Alternative to standard wire wheels?

[TTM]

Dear all,
   
   Is there such a thing as a one-piece rim alternative to the regular wire wheels used on an Ace(ca)?
   
   The reason for asking is that the condition of the roads around where I live is not really improving and my reasoning is that one-piece rims may not suffer as much and go out of round as quickly as wire wheels.
   
   Solid wheels may certainly not look as good as original wire wheels and may give the usual Ace(ca) an odd appearance, but having to rebuild wire wheels every other year is something I am not really warming up to, not to mention the usual mechanical issues related to driving a car with wheels out of balance.
   
   Looking forward to reading your comments. Thanks.

[nikbj68]

Cobra Halibrands would look great and not be too much of a shock to the system appearance-wise, try Gerry Hawkridge for  details.

[minimans]

How about Dunlop knock offs like the light weight e types use? They are available from Xk's unlimited

[tim isles]

I'm interested to know where you live?! The Ace is such a light car, and in my experience even under racing conditions the standard wire wheels hold up really well. If you have an original set of wire wheels on your car and the splines are a bit worn/the spokes a bit loose then MWS make a seriously tough wire wheel that will stand anything you want to throw at it. It's a heavier wheel than the original, and IMO not as supple on the road as the original, but you won't break it. If you let me know the chassis number of your Ace I may be able to tell you where your wheels have been. Tim

[nikbj68]

Oh yeah, the Dunlops were used on the 1963 Le Mans cars too...
   
   

[TTM]

Thanks for the comments. Are the Halibrands or Dunlops available in a width of 4.5"?
   
   My Ace is quite stiff suspension-wise, but was so from new, and the wheels do take a beating on poor roads. The current wheels were new at the time the previous owner installed them about 20 years ago and only about 10k miles later they are already out of round. I ignore if they were sourced from MWS at the time but I imagine there were already not many suppliers of Ace wheels in the correct 4.5"x16" dimensions at the time.

[AC Ace Bristol]

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   TTM
   
   Are you using your Ace for road only or road & Track or Track [?]
   
   It is not just the width of the 16inch rim but the 42mm splines and more important the off set.
   The AC wheels are not interchangeable with AH , Jaguar etc.
    Very early Ace wire  wheels only had 48 spokes, which are somewhat weaker than  the later standard 56 spoke wheels.
   Most of the Ace Bristol's regularly raced run 5 inch by 15 inch 72 spoke wheels, These give better road holding and cornering but increase loading on  wheel bearings, hubs, stub axles & UJ's.
   So regular inspection  and maintenance is required. [;)]
   
   Keith

[TTM]

Keith,
   
   The current wheels have 56 spokes (...each). The previous owner did run 15" wheels at some point in the past, but went back to standard size wheels & tyres when he installed the current wheels. He had the suspension completely overhauled a few years later and I have not been able to spot any suspicious looseness or faulty item apart from the wheels. The four of them sit firmly on the splines with virtually no rotational play, and they were all quite obviously out of round when they were recently checked on a balancing machine. In fact the operator did his best and was able to balance them a little better than they were. That was not a miracle fix though, and 500 miles later, including some on a few terrible roads, the dreaded vibrations were back.
   
   I would be curious to know how heavy the Ace wheels supplied by MWS are. I ignore where the current wheels come from, but unless there were in the late 1990s more suppliers than MWS, they may well be from MWS already. I suppose I will order them a new set eventually, but I am still open to the idea of one piece alloy wheels that would reduce unsprung mass. The car may look odd then, but watching the wheels should not be a great concern when driving.

[AC Ace Bristol]

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   TTM
   
   You state the wheels are not round ..[?]
   
   
   How and where were the wheels set up and balanced .. [?]
   Are the tyres correctly seated on each rim.. [?]
   
   I have found that the likes of Quick fit and everyday tyre specialists Cannot set up a splined wheel correctly as their machines do not have the correct adaptors.
   Take your wheels to MWS or equivalent in your Area (Country). if no one is suitable available then suggest you  have the wheels balanced whilst fitted to the car, mark each wheel so as to reseat each wheel should you remove a wheel for any reason . Thus maintaining balance of wheel/hub.
   
   Your comments please.
   
   Keith

[TTM]

Keith,
   
   The garage I went to are specialised in classic cars and have all the suitable adaptors to mount correctly centre lock wheels on their balancing machine.
   You make a very good point about wheel/hub balance though, but the wheels are so far out that I do not think that would yield sufficient results.

[aCMXCVIIIer]

One issue regarding Halibrands I haven't seen mentioned is that they are pin drive which would require modifying your hubs.  I think you would be better off with center lock hub wheels.  One possible option might be American Mags, which were an option on some Cobras assuming any are still available.
   
   Roland

[nikbj68]

The FiA Halibrands are available on splines(mine are), but certainly not 4.5" width or 16" rim, only 7.5" or 9.5" x 15".
   
   Anyone have thoughts on re-lacing with stainless steel spokes? I've heard arguments for and against, but no personal experience.
   
   I need to replace my tyres soon, and will make a set of cones to fit my local tyre services' balancing machine, as they had a hell of a job last time.

[B.P.Bird]

Nick, Forget the tyre industry con: buy a bubble balancer and relearn the way it was done in period.

[Muffin]

A) You only have to make the outer cone with loose spindle adapters as machines tend to have different spindles.B) I balance mine on a big tall Vee Blocks. C) I don't bother most of the time after fitment as they always seem to be ok up to 100mph. D) I keep to the speed limits.

[TTM]

Good evening,

I ended up replacing the wheels and tyres with new 56 spoke wheels and Cross Ply 550x16 Blockley tyres.
They were supplied by Julian Majzub from Blockley Tyres who has been very helpful and a pleasure to deal with.

While the big vibrations are now gone, I am mostly impressed with how these new tyres outperfom the older Michelin X. While it may not be fair to compare new tyres with 20 year old, dry and hard as stone units, the Blockleys have awaken the handling to an extent I can barely realise. I am now able to throw the car into corners with precision, ease and confidence like I never thought would be possible. While the car felt somewhat lazy in its slippers with the Michelins and had a tendency to understeer like a barge the Blockleys have seriously awakened the steering which has become much lighter and the car can now be steered with the tip of the fingers at any speed above 30mph, and they are inflated to the same 28 psi as the previous Michelin.
I would imagine though that the Blockleys may not be as durable as the Michelin but considering how cheaper they are and how little I drive the car it still makes sense to me to increase the budget for such consumables if they improve the driving experience by that much. Well chuffed so far.