes (shocker kit only)	Mike Satur	£ 47.59 inc VAT & P&P	April 02	High. A harder ride than the original MGR rubber bushes, and tendency to squeak, but far more responsive.		95	95
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Powerflex poly bushes	Mike Satur		2001	Removes excessive play in the suspension components due to OE rubber bushes perishing. Tricky to fit some of them, also lots required so a full set is pricey.		90	90
Alan Dunstan	MGF 18.i 1996	Poly suspension bushes & sub frame mounts	Techspeed / Polyflex	£ 750 approx	2003	Excellent. Lots of feel & tight. Reacts to tiniest steering input. Transmits noise & you can feel each vertical break in road surface.		90	90
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Lowering knuckles	Mike Satur		1998	They ‘do the job’ :-)		90	90
`Dieter Könnecke`	MGF	Lowering knuckles SEE BELOW – TO BE CLARIFIED	MG Rover (DE)	£ 130	2000	`Discontinued P/N Z300020RDX in DE. OK, they do the job, BUT .. check the reliability of it's rubber dust cover frequently, i.e. when you get wheels off. Water can get into the bearing if the gaiter slipped off and this leads to heavy rust and damage at any time. If I had to lower my MGF today, I'd go another way`		60	60
Dieter Koennecke	MGF 1999	Lowering knuckle kit Z300020RDX	MG Rover Germany	200 GBP	1999	At first I'd been impressed. Easy installation with help of a hydragas pump. Lowering the car by up to 40mm was no problem with the additional required 4wheel laser wheel alignment. Now, it's 5 years later. (2005) I'd found them crap. The part was never tested for long time use. One rear suspension bolt sadly rusted away, I assume due to water ingress due to much stress on the rubber gaiter and plastic parts. A replacement is no longer available in DE	MGR Germany closed down sales. I'll find my own way to get the car lower and cut the displacer aluminum piston by about 9 to 10mm instead	5	5
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Spax shocks	Mike Satur		1998	Adjustment screw rusts up over time, but other than this they are very good		75	75
Alan Dunstan	MGF 18.i 1996	AVO adjustable shock absorbers	Mike Satur	£ 300 approx	2002	OK as shock absorbers but I found did not suit my MGF or me. Could never find a happy medium for the settings. Replaced within a year		40	40
`Mike Hankin`	MGF Mpi 1996	`GAZ adjustable dampers`	`MGF Centre`	£ 190	May 05	`Significant tightening of suspension feel, noticeably reduced body roll. Less composed over potholes but track performance more than compensates`		90	90
David Clelland	MGF 1.8Mpi 2001	Lowering knuckles and Spax adjustable shock absorbers	Mike Satur	Part of other work carried		Looks better and transformed handling of car. Pumping up suspension and setting tracking made car more comfortable than before (shockers set at middle settings).		95	95
Andrew Regens	VVC 1998	Shock Absorbers and Lowering Knuckles PT NO BGF 7000	B+G	£ 273	Oct 2003	Every thing well finished and easy to fit. BUT a warning that the suspension mounts should be reinforced at time of fitting should be issued	I have written twice over the past few weeks to B & G and no answer. My rear suspension ripped out one turret and punctured another.	60	60
David Mills	MGTF 160 2002	X-Power suspension lowering kit. Part no MGR0005	MG Sport & Racing	£ 118 +VAT	May 2004	quality: Excellent. Springs do exactly what they say. Would be even better if some up rated shocks were available to complement the springs. Fitted by Techspeed who were also brilliant.		90	90
Dieter Koennecke	MGF 1999	Lowering knuckle kit Z300020RDX	MG Rover Germany	200 GBP	1999	At first I'd been impressed. Easy installation with help of a hydragas pump. Lowering the car by up to 40mm was no problem with the additional required 4wheel laser wheel alignment. Now, it's 5 years later. (2005) I'd found them crap. The part was never tested for long time use. One rear suspension bolt sadly rusted away, I assume due to water ingress due to much stress on the rubber gaiter and plastic parts. A replacement is no longer available in DE	MGR Germany closed down sales. I'll find my own way to get the car lower and cut the displacer aluminum piston by about 9 to 10mm instead	5	5
Ian Stewart	MGTF 135 2002	Eibach X-Power TF springs	Leda (Silverstone 2005 show)	£100	July 05	Fantastic Quality - do exactly what they say - improve the ride no end - should be fitted to all TF's!! plus they also drop the car by 30mm		100	100
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Compliance washers	B+G	£10	1999	Pair of spacers to take up play in the rear tie bar – improves handling by removing rear wheel steer characteristic. Good value for money.		95	94.5
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	Compliance washers	B+G	£10	2002	Simple spacers that take up play in the rear tie bars – improves handling. Excellent value.		95
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	Compliance washers	B+G	£15	1999	Elegantly simple solution to eradicating passive rear steer from the MGF’s chassis - & much, much cheaper than the alternative available from Sport & Racing at that time.		90
`Dieter Könnecke`	MGF	Compliance washers	B+G	£ 10	2000	`The very best I ever did to an MGF. PU bushes are the more expensive alternative. However, I installed the washers just one day after I got the car and I'm still pleased (85.000km now). 4 wheel Laser Alignment is much easier and precise with the washers installed.`		98
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	Sports lowering & Bilstein damper kit	Techspeed	£ 800 approx	2001	Probably the single best investment I've made in the car. Transformed the ride and handling - both for the better. Brilliant		100	100
Alan Dunstan	MGF 18.i 1996	Techspeed suspension + Bilsten gas dampers / TF rack.	Techspeed	£ 1000 approx	2003	Fabulous. Utterly transformed car		100	100
Dieter Koennecke	MGF 1999	Bilstein F4-BE5-2528 dampers	Ebay, 2nd hand	125 Euros	2005	Great improvement of ride quality and handling. I'd recommend a change to this or other new dampers latest after 50k miles cause the original wear early.		100	100
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	`TF Steering rack`	Techspeed	£ 170	2002	`With 2.8 turns lock to lock compared to 3.2 of the standard MGF steering rack, this is a revelation, but necessarily for the reasons you might expect: on the motorway, the steering no longer wanders, you get more feel through the helm, and yet it is not overly nervous. Could almost do with being a little faster again... 2.5 steering rack anyone?`		90	90
`Dieter Könnecke`	MGF	`Bump Stops`	MG Rover	£ 170	2000	`P/N RNV100050. Introduced as part for the edition MGF Abingdon. Recommended for MGF with 16' rims. I decided to install them, having seen dents at hydragas unit fixtures lower lead at my old wreck. Together with a lowered car it can happen on bumpy roads that the upper wishbone hits the hydragas unit fixture. They do the job.`		95	95
Adrian Clifford	MGF 2000	Front subframe	B+G	£927 total incl labour (subframe was £396.)	Feb 2005	Hard to tell, but car now goes where I point it.	Original was bent upon purchase 12/04 B&G identified problem, carried out 4 wheel alignment	90	90
Glen Keating	MGF 1.8I VVC 1999	EPAS Steering Column	MGF Centre	£125 + VAT	30 Jan 06	Excellent item. Shaft end size was wrong. Sent me a steering link to fit FOC. Fast Delivery		100	100
Mike Cunningham	MGF 1.8i 1996	Suspension upgrade to TF and other changes	Mike Satur	£ 8,000	June 06	Took 2 weeks, and seems to have been very thorough		90

