Tubes in radial tires on wire wheels - what do you do?

[Editor_Reid]

Tech articles online ... great idea ... let's see, how could we swing that?

Hey, I know, how about an interactive Healey Forum online where people could ask questions, others could respond and provide answers and leads for finding more info and for finding parts? And it would be searchable and free! It would be like the ideal Healey knowledge wiki.

And while it would remain free (for 20 years now), the participants could voluntarily donate to help keep it alive and thriving, and there could be a page right in the Forum to make donations fast and convenient:
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf/vbdonate.php?do=donate

Sure beats stacks and stacks of old club mags to have to sort through to find what you're looking for

 

[Dandare]

I think it was a lot easier to break the bead of an old crossply tyre using improvised methods than todays radials. We used to actually drive onto the tyre (carefully) and some one bounced up and down with their heels into the bead area.

Danny

 

[Bob_Spidell]

I mounted a 'donut' spare tire using spoons; it was an ordeal.

 

[HealeyRick]

Tech Talk is available from British Car Specialists.

View attachment 65975View attachment 65976View attachment 65977

Thanks for finding the actual article. Norman's "Tech Talk" book is a wealth of information for a Healey owner.

 

[HealeyRick]

Tech articles online ... great idea ... let's see, how could we swing that?

Hey, I know, how about an interactive Healey Forum online where people could ask questions, others could respond and provide answers and leads for finding more info and for finding parts? And it would be searchable and free! It would be like the ideal Healey knowledge wiki.

And while it would remain free (for 20 years now), the participants could voluntarily donate to help keep it alive and thriving, and there could be a page right in the Forum to make donations fast and convenient:
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf/vbdonate.php?do=donate

Sure beats stacks and stacks of old club mags to have to sort through to find what you're looking for

While the BCF has its advantages, my dream would be to gather all those longer magazine articles in one searchable online database. There's a lot of good info in those stacks of magazines that is going unused because they are not available online and no way to search them. Those magazines are getting tossed out as members downsize or sell off their cars. And for those of us who research Healey history, I'd love to see all those private and public collections of Healey memorabilia online as well so I wouldn't have to book a trip to the UK or the Netherlands to search them out. Maybe Healey Santa will come this year.

 

[Marvin Gruber]

Do it by hand pretty often. Average one a month. Not that hard once the bead is broken.
Marv

 

[Madflyer]

Tec [you mean Tech Talk? -Mod.] is always a good read. Try British Marque Car Club News 401-766-6920.
Madflyer

 

[twas_brillig]

Back to the original question: yes, you need a tube for any tire mounted on the original and semi-original wire wheels, as those wheels were not designed to hold pressure - I believe that the rubber strip covering the ends of the spokes within the rim was just there to protect the tube from the spoke ends wearing through. Later designs (as discussed above) are built to not need a tube. Doug