The list has been doing pretty well on these questions, so I'll just
mention the ones where I might add something useful.
>Have a 62 A II with wire wheels. Don't know lots about wire wheels. I
presume that they require tubes but not sure.
British Wire Wheels sells a tubless version of wire wheels, where they have
applied a thick coat of silicon rubber sealant over the spoke ends. I
think they come with a guarantee of at least a couple of years, so it must
work pretty well. If you try this on old wheels I suggest that they be
sand blasted and repainted inside to assure a perfectly clean surface for
the sealant to adhear to. Also you should do any required spoke tuning
before applying the sealant. Otherwise, it sounds lika a good idea to me,
because I think tubes are a PITA. When it comes to the large diameter hole
in the rim where the tube valve stem passes through, get the Ford style of
tubless tire valve stem which is fatter at the base and fits the hole
perfectly. Also get the shortest valve stems you can find, as they are
less suceptible to road hazard damage.
>1. What are a good set of tires (not into the track thing :>)
Here's a direct answer. Dunlop SP20 165R15. The speed rating letter "S"
after the "R" is implied by default, as is the "80" seried profile, so the
complete size designation would be 165-80RS-15. They also have temperature
rating A and traction rating A. This is a very good street tire
(considering the narrow size), sticks to the road like a Pirellie, wears
like a Michellin, and is very reasonably priced, around $200 a set
installed. Shop around a bit and find a tire distributor who will give you
a better price than a local tire dealer. Also you may have to order them
and wait a few days for delivery, as it is not a real popular size and may
not be in stock locally. Settle for nothing less then traction rating A,
the cost difference is minor.
This tire size fits a VW Beetle, also with 15x4 wheels, so there is still a
production demand. The 165 is about one size larger than the original
5.60-15 bias ply tires, but being lower profile it is exactly the correct
overall diameter to make your odometer come out spot on (when the tires are
new). The same designated size of tire in other brands may not be exactly
the same dimensions. The 155 tire size would be closer in width to the
original tires, but they probably will not be cheaper because of lesser
production quantities. The 165 carries the load better than the 155
(better grip), and very many MGAs are wearing this size tire these days.
>7. I've read/heard that the rim can be easily damaged by the typical "tire
store experts". If so, what do I look for in a place or do I have to go to
the english tire specialist?
This is easier than it sounds. Look for a shop that uses a no-touch tire
mounting machine, fairly common these days. This machine grips the inside
of the rim from underneath, so it makes no difference what the center
construction of the wheel is. The machine also has an adjustable arm that
gets positioned just above the edge of the rim where the operator can use a
tire lever to pry on the tire without touching the rim, so it shouldn't
even scuff the paint on the rim.
Balancing the mounted tire and wheel is another problem of its own. Spin
balancing machines (most common these days) require a set of fixturing
cones to mate with the "strange" mounting surfaces on the wire wheel hub.
If they have the proper cones, all is well. If not, they just won't
balance. The best solution would be to find a machine that uses a complete
splined hub and knockoff nut for a spin fixture, but the odds on this are
about a million to none.
On the other hand, static balancing is not a bad solution. I have a
portable bubble balancing fixture in my tool collection that does a
reasonably good job in my own garage (and paid for itself in about three
uses). I bought this from J.C. Whitney (Warshowski Co.) for about $80.
Only problem was that I had to balance the balancer tool before I could
balance wheels. <:( Until about 20 years ago bubble balancing was the
norm, and spin balancing was rare. These days it may be hard to find a
shop that still uses a bubble balancer. If you're in the habit of driving
around 80 mph on a regular basis, you may find some added benefit to spin
balancing, as it can partially compensate for latteral imbalance of crooked
wheels.
Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
PS
I don't bother to balance the race wheels I use for autocrossing, as they
seldom go over 55 mph.
BG
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