<< IMHO for serious high performance driving, Wires aren't the way to go.
Under
the best of conditions, the wires will exibit greater flex than even a
set of Rostyles. Wire wheels look aboslutely great on a LBC and they give
the car that special something. But for spirited driving, they leave
quite a bit to be desired. >>
I remember a friend who insisted on using wires on his race car sending his
pit crew to find the front wheel that had suddenly left him in the middle of a
turn. When they towed him in, the car, and MGB, was OK except that the disc on
one side was worn down to the hub, as he had locked the brake on,
understandably, when the wheel left.
Steel wheels (unless you are the Stones) aren't the answer either. I had a TR
6 wheel part company from my MGA when racing at Portland, leaving the centre
of the whell bolted to the hub. I then went to magnesium wheels that improved
behaviour under braking no end. Under race conditions, seldom experienced on
the street (if you often go into a corner at 120 mph, wondering if 119 wasn't
the maximum you could go and come out the other side, and climb on the brakes
trying to take off every iota of speed without locking a wheel, fine - just
don't be doing it near me) the feel of the mag wheels is much better - dead
solid and no flex. You never realize how much a steel wheel moves under that
sort of treatment until you try the alternative.
Having said all that, I went back to the steel knock off wheels (very
expensive but pretty strong) a few years ago, as I decided that the car and I
would stop running CASC/SCCA races and stick to vintage events.
By the way, I run factory competition B wires (5 1/2 x 15) on my TR 3 and they
hold up just fine on the street.
Bill S.
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