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Tyres

MGF Owner	Model	Item	Supplier	Cost	Date bought	Quality	Supplier response	% Rating	Overall % Rating
Paul Nothard	MGF VVC 1999	Tyres	Micheldevour Tyres	Excellent	Many over the years	Excellent		90	92.5
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	4 W/Alignment + tyres	Micheldevour Tyres	Very good price	April 04	Excellent & helpful – tested ride height & adjusted tracking as per my request. Can get very busy.		95	92.5
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	4 W/Alignment	Christchurch Tyre Co	£41.13	July 02	Excellent & helpful		90	90
Kelvin Fay	MGF 1.8 VVC 1997	2 x 195/50/15 2 x 205/50/15 Toyo Proxes T1S	E-Tyres	£ 235	Aug 04	Order via their website. Price includes supply, mobile fitter at home or work, chrome stem valves and balancing. Excellent service and workmanship. More expensive than My Tyres at first glance, but are they? http://www.etyres.co.uk/		100	100
`Tony Harrison`	`MGF VVC 1999`	`4 x Avon ZV3 tyres and wheel alignment`	`National Tyre Services`	£ 300	July 05	`Mature careful fitters who took pride in work and were very careful with rims. Have since bought 2 new tyres for Golf Tdi from them.`		100	100
The section below is derived from the BBS survey, courtesy of Rob Bell As of 12 December 2005
MGF Owner	Model	Tyres	Supplier	Cost	Date bought	Quality	Supplier response	0-10, where 0= truly dangerous and 10= Superb	Overall Rating
C Golvala	MGF	Avon ZV1 Wheel size: 15" Profile- Front: 185/55				Choice of dealer seller when fronts were replaced before sale. Not that bad, even in combination with the above on the rear. Lasted 25k miles		7	8
Adrian Clifford	MGF 2000	Avon ZZ1 205/50x15 fitted with new front subframe	B+G	£ 100	Feb 2005	Look excellent; seem to do the job very well, hard to comment further, too early.		9	8
Colin Ashworth	MGF 1998 VVC	Avon ZR2 Wheel size: 15" Profile- Front: 195 Profile- Rear: 205				Excellent grip in the dry, a little twitchy when its very wet		9
Tony Harrison	MGF	Avon ZV3 Wheel size: 15" Profile- F 185/55 Profile- R 205/50	NTS in Wallasey. V Good people.	Around £300 fitted, balanced, new valves and tracking		Superb in dry, not bad in wet but being RWD treated with respect! Previously fitted with budget tyres by supplying retailer		7	8.125
M Cunningham	MGF 1.8i	Avon ZZ3 Wheel size: 16 Front: 205/40 Rear: 215/40	Coopers of Newmains (Lanarkshire)	£300		corners on rails?! So far at least a good 8 in the dry, too new to have tried in the wet		8
Chris Catchpole	MGF	Avon ZV3 (good tread pattern) Wheel size: 16" Front 205/40 Rear 205/40		£240 for 4 delivered not fitted		Excellent in dry, pretty good wet but light right foot required at times on bends, the odd twitch was noticed. Around 14k use before replaced on rear.		8
Nkosi Ecosse	MGF 1.8Mpi	Wheel size: 15" Front: Avon ZV3 185x55 Rear: Avon ZV3 205x50	National Tyres Grangemouth	Front £75 each, rear £75 each, fitted		Brilliant on dry and wet. Even on fresh snow they performed well. Always felt safe with this combination and I was thinking that the fronts were going to outlive the rear tyres by about 7000 miles until a zealous MOT mechanic failed the one front tyre, which meant replacing four tyres at once. Forced me to change tyre preference (see next Block) The ZV3 is much softer than the ZV1 but the grip is exceptional for a road tyre that has to perform in both wet and dry conditions. 7000 miles on the rears with hard driving, might have got 20000 out of the fronts where it not for the tracking.		9.5
M Cunningham	MGF 1.8i	Wheel size: 15 (I've recently changed!) Front: 185/55 Avon ZV1 Rear: 205/50 Avon ZV3	Coopers of Newmains (Lanarkshire			No problems compared to standard Goodyear Touring, and pretty good at Knockhill in the wet, managed 74sec best, no hairy moments and the brakes got pretty hot!		8
Nkosi Ecosse	MGF 1.8Mpi	Wheel size: 15" Front: Avon ZV3 185x55 Rear: Avon ZV1 205x50	ZV1 National Tyres Grangemouth ZV3 National Tyres, Chorley	ZV1 £70 per tyre fitted, ZV3 £75 per tyre fitted		A pretty good combination in both wet and dry. ZV1s gave 13000 miles on the back. ZV3 remained on the car to the next set of rears.		8

