Bolt on Wire wheels - Where did these come from ?

R

Rumblin_Ron

New Member
A query here.
I have in the past looked all over the place for a supply of Wire wheels for the V8, possibly bolt ons since they are easy to fit. I'ver never found anybody supplying for the P6 (or any Rover), Jags yes, Triumphs yes, Rovers no. So I gave up.

However browsing through Mr Rudigers site I found these on a car belonging to a L Van Limbeek (Dutch ?)

b1653.jpg


Very nice ar'nt they, they look bolted on to me. Anybody know where they came from ?, does anybody know Mr Limbeek ?
 
Hi

Wire wheels were an option for the series 1 2000 TC, they sometimes come up on e-bay - but I will want them!

I do not think that these would fit the V8 due to the different wheel sizes between the two engine sizes. The 4 cylinder cars are narrower than the V8's, so the wheels could look a bit odd! You would probably have to have these modified to fit and as these would not be original equipment you would need to advise your insurer accordingly of the modification.

Other members may have other tips about fitting aftermarket modifications, but again, you should keep your insurer advised.

Good luck

Gary
 
Forgot to mention, that the wire wheels have a splined hub that bolts in place of the standard hub and the wheel is held in position with large nut with a handed thread for each side (helps stop them rotating undone).

Gary
 
Hi Both,
Currently some on eBay as we speak item number 4533642810 but they are the splined hub version, I think you wanted bolt on ones didnt you ron?
Cheers
AL
 
Well being lazy, bolt on seemed the sensible way foreward. Also as Gary say's original 2000 wires are probably not up to it, so aftermarket modern bolt on it would be. It works on Triumph Stags ! but they don't fit the P6, hence my desire to find out where these beuties came from.

Better get on Ebay Gary ! look out for worn splines and loose spokes (they should go "ping" when tapped), I spent many happy houres tightening mine up after autotesting in my Midget ! Did'nt know the hubs bolted on (on the wheel bolts ?). The Midgets originals were complete replacements for the "standard" hubs, ie came with bearings, half shafts and the like and you had to change the whole lot if doing a conversion.
 
Now that we've all established that American wheels (particularely Jeep) fit the P6, is it worth looking in the States? It's just the sort of thing the Yanks would go in for!

Chris York
 
Here you go,
dayton wire wheels in the good ol' US of A, probably got the right stud pattern as they offer wires for SUV's check out the Hummer with massive wires on their site! Oh yes and they do the bolt on vaiety as well
Cheers
Al
 
Hi

To answer about the bolt-on - I mentioned before, should have been a bit clearer, the splined hubs bolt on to the disc, same as the standard hubs, quite obvious really, sorry for the confusion, will look at the e-bay wires!

Gary
 
Just looked at the wires - only 4, 5 are needed, why are they always in sets of 4? Will think about a bid...

Gary
 
Just a word of warning.
Not to be a kill joy but the power of the 3500 engine, well the power it puts out that is, is too great for the wire wheels.
You would most likely see them disintergrate.
Rover never produced "wires" for the 3500 only the 2000.
Also another word of warning.
Check the splines of the hub and wheel for damage and wear.
Having said that i too would like to get a set for brenda's 2000tc, it would set it off a treat.
Happy hunting.
Paul. :)
 
Forgot to add, Rover also supplied the P6 with a set of four wire wheels.
The spare was a steel rimmed wheel with the correct size tyre fitted.
Hope this helps.

Are any members attending the Ally Pally show this weekend.
The club has a stand there and we are the only P6 Rover Club in attendance.
The Met Police have a stand with the muesum cars, and on show will be the armour plated P6.
Bye.
Pau.
 
I think its a bit over dramatic to say that the wire wheels would disintergrate if they were fitted to the V8. After all they are both capable of exerting the same braking force and the V8 and 2000 can certainly stop faster than they can accelerate.

The problems with wire wheels don't generally result from the accelerating/decelerating force but rather the lateral cornering forces.
 
The web site Alimorg supplied looks interesting, now just need the courage and money to order some on spec (or rather no spec known to be 100% correct). If they quoted a wheel listed for the P6 I will give a huge sigh of relief ! If bolt on adapter's are as original, then getting some of those would be better, just adds to the cost though

Paul, I agree with BB about wires, if Jaguar and Ferrari used wire's, (they used a lot of spokes!) then they should be OK on a V8. My reservations about 2000 wires was that they would be speck'd for a 2000cc engine rather than the V8 stump puller.
I ran about 20,000 miles in my MG in "boy racer/rally/autotest" mode I never had one break, bend or lose spokes . I did have to go round tightening spokes up every so often, and they were a pain to keep clean, especially in winter.
 
Why is then Rover never offered wire wheels as an option extra for teh Rover 3500.
I dont know why Jaguar can get away with them, maybe they are built different?.
I am only repeating what i have read and been told by a P6 specialist.

Paul.
 
I will second Pauls comments

My local P6 specialist advised strongly against wire wheels that were for sale on ebay.

You can get away with them if they have a minimum of 72 "heavy duty" spokes. However most wire wheels don't have that many.

He restores mainly British cars and does have an E-type in for a "ground up" restoration at the moment.

As soon as I mentioned wire wheels he went into a long groan about how often his customers come back to have them looked at after a rally or after hiotting a pothole. (though that probably says more about the state of the roads over here?...)

Look good - but the BUT is a BIG BUT....

:)
 
As far as I can tell the wheels that were on ebay have 72 spokes.

I'm sure your Rover P6 specialists are clever chaps but (speaking from experience) I wouldn't trust them to be experts on everything if I wanted to find out whether the wheels were going to explode and desimate the western hemisphere when fitted to 3500 rover I'd contact a wire wheel specialist.

My major concern with the paticular wheels on ebay is that they have been renovated and very probably powder coated. If so it will be virtually impossible to retension the spokes should it be required.

BB
 
I can see we are going to agree to disagree on this one !

In big rally through the forest yumping situations I will agree that a nice set of Minilites are going to be the stronger wheels. From my experience Wires are a maintenance item, loose spokes spell disaster.. eventually, but their design principles are quite sound. They do wear out, there is a small refurbishmnet industry out there.
However I will maintain that Wire's do not fall to bits at the first sight of a Traffic bump or whatever (ie normal use) unless knackerd (original p6 wires must be ancient) or wrongly specked (designed for a lighter loadings ?). How do Jags and MG's etc get about safely on their Wires ?

To be devils advocate, can I warn people about Alloy wheels. They are made of soft metal that scuff's on kurbs, can crack when banged, are very hard to repair and can be porous (especially old ones) so your tyres go down. The finish on them can chip, at which point oxidation can spead quickly and ruin the looks of the entire wheel. Also if you have fancy Magnesium alloys they have been known to burst into flames ! There I bet thats put you all off, no I know I hav'nt because they still look pretty, and so do Wires.
If you want a good strong wheel that you bolt on and forget, stay with the original steelies I say (I've got some "S" hubcaps for sale by the way).

There I enjoyed that, can you tell its lunchtime and raining ?. Sorry to disagree with you Paul, but if BB and I did'nt, there would be nothing to say, and the chatroom would be strangely quiet. Can we have a Bar in here please Mr webmaster. :p
 
hi everyone,
i had a set of wires on an estate i had ( 3500 with 5 speed box ) for a total of 18 months and 10,000 miles, towed a caravan on numerous occasions and never had a bit of bother. i like paul had read they were designed for the 2000 and not the 3500 but at the time i had a set and fancied them on the monza red estate and they suited it.

ianp6man
 
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