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60 vs 72 Spoke Wire Wheels

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mmgwhite

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I posted this on the Austin Healey Experience forum and hoping to broaden the audience by posting here.

Decisions, decisions.

Are there any disadvantages to 72-spoke chrome 5.5" wire wheels? Any problem with clearance in the wheel well issues?

As mentioned in the other forum, it looks like perhaps future modification of the brakes may have fewer options with the 4.5" wheels than the 5.5".

Are the 60-spoke wheels considered important in maintaining originality?

I won't be racing the car and am a pretty conservative driver at age 77.

I am not concerned about the difference in cost. Just trying to make a decision I won't later come to regret. What would you folks do?

I got some very useful information on the other forum. Anybody here care to chime in? I plan on 4 new wheels sometime in the next few weeks.

Thanks all.

 
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Healey Nut

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Re: Pros and cons of 60 vs 72 spoke wire wheels

It all comes down to the look you want it’s your car .
72 spoke are a pain to clean , easiest way I found was to remove them and pressure wash them . I had them on both my BJ8s , I would assume that 72 spoke are stronger than 60 .
The wheel wellclearance shouldn’t matter as long as the overall wheel diameter is the same based on what tire size you use .
I could full lock my BJ8s without any rubbing in The front wheel arch or on the splash guards etc .
Dayton wire wheels are what I used and if I was buying wire wheels again would go back to them again for a third set without question .
My 62 project car will have mini lites on it .
 
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Jack T

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Re: Pros and cons of 60 vs 72 spoke wire wheels

When buying new wheels, I opted for 5" painted 72 spokes. If I'm unfortunate to someday hit a hole or some such, that's the strongest combination available. Less expensive than 60 spoke chrome, and I prefer the look of painted wheels on a roadster. And it's the correct width for a 185 tire. Chrome wheels look best on the convertibles, and my E-Type. 🙂
 
HealeyRick

HealeyRick

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Re: Pros and cons of 60 vs 72 spoke wire wheels

I'm happy with Dayton 72 spokes on my BJ7. The spokes are stainless, the rims chrome. If you're not concerned by cost, I'd buy a set of new tires to go along with them and order the Daytons from Hendrix Wirewheel. https://www.hendrixwirewheel.com/ The wires would be trued, balanced and the tires could be shaved all at once. Shipping will be a hit to AK, I'm sure.
 
Michael Oritt

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Re: Pros and cons of 60 vs 72 spoke wire wheels

You don't say what kind of car you have. To my eye 72's appear acceptable only on BJ7's and BJ8's--definitely too busy for roadsters.
 
John Turney

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When I went to buy new wheels for my 100-6 over 20 years ago, 60-spoke wheels would not fit with the front brake drums. 48-spoke wheels were out, so I went with 72-spoke chrome/stainless Dayton wheels. They have never required truing since new. For cleaning, since they are not painted, I use [FONT=&quot]Meguiars spray-on chrome wheel cleaner. It saves a lot of work.

The disadvantage of 72-spoke wheels is they look busy.[/FONT]
 
steveg

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I have a BN6 with 4-wheel disc brakes, running 72-spoke Daytons. Agree with John T they look busy. On a disc-braked car, if I had a do-over, would seriously consider chrome/stainless 60-spokers for their less-busy looks.
 
Michael Oritt

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When I ordered 60-spoke chrome Daytons for my 100--with BN/BT7 discs--I simply specified that the offset be set to accommodate the brakes.
They have been on the car for about 20 years with no problems and, at least to my eye, look appropriate to the size and lines of the car.
 
Bob_Spidell

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steveg said:
I have a BN6 with 4-wheel disc brakes, running 72-spoke Daytons. Agree with John T they look busy. On a disc-braked car, if I had a do-over, would seriously consider chrome/stainless 60-spokers for their less-busy looks.
Click to expand...

I said as much on the other forum the OP posted on--I have 72-spokers on my BJ8--and was informed they actually look 'masculine' (a bit of a stretch IMO).

Also, I don't think the Dunlop brand exists anymore--I could be wrong--as they've been subsumed by 'MWS.' I have a set of MWS 48-spokers on order from Tom Monaco for my BN2, and he assures me the quality is at least as good as Dayton's now. Last I checked, Dayton only makes 5" and 6" rims in 72-spokes; I have 6" and feel they're a bit too wide (although I only have a slight rubbing issue on the rear tires on hard cornering, with 185/70 tires). MWS makes a 5.5" rim, which should be perfect, esp. with fatter tires.

Side note: If you get your tires 'shaved,' it voids the warranty--per Tom, who is a Vredestein distributor--if that matters to you.
 
D

dcarlg

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I had 60 spoke Chrome Dunlop wheels on my BT7.
Broke several spokes on the front wheels while flat towing.
Replaced with 72 spoke chrome/SS Daytons.
No problems since.
I second the spray-on cleaners. Spray on, let set a few minutes, rinse, repeat if needed.
Good luck.
 
John Turney

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British Wire Wheel in Santa Cruz (no longer around) made my Daytons tubeless by sealing all the spokes with silicone.
 
Healey Nut

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Madflyer said:
My Morgan friends have wires that do not require liners and tubes have you found them?? Madflyer
Click to expand...

All the Dayton’s I had on my BJ8s were tubeless , they came that way from Dayton never had any issues with them .
 
Madflyer

Madflyer

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One of my TR6 members has wires and liners the tire store in Lake Tahoe did not know how the install tube and two wheels had pinched tubes at the same time. old school I guess. Madflyer
 
steveg

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I've had good service from America's Tire (nee Discount Tire) - my local store has guys who know wire wheels. Besides my Healey, my neighbor has had them do the Borranis on his Ferraris.

They have the tools and training to handle this. YMMV
 
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mikephillips

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One thing no one has mentioned is that before buying anything you need to check the condition of the hubs to be sure the splines are not worn out. When new they would look like equilateral triangles with the tops squared off when viewed from the end. As they age and wear they tend to become sharp on top when you run a finger over them and can be pushed to one side or the other. I’ve had hubs that one side of the splines stood straight up. When this type of wear occurs, the new wheel splines will not mesh correctly and can cause accelerated wear and even failure of the worn splines. So be sure you do not need both hubs and wheels to be safe and long lasting before any purchase.
 
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AUSMHLY

AUSMHLY

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I had 72 spoke chrome tubed Daytons and switched to 60 spoke chrome tubeless MWS. My view changed appreciating the look of stock 60 spokes; showing more clearance between the spokes. Cleaning 60 vs 72 is a lot easier and faster. Spray with your wheel cleaner of choice, use a cheap paintbrush to clean between the spokes, rinse with water and blow dry with a powerful leaf blower so they don't water spot.
 
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