For many of us involved with the restoration of a sports car, the question will eventually be raised as to whether to dress up the car with a set of wire wheels. We have faced this several times and always had to carefully weigh the positives and negatives.
Originally wire wheels replaced the wooden spokes on bicycle and car wheels. They replaced them because they were lighter, stronger, and aesthetically much more pleasing. Then in turn, wire wheels on cars got replaced by solid wheels made of steel, aluminum or magnesium alloys. Today we see another trend where the new wheels are multi-spoked, but not any longer of wire and now consisting of anywhere up to 20 solid cast spokes.
So where does this leave us on the choice of wire or solid wheels for classic cars? Firmly straddling the fence! However the following are some considerations you may want to investigate:
- Was your car originally produced with wire wheels? Were wire wheels an option on the range of the cars?
- Do wire wheels look good on your car? Do they dress up the look and make the car float as it proceeds down the road?
- Are there hub adapters available for your car so that wire wheels can be easily mounted?
- Are you prepared to regularly check the spokes for stability and tightness? Safety is a concern if spokes are damaged or improperly adjusted.
- Will you be prepared to regularly clean the spokes and wheels so that the appearance benefits your car? This is a time consuming and meticulous job that is not for everyone.
- Painted wire wheels were popular on some models, and are somewhat easier to maintain than chrome. Which one would suit your taste better? Which one would be correct for the model?
- Cost is usually a factor. A set of 5 chrome wire wheels will often cost thousands of dollars when new from the specialty suppliers. Second hand sets of wheels in good condition are relatively rare, but not impossible to find.
We tend to advise to go with what was original for the car. In vogue today however is the option of restoring sets of sound wire wheels and then having them powder coated with a complementary color to that of the car body. Now that’s a thought for our Mark 2 Jaguar……