Peter Ambrose	VVC	Bridgestone RE720 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50				Good middle range tyre. Does nothing wrong, but nowhere near as good as the best.		7	7.4
Mike Hall	MGF	Bridgestone RE720 Wheel size: 15" Profile- Front: 185/55 Profile- Rear: 205/50	Protyre Bristol	About £300		Superb in dry, very good in wet		8.5
Stu Dickens	MGF	Bridgestone RE720 Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/50 Rear: 205/50	Micheldever Station	around 250 quid fitted		Superb in the dry, but not so confident with them in the wet. Previous tyres were GS-D2's and I can certainly feel the difference		7
C Golvala	MGF	Bridgestone RE720 Wheel size: 15" Profile- Rear: 205/50		£70 or so		As said above, good mid-range tyre, but not inspiring confidence. A hell of a lot better than the NCT-3s that i changed from, but I was glad of the change to the GS D2s when one of these got a puncture. Huge, noticeable difference		6.5
Fiona	MGF	Bridgestone RE720 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50	Protyre in Bristol	Approx £300 for 4		Excellent all round whether wet or dry and yes, I have tried them fast and wet round corners ;-)		8
Peter Ambrose	VVC	Bridgestone SO2 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50				Excellent tyres- superb dry and wet grip. Not as soft as the SO-3, but strangely marginally better grip & feel		10	9.83
Rob Bell	MGF	Bridgestone S02 Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/50 Rear: 205/50	Micheldever Station	around 300 quid fitted		Superb in wet or dry. Superb communication. Very progressive at the limits of adhesion. The Bridgestones went in about 15k (but included competition and track use)		10
Fabrice, Belgium	MGF 1.8I	Bridgestone S02 PP Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/50 Rear: 205/50	Tyre fitter			Awesome grip on dry & wet. Inspire huge confidence. My best tyre experience		9.5
Peter Ambrose	VVC	Bridgestone SO-3 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50				Excellent, if a little soft, with a little less feel than SO-2.		9	9.0
Yigit , Istanbul	MGF VVC	Bridgestone SO-3 Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/50 Rear: 205/50				Excellent after the NCT-3. Feeling is good at the wheel, excellent grip in dry and very good grip at wet. Highly recommended for 15". Only concern they were not available as 185/55 in Istanbul so had the 195/50 fitted as fronts.		9	9.0
Dennis, NZ	MGF VVC	Bridgestone Potenza GIII (replaced the Grid II) Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/55 Rear: 205/50				Very good grip in both dry & wet. Very good ride - although firm and excellent wear.		9

mike, was derby	MGF	Continental Premium Contact Rear: Pirelli P7000 Wheel size:15" Profile- Front:185/55 Profile- Rear:205/50	Came with car			Jury out on this combination, not especially convinced by steering feel in wet, although grip at front progressive, had a couple of unexpected 'step outs' on rear in wet, but catchable. In the dry seem fine, bit understeery, but that could be due to running 185's - same proviso re: steering feel Obviously this is entirely subjective, and only based on my expectations of the car, as i haven't got a previous set or sets to compare against...		7
James King	MGF	Continental Premium Contact Wheel size: 15" Profile- Front: 185/55 Profile- Rear: 205/50	With car when bought			Average dry grip however the handling in the wet was a little scary. Car was very biased towards under steer		6
James King	MGF	Continental Premium Contact / Toyo T1-R Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/50 (Toyo T1-R) Rear: 205/50 (Continental)		Toyo's (Front) £41 fitted		The Toyo's have reduced the under steer a lot. Will definitely replace the continentals on the back with T1-R's when they start to wear. Toyo's are amazing value		8 (would probably be 9 if I had the same tyres on all 4 corners!)

Fabrice, Belgium	MGF 1.8I	Dunlop SP Sport 9000 Wheel size: 16" Front: - Rear: 225/40	Tyre fitter			As good as the F1 gsd2's they replaced. Excellent overall		8.5
Chris Reeves	MGF	Dunlop Sport 01 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50	Mike Satur	£129.25 for front pair		Seems to be no problem with grip in dry, once noticed some twitch in the wet. Ride not bad. Too early to say about wear except that rears were on the car when I purchased 8000 miles ago and show no obvious wear		6~7

Dennis, NZ	MGF VVC	Falken Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/55 Rear: 205/50				Average grip in dry & wet. Good ride and poor wear. To be fair these tyres (front only) had uneven wear due to a negative chamber.		5

Brian Howarth	MGF	Firestone TZ200 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50	Local ESSO petrol Station nr Preston Lancs	Front=£52, Rear=£56		very pleased with the grip in the dry and wet as I drive a lot on country lanes with plenty of farmers muck around. The wear rate at the minute seems as good as my last set of tyres.		8

Fabrice, Belgium	MGF 1.8I	Fulda Y3000 Wheel size: 15" Front: 205/50 Rear: 205/50	Tyre fitter			Much better than NCT3. Quickly worn on the inside (tracking issue). Scrubbed heavily inside front plastic arches.		7
Scarlet Fever	MGF 1.8 MPi	Fulda Y3000 Wheel size: 16" Front: 205x45 8Rear: 205x45	Motobuild	£75.00 fitted		Reasonable tyre, good price, and 20K miles out of both the front and rears, sadly no longer available These came with the wheels (from Motobuild originally). A pretty good tyre and would still be using them if i could get hold of them. If it ain't broke and all that...		8
Fabrice, Belgium	TF 135	Fulda Carat Extremo Wheel size: 16" Front: 195/45 Rear: 215/40	They were on the car (young 2nd hand), freshly fitted.			I don't like them. Grip is average, braking is poor !! (although comparing TF w/ ABS vs. F w/o ABS but w/ big discs, is hazardous)		6


