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from wire wheels to minilite style

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Richard_Brown

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OK well, bled the brakes today and clutch, I found from my pre purchase notes they put all new brakes on, there was also a new caliper in a box in then trunk, he mentioned right side was making a popping noise ( I think it was a bad hub)
one of my hubs is so bad it spins on the wheel, It came with 2 new dunlop 60 spoke wire wheels and hubs in boxes from trf that were also in the trunk.

Since I really need to replace all tires and would need to purchase 2 more wheels and hubs I am thinking it might be best to spend $175 each minilite wheel and go with better tire options.
Sell the new in box dunlops and hubs. because by the time I purchase 2 new wires and hubs,4 new tubes its about the same cost of 4 new minilites.

I see the minilites show an inset of 15mm for a tr4a, does that sound correct?

Minator Alloy wheel. Rim size: 5. 5J x 15", with 8 spokes, bolt-on fitment, rim inset: 15. 00 mm, silver painted..
from englishparts.com
 
Richard_Brown said:
OK well, bled the brakes today and clutch, I found from my pre purchase notes they put all new brakes on, there was also a new caliper in a box in then trunk, he mentioned right side was making a popping noise ( I think it was a bad hub)
one of my hubs is so bad it spins on the wheel, It came with 2 new dunlop 60 spoke wire wheels and hubs in boxes from trf that were also in the trunk.

Since I really need to replace all tires and would need to purchase 2 more wheels and hubs I am thinking it might be best to spend $175 each minilite wheel and go with better tire options.
Sell the new in box dunlops and hubs. because by the time I purchase 2 new wires and hubs,4 new tubes its about the same cost of 4 new minilites.

I see the minilites show an inset of 15mm for a tr4a, does that sound correct?

Minator Alloy wheel. Rim size: 5. 5J x 15", with 8 spokes, bolt-on fitment, rim inset: 15. 00 mm, silver painted..
from englishparts.com
Click to expand...

also do I need to change the studs or are they long enough switching from splined hubs to minilite wheels?
 
Yes you need to change the studs to convert from wires to solid wheels. There is not enough thread length on the short studs.
 
There's nothing wrong with minilites!
 

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Darrell_Walker said:
Richard_Brown said:
wondering if anyone has seen these, my 4a is black, not sure these would look stupid or not
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ROTA-RB-W...#ht_1886wt_1095
Click to expand...

That's the color I just put on my silver TR8.

Personally, I would put silver wheels on a dark colored car.

I think they also sell them a bit cheaper if you buy directly from their website (https://www.18racing.com/wheel_rb_specialorder.html).
Click to expand...


Thanks for that link, they never showed up in any search engine. This makes it a bit more affordable.
 
If I remember right, the front ones can be popped out by placing a nut on them and hitting it with a hammer. I believe the rear ones were a different matter. I think mine were spot welded on the back side. I used a dremel tool with a cutting disk to cut the welds. I replaced the studs with grade 8 bolts screwed in from the back side, that way you don't have to worry about the studs pulling out.
 
Richard, the VTO wheel fitment we use for the big Triumph is +3mm, 3.58" of backspacing. There on a free shipping deal in the US 48 this month with free Triumph center cap logos, lug nuts and valve stems. I have that fitment in the VTO Classic 8 in sliver or black and the Retro 4 in silver or black. Give me a shout if I can help.
 

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Richard_Brown said:
how hard is it to replace all the studs?
Click to expand...

If you have the IRS version of the 4A, its pretty simple - just knock out the studs and pull in new suitable replacements.

The live axle 4A, similar to the TR4 had rear studs which were threaded in - they can be removed but it is a much more difficult and tedious job.
 
Hap Waldrop said:
Richard, the VTO wheel fitment we use for the big Triumph is +3mm, 3.58" of backspacing. There on a free shipping deal in the US 48 this month with free Triumph center cap logos, lug nuts and valve stems. I have that fitment in the VTO Classic 8 in sliver or black and the Retro 4 in silver or black. Give me a shout if I can help.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.
 
Also worth mentioning to you big Triumph guys, we're also making a new remake of American racing Lemans, it will be known as the VTO Lemans. I saw the prototype earlier this year and it was in a new color, it's darker than silver, but lighter than a charcoal greay, I really liked it, this may or may not become the production color, I put my vote in for liking it, so we'll see, it much richer in depth than a normal silver. We made this wheel from a suggestion from Peter Brock, he will be selling them to his Datsun customers, but we made them in size and offsets for MGs and Triumphs as well, it will beffered in 15x and 15x7. I've been told alot of Triumph guys are fans of the Lemans wheel, so maybe this interest some of you. They should be ready for sale by late summer/early fall.
 

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