Wire wheels or not?

[Durant Mike]

Always appreciate opinions of everyone here.  I have a 1971 Triumph TR6 that currently has the standard issue wheels on it.  I will not be showing this car for judging points at any time.  Been thinking of either changing to Wire wheels or the period mag wheels offered during the 70's for these. I'm leaning real hard towards the wire wheels as I think they look good on the LBC (Little British Car).  One company that sells the Dayton Wire Wheels guarantees that when you receive the wheels they will be true and should not need truing during ownership. What do you all think?  Car will be driven on the street, not competition and the usual classic car amount,  a number times a year, but not daily.

[Matt Harwood]

I always thought the Minilites looked best on those cars. Not a fan of the maintenance on wire wheels--you will not enjoy keeping them clean. I also think they're a little too dated for a TR6. They're appropriate on early British sports cars, but by the 1970s, I don't think any manufacturers were actually still selling them as original equipment. I even think the original TR6 wheels are quite attractive, especially with correct redline tires.

 

Here's a car we had with Minilites that I thought was quite handsome:

 

 

And this is what an expensive wire wheel mistake looks like (don't worry, I took them off and reinstalled factory wheels on this poor Allante):

Edited July 20, 2017 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[padgett]

It is really a matter of what looks good to you. Have had wires before and a 72 spoke (or more) chrome set can look good but I always remember the note from Jaguar that wires were not recommended for completion.

[Bush Mechanic]

Mike, I fitted a set of 72 spoke painted Dayton wire wheels from the States on my Healey 17 years  ago. I used it in competion for 4 years, and road use since. They were nice and true from the start, and still are.  Mick.

 

[Curti]

Personally I like the wires. I had them on a Austin Healy and never minded cleaning them.  For me chrome wires are a touch of class.   Dayton Wheel is a first rate company.  They have just finished up a set od six chrome wires for my Auburn.

But not wire wheels and white-walls.

[keiser31]

Wires.

[emjay]

Are you talking bolt on or center knock off?  I think all Triumphs used bolt on adapters to mount center lock wire wheels.  MGB offered wire wheels in 1980.

[Rusty_OToole]

Live it up. If you get a bang out of wire wheels, and can afford them, why not?

 

From a practical standpoint the stock steel wheels are better. Lighter, cheaper, stronger, and don't need inner tubes which means less heat stress at high speeds (not a concern at ordinary hiway speeds)

 

Mag wheels sometimes have the advantage of light weight but these days, are usually as heavy as steel wheels or heavier. And of course they cost more and are more prone to corrosion and leaking.

 

Your choice.

[SC38dls]

Wire wheels. Half the fun of owning a sports car is keeping it clean. Besides all your neighbors will be very jealous. 

[Vila]

I have been considering adding 48 spoke wire wheels to my 1962 Triumph TR4 that came from the factory with steel wheels.  Triumph switched from 48 to 60 spoke wire wheels around June or July 1962 then several years  later went to 72 spokes with either the TR250 or TR6.  I plan on waiting until after I am done showing the car since I don't want to go through the pain of cleaning them.

 

I liked the look of the factory wire wheel on the 1971 TR6 I owned back in the 80s.

 

Not sure of the spoke count, but some of the wire wheels I have seen on TR6s recently have way to many spokes and in my opinion look odd.  I also like the look of the painted wire wheels more than the chrome versions on the Triumphs.

 

Like some other have said the Dayton wheels are worth the extra money.  One several Triumph forums I have read about issues associated with the Indian made wheels some of the parts venders supply, and if they are not a Dayton wheels then they are most likely made in India.  

 

 

[1912Staver]

Wire wheels always look good.  I would also vote for painted over chrome. Painted are a bit easier on the wallet, and chrome looks too over the top on anything lower on the pecking order than a Jag. I haven't had any personal experience with the India Dunlop's but have also heard of troubles with balance and trueness from a couple of MG owning friends. I have owned a pretty good number of British sports cars{ over 25} over the last 40 years but most have been steel wheel cars. Here in Canada we seemed to get the lower optioned cars much more than seems to be the case in the U.S.