Rob Bell	MGF	Goodyear NCT 3 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50				Average grip in dry, occasionally scary in the wet. Good ride and wear. I managed to squeeze 25k miles out of the NCTs		5	4.5
`Dieter Koennecke`	MGF	Goodyear NCT 3 Wheel size: 15" Profile- Front: 185/55 Profile- Rear: 205/50				Average grip in dry, awful in the wet.		5
Brian Howarth	MGF	Goodyear NCT 3 Wheel size: 15" Profile- Front: 185/55 Profile- Rear: 205/50	Supplied with car when new		First set when car bought in January 2002	Average grip in dry and wet. Approx 24K miles rear 34K miles front.		7
Steve White	MGF	Goodyear NTC 3 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50				Frightful tyre. Little grip on anything other than a perfectly dry road. Even small amounts of power would send to car spinning in the wet. Wear rate was very good, but suspect this was due to them being so hard, and thus the poor grip levels		3
C Golvala	MGF	Goodyear NCT 3 Wheel size: 15" Profile- Rear: 205/50				Awful. Were on the car when purchased and I near came a cropper at the first wettish roundabout at which I had to brake too sharply		3
G Hampson	MGF 1.8I	Goodyear NCT 3 Wheel size: 15 Front:185/55 (41k miles) Rear:205/50 (20k ish miles	SMD, Leigh, Lancs	Orig' fit, replaced rears,110 ish pair fitted		Honest tyre, no problems		6
Peter Ambrose	VVC	Goodyear NTC 3 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50	Standard fitment			Dangerous. All to easy to spin the rears (and the rest of the car). Too much understeer		3
Fabrice, Belgium	MGF 1.8I	Goodyear NTC 3 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50	Standard fitment			OK for cruising, not for driving.		4
Yigit, Istanbul	MGF VVC	Goodyear NCT-3 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50				I had those fitted as standard on the car. Average grip in dry, never to be trusted in the wet. Good ride and wear.		4
G Hampson	MGF 1.8I	Wheel size: 15 Front:185/55 Goodyear NCT 3 (41k miles) Rear: 205/50 Uniroyal Rain sport (8 miles was more than enough!!)	Gates Tyres, Workington.	110 pair, fitted etc		Under no circumstances fit this tyre combination! gross rear end steering on straight, felt like rear on castors round bends.		5
G Hampson	MGF 1.8I	Wheel size: 15 Front:185/55 Goodyear NCT 3 (41k miles) Rear:205/50 Goodyear NCT 5 (2k to date)	Gates Tyres Workington	140 pair, fitted etc		Seems fine, though limited use		6
Andrew Regens, Australia	MGF VVC	Goodyear NCT 5 Wheel size:15 Front:185/55 Rear:205/50				This rating is based on performance of the tyres above		4.5 Very Average
Rob Bell	MGF	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD2 Wheel size: 16" Front: 215/40 Rear: 215/40				Excellent tyres- good dry grip and superb wet grip. Ride good too! Feedback not the best though - my impression is that the side walls are too flexible. the Goodyears tend to wear at a similar rate to the Bridgestones (again with a good amount of track use)		8.5	8.27
`Dieter Koennecke`	MGF	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD2 Wheel size: 16" Front: 215/40 Rear: 215/40				Good tyres- enough dry grip and enough wet grip		7
Steve White	TF 160	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD2 Wheel size: 16" Profile- Front: 195/45 Profile- Rear: 215/40	Came with car			Excellent tyres- superb dry and wet grip. Great for road or track use.		9
Mike Hankin	MGF	Goodyear F1 GSD2 Wheel size: 16" (7J) Profile- Front: 195/45 Profile- Rear: 215/40	Protyre Bristol			Sensitive to pressures but track & road performance excellent, stunning braking grip in wet, wear rate better than expected provided alignment correct Cost(optional): circa £80 per corner		9
Steve P	MGF	Goodyear F1 GSD2 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50				Great tyre - excellent grip in dry or wet		9
Jamie Wakeham	MGF	Goodyear F1 GSD2 Wheel size: 16" Profile- Front: 195/45 Profile- Rear: 215/40	Came with my 16" rims	about £400 all in.		Massive improvement (unsurprisingly); much more confident in dry and wet		9
Neil Courtney, New Zealand	TF 120	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD2 Wheel size: 16" Front: 195/45 Rear: 215/40	Came with car			Excellent tyres - never had a problem.		8
Fabrice, Belgium	MGF 1.8I	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD2 Wheel size: 16" Front: 205/45 Rear: 225/40	Tyre fitter			They were glued to the road. Great braking and handling on the wet too. Good wearing rate (15000 km : rears)		8.5
Per, Brussels	TF 160	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD2 Wheel size: 16" Front: 205/50 Rear: 225/45	tyre fitter			Bigger sizes meant dry grip and braking was astonishing. Handling balance still perfect thanks to maintained difference in width between front and rear. Additional benefits: fantastic arch-filling looks and better comfort. Drawbacks: foot well panels must be altered, not road legal... :-(		10
C Golvala	MGF	Goodyear F1 GSD2 Wheel size: 15" Profile- Front: 185/55 Profile- Rear: 205/50	£75 fitted from SE Tyres			Now on both front and back, the change when first fitted to the rear (thanks to the advice on here) was astonishing. Definitely inspire confidence, though tracking, poly tie-bar bushes and Techspeed's Bilsteins all got done at the same time. Rears have lasted about 15k so far and have 4mm left. Addition of fronts this morning, even at silly garage pressure makes for better feedback than the Avons; I also hope for better turn-in once scrubbed-in. Interestingly, I looked at increasing to 195, but the 195/50 only comes as a GS D3, which is something I didn't find mentioned on here.		9
Al, Nottingham	MGF 1.8VVC	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD2 all round Wheel size: 16" Front: 195/45 Rear: 215/40	www.blackcircles.com - they deliver to local fitters all over the country.	£340 for set inc. fitting / balancing etc. A little steep maybe but GSD2's are getting harder to find.		Previous owner had mixed up GSD2 and GSD3 compounds on opposite diagonals, which just felt a bit wrong especially at speed. Much smoother drive now with plenty of grip, wet or dry.		9
Scarlet Fever	MGF 1.8 MPi	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD2 Wheel size: 16" Front: 215x40 Rear: 215x40	Elsenham tyre + exhaust	£105.00 fitted		Expensive, not quite as good in the wet as the Marangonis, but do not need scrubbing in. Didn't last long (circa 14K miles). Not as good an all rounder as the Zeta ESCs i felt, very disappointed in the lifespan (although poor tracking at the time had something to do with this I reckon). Generally feel that they are very overpriced.		7.5
Dennis, NZ	MGF VVC	Goodyear Eagle GS-D2 Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/55 Rear: 205/50				Average grip in dry, poor in the wet. Fair ride and poor wear.		4
Rob Bell	MGF	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 Wheel size: 16" Front: 215/40 Rear: 215/40	Micheldever Station			Excellent tyres- good dry grip and superb wet grip. Ride remains good. Feedback better than the previous generation tyre, but still no competitor for the Bridgestone S-02 IMO. But the side walls are a good deal stiffer than the GS-D2.		9	8.5
Blue Pocket Rocket	MGF Trophy	Goodyear F1 GSD3 Wheel size: 16" (7J) Front: 195/45 Rear: 215/40	Bell Silencers Swindon	circa £75 per corner		Excellent grip (especially in the wet) on the road or track, very good wear rate for the type of tyre		9.5
Steve White	TF 160	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 Wheel size: 16" Front: 195/45 Rear: 215/40	BT Tyres, Rugby	£85		Good tyres but didn’t suit the TF that well. Grip seemed to decrease and made the TF feel more twitchy over time. Dangerous in snow. Car didn’t feel as well stable or as well fixed to the road as with GS-D2 fitted. Performance in the wet wasn’t as good as with the D2 either		7
Andrew Regens , Australia	MGF 1.8mpi	Goodyear F1 GSD3 Wheel size:-16 Front:215/40 Rear: 215/40		$175		Not as clingy as the Toyo's. A good every day tyre that wears well		Excellent 7.5
Ian Stewart	TF 135	Goodyear F1 GSD3 Wheel size: 16" Front: N/A (coming soon to my car) Profile Rear- 215/40/16	Goodtread Garages, Alness	£76 per Tyre		Superb all round tyre, cant really fault them		9
Neil Courtney, New Zealand	TF 120	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 Wheel size: 16" Front: 195/45 Rear: 215/40				Excellent tyre, except while D3's fitted on rear and D2's on the front. Car was often a little twitchy. After the fronts replaced with D3's handling was back to what it was with D2's all round. Except that I spun it once on a track, and had not the year before when on D2's all round. But maybe I was a bit more circumspect the first time out.		9
Fabrice, Belgium	MGF 1.8I	Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 Wheel size: 16" Front: 205/45 Rear:	Tyre fitter			Perhaps marginally better grip than the GSD2's they replaced. At least certainly not worse. A bit stiffer, what is maybe not such a good thing for the F (at the front).		8.5
Peter Ambrose	VVC	Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D2 / 3 Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/50 Rear: 205/50	Bracknell Tyres	£45/£65		GS-D3 on front very twitchy for some time when combined with GS-D2 on rear, but eventually excellent with minimum understeer		3 - 9

