New tires & tubes

[pdplot]

I finally did it. Bought 4 Michelin 205/70/15 Defender tires at Costco and 4 Michelin tubes from TRFto replace my old redlines. Found a shop right here in town that has experience with wire wheels, talcum powder & all that. Now - are there any tips out there -other than sprinkling talcum powder - that I or the shop should be aware of? These are stock wire wheels, probably original to the car.

 

[TR3driver]

Examine the splines for wear. Worn out splines are a safety hazard (if they slip you have no brakes on that wheel) and basically indicate that the wheel and adapter are junk.

Also a good time check that all of the spokes are tight by tapping them with a metal object and listening to the sound; and that the wheels run true. You don't really have to have the tire off for this, but it makes it easier to replace spokes after you discover that the spoke nuts are seized and cannot be adjusted.

Make sure the covering over the spoke ends (inside the tire) is present and accounted for. Also check the inside of the tires for any labels or other protrusions that might abrade the tube.

Probably your shop knows all this, but it's worth asking about. Also double check that they have the equipment to grab the wheel by the mounting tapers for balancing. The hole through the center is not necessarily true to the wheel. There is an article at https://www.mossmotors.com/SiteGraphics/Pages/balance_wire_wheels.html that explains more.

 

[mallard]

Make sure there are no stickers on the inside of the tires. They can rub a small hole in the tubes, and make sure you have the rubber band around the wire wheels so the spokes don't rub.

 

[sail]

Grease from the splines can work it's way out on the spokes. Silicone sealant on the inside of the hub will help keep them clean. I didn't see mention of new rim bands.

 

[Lukens]

Please keep me posted concerning the instal on your wire wheels. Cost? Satisfaction? Problems?

 

[pdplot]

Will keep you informed. The splines re in great shape (one brand new last year to replace a bent one), wheels look fine but insides will have to wait until redlines are removed. I believe there are bands of rubber or plastic around the rim. These guys are old-timers and used to work on race cars.

 

[Lukens]

Will keep you informed. These guys are old-timers and used to work on race cars.

You're fortunate to have a good wheel shop near you. It's appears the entire southeast sends their stuff to Hendrix. I'd love to find a good shop around me.

 

[martx-5]

... It's appears the entire southeast sends their stuff to Hendrix...

So does the rest of the country. I live in NY and use them. I frequent the Ferrari Chat forum, mostly in the vintage section, and Hendrix is recommended by those guys also.

 

[Lukens]

So does the rest of the country. I live in NY and use them. I frequent the Ferrari Chat forum, mostly in the vintage section, and Hendrix is recommended by those guys also.

If I were 10 years younger, I'd seriously consider this niche buisness. If I could find an active partner I might consider it today.
Anyone?

 

[hondo402000]

I just dropped my 4- wire wheels off at Hendrix shop on Tuesday 1-15, they check the hubs for spline wear when I was there, All were good. they said they would remove any stickers on the inside of the tire, and remove all stickers on the inside of the wheels, replace the groments that the valve fits thru, true the wheels up, and remove any rust on the interior of the wheels, that can cause tube damage too. remount the tires( my tubes were fairly new and they also said they were the correct size tube) balance the wheels and he mentioned shaving the tire to perfect round condition and I should be running smooth as Glass from now on. I will let you know how they do this weekend

Hondo

 

[pdplot]

Tire job started. Took off left side wheels and pushed them through the snow to my car (I can't really lift them any more - if I ever could) and heaved them into the trunk. Tomorrow am, they go into the shop. When they're done, I'll reinstall and take down the right side. Problem is I won't be able to drive the car until Spring for a couple of reasons. I'll report when the work is done and how much it cost. The tires were $440.00 at Costco and the tubes were 39.95 from TRF, my main supplier. There was a special on Michelins - 70.00 off for a set of four.

 

[hondo402000]

I picked up my wire wheels from hendick wire and wheel, Great job, they even cleaned them that saved me at least 1 hour per wheel. shaved tires, minimal weights on the wheels now, the test will come this weekend when I drive up to concord NC for the local triumph club meeting. Plan on putting the TR6 on the dyno at the shop were the meeting is and see how much HP and torque it makes at the wheels and after tuning the webers over the last year.

Hondo

 

[TR3driver]

Just a side comment; if you still have vibration after the wheels have been balanced, it might not be the wheel or tire's fault. I found that a pair of brand new brake rotors were significantly out of balance!

