The steel disc wheel was the standard equipment on the TD and remained available on the TF, although the TF more commonly appeared with the wire wheels that were its standard fitment. Three steel wheel specifications appear in the TD and TF catalogue, reflecting an early production change and a competition-specification option.
Three Wheel Specifications
The very earliest TDs, from chassis number TD/0252 to TD/0500, were fitted with plain unpierced (solid) steel disc wheels, the very first 249 production cars. From chassis TD/0501 in January 1950, perforated steel disc wheels with ventilation holes replaced the solid type, and the perforated design became the standard wheel for the TD and any TF supplied with steel wheels. Plain solid wheels from the first 249 cars are extremely rare survivors today. A wider 4½-inch competition steel wheel was also available as a factory option, providing a broader tyre contact patch for cars used in spirited driving.
All steel wheels are 15-inch diameter and are supplied on a customer's own unit reconditioned basis, the customer's own wheels are stripped, inspected for trueness and cracks, repaired if necessary, and refinished. According to the original factory specification, wheels, whether disc or wire, were finished in silver regardless of body colour, following the pattern established with the earlier TC.
Hub Caps
Each steel wheel accepts a pressed hub cap retained by three pins, fifteen pins are required for a full set of five wheels including the spare. The hub cap is available in two versions: with the MG medallion at the centre, or as an undrilled "without medallion" version for owners preferring a plain finish or fitting their own emblem. The MG medallion itself, supplied complete with its retaining clip, is available separately as a renewal item. The spare wheel hub cap is a separate item from the road wheel caps, and has its own MG medallion specification, although the undrilled road-wheel hub cap may also be used on the spare.
An MGA-style hub cap lever is available for clean removal of hub caps without scratching the chrome plating.
Wheel Nuts and Tools
Wheel nuts for steel wheels are catalogued in BSF thread (TD to chassis 12284) and Unified thread (TD from chassis 12285 and all TFs), in the quantity required for a complete car set. A wheel brace is available for UNF wheel nut applications, a tool specific to the Unified-thread cars.
Owners of BSF-thread early TDs require a different brace appropriate to that thread.
Valve Caps
A chrome valve cap set finishes off the appearance of the rubber valve stems, and an anti-theft set with the MG logo is available for owners concerned about wheel security, these caps include securing screws to deter unauthorised removal.
Ordering Considerations
Confirm the chassis number when ordering wheel nuts (BSF or Unified thread) and any wheel-related hardware that is thread-specific. The 4½-inch competition wheel is available as a factory-period option but is not a like-for-like fit for cars that originally had the standard 4-inch wheels, it changes the tyre contact patch and the appearance of the wheel arch fill. Hub caps and medallions are common across all TD and TF specifications regardless of chassis number. The wheel-finishing colour, per factory specification, is silver.