Ian Stewart	TF 135	Khumo ECSTA KH11 Wheel size: 16" Front:195/45/16 Rear - N/A	Unknown (on the car when bought)			These seem to perform fairly well in the dry, however in the wet there is no grip at the front end, it just washes out, have to be very careful in the wet.		4.5

Scarlet Fever	MGF 1.8 MPi	Marangoni Zeta Linea Wheel size: 16" Front: 205x45 Rear: 205x45	Elsenham tyre + exhaust	£60.00 fitted		Need a fair bit of scrubbing in (feel a little vague during this period and tend to tram line a bit), look good, last set ran for 20K (front) and 18K (rear - puncture forced replacement, plenty of tread left). I'm on my 2nd set of these tyres - generally very happy with them. Prior to the Lineas i had..		8
Scarlet Fever	MGF 1.8 MPi	Marangoni Zeta ESC Wheel size: 16" Front: 205x45 Rear: 205x45	Elsenham tyre + exhaust	£65.00 fitted		Very good all rounder, sadly no longer available, last set ran for 20K miles (rear), 24K miles (front), not very interesting tread pattern though.		9

`Dieter Koennecke`	MGF	Winter Tyres Michelin Wheel size: 15" alloy Front: 185/55 Rear: 185/55				Good winter tyres - enough dry grip and enough wet grip. Good in deep snow as well		6

Jamie Wakeham	MGF	Nankang Wheel size: 15" Front: 175/55 Rear: 195/50	Fitted with car when purchased			Bloody death-traps. OK-ish in the dry, horrendous in the wet		1

