Wheels and tires for a BJ8

[sjgcpa]

I have a 66 BJ8 with spoked wheels and tubed tires. I would like to buy some tubeless tires and wheels for extended trips. Any suggestions as to where I can find them for a decent price?

Thanks

 

[Wana]

Hendrix Wire Wheel and British Wire Wheel are two that are often mentioned. I know there are others with additional suggestions.

 

[Keoke]

I am just curious sgjcpa, why have tubless wire wheels if you are going on an extended trip??.---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[stever]

Keoke, I have the same question! I went with alloy wheels in an attempt to smooth out the old 'shake' at around 55 mph...and while it helped it didn't fix it. Turned out the rebalance of the rear wheel drums was the 'fix' I had been searching for. Perhaps that is what he means - the possibility of a smoother ride?

 

[longbridgehealey]

Hendrix Wire Wheels in North Carolina. They will sell you the wheels and tires, with the tires balanced and shaved to perfection. Price is competitive.

 

[Dave Russell]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a 66 BJ8 with spoked wheels and tubed tires. I would like to buy some tubeless tires and wheels for extended trips. Any suggestions as to where I can find them for a decent price?
Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]
If you want complete tubeless reliability, the conventional spoked wheels are questionable. As you know, there are 48 to 72 spoke holes in the rim that must all be very well sealed to run tubeless. Dayton & BWW claim that the spokes are sealed well enough that the wheels can be run tubeless. If the spokes are ever retensioned, they will need to be resealed. Dayton claims that the spokes never have to be adjusted so this is not a problem.

Hendrix claims that even the Dayton wheels can benefit from retruing, it is hard to get a reliable reseal, & recommends using tubes. There really isn't much down side to using tubes except the cost.

Another consideration is the wheels rim profile where the tire bead seats. Wheels designed for tubeless use have a rim profile that holds the tire bead seated against considerable side forces, even when inflation pressure is low. Even a momentary unseating of the bead on a tubeless tire will dangerously deflate the tire. Eg. hitting a bump while hard cornering, unexpected hard sideways sliding, etc.

Most wheels originally designed for tube use do not have this tubeless tire bead retaining profile on the rim & rely on tube pressure to keep the tire bead seated. A momentary bead unseating does not deflate the tube.

There are hundreds of spoked wheels used with & without tubes. The up & down sides are explained, I guess you take your choice.

I personally use tubes with my spoked wheels, since my Dayton wheels do not have the tubeless "safety bead rim design" & they DO benefit from retruing/tensioning the spokes occasionally. If I wanted complete reliability & safety with tubeless tires, I would change to wheels that were designed for such use. There are a number of aftermarket solid wheels available. Don't know about "decent price"
D

 

[Keoke]

Hey Stever," Disk/Alloy Wheels" thats a good thought,we will see what he has to say.---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

 

[sjgcpa]

Thanks for the information. Extended trips just means beyond local driving. I am not real comfortable driving to Healey meetings that are over 200 miles with tires that have tubes. I do not want a blowout doing 60 mph.

 

[Dave Russell]

Can't argue with that logic.
D

 

[Michael Oritt]

[ QUOTE ]
I am not real comfortable driving to Healey meetings that are over 200 miles with tires that have tubes. I do not want a blowout doing 60 mph.

[/ QUOTE ]
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I have installed tubes with all the tires I have had on my Dayton 60-spoke wheels. I elect the acceptable risk of a tube puncture and the unlikely catastrophic blowout (I've had one puncture and no blowouts in about 60K miles) versus using tubeless and the running the chance of leaks.

Different spokes for different folks....

 

[sjgcpa]

So, if the tires are good it appears you are comfortable with the tubes? What is the overall consensus? I have my wife and son riding with me.

 

[Bob McElwee]

sjgcpa,
I think the only concern you need to be careful of is the age of the tires. When I got back from the TX Healey Round Up this year I noticed a 3 inch crack in the sidewall on a 6 yr old Michelin with 43K miles on it. The mileage isn't the critical part, the age is. There is a date code on tires that others can tell you how to figure out.
I can vouch for the fact that his wife and son ride with him - she rides in the back seat(s). And she is in a good mood at the end of the trip!

 

[shorn]

I purchased a new set of Dayton WW about three years ago and decided on going tubeless. I haven't had any problems with leaks, but I would have very little fear of blowouts driving with tubes in the tires either. If I need to adjust the spokes, I will either reseal them or go with tubes at that time. As for safety, let's face it, 40 to 50 year old small British sports cars certainly aren't the safest on the road. In a collision there is very little protection offered by an LBC. A roll over can be disasterous. Wire wheels have been known to come off causing all kinds of problems. Therefore, I am sure most of us check the mechanical condition of vehicles frequently. I try to avoid freeways when possible. You never know when that semi decides to change lanes when you might be in his blind spot. But if one is cautious, these cars can be driven safely. First place to start is having 3 point seat belts for you, your wife and son. Then drive defensively.

 

[Keoke]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the information. Extended trips just means beyond local driving. I am not real comfortable driving to Healey meetings that are over 200 miles with tires that have tubes. I do not want a blowout doing 60 mph.

[/ QUOTE ]

SJGCPA,if you encounter a situation that initiates a blow out it is the tire that goes first. Having a tire blow out is totally unrelated to whether you have tubes or do not! .More likely an old tire that looks good will give you more grief[High potential for blowing out] than any innertube I know of.---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif

 

[Keoke]

[ QUOTE ]
So, if the tires are good it appears you are comfortable with the tubes? What is the overall consensus? I have my wife and son riding with me.

[/ QUOTE ]
---- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/savewave.gif
Definitely YES!.Provided you use; 1] a rimband inside the wheels and 2] Moss Motors "Classico Tubes"---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif

 

[stever]

I use tubes in my wire wheels and tubeless on my alloys. I have only once had a tube problem and that was when too large of tube was put in a wheel and it chaffed/rubbed and overheated leading to a blowout. Was only because it was too large and was folded over inside the tire..