I had little current information to answer a request for help on our
Tiger list on wire wheels. But my son, Jay, has.
In the hopes some might be useful, I forwarded the inquiry to him for
possible help to our Tiger Lister. I originally kept it [OFF LIST] to
not overburden our list with information that did not have broad appeal.
HOWEVER:
I was so impressed with the depth of current knowledge that Jay had
acquired I felt obliged to pass it on the the Alpine List (who have most
of the wire wheel issues) and to the Tiger List (as many wish they had
wire wheels, or may have old tires).
In any event, in my opinion it is illuminating, and possibly valuable to
our community. Thank you, Jay.
Steve Laifman
Jay_Laifman@countrywide.com wrote:
>
> I have been driving my Alpine around for some time knowing that my
> tires were getting older. They showed no real sign of aging and they
> had plenty of tread. I did not stop to check how old they were. I
> know that there are those that say you should replace your tires every
> 5 years no matter what (probably tire company share holders). Then
> Road & Track recently said 10 years is as long as you'd want to go. I
> got a flat and finally got around to checking the age of my tires. 14
> years old! I got all new Kuhmos. WOW. What a difference. The
> handling got 20x better, the ride got 15x smoother and quieter. And,
> to top it off, the vibration I was getting went away completely. I
> wish I had done it much much earlier.
>
> As to wheels, you might check North Hollywood Wire Wheels or maybe
> they are called Valley Wire Wheels in North Hollywood - that's where I
> got mine. I actually got the ones that were made for an MG Midget -
> which were constructed better and stronger a few years after the
> Alpine ceased production. The 14" MG B wheels can be put on. But,
> the hub on the B wheel is deeper than the Alpine so you don't get
> enough thread. Some have done it anyway. I wouldn't suggest it.
> Spitfire wheels don't fit at all. There is also British Wire Wheel
> in Santa Cruz.
>
> Finally, there are Minilite knock offs. They look great if you like
> that look.
>
> Jay
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Steve Laifman
Editor
http://www.TigersUnited.com
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