`Dieter Koennecke`	MGF	Toyo PROXES T1-S Wheel size: 16" Front: 195/45 Rear: 215/40	DE local tyre workshop	45 Pound/corner		Excellent tyres- great dry grip and enough wet grip		9	8.57
Fabrice, Belgium	MGF 1.8I	Toyo Proxes T1-S Wheel size: 16" Front: 215/40 Rear: 215/40	Tyre fitter			Hard work to take the succession of S02's ! I went from 15" to 16" and overall wider rubber at the same time, so not very objective. Good "average" tyre		7.5
Nkosi Ecosse	MGF 1.8MPi	Toyo Proxes T1-S Wheel size: 15" Front: 195x50 Rear: 205x50	Fair Deal Tyres Grangemouth	£200 all round fitted.		Almost as good as the Avon, certainly a little cheaper Performance is pretty good and feels pretty sure footed in the wet as well. They have only been on the car 2000 miles, so will have to see about durability, but reports from others seem positive on that respect.		8.5
Bob Millar	MGF	Toyo Proxes TS-1 Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/50 Rear: 195/50	Abottsinch Tyres, Kilmarnock	around £150 fitted		Superb in the dry. Confident and stable in the wet.		10
Steve P	MGF	Toyo Proxes T1-S Wheel size: 15" Profile- Front: 185/55 Profile- Rear: 205/50		£210 for set - fitted etc		Good levels of grip in dry or wet but not as good as my previous F1 GSD2 - better value though		8
Neil, Goth labs	MGF	Toyo Proxes T1-S Wheel size: 15" Profile- Front: 185/55 Profile- Rear: 205/50	Falmouth tyres I know long story!	£200ish for set		Good levels of grip in dry or wet good value. Side walls WAY to soft. Recommend over inflation to compensate		8
Nick Atkins	VVC	Toyo Proxes T1-S Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/50 Rear: 205/50	Selecta Tyre, Loughborough	£260 All 4 including 4 wheel Laser Tracking		Excellent grip and handling in both wet and dry. Toyos have a nice rim protector too which is an asset. I wanted T1-R's but couldn't get hold of them as the guy said they were discontinued.		9
Andrew Regens , Australia	MGF VVC	Toyo Proxes T1-R Wheel size:- 15 Front:-205/50 Rear:-205/50	Edgers Tyre Power	$145 each		SUPERB 8.5 They are a soft tyre so if you use them hard they wear. Small expense for an excellent value tyre. Make a very good every day tyre ride is good.		8.5	8.5
Peter Ambrose	VVC	Toyo Proxes T1-R Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/50 Rear: 205/50	Bracknell Tyres	Circa £50 each		Work very well with no problems. Seem to be rather flexible compared with Goodyears & Bridgestones despite T1-R claiming to have stiffer walls		8
NJ Rawlings	MGF	Toyo Proxes T1-R Wheel size:16 Front:195/45 Rear:215/40	Camskill for tyres local for fitting	£ 240 for a set of 4		Best tyres i have ever had on the car as also good in the wet. Look quite nice as well		9
S J Knight	MGF 1.8i	Toyo Proxes Wheel size: 15" Profile- Front: 185/55 T1-R's on front. Profile- Rear: 205/50 T1-S's on rear	Mid Devon Tyres - Crediton, Devon			Compared to the Nankang things I had before - these are like Superglue. Fantastic data guys - saved me money and introduced me to a tyre I'd not heard of before! Cost(optional): £218 All 4 including everything		9
`Dieter Koennecke`	MGF	Toyo PROXES Wheel size: 16" Front: 195/45 (PROXES T1-S) Rear: 215/40 (PROXES T1-R)	DE local tyre workshop	45 Pound/corner		Excellent tyres- great dry grip and enough wet grip		9
Chris Catchpole	MGF	Toyo Proxes Wheel size: 16" Front 205/40 Rear 205/40		£280 for 4 delivered not fitted		Superb in dry, not bad in wet but again susceptible to light twitching if heavy footed. Around 10K use before replaced on rear.		8
Phil Stafford, Victoria, Australia	MGF 18i	Toyo Trampio GWN Wheel size: Standard Front:205-50-15 Rear:205-50-15	Ian Edgar's tyrepower	A$150 each (Approx 50 Quid)		Good grip wet or dry, quiet, comfortable		9
R D Mellor	MGF	Wheel size: 15” Front: 195/50 Toyo Proxes T1-S Rear: 205/50 Goodyear NCT-3				Toyo’s great for the money except the 205/50 T1-S does not seem to be available any more. Understand the T1-R has a reinforced tyre wall (tried them on a Elise & were really good. So I'm going for the T1-R in future. Wear rate has been ok since setting toe-in to 0 degrees, 1st set lasted 3 months with factory tracking settings! Goodyear’s, on the basis of good wear rates, handling predictable and so much better than the below nightmares they replaced. I’ve had about 21K from the rears although due for replacement now. 0/10 Unknown budget tyre originally fitted to rear of car, messed up handling so much the garage rebuilt rear suspension trying to fix the problem (I let them do it, it was free after all). Suspicion was poorly reinforced tyre walls		Toyo 8.5 Goodyear 6.5
David Clelland	MGF 1.8Mpi 2001	Toyo Proxes Tyres Wheel size: 15” 205/50	Jim Dickson, Cumbernauld Village	£220	2003	Good price for 205/50 15" Toyo Proxies fitted and balanced - excellent service as well		95	95

DC Morris T6 DCM	MGF	Yokohama A539 Wheel size: 16" Profile- Front: 215/40 Profile- Rear: 215/40	Mytyres.co.uk	Approx £54 ea		Not the best looking tread pattern about perhaps but these really are a good all rounder, great grip in dry and wet, have used same for about 4 years and given bit of wellie on track and grip is superb and fairly quiet road tyre		8.5	8.33
Paul Huddleston	Trophy 160	Yokohama A539 Wheel size: 16" Front:195/45 Rear:215/40	Falmouth Tyres	£114.49 for 2 fronts		Found them excellent in both wet and dry seem to wear well		9
Neil Courtney, New Zealand	MGF 1.8i	Yokohama A539 Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50				Good all round tyre		7.5
Dennis, NZ	MGF VVC	Yokohama Wheel size: 15" Front: 195/55 Rear: 195/55				Average grip in dry & wet. fair ride and a side wall failure. This model of directional tyre is no longer produced!		3

`Dieter Koennecke`	MGF	Winter Tyres any of this balloons Wheel size: 14" steel rim Front: 175/65 Rear: 175/65				Poor winter tyres- bad dry grip and bad wet grip. Good in deep snow only		3
Neil, Goth labs	MGF	assorted from ebay Wheel size: 15" Front: 185/55 Rear: 205/50	Ebay!	£100 for set inc VVC rims!!- fitted etc		Cheap but yuk		3
Nkosi Ecosse	MGF 1.8Mpi	Wheel size: 15" Front: 185x55 (1 x Michelin, 1 x Maxon) Rear: 205x50 Goodyear Eagle GSD-2	Carcraft, Rochdale			The tyres were fitted on the car when I bought it. The Goodyears were good but only lasted about 3000 miles before I had to replace them. The front was crap but rally lousy alignment probably had something to do with that		5 to 6
don k	VVC MGF	BF Goodridge G-profiler	approx £60 fitted each inc nitrogen gas instead of air			These I have found excellent in the dry and good in the wet too. Pembury track day was very wet and my car experienced good handling. On dry track days the rubber does get sticky :-)

