Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) changing from wires to steels?

That's the going rate for 'bespoke' solutions.

A couple of years ago I enquired about some aluminium bespoke wires from Turrino wheels and the quote at the NEC after an interesting chat was around £850 per wheel.

I'm a skilled deal broker, but I couldn't get that sort of cost past MrsW. I would want five........

I've been thinking about getting "dunlop style" wheels for the Plus 8: as they are 5 hole fitting I guess no spline drive adaptors so about GBP350 to 400 each and I could have front wheels the correct rim width for 225 tyres, instead of the rims intended for 245 tyres!!

The idea was also to go to 18" and fit 40 profile, not 35: a much wider choice of rubber, including all weather.

MMC fit 8.5 wide rims all round, with 225 wide on the front and 245 on the rear. At the rear this is a good combination but on the front 7.5" rims would be considered a normal fit: 225 on 8.5 rims is at the very limit of what is safe.

Time to contact Image and also find out where to get the "Dunlop" decals used on the MGB recreation!

Good work !

I do like the look and classic style of these wheels.

Hi Simon, I was not too keen on having wire wheels when I ordered my 4/4 3 years ago as I had had wires on previous classics which were an absolute pain to balance and keep clean and tidy. Mine came with the black painted wires and they are a big improvement on the ones I had had in the past.

Three years & 18k miles later they are fine, much easier to clean with some of todays products and I think the smooth black paint helps a lot as well. No problems with balance or vibration through the steering wheel either, so far.

Once you have the car and have driven it for a bit you will probably find there are other things you would far rather change, especially as that kind of money buys serious improvement in other areas.

I must agree with Zallium, even if I gave my suggestion what to do when you want to change to alloys, I'm also very happy with my black spoked wheels. No issue at all after 46K km. And they are rather light weight at about 8 Kg.

Of course Heinz and Zallium you're both right. This will be my third Morgan and the third with wire wheels. I just prefer the look of steel wheels but there is a very real limit to funds available and there will be no hurry to change them. I would have maybe gone for the black wires but I absolutely refuse to pay £850 to specify black over silver, especially when an after market set can be bought for that amount!
More pressing for me at the moment is that they've still not got around to starting my car so talk of changing wheels is getting a bit ahead of myself !

Simon, at the time I bought my 4/4 the black wires were without extra costs. I personally like the silver painted wheels equally good. They are identical, therefore identical in terms of quality and weight, in my personal view they are even more appropriate and better looking than stainless spokes which are way heavier in addition. If I had to pay 850 GBP on top for the black paint when buying my car I would have choosen the silver painted wheels immediately. They fit a 4/4 absolutely brilliant and match almost every colour.

Heinz, you are a wise man and I will shut up about wheels from now on. Mine won't be silver for long though as life is far too short for cleaning wire wheels, I'm not one for cleaning/polishing cars and certainly won't be buying a wire wheel brush!

I took the spare off for the first time at the weekend and was surprised how light the painted wire wheel/tyre combination is....thought I'd heard the complete opposite.

I can't imagine changing them either....

They weigh far more than alloys.