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Opinion Wire Wheels Vs. Minilite Style Knock Offs

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PeterB

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I am looking for opinions on 60 Spoke Wire Wheels Vs. Minilite Style Knock Offs. 1 consideration I have for Minilites over Wire Wheels is I live in western Maine and the is nobody I can find close to me that will touch wire wheels for trueing, mounting, and balancing.
 
No doubt the minilites will be easier to mount, clean and maintain. It really beomes a question of whether you like the looks of wire wheels better than the minilites and are willing to pay the extra cost to have them. Allen Hendrix https://www.hendrixwirewheel.com/ will sell you a nice package all mounted, trued, shaved and balanced and deliver them to your door. Personally, I chose the 72 spokes, a worthwhile upgrade if you're buying new wheels. Closer to home, in Auburn, MA, this place could take care of your mounting and balancing needs: https://www.wheelrepairservice.com/
 
Agree with Rick regarding the choice between the two. It's really a matter of personal preference. As for getting them mounted and balanced, I've found that most tire stores (at least around here) are willing to mount and balance them. What they won't do is take them off the car or put them back on the car. The liability issues with knock-offs are just too complicated.

The other problem you may run in to is that some wire wheels won't fit on modern spin balance machines. I had to modify an old hub to use on the spin balancer to get this done. Basically, I just had a machine shop take out the center of octagonal knockoff nut and also machine the surfaces of the hub that sit on the spin balancer. It took a few trips between the tire shop and the machine shop to get it right, but fortunately both places were willing to work with me on it. Here's a blurry photo of it.
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I would go with wire wheels. Interestingly Minilites were never used on any Austin Healey works car except the very last Rally car which was prepared to run in the 1968 Tour of Britain rally. It was entered as a prototype because it had an all aluminium engine, however the rally was cancelled due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The car still exists and was performing at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last month although the aluminium engine isn't currently in the car
 
Undeniably, the wire wheels look better, and they can very easily have tires mounted on them by hand. I was already then >55 (and relatively small in stature) and I didn't break a sweat. Only problem I had was not being able to get two (2) of the five (5) to seat the beads, my compressor just not proding the volume of air required (local tire shop filled them up and the beads immediately sealed for them, of course. No cost, btw).

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Hey Randy,
Bet you'll miss that snow in the picture from the Ohio home !
Regards,
Mike

PS -Peter, as all have said it's a personal decision as to what looks good to you but if at all possible, I would stick with wire wheels. Just can't beat the looks and that's what the factory used.
 
We tour extensively in our BJ8, 4 trip across US in last 5 years. After 2 flats with wire wheels and not being able to find someone that would fix a tube tire on a wire wheel, changing by hand so as to have a spare, i went to the minilites on the BJ8. Alan Hendrix has done wires for all my cars and he is great but if you do any kind of long distance touring, I'd recommend the minilite knockoffs. I feel they are more stable at speed as well and stay ROUND! :smile:
 
bighealeysource said:
Hey Randy,
Bet you'll miss that snow in the picture from the Ohio home !
Regards,
Mike

PS -Peter, as all have said it's a personal decision as to what looks good to you but if at all possible, I would stick with wire wheels. Just can't beat the looks and that's what the factory used.
Click to expand...
Hasn't happened yet, but I am looking forward to missing it again this winter!
 
Randy Forbes said:
Undeniably, the wire wheels look better, and they can very easily have tires mounted on them by hand. I was already then >55 (and relatively small in stature) and I didn't break a sweat. Only problem I had was not being able to get two (2) of the five (5) to seat the beads, my compressor just not proding the volume of air required (local tire shop filled them up and the beads immediately sealed for them, of course. No cost, btw
Click to expand...

I'm running tubeless 70-spokers -- is there any special equipment or expertise or info necessary to have with me on the road so I could have a "normal" tire place remove the tire and do a good job of fixing the flat vs inserting a plug and maybe ruining the tire?
 
I'm partial to minilites as the practical choice, as others have mentioned they are more serviceable on road trips. And they look good too, as demonstrated in this pic of my favorite Healey.

7-5-10 AH rendesvouz, Payson soccer tourney 106.jpg
 
ahealey1004 said:
I'm partial to minilites as the practical choice, as others have mentioned they are more serviceable on road trips. And they look good too, as demonstrated in this pic of my favorite Healey.

View attachment 28564
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Talk about a Healey I wouldn't want to meet at night in a dark alley:

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Is that the old Syd Seagal car or is it something else?
 
hi Rick- yes that's the ex-Syd Segal/ John Gott car known as ABL6, taken in Oregon @2010, when Bill Bolton still owned it. I believe Steve Pike now has it in Australia. I have been in love with this car ever since I first saw it in Bill's garage back in the 80's.
 
steveg said:
I'm running tubeless 70-spokers -- is there any special equipment or expertise or info necessary to have with me on the road so I could have a "normal" tire place remove the tire and do a good job of fixing the flat vs inserting a plug and maybe ruining the tire?
Click to expand...

A tire shop should have no problem with tubeless wires. You might ask them to be extra careful so as not to break the seal.
 
The Segal car was purchased by a Swedish chap who races it. It is no longer in the modsports format. The car raced at Castle Coombe in the all Healey race last year. I don't think the wheels on Syd's car were Minilites.
 
Here is a photo of the ex-Segal car at Castle Coombe and its wearing Minilites! The cars were allowed to race with Minilites as this race was not under FIA rules. In most of the big FIA Classic races such as Spa and Le Mans the cars have to run to FIA appendix K regs which means they must have wire wheels.
 

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DerekJ said:
The Segal car was purchased by a Swedish chap who races it. It is no longer in the modsports format. The car raced at Castle Coombe in the all Healey race last year. I don't think the wheels on Syd's car were Minilites.
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Didn't they use Wolfrace brand wheels? I can remember lots of coverage of those cars in Healey Highlights* back around the late 70s. In fact, the shop I was working at, Austin Healey West, used the Mod-Sports Healeys in their ad copy in HH issues.

* Healey Highlights was the monthly newsletter of the Austin Healey Club Pacific Centre
 
RandyHicks said:
We tour extensively in our BJ8, 4 trip across US in last 5 years. After 2 flats with wire wheels and not being able to find someone that would fix a tube tire on a wire wheel, changing by hand so as to have a spare, i went to the minilites on the BJ8. Alan Hendrix has done wires for all my cars and he is great but if you do any kind of long distance touring, I'd recommend the minilite knockoffs. I feel they are more stable at speed as well and stay ROUND! :smile:
Click to expand...

Randy, just curious what type of tire and size are you running with those minilites?

Thanks,
Pete
 
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