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Exhausts

MGF Owner	Model	Item	Supplier	Cost	Date bought	Quality	Supplier response	% Rating	Overall % Rating
Dieter Koennecke		Milltek exhaust MGF01 (SP)	Milltek	App. £300	1999	Poor fitment quality due to wrong measures between brackets. Strange dents appeared after 30k miles. Exhaust fell off & burnt a hole in bumper. Had to cut one bracket & re-weld in right distance.	Didn’t complain	70	70
Ian Stewart	MGTF 135 2002	Milltek Quad Pipe Stainless Exhaust System	B+G	£ 325	Dec 2004	Fantastic quality, looks fantastic, fitted perfectly, it is pretty loud especially around 3000rpm, above that it has a terrific sound! Car feels slightly more responsive		100	100
Andrew Regens	VVC 1998	Miltek Super Sports Exhaust Pt NO BGF6000NE	B+G	£ 234	Feb 2004	Well made and fitted easily. Performance increased but it's LOUD. I love it!.		90	90
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	SP / Miltek exhaust	SP Performance / Miltek		1997	Good looking, well made system. Distinctive ‘wail’ and very loud		90	90
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Cat bypass	Motobuild		1998	Mild steel cat bypass tube – can be a nightmare to fit due to OE nuts rusting up, but other than this is great. Lasted 6 years before replacement		90	90
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	KatKit / Cat saver nuts	Mike Satur		1998	Brilliantly simple idea, long blanked off nuts practically solves the rusty nuts problem on the cat		95 - Very good	95
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Mike Satur ‘Daytona’ exhaust	Mike Satur		1998	Superb looking, well made system. My one was one of the first sold.		95	95
Alan Dunstan	MGF 18.i 1996	Stainless steel Daytona exhaust system	Mike Satur	Part of other work	2002	Excellent. Had single exhaust finishers fitted. Makes lovely sound. Still looks good		95
David Clelland	MGF 1.8Mpi 2001	Stainless steel Daytona exhaust system	Mike Satur	Part of other work carried	2004	Sounds great. Not too noisy at speed. Gives car slightly more throttle response		95
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Stainless steel flexi-pipe	Mike Satur		2001	Stainless steel replacement for OE item		80	80
Alan Dunstan	MGF 18.i 1996	Stainless Steel Exhaust Heatshield Finisher	Mike Satur	£ 35	2002	Very good. I found I needed longer bolts than supplied to fit it but you could possibly use the supplied bolts if the exhaust was out of the way. Looks great.		80	80
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	`Piper Evo Exhaust`	`Private purchase`	£ 150	1999	`Chromed tail pipes prone to rust. Looked nicely chunky, and sounded good too. But RR testing showed that it actually robbed torque at certain points of the rev range. I sold it, and the subsequent owner told me that it's mild steel construction lead to its early demise at the princely age of 5 years...`		60	60
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	`Trevor Taylor Extreme`	`Private purchase`	£ 150	2000	`Looked like two scaffold poles sticking out of the bumper. Very industrial chic! But sounded out of this world: earth tremor inducing rumble. Wow. Always best at idle and when the throttle blipped. Didn't make for a great cruising companion through. Lasted brilliantly, and is now making a new life in New Zealand...`		90	90
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	`Mike Satur Imola`	Mike Satur	£ 280	2002/3	`Sounds brilliant, and not too intrusive into the cabin. It is the system that won (in Daytona form) our exhaust back to back testing. Best torque and the best power. You can feel it too - although the overall gains are modest (5 each of bhp and lb/ft).` `Supplied adapter pipe from catalyst didn't fit and let the back box to fit at a jaunty angle - not great.`	`Mike Satur spent an entire afternoon trying to get a good alignment from the exhaust, eventually replacing the whole system. Outstanding service and customer commitment - great work Mike!`	90	90
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	`Exhaust Manifold Support Bracket`	MG Rover	£ 15	2002	Extra support for exhaust and prevents annoying rattle. A pig to fit though.		85	92
`Dieter Könnecke`	MGF	`Exhaust Manifold Support Bracket`	MG Rover	£ 15	2000	`P/N GEX13002. To be installed between Engine bloc and manifold flange if rattling noise appear. So the officials said. Other say it prevents the cylinder head from moving sideward ... Who knows?. Anyway, the rattling noise at my car disappeared. Btw, the installation is an a***e`		99	92
Chaz	MGF 1996	Exhaust downpipe and flexi-section	B + G	£ 100	June 2004	Fantastic workmanship and very good value for stainless steel. Flexi-section much better put together than original part		90	90
David C Morris	MGF 1.8I 1999	SP Super sports stainless exhaust	Moss, Bristol	£ 299	2002	Absolutely superb exhaust; cannot beat Stainless exhaust.		99	99
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	Stainless Steel Exhaust B120 “Standard”	MGOC	£ 236.25	May 2006	Good value for a S/Steel exhaust. Whilst labelled as a ‘standard’ rather than a ‘sports’ version, it has a slightly deeper and throatier sound than the original Rover exhaust		95	95