 

Greg in Canada

[victorialynn2]

3 hours ago, 1912Staver said:

Wire wheels always look good.  I would also vote for painted over chrome. Painted are a bit easier on the wallet, and chrome looks too over the top on anything lower on the pecking order than a Jag. I haven't had any personal experience with the India Dunlop's but have also heard of troubles with balance and trueness from a couple of MG owning friends. I have owned a pretty good number of British sports cars{ over 25} over the last 40 years but most have been steel wheel cars. Here in Canada we seemed to get the lower optioned cars much more than seems to be the case in the U.S.

 

Greg in Canada

I think the chrome knock offs look good on this Corvair Turbo. (Pardon the dust). 

 

Then again, maybe it is in the same genre as a Jag? ? (Settle down... I'm joking about the last comment guys). 

Edited July 21, 2017 by victorialynn2 (see edit history)

[Digger914]

Don't know what color your car is and some cars need chrome wires to look right, but when it comes to maintaining the good look for the long run, I'm with Mike6024 on the matted silver or powder coat for the TR6.  Don't skimp on the wires, a sports car has to have knock offs, wires with lug nuts look to aftermarket cheap.

[mercer09]

love the look of wire, but...........................

 

when I was 17 and driving my first Spitfire- it had wires with centers. I loved racing it around the curves on back roads and more then once, the wheels nearly flew off! the centers werent grooved well enough and the splines would strip.

 

Need less to say, I would buy rims if I wtd to enjoy the car "playfully" today.

[Guest BillP]

I'm surprised at the heavy tilt toward spoke wheels. I agree with Matt above, Minilites would be my choice.

 

Someone mentioned that on a Spitfire, " centers werent grooved well enough and the splines would strip". The maintenance of knock-on spoke wheels must be adhered to without fail. Periodic tightening of the hubs and wheel removal, spline cleaning and re-greasing is required or the splines, inside the wheel and/or on the hub, will wear and fail. I would guess that indifferent maintenance rather than a manufacturing error caused the loose wheels. 

 

The original poster may know that a proper conversion requires not only the wheels but changing hubs to splined rather than bolt-on. As someone else said above, bolt-on spoke wheels just don't look right.

[Durant Mike]

Well as I expected, some great responses and I do appreciate it from everyone.  My TR6 has been off the road for quite a number of years and it's not a number matching car, so I'm going to do a complete makeover on it.  Try to keep it as original as possible to a point, but upgrade dash, go leather interior and some other improvements.  Starting to figure the budget.  The car is white now, some previous owner painted it that way, but the original color was called Damson, which was a maroonish purple I believe. The car now has the standard wheels on there. From what I can see Triumph TR6 early 70's used the 72 spoke wheel.  I've also seen a lot of good comments about Dayton Wheels and the quality. They can be bought in painted or a chrome version.  I'm going to put it back to that color with a light tan interior, put the red lines on there and then the wheels of choice.  Thanks again for the comments, gives me something to think about and start planning for.

[Vila]

Great choice on everything Mike.

 

My best friend in college (1968 - 72) bought a very low mileage 1971 Damson TR6 with a Tan interior a few years after we graduated and still has the car.  My favorite color combination for a TR6.  I know Triumph had   several Tan-ish interior colors during that time frame with several minor variations in color and texture, but cannot remember all the names or which was original to the 71.

 

Find a good paint supplier or paint shop, if you are having it painted, that can get the color right.  Some of the Damson TR6s I have seen are way to purple compared to the original maroon-ish purple color.

 

You are luck with only two factory wire wheel choices.  For my 62 TR4, at the beginning of the year you could order 48 spoke wires with Aluminum paint, Lacquer paint, Bright chrome, or Dull chrome.  From approximately mid year they switched to 60 spokes with any of the 4 options mentioned and at one point in the change over you could actually get any of the 8 wire wheel options.  Then they also had the steel wheels, so in 1962 there were 9 different wheel options available a some point during the year.  Anyone know what Dull Chrome looks like?

