The front lower wishbone arms exist in three distinct specifications, the standard MGF, the MGF Trophy with its own specification reflecting the Trophy 160's stiffened suspension package, and the MG TF across its entire range. The standard MGF lower arms can be replaced with the later MG TF type as an improvement in durability, but both arms must be renewed as a pair, as mixing one MGF arm with one MG TF arm side to side produces asymmetric front suspension geometry, while the MGF Trophy arms are not interchangeable with either.
Lower Arm Bushes & Ball Joints
The front and rear bush positions within the lower arm are reversed between MGF and MG TF. The same two bushes are fitted to both models but to opposite ends of the arm, the softer bush sitting at the front on the MGF with the firmer bush at the rear, this arrangement being reversed on the MG TF, the change reflecting the MG TF's tuning for more direct response alongside its stiffer bodyshell and coil-spring setup, so the model must always be confirmed before ordering as fitting the wrong bushes in the wrong positions affects steering feel and high-speed stability. The lower ball joints are common across both models, handed left and right, bolting into the outer end of the lower arm with retaining bolts that should be renewed at each replacement, a worn lower joint being detectable by jacking the front of the car and checking for play at the bottom of the wheel under vertical loading. The upper ball joint kits, by contrast, are model-specific, the MGF and MG TF kits using different ball joint specifications and retaining hardware, each supplied with the correct hardware for its application and not interchangeable.
Upper Arms & Anti-Roll Bar
The front upper arms are model-specific and handed, each containing integral needle roller bearings and a grease nipple for periodic lubrication, both wear items that can be renewed in situ, and the upper arm pivot shaft changed during MGF production, an early shaft fitting earlier MGFs and the later shaft fitting later MGFs and throughout MG TF production. The front anti-roll bar exists in four specifications, a single MGF specification and three MG TF variants.
Later MG TF bars can replace earlier ones but only as a complete update, as the link assemblies and mounting bushes changed during MG TF production, the links transitioning from handed to a single unhanded part used both sides, so the bar, links, and bushes should be updated together to avoid poor fit and compromised behaviour.
Hubs, Stub Axles & Bearings
The front swivel hub, the steering knuckle carrying the hub bearing and stub axle, is catalogued as a single specification that supersedes the original ABS and non-ABS variants, fitting both applications, while the steering lever changed during MGF production with the later lever used throughout MG TF production. The front stub axle differs between ABS and non-ABS cars because the ABS specification incorporates sensor-ring provisions not present on the non-ABS item, the two not being interchangeable. The front hub bearing kit is the same specification as the rear hub bearing kit, one kit covering all four corners of every MGF and MG TF, and includes the bearing, the single-use stake nut which must never be reused because its crimp-locking feature forms against the hub spline on first tightening, and the inner circlip. The wheel hub is common across both models, and wheel studs are individually catalogued for stud-strip repairs.
A polyurethane front bush kit is catalogued as an MGF upgrade, offering greater wear resistance and more controlled compliance than standard rubber for sharper steering response and longer service life, the trade-off being slightly more road noise into the cabin.