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Body Interior

MGF Owner	Model	Item	Supplier	Cost	Date bought	Quality	Supplier response	% Rating	Overall % Rating
*Hoops & Windstops*
Mike Nunn	Trophy	Boxer roll hoops + windstop	Mike Satur	£ 450	Sept 2001	Excellent, bit required a rework to avoid hood damage.	Supplier removed, reworked & refitted item without quibble	95	92.6
Michael Williams	TF160	Boxer roll hoops + windstop	Mike Satur		April 2002	Great quality – “looks the dog’s whatsits & is very effective”		93
Tony Thompson	MGF 1.8i 1996	Boxer roll hoops + windstop	Mike Satur	Reasonable		Excellent, but you need to be careful to get ‘clean’ holes in the T bar		90
David Clelland	MGF 1.8Mpi 2001	Mark II Boxer Hoops and Glass Windstop	Mike Satur	Can't Remember	2004	Chrome hoops look great. My windstop is one of Mike's prototypes and is slightly larger than standard. Can't be lowered with hood up but very effective when hood down		90
David Mills	MGTF 160 2002	Boxer roll hoops and windstop	Mike Satur	450 GBP	Mar 2003	Look brilliant, quality excellent, works well, IMO better than anything else on the market including the new MG hoops. MS fitting was top notch as well		95
Norman Law	TF160 2002	X-Power roll hoops (Stainless)	MG Rover dealer	£179 (fitted)	27 May 2004	Excellent fit and finish. Downside is MGR windstop can't be lowered (if fitted) and needs new hood cover.		90	90
Andrew Regens	MGF 1.8 VVC 1998	X Power Roll Hoops	X Power	£ 110	July 2004	A few holes out of alignment that made fitting frustrating but other than that, excellent.		90
Kelvin Fay	MGF 1.8 VVC	MG X-Power Stainless Steel Roll Hoops	e-bay	£ 140	June 2004	Excellent. Fitting is time consuming, some holes slightly out, needed relieving. Instructions would be better if they hadn't left out a couple of steps! Once the job was finished, they look absolutely superb.		90
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8	Windstop	Mike Satur	£ 190	1999/2000	Excellent quality of build – after 5 years use it shows few signs of wear. Mesh in the hoops traps dirt easily – but then its better in the windstop than in your hair!. Downsides: The allen retaining bolts have gone a little rusty, & it does get a little drafty in the cabin 70+ mph		80	80
Karl Woodhead N.Z.	MGF 1997	Windstop	Mike Satur	Reasonable	2002	Excellent. Great visibility, good looking, easy to fit, and very effective at stopping wind buffeting.		100	100
Tony Thompson	MGF 18.i 1996	Windstop	MGR	Came with car	1996	Efficient because of height, but tended to tilt forward at speed & caught rear window when lowered.		80	77.5
Alan Dunstan	MGF 18.i 1996	Windstop	MGR	£ 40 fitted (a deal)	1997	OK. Mine was a deal so value for money great. Mesh gets dirty quickly & frame catches back window when lowering. Hard to tighten enough to stop blowback		75	77.5
Andrew Regens	VVC 1998	Windstop, Non OE	B+G	£ 120	Feb 2004	Very easy to fit. Seems to do the job as described well. Only problem it seems to move forward at speed and has to be pushed back every so often. Collects dust but it's better than being in my hair!	Have not complained	85	85
Wayne D'Andilly		Glass windstop	Mike Satur	£ 100	Feb 04	Extremely easy to fit with no drilling required and looks good, could be slightly higher but other than that it works well and is value for money. Good option if you think of upgrading to the boxer roll hoops in the future.		90	90
David Welsh	MGF 1.8MPi 1997	Windstop	Newton Commercial	List price	2003	Well made, as easy to fit as Newton claims - I am no mechanic but really simple. It works too		98	98
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	FX aluminium Windstop	Mike Satur			First rate item – extremely well designed and made. First rate item		95	95
David C Morris	MGF 1.8I 1999	FX WINDSTOP	Mike Satur	£ 100	2002	This I bought second hand, I love it and think it would still be huge seller if still available but sadly not.		99	95
`Tony Harrison`	`MGF VVC 1999`	Windstop	MGF Centre	£ 128 inc P&P	June 05	`First class. No sharp edges. No drilling required, easily fitted in five minutes and unclipped in seconds. No interference with hood.`		100	100
Interior Trim
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Red/black leather steering wheel	MGR		1996	Looks good, well made but not very hard wearing – was worn out in 5 years		50	50
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Red/black leather gear knob	MGR		1996	Looks good, well made but not very hard wearing – was worn out in 4 years		50	50
Rob Bell	MGF 1.8i	MG Momo gear knob (leather)	MGR	£ 40	1997	Okay - but the selector pattern sticker came off, and it has an irritating tendency to rotate in your hand.. Leather covering has however stood up well of 8 years of palming through the gears!		60	60
Alan Dunstan	MGF 1.8i 1996	Momo wooden gear knob	MGR		1996	Good. Gear position indicator came loose after 6 yrs. Re-glued with epoxy. Looks good & feels nice & chunky to use. Does not quite match dash wood colour.		75	75
Chaz	MGF 1996	Chrome gearknob	Mike Satur	£ 30 GBP	Jan 2002	Excellent quality, great shape, with deep-threaded shaft so that the height of the gear stick is lowered perfectly. An essential first buy and better than any other I've tried/seen		100	100
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Mk1 Walnut dash kit	MGR		1996	Stick-on kit looks OK, but suffered from de-lamination over time. Was worn out after 6 years		60	60
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Leather retrim	Mike Satur		1996	Excellent, bespoke design, good materials, good craftsmanship, soft leather wears reasonably – needs looking after		90	90
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Walnut dash ‘deluxe kit’	Mike Satur		1997	Good design and manufacture. One item came unstuck though		80	80
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Walnut passenger airbag blank	Mike Satur		1998	Superb item		95 - First rate item	95
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Walnut Instrument binnacle	Mike Satur	£350	1998	Great item, but has suffered a bit of delaminating and was expensive		60	60
Michael Williams	TF160	Walnut cowl	Mike Satur		April 2002	Excellent – this is real quality & I would happily recommend it.		95	95
Andrew Phillips	MGF 18.i 1996	Aluminium door lock pins	Mike Satur		1999	Easy to fit replacement pins with grub screw attachment. Look good and do the job well

MGF Users Quality Database

Engine Bay

Sabre Heads

www.DCDezign.com

Mike Satur

Brakes

HiSpec

B+G

Secondhand from eBay, hoses from B&G

Discs

Pads

B+G

Other

Clutch

Suspension & Steering

Techspeed

Mike Satur

Mike Satur

Techspeed / Polyflex

Mike Satur

MG Rover Germany

Mike Satur

MGF Centre

Mike Satur

B+G

MG Sport & Racing

MG Rover Germany

Leda (Silverstone 2005 show)

B+G

B+G

B+G

B+G

Techspeed

Tyres

Avon ZZ1

MGF

Exhausts

Milltek

Mike Satur

Mike Satur

Mike Satur

Body Interior

B+G

Mike Satur

MGR

MGR

`Secondhand from eBay, hoses from B&G`

`MGF Centre`