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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGA - MG 'heavy duty axle straps'

Does anyone have experience with these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MG-MGB-MGA-midget-Sprite-Heavy-Duty-Axle-Straps_W0QQitemZ300199636149QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item300199636149

They cost about the same as the rubber ones, but they look much sturdier. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Darian
Darian Henderson

I have no experience with them yet but I to will be switching over to them once my rubber ones bresk agsin!
WMR Bill

The "rubber" straps aren't just rubber. They have internal webbing which is protected by the outside rubber. There was a batch of straps last year with no internal webbing and they would break almost immediately when installed. This situation has long since been remedied.

The straps you are looking at on eBay are basically more webbing and no rubber coating. They are stronger than necessary but that isn't a bad thing by any means. My only concern would be longevity when placed under a car where the straps will be exposed to water, heat, oil and other corrosive products.
Steve Simmons

Someone gave me some rubber ones that he didn't need. I was going to replace the ones I have, but it looks like I have some nylon ones that someone must have made. They look pretty rough, though, so I was thinking about buying these.

Thanks for the input.

Darian
Darian Henderson

Wouldn't the rubber straps (with the internal webbing) give a softer stop when the rear axel reaches its travel limit? -M.S.
Martin Straka

Potentially yes. The webbing inside the original style rubber straps is thinner than the ones on eBay, and may therefore "stretch" more when the axle reaches its limit. The difference may be noticeable but I don't know anyone who has compared the factory designed setup to something more rigid.
Steve Simmons

Darian, from what I've read there was a lot of problems with the straps being sold by the usual vendors such as Moss and VB. The were tearing apart with very little force, seemed the internal reinforcment was not good enough. If you're not into concourse but want a strap that will last then I'd recommend the straps from Rusty. He's a fellow enthusiast and his products come highly recommended by others on the MG Experience board. http://brokenheartstudio.googlepages.com/heavydutyaxlestraps
As far as the need for "stretch" I can't see it. These are there to prevent the axle from dropping too far and are usually not even coming into play for reasonably normal driving. If you're autocrossing or such then you might feel the axle start to lift when the strap hits the limit, but mostly they're good for holding the rear axle at a reasonable height when you have to jack up the car to change a flat.
Bill Young

I wouldn't worry about exposing these straps to the weather under the car. Nylon is unaffected by water and is resistant to rot and decay. UV light will harm it, but under the car this won't be a problem. I don't know about oil saturation, but as nylon is petroleum based I wouldn't think this to be a problem either. If there are any chemists on the board they may want to chime in.
Mark J Michalak

That is my car in the picture. The rubber ones have a problem of breaking. My friend put some rubber ones from Moss on and they broke as soon as he lowered the car. I would only use the heavy duty ones and they fit fine.

Tom
Tom Walters

Tom, as mentioned above the problem with the factory type rubber straps was short lived. The bad batch is gone and new straps are just as good as they were before the problem. I've been running a set on my GT now for 8 months and they are fine.

Bill, I don't know whether or not the factory specified the amount of stretch in straps used on various cars but I suspect it would make little difference. Theoretically a bit of "give" would protect the mounting pins but I've only seen these pins fail when old and rusty.

The main purpose of axle straps on MGBs is to prevent the shocks from over-extending. They also help to limit body roll in extreme conditions and protect the exhaust from damage.
Steve Simmons

Steve, I bought my rubber straps 6 months ago and so did my friend. His broke as soon as his car was lowered. After that I never installed mine. So I must still have a bad set. Glad to hear they fixed the problem. I was going to throw them away(didn't want to sell them after what happened to my friend) but maybe I will see if they will replace them.

Thanks, Tom
Tom Walters

I had the same experience. As soon as the axle was lowered onto the straps, they failed. I put on another set and they have been there for the past year without a problem. I've reached the limit many times, too!

If you had a problem only 6 months ago, you probably got some of the old batch. I would assume they didn't come from Moss, but if so then I'm sure they will exchange them for you.
Steve Simmons

It seems to me over the years I've installed a few straps on different LBCs and they were not all the same lenght,any thoughts? Ric
RIC LLOYD

They are specific to the suspension geometry of the vehicle you're installing them on. For example, MGB uses two straps. One for chrome bumper cars and one for rubber bumper cars, which ride higher.
Steve Simmons

This thread was discussed between 17/02/2008 and 25/02/2008

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This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.