Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Plus Four, Supersport & Plus Six (CX & CXV Generation Vehicles) Plus Four wheel weight - Alloy vs. Wires

This may be a longshot, but does anyone have the comparative wheel weight of the alloy wheels and the wire wheels? I know the wires will be heavier than the alloys, but I just wanted to see how much of a gap there is. I imagine the painted wheels are even a little heavier.

These aren't really track cars, so probably negligible, but I simply can't help myself as I am looking at ordering a new car.

Thanks in advance.

Consider also the spokes on wire wheels act like a fan throwing water onto discs on very wet roads. Brakes need to be regularly jabbed to avoid delay. This on a Classic which doesn't have rear discs never mind CX.

I haven't weighed them, but the 7J x 16 stainless steel wheel/tyre combination on my 3-litre Roadster are at the limit of my ability to lift them for removal from the car. Yes I'm getting older, but over the past 50 years I have handled the wheels on many classics, ranging from a Daimler XJ12 down to a TVR Taimar...none were as heavy as on the Roadster. For that reason if I were to buy another Morgan it would have alloys.

The wires must also distort under braking and acceleration as they are rarely have the individual spokes tightened and balanced to ensure the wheel is always running true.They look nice though when clean and shinny on a sunny day.

It's my decrepitude showing again , but I also find trying to align the wheels with the splines is a right pain. A tiny bit of grit will render that nearly impossible, but the splines are lethal to clean, use stout gloves or you will lacerate your fingers/hands. And it has always been a bit of a mystery to me why they are referred to as "knock off wheels" (and we're not talking knock off as in fake/replicas), surely the only bits to be knocked off are the spinners or hex nuts, and rather than whacking them with a copper mallet I use a Lionel tool and a breaker bar to do that to avoid marking them.

Don't forget the CX is designed for alloys. If you fit wires then there are also hub adaptors adding unsprung weight.

Are you thinking of the weight you have to handle when taking them off/refitting?
Yes, wires will be heavier so a moot point. When I do mine is kneel opposite the wheel, close enough to keep the weight near to my body ( a basic safety action). Think of an F1 pitstop..... gun man is straight on so he can fit the gun easily. Wheel lifters are off centre so need to be strong and agile.
As for driving, then unless you are chasing performance you are unlikely to notice benefits of lower weight.
Worried about distortion/ loose spokes? Do the "ping test" to check the spokes for tightness.
I have not had problems or worries about my Plus Four with stainless wires and 18k+ miles in 2 1/2 years of pootling along and making progress ( honest officer...I never speed).
The only negative is cleaning them! Fiddliest of fiddly jobs. Poking small brushes/cloths/fingers into tight areas is fun.
Just a thought..... wires suit the design of the car. Alloys would need to be a retro design to match, not a modern one. It's a 1936 design after all!

Thanks all for your input. Aesthetically, I like the look of the wires, especially with the brass knock offs. However, with most of my other vehicles I have always tried to reduce weight with any upgrades. It is not that I am necessarily thinking of racing my Morgans, but reducing weight rarely has negative impacts. So my logic and emotions are taking differing stances, and my brain is merely trying to arbitrate between the two.

I still have time to work this out, so anyone else feel free to weigh in. No pun intended. Okay, maybe it was.

Thanks,
Craig

Hallo
Idon't know if the weight is similar for the Plus Four rims, but I swapped the spoked wheels on my Plus 8 for aluminum wheels with centerlock.The difference was 4kg per wheel, which was clearly noticeable.This made the Plus 8 significantly more agile and dynamic.

Greetings

John V6's comment is significant, some owners have had issues with the adaptors and the splines not fitting the wheels very well causing fretting and clonking as drive is taken up

Also alloys are much less time consuming to keep looking clean and are less hassle to have balanced by your local tyre monkeys