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Maybe I am computer inept. I tried the "Search" feature and got all results for wiring problems and wheels brakes, etc. no luck on what I really wanted.
How many of you have real wire wheels on your Cats? Do they work well? Any problems with balance, handling, keeping clean?
I have always liked the look, even though it is a love-em or hate-em concept in most cases. I have seen a couple of cars in the Gallery shots that looked really great, but haven't been thru the entire series yet.
I had wires on my 64 E Type from new, they were a little harder to clean than standard wheels but not too bad. Since I was a high school kid, I had time and Simichrome! I must have gone through a tube of Simichrome every couple months.
The worst part was having them tuned to keep the spokes tight. This happened about once every two years at a pretty good price. Wires that are not checked regularly can be dangerous if you drive quickly.
Beautiful to look at and you get plenty of time to do that simply keeping them clean. Wire wheels belong in the era of inner tubes and cross ply tyres.
At the speeds most of us are likely to be driving, wire wheels are not going to be a safety or handling issue. During many cross country trips, I drove my e-types across the Mohave desert , at night most of the time, flat out for well over 100 miles, flat out on my would be 140+ mph. I never had any stability issues, full disclosure; that was entirely straight line driving.
Wire wheels start to get wigglely in the 125+ mph curves, How many of us are hitting the "S" curves @ those speeds ?
all the motorcycles I drove in the 1960's and 1970's had wire wheels and on numerous occasions, those also were driven continuously at 100 - 120 mph on curved and straight roads until the gas tank was near empty.
would I want wire wheels driving 200 mph ? No. Do I want them bad enough to swap my factory wheels ? Again no. But if I'd bought my '02 XKR with wire wheels already on it, I might just keep it that way.
there are actually a few forum members who added Dayton wire wheels to their XK8/R's. Use an advanced search with Dayton wire wheels as the key words, select XK8/XKR forum and you will pull a few threads. Most memorable was Mike (aka mrplow58). Here is the link to his post with pics of his BRG XK8 and the 16"wires he added. unfortunately the car suffered a catastrophic fire following some fuel tank repair.
Please tell us about that gorgeous Aston Martin that you apparently had at some point in time. How long ago, how enjoyable, pros and cons, etc....
Jon,
I had the DB5 from 1978 to 2006 and when that photograph was taken owned both it and the Bentley Continental R next to it. A succession of Jaguars throughout the period served as daily transport.
During my ownership the Aston had two engine rebuilds and a total restoration. The new wire wheels with stainless steel spokes from MWS in London gave none of the loosening and breaking problems I'd had with chromes steel spokes.
Unfortunately it went from a vehicle I could use as a daily driver to one that literally could not be out of sight unless in secure storage. This was the downside of the tiny production number (1024 DB5 Coupes) and values going stratospheric. It also prompted my decision to sell.
The DB5 looks better than it drives. Originally on crossply Avon Turbospeed tyres, the rear breaks away easily and frequently. Radials improve it but the breakaway is less gradual. Steering is heavy and the five speed gearbox (a ZF transmission originally designed for a German truck) awkward because fourth to fifth gear is a dog leg change. That being said, it was a surreal experience to drive as it always attracted attention and huge respect from other drivers. I was never cut up in traffic.
I never regretted either the purchase or the eventual sale. Similarly I loved my E-Type in the early 1970's (a slightly better performer) but wouldn't want one again now. Cars have gone though seismic shifts in design since the sixties and the once magical performance seems sluggish by modern standards. I suspect many buyers will be infatuated with the looks of these magnificent cars but then very disappointed with the driving experience.
My first car was a 59 Healey 100-6 and its painted wires were never a problem. I started having problems with the E type, not bad,
but just needed a watchful eye on tightness.
Those AH's were a superb monster. A very rare sight over here nowadays.
As I recall, PAINTED were always more robust than CHROMED because the chromium plating process weakened the spokes. This is probaboly ewhy I found stainless steel spokes to be an improvement.
I didn't realize the AH had painted wires. I have seen wires supplied by a company in California for the Kit car industry that look pretty dependable. Not sure if those are the Daytons or not. They are all bolt-ons and seem to be pretty durable. I know a couple of guys who have them on Cobra kit cars. They wring them out pretty well with out any bad results so far after a couple of years usage. As for cleaning, they just spray them down with heavy duty purple foaming, hit them with a high pressure water hose, and seem pretty happy with the results. Of course these are $35,000 plastic repro Cobras. One does have a $15,000 engine in it. Go figure........
I had the DB5 from 1978 to 2006 and when that photograph was taken owned both it and the Bentley Continental R next to it. A succession of Jaguars throughout the period served as daily transport.
During my ownership the Aston had two engine rebuilds and a total restoration. The new wire wheels with stainless steel spokes from MWS in London gave none of the loosening and breaking problems I'd had with chromes steel spokes.
Unfortunately it went from a vehicle I could use as a daily driver to one that literally could not be out of sight unless in secure storage. This was the downside of the tiny production number (1024 DB5 Coupes) and values going stratospheric. It also prompted my decision to sell.
The DB5 looks better than it drives. Originally on crossply Avon Turbospeed tyres, the rear breaks away easily and frequently. Radials improve it but the breakaway is less gradual. Steering is heavy and the five speed gearbox (a ZF transmission originally designed for a German truck) awkward because fourth to fifth gear is a dog leg change. That being said, it was a surreal experience to drive as it always attracted attention and huge respect from other drivers. I was never cut up in traffic.
I never regretted either the purchase or the eventual sale. Similarly I loved my E-Type in the early 1970's (a slightly better performer) but wouldn't want one again now. Cars have gone though seismic shifts in design since the sixties and the once magical performance seems sluggish by modern standards. I suspect many buyers will be infatuated with the looks of these magnificent cars but then very disappointed with the driving experience.
Graham
My dad owned a 1970 Challenger R/T Convertible 440-6 4sp, 1963 Corvette SWC 340HP 4sp, 1968 Charger R/T 440-6 Auto, an XK120 Roadster, and both a Series 1 E Type Convertible and a Series 3 E Type Convertible. He bought all during their "old but cool crap" phase and the most expensive at acquisition was the 63SWC at 12k. He sold them all during the 1990s because he felt that they were becoming too valuable, he would be able to basically pocket SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars profit, and in his words, they don't drive all that well compared to modern stuff. My X100 XKR Convertible has been a car he really likes; he likes the retro style, but he says it's like driving a modern muscle car that rides like a luxury car. He absolutely loves my X150 though; the headroom is a LOT better and he's 6'2" with a lot of torso.
You owned your Aston and E Type at wonderful times though! You got to make memories with them and use them. Those cars will never be truly used like that ever again. We all hope our X100s become valuable, which they likely won't likely become, but we should all strive to use them.
Wire wheels on XK8/XKR
