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TR2/3/3A Tr3 steel wheels

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tonegod

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I bought a 57 Tr3 last summer and have been chasing a vibration in the front end that is bad. I took the wheels off the front and both of the rims are bent out of line. Do they still make the steel wheels? I noticed Vickey brit and Moss does not carry them. Or should I switch over to wires? has anyone out there done this? Is there any negatives from making this switch??

Thanks

Jack
thirsty.gif
 
imho, wires are a pain. while they are very pretty, you must run tubes to keep the air on the inside. Unless you buy new wheels, they will probably need to be trued and are hard to keep in balance. I don't know about Triumphs, but on a B changing over requires new front hubs and a new rearend. you can probably find some decent used wheels for alot less money
 
Wires are a pain, they look good though. As for changing to wires, the hubs and rearend are the same. All you need is shorter studs on the hubs so you can bolt on the wire adapter. I've got panasports, but they look to modern on the 3's.

-Adam
 
Good steels arnt too hard to find. Check the VTR website, or E bay or my shed(hint hint)I posted mine some time ago but got no bites.
Wires are nice if you have a big wad of cash flaming a hole in your pocket, but if you go cheap on them (used) it will haunt you big time.
Daytons are the best, as most will agree, stay away from anything from India. TRF has a nice kit of hubs on sale for Xmas giving....
MD(mad dog)
 
Hello Tonegod.

How badly bent are your rims? Could they not be dressed true. I would guess that within one eighth of an inch side to side runout would be acceptable, as the tyre tread will not reflect that. What is bad is a tyre that is not concentric which could be a tyre fault or it is not mounted on the rim correctly. There are lines moulded in the tyre wall to give a visual check on whether they are sitting on the rims correctly.

Alec
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Thanks everyone for the advice, When I did get the wheel balanced is was with the tire on so it could be the tire I guess. Maybe I should take them back in and see how bad the rims by them self are... I will let you know what happens, Although I did find someone close that has some very good used wheel that are ok priced.

thanks

Jack
 
PIman has a point, minor straightening of wheels can easily be done if you can find a craftsman who has the tools. Let your fingers do the walking.......Also very often overlooked is the age of the tires on the suspect wheels. Old radials can slip a belt and drive you nuts. The balance changes constantly, as does the diameter, and they show few signs of the problem till they explode one fine day making a mess of one of your wings. My advise is any piece of rubber over 5 years old should be looked over VERY carefully since it is at the end of its reliable life.
Safety should never be "economised"
 
PIman has a point, minor straightening of wheels can easily be done if you can find a craftsman who has the tools. Let your fingers do the walking.......Also very often overlooked is the age of the tires on the suspect wheels. Old radials can slip a belt and drive you nuts. The balance changes constantly, as does the diameter, and they show few signs of the problem till they explode one fine day making a mess of one of your wings. My advise is any piece of rubber over 5 years old should be looked over VERY carefully since it is at the end of its reliable life.
Safety should never be "economised"
 
Thanks for the info, what kind of craftsman or store would be able to true steel rims? Is this something your average tire store could do? In this trueing does this dressing incorporate? Thanks in advance for any information....

Jack
 
Aloha All,

I've had cars with both disc and spoked wheels. I bought five 15" disc wheels for a TR3 from British Motor Cars, e-mai address bmcltd@spis.net. The wheels where promised to be round and track true and they were. A new wheel option would be the alloy wheels from Moss and other suppliers available in bolt on or knock off.

The advice to go with new spoke wheels if spoke wheels is your choice is sound in my opinnion. Used wire wheels often have all or most off the spoke nipples rusted to the wheel rim and this makes it near impossible to tune it. Painted wheels are not as pricey as chromed. On a TR3 I would go with atleast a 60 spoke wheel. I use tire tubes with the spoke wheels. You may need to get a valve stem grommet if the wheels have a large valve stem hole for the tubeless style valve stem. The grommet centers the smaller tube valve stem and keeps part of the tube popping out of the hole like a hernia. I usually fine these at off road tire shops for about a $1.

You should also consider buying some tire irons which are not that expensive. I change all my tires myself. Most tire shops have have tire changing machine designed for bolt on wheels. These machines use a lug hole to keep the wheel from turning on the machine. Since a spoke wheel doesn't have a lug hole, it uses a spoke and bends it slightly. This changes the shape of the rim. You may also need to hunt around for a tire shop that can balance wire spoke (knock-off) wheels.

When you mount the spoke wheels use a water proof grease (usually boat trailer place have this) on the hub splines. This will make changing the wheel easier in the future. You may want to use a little silicone caulk smeared liberally over the spoke heads inside the wheel center. This will keep the grease from running down your spokes. Becareful not to get this on the splines.

Although wire spoke wheels to some special care, I'm pleased with mine for daily driving. If your considering competition driving, disc wheels maybe a better choice.

Safety Fast,
Dave
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by tonegod:
I bought a 57 Tr3 last summer and have been chasing a vibration in the front end that is bad. I took the wheels off the front and both of the rims are bent out of line. Do they still make the steel wheels? I noticed Vickey brit and Moss does not carry them. Or should I switch over to wires? has anyone out there done this? Is there any negatives from making this switch??

Thanks

Jack
thirsty.gif
<hr></blockquote>
 
I purchased a 59 3A about a year ago, and had a wobble in the LR wheel. I found the same as you have, the steel wheels are not available through any of the catalog houses. I found a place in No. Hollywood, CA that trues and straightens steel wheels. He has been in business for 40+ years and did a great job on my wheels. It has been a noticeable improvement in driving. The company is Pico Wheel Service. I can look through my receipts for contact details if interested.

Good luck.


I bought a 57 Tr3 last summer and have been chasing a vibration in the front end that is bad. I took the wheels off the front and both of the rims are bent out of line. Do they still make the steel wheels? I noticed Vickey brit and Moss does not carry them. Or should I switch over to wires? has anyone out there done this? Is there any negatives from making this switch??

Thanks

Jack
thirsty.gif
[/QUOTE]
 
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