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Wedge TR8 Wire Wheels

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GBRandy

GBRandy

Jedi Knight
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I need new tires come spring time. I have the stock 13" rims on my car and am considering a change.

Ideally I would like to switch to a true "knock off" wire wheel set-up. Has anyone done this?

Moving to a 14" or 15" wheel seems to be a requirement as well. I seem to recall that there were some concerns in wheel well rubbing and the way the wheel was built in regards to offset(?)

I am not a wheel guy so an advice is welcome and appreciated.

Thanks,
 
There was an indiviual in the Chicago area that did wire wheels on a TR8. You really need to be carefull because with the wire wheel hub the rim moves outward. Unless your right on the money with the rim off set you might rub the lip on the rear wheel arches. You might want to check with Dayton Whire Wheels. In my honest opinion wire wheels do not belong on a TR7 or TR8. I have only seen one previously mentioned and well with dark blue and only the chrome on the windshield frame it looked out of place. The best classic look is the minilites/superlites 8 spoke alloys rims that come in sizes from 13x5.5 up to 16 or 17x10s. You can paint the body color, dull gray, bright silver or any finish and with the variety in offsets your not going to have any issues. My TR8 has 13x8s rear and 13x7.....but I do have extended fenders.
 
I believe Larry (SCGuy) has 'em on his, or maybe they're bolt on.
 
Since Spitfires, GT6s, and TR7/8s all share the same bolt pattern, you are in luck. You will need to find a bolt on wheel adapter to fit the wire wheels designed for the Spitfire/GT6. If you want a different hub designed specifically for wire wheels, you will most likely have to have that made. About 15 years ago, I ran across a set of wire wheels and the bolt on adapters for a Spit at a swap meet. I bought them and gave them to a friend for his GT6. They worked out very well. Mike is right about the offset. Since the bolt on hubs push the wheel mounting face out the thickness of the adapters, your wheel offset will be much different. It will push it from +23(stock) to 23 plus the thickness of the adapters in mm just to get it back to where you started out at. That doesn't take into account an increase in wheel width. Stock is 5.5".
 
My car came with bolt-on wire wheels which I sold on ebay in favor of 15" panasport wheels. Here's a picture of my car the day I got it and I'm sorry but I have no idea who made the wheels.

IMG_4292.jpg
 
Larry, your car(s) is (are) just way too cool looking! Wires OR Panasports!
 
Stock size is 13X5.5 +23. The wheel of choice is 15X7 +25. They are .75 inches wider in both direction. The 15" tires will come very close to the fender lip and the strut tube. In some cases the tires will rub on the fender lips because of variations in unibody construction and brands and sizes of tires. If you roll the fender lips, you can gain at least an additional inch between the lips and the tire, but in most cases you just have to trim a little metal away from the lip to alleviate any rubbing issues.
 
Most go to 15" because of tire availability. 205/50/15 is the tire of choice because it has essentially the same rolling circumference, thereby maintaining proper speedo readings. Unfortunately, there isn't a great selection of wheels out there for our unique bolt pattern- unless you like minilites. I have a red TR7 with wire wheel hub caps clipped onto the steel wheels. Sounds tacky, but it looks pretty good. If I end up keeping it, I'll switch to a set of 15" Rotas.
 
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