 

[martx-5]

I picked up my wire wheels from hendick wire and wheel, Great job, they even cleaned them that saved me at least 1 hour per wheel. shaved tires, minimal weights on the wheels now, the test will come this weekend when I drive up to concord NC for the local triumph club meeting...

Hondo

Hendrix did the whole nine yards on my wheels and tires including the shaving. I was amazed on how good the car felt. I really think that the shaving part helps the overall smoothness. When I tell people about the shaved tires, they look at me like I have two heads.

 

[Lukens]

Just a side comment; if you still have vibration after the wheels have been balanced, it might not be the wheel or tire's fault. I found that a pair of brand new brake rotors were significantly out of balance!

You're supporting my fears. I've balanced, trued, and rebalanced my wheels. I still get a noticable "shake" at 50. Can't tell if it's front or rear. I hate to start throwing money at my next best guess. Could be drums, rotors, or drive shaft? Looking for answers.

 

[MichaelG]

'You're supporting my fears. I've balanced, trued, and rebalanced my wheels. I still get a noticable "shake" at 50. Can't tell if it's front or rear. I hate to start throwing money at my next best guess. Could be drums, rotors, or drive shaft? Looking for answers."

Well let's see....I have done what you mentioned at a British car shop in Rye NH...plus over time have rebuilt the front and rear suspension, had the steering rack rebuilt by TRF, and balanced the drive shaft... finally over Christmas I had the tires shaved and balanced at K & T Vintage Sports Cars in Allentown PA... https://ktvintagecars.com. Unfortunately it is now 24 degrees here in Massachusetts, once it warms up a bit I will get the tires back on the car and hope for the best.....from all that I can gleam from the web, and given the pile of shavings on the floor of the shop...I am hopeful this will finally solve the problem.

 

[pdplot]

Update. left-side tires/tubes installed. One problem surfaced. One rim was apparently bent and wobbled on the balancing machine. It proved to have a bent spoke that I never noticed. I'll probably spring for a new rim rather than take my chances on a used one. Tomorrow I'll put the left side rims back on and take off the right side to bring to the shop on Monday. The 205s are obviously wider: 8.07" vs. 7.28" for the 185s at 25.4 mm to the inch. I hope they improve the handling. They look a little meaner than the 185s.

 

[TR3driver]

I hate to start throwing money at my next best guess. Could be drums, rotors, or drive shaft? Looking for answers.

Call around to any local tire shops that have been in business for a long time; ask if they can balance the tires on the car. It used to be a fairly common option, but it seems that most newer shops don't invest in the equipment to do it.

I actually bought the equipment to do it myself, but haven't found the time to apply it yet (need to get the garage cleared out first).

You can also try to spin them up yourself and at least get an idea of where the problem is. Put the car up on jackstands (making sure they are secure) then slowly run it up to 50. Being off the ground will exaggerate the shake, so only go fast enough to detect the problem. You probably don't want the car jumping off the stands!

For the rotors, what I did was to clean the grease out of the bearings, then reassemble the hub without grease or the seal and set the clearance as tight as possible without causing any drag. Then turn the hub, stopping every 1/8 turn or so (45 degrees) to let go and see if it wants to turn from gravity. If it will turn itself, it has a heavy spot. After I got that to pass, I tried spinning mine up using a cup wire wheel in the angle grinder against the edge of the brake rotor. I used a spare spindle clamped in the bench vise, but there isn't any reason you couldn't do this on the car (on jackstands).

For driveshaft vibration, one of my books recommends using a large worm-drive hose clamp to add some weight to the shaft. Just tighten the band around the shaft, the worm is what provides the weight. Try it at each end, in 3 or 4 positions around the shaft. If the shaft started out balanced, then each position of the clamp will be equally out of balance. But if you find a "sweet spot", the shaft was out of balance and you can start trying various positions near the sweet spot to get the best one. Multiple clamps can be used if you need more weight.

Or just take it out and have a shop balance it for you. They will also be able to detect if a U-joint was installed wrong or the shaft is bent, etc.

 

[hondo402000]

well I didnt get out and test drive my new balanced wheels, I was replacing one of the tag lamps and low and behold I noticed my tag expired in August of 2012, so no driving till I get my new sticker

Hondo

 

[pdplot]

Job is finished. Reinstalled & tightened right side wheels. The shop I used couldn't balance the wheels on their machine so that will have to wait until its back on the road. Perhaps I can find a shop that can balance the wheels on the car.I did not get the bill for the work yet but the tires at Costco were $448 and the tubes were $189 including shipping from TRF. So far they're holding air fine.