 

What I like best about  the painted wire wheels is it makes the knock-off nut stand out more.  With the chrome wires you don't even notice the nut, but with the painted wire wheels you notice every individual part of the wheel.  Just my opinion.

[Pilgrim65]

Agree , wire class ,also  think the powder coated looks best on early British sports cars , but love the chrome wires on 50s American 

[mercer09]

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Posted 8 hours ag

 

Someone mentioned that on a Spitfire, " centers werent grooved well enough and the splines would strip". The maintenance of knock-on spoke wheels must be adhered to without fail. Periodic tightening of the hubs and wheel removal, spline cleaning and re-greasing is required or the splines, inside the wheel and/or on the hub, will wear and fail. I would guess that indifferent maintenance rather than a manufacturing error caused the loose wheels. 

 

 

give me 30 minutes in a spitfire today, taking curves aggressively and I will "automatically" remove all four wheels wo any wrenching................... those cars were wannabee racers. nothing more then show.

 

no different then the electrical problems and oil seepage we all became accustomed to.............

 

I could further go on and tell some great stories of my TR6 losing fuses regularly while on a date................... very comical looking back.

[Vila]

This could be a NEW Wives Tale since power coating is relatively NEW, but isn't there an issue with adjusting spoke nipples to true wire wheels that have been powder coated?

 

 I thought I read that on a Triumph forum a year or so ago.

 

Mike, I like the color of your wire wheels, in fact all  your cars look great.  Is that a 71 in the upper left?

[Guest BillP]

Here are some painted spokes

 

 

[John348]

I'm in the minority here but I always liked the look of the stock TR6 rims

[Bush Mechanic]

My inclination toward painted wires is mostly for originality. Austin Healeys and MGs came from the factory with silver painted wires, here in Aus, though an occasional car would be supplied with disc wheels.

I am aware that the US market received a higher prportion of base models, without wires, OD, or in some cases even a heater.

Also there has been much discussion as to the relative fragility of chromed wires over the painted version. It could well be another unsubstantiated theory, but chromes are regarded here as possibly too brittle for competition work.

That said, there is a greater tendency toward 'pretty' cars, now, and chrome wires and Minilites are more popular at present.

Edited July 22, 2017 by Bush Mechanic
Spelling (see edit history)

[Buffalowed Bill]

We have Dayton wires on the 1988 Jaguar XJSC and like the look. As for white walls-1950's, 60's and 70's a resounding yes, later cars no. When we were growing up a friend's father bought a new 1959 MGA with wires. Mike just tore them up! They were so loose that Pat, his father, had to replace them with standard wheels within the first year.

[SC38dls]

I had wires (painted) on my Healy 3000 that had the built up Ford 289 in it (couldn't afford a new 3000 engine besides I was young and crazy). The wires held up very well unless I really got on it in first then it was off to the junk yard to find more. There was usually a reasonable supply available. 

[padgett]

Apparently painted wires are also stronger than chrome.

[Terry Bond]

If I'm not too late to vote, cast mine for chrome wires. 

How often you need to clean them depends on how many mud puddles you find.   It's not too bad and I've found the easiest way is to use some of Mcguires spray on chrome wire wheel cleaner.   I take the wheels off our MGTC, spray them thoroughly and let it set a few mins, then go over it with warm soapy water and a long nap car wash mit.  I hose it off well then use compressed air to blow dry everything before dressing up the rubber and remounting them.  Not a difficult project and I love the looks of them.  Of course the TC came with wires, but they were painted silver originally.   I like them with the Alfin finned aluminum brake drums behind them - it's a good upgrade over the original drums.

Terry

[Curti]

I am with you Terry ,  black walls and chrome wires, a touch of class !

Edited July 23, 2017 by Curti
update (see edit history)

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, Curti said:

I am with you Terry ,  black walls and chrome wires, a touch of class !

 

 

Don't discount the aggressive tread pattern helping out here too.  Who doesn't like black on black on black?