• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Which wheels?

Share this page

Jeepster

Jeepster

Jedi Trainee
Country flag
Offline
I'm about to splash out on a new set of wire wheels for my BJ8.

Im undecided on which size and type would suit me best?

I have existing 165 tyres which I intend to keep and refit and I prefer painted over a chrome finish.

So it's either a 4 1/2 inch width with 60 spokes or 5 inch width with 72 spokes. The latter is slightly more expensive but I can live with that.

Does anyone one have any experience of which size wheel will suit my 165 tyres best? And how will the 5 inch fit in the wheel arch? I believe the original figment was 4 1/2?
 
If I were selecting new wire wheels today, I would choose the "Perma-true" (permanently trued) 72 spoke tubeless wire wheels from Dayton with 5" or 51/2" wide rims.

Good luck on your choice,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
RAC68 said:
If I were selecting new wire wheels today, I would choose the permanently trued 72 spoke tubeless wire wheels from Dayton.

Good luck on your choice,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
Click to expand...

ME TOO N they would have SS Spokes N Chrome rims.

OMG That's what I Got--:friendly_wink:

OH! N Be sure to Get some 185 tires to go wid em TOO.
 
Moss sells the Motor Wheel Service 60 spoke paints that most of our customers buy who want painted wheels.
You should call Hendrix Wire Wheel before specifying 185 size to be sure they will fit your car. 1-336-852-8909... ask for Allen.
He has been doing this for over 20 years.
You need to read your date code and find out if your current tires are young enough to have mounted on your new wheels.
165s on a BJ8 will leave a lot of room in the wells,and you will still have your pipes close to the ground.
Hendrix can help you choose the best package, and nobody does a better job at truing and tuning wire wheels.
 
I have chrome/ss 72-spoke Daytons on my BN4 with 195/65 R tires. I had 185/70s tires until they got too old. Either will fit. Some people like the look of 60-spoke wheels better, but 72-spoke wheels are more bulletproof.
 
John Turney said:
I have chrome/ss 72-spoke Daytons on my BN4 with 195/65 R tires. I had 185/70s tires until they got too old. Either will fit. Some people like the look of 60-spoke wheels better, but 72-spoke wheels are more bulletproof.
Click to expand...

I agree with John, I have chrome/ss 72" Daytons on my '65 BJ8. I squeezed 205/65 Dunlops on with no real issues, I like the feel of a little more rubber under the big Healey when hitting the road.

65 BJ8 Front yard 1.jpg
 
When I purchased new wheels and tires I contacted Hendrix Wheel Services and he quizzed me on what kind of driving I did, etc, etc. it turned out that 60 spoke chrome and 185 tires did the trick. If you're going to 185 tires you need to check the rear fender dogleg to forward part of rear fender for clearance. Also, 72's are a lot more work to keep clean. Al Hendrix knows what works on our Healey's!
 
Well at least i can run with John & Dougie--:applause:

Ray can come along too--:highly_amused:
 
Thank you Keoke,

Maybe I missed something. I appreciate the reasoning behind fitting more rubber under the car but after I wore the original Dunlop Road Speeds out drifting around many turns, I installed 165x80 or 85 Pirelli Cinturatos and have kept that size in radials ever since with no issues. As I read Jeepsters post, his intention is to install his present 165s on his new "Painted" wheels and this size tire would be well suited to 5" wide 72 spoke rims. If, however, he would like to go wider tires in the future, I may be wrong but I understand the 5" rims would still be satisfactory for any tire that would fit within the fenders of his Healey.

Within the context of Jeepsters request, I believe the Daytons previously recommended would serve well.

All the best,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
RAC68 said:
Thank you Keoke,

Maybe I missed something. I appreciate the reasoning behind fitting more rubber under the car but after I wore the original Dunlop Road Speeds out drifting around many turns, I installed 165x80 or 85 Pirelli Cinturatos and have kept that size in radials ever since with no issues. As I read Jeepsters post, his intention is to install his present 165s on his new "Painted" wheels and this size tire would be well suited to 5" wide 72 spoke rims. If, however, he would like to go wider tires in the future, I may be wrong but I understand the 5" rims would still be satisfactory for any tire that would fit within the fenders of his Healey.

Within the context of Jeepsters request, I believe the Daytons previously recommended would serve well.

All the best,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
Click to expand...

I think Ray has pretty much summed things up.

I will be sticking with my 165 tyres and as long as the 5 inch rims fit these tyres and the wheel arch ok, they look like the best option.
Im in the UK so will be looking at the wheels offered by MWS wheels here in the U.K.
Think I would still go for the 60 spoke if it was offered in a 5 inch rim, as I don't race and they would be a lot easier to keep clean. Roads here with poor weather make it impossible to keep things clean.
 
Jeepster,

Although I too would have preferred the 60 spoke wheels on my Healey, when purchased awhile back, I opted for the extra strength in the 72 spoke wheels as a way of sustaining there trueness for an extended period. However, today, Dayton promotes Perma-True as a built-in quality and I would investigate if they provide this on 60 spokes.

See if tubeless is also available as the elimination of a tube is an advantage. As I understand, a puncture on a tubed tire will deflate quite rapidly where a tubeless will deflate slowly...and with the right tire, could be self sealing as well in al all but major tire damage. Additionally, fixing a puncture on a tubeless does not require dismounting from the wheel and could be done on the car.

Good luck,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
I now have 60 spoke chrome 4.5 J wheels and have always had a wider tyre - 185's, so my tyre of choice when buying new for the first time was the Vredestein sprint classics, for my style of driving they are great, you can use up your 165's on your new 4.5 J wheels and I would recommend a change then to something wider.
The car looks good from front and back and they fill up the arches very well.

:cheers:

Bob
 
G'day Jeepster,
At the risk of incurring the wrath of Keoke, I cannot speak highly enough of the MWS Dunlop product. Over nine years ago I fitted 60 spoke chrome wheels with stainless steel spokes to my 100, re-using my Michelin XZX 165/15 tyres. During the first drive on the new wheels my wife remarked on the smooth ride. Since then we have done several very long distance trips on the Australian road network (which is renowned for its second rate conditions outside the main population areas) and the wheels look as good today as they did when fitted.IMG_4889.jpg
 
Looking good. :encouragement:


pan said:
G'day Jeepster,
At the risk of incurring the wrath of Keoke, I cannot speak highly enough of the MWS Dunlop product. Over nine years ago I fitted 60 spoke chrome wheels with stainless steel spokes to my 100, re-using my Michelin XZX 165/15 tyres. During the first drive on the new wheels my wife remarked on the smooth ride. Since then we have done several very long distance trips on the Australian road network (which is renowned for its second rate conditions outside the main population areas) and the wheels look as good today as they did when fitted.View attachment 46119
Click to expand...
 
Back
Top