wirewheels interchange-ability

[EMGEBE]

Hi guys.
I'm looking at perhaps buying some wire wheels
But am considering all the options before jumping straight for "wire wheels"

I am the kinda driver that gives my MGB a hard time. It doesnt have an easy life with my kinda driving after its head job. Been running beutiful for ages now /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I've heard from numerous people that wire wheels are all bad for performance driving... is this true?
The splines just fall apart... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif true?

I'm perhaps not much of a purist with my car, im considering buying something a bit different...
eg: a set of 16/6 inch wire wheels from a jag and whack some low profiles on em. Obviously i realise that ill have to get new hubs
Are whire wheel hubs all the same.. or do they have different hub equivilents of stud patterns/offsets?

Cheers guys

- Jarrod

 

[Steve_S]

I drive my B very hard. It now has over 300,000 miles on it and still runs the original splines. They are in good condition. Unless you're running a high-powered engine and drag race the thing, you aren't likely to wear out a set of splines in your driving career.

As far as interchangability, pretty much any standard spline wheel will fit your car provided you have enough clearance. I would strongly recommend against running a super low profile tire because you will push the suspension beyond it's limitations. The suspension in these cars were designed to include a tall tire. Taking that away puts a tremendous amount more load into the suspension system and your handling will suffer, mostly in the rear. If you were to install a coil-over IRS then I wouldn't worry about it but assuming you don't want to spend that kind of money I would recommend a 14" or 15" wheel.

Wire wheels are fine for competition and do have advantages over other styles. Ferarri raced on wire wheels until the late 60's / early 70's even when other manufacturers had gone to steel or alloy units. Wire wheels are typically heavier than an equivelantly strong wheel of another type. But on a twisty course they offer superior brake cooling. They also allow faster wheel changes in longer races.

If you want wire wheels and want to lighten things up a bit, consider one of Dayton's new aluminum-rimmed wheels. Currently they are only available in limited sizing but I believe they have a 15x6" version. The looks of the wheel resemble the Borani version but at a much cheaper price.

If you want to go with something other than wire wheels then there are many options. The most popular are minilite-style which come in a splined version as well, so if your splines are in good shape then you can use these to save money and retain the vintage center-lock look.

One last note about wire wheels... you have to make sure any tire shop you visit can deal with the wire wheels without damaging them. You can't put them on a standard tire machine or you risk overstressing the spokes. A special machine is required or tires can be changed the old-fashioned way, by hand. Tubes are required on most wire wheels but Dayton does offer tubeless versions in certain sizes.