Oooops! Everybody's luck just ran out...
I went through Wire Wheel Hell last winter... Allow me to share my
experiences....
>Fellow MG'ers
>.... I was intrigued to see posts about wire wheel balancing...
>... nightmare with a big chain in the UK!
>.... I returned 4 hours later
Jason, Jason, Jason!!! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER, ETC., leave your car with
imbeciles or 'imbebody' else ESPECIALLY for tires. Thank goodness I
outsmarted the "chain" and had my facts in tow. I don't EVER leave any car
unattended, especially not the MGA.
When we ordered the new 72-spoke, chrome/stainless wheels last November, I
had already checked out the tire places around San Antonio to see who 1)
could and 2) would install/balance wire wheels. The wheels were
direct-shipped to them. The managers admitted UP FRONT that they could not
balance the wheels, so I asked them if they knew who could balance them. I
had decided that an on-the-axle balance was the only way to go at this
point....
Enter Southwest Brake and Clutch. After the the tires were mounted, and
took the car to SWBC. Guess what?! Two wheels (that's T-W-O) were not true,
and both wheels were on the front axle. Go figure!! British Wire Wheel
could not have been better to deal with... nor could cuzin' George at
Classic Restorations. BWW sent out two replacement wheels and took the two
un-true wheels back to California for "observation." The replacement
wheels were so true that NO balancing was required. (I guess I lucked out
with true tires, too!) To date, there are no weights on any wheel on the car.
SWBC put a dial gauge on the axles to rule out any bad juju there. The
problem was definitely the wheels. Oh, and after working on the car for
about two hours or so... care to guess what my fees were??!! Nada! Nothing.
Zero. Their position: "we only charge if we balance the wheel." Nice, eh?!
Do you think I recommend them to anybody else??!! You betcha'!
I was apprehensive about the wires from the get-go. They are GORGEOUS,
though!! No question about that... And, BTW, the best way to get them
shining is with Scrub Free -- a bathroom tile cleaner. I learned that
little trick at GT 22....
On the "great quest" I poured my heart out to the members of this list. I
sought high and low for a place to redo the old wires on Lil' Darlin'.
British Wire Wheel said they would NOT redo 35-year-old wheels. And with
hungry lawyers in abundance, I don't blame them!
In the meantime, I had looked around the local area. At one point I had a
sand-blaster and painters lined up to do the wheels for $70 each. Cheaper
than the $130 at BWW. Then I checked out a company that some local club
members recommended. OK. We're down to $40 per wheel. BUT... those wheels
sure do/did look nasty... too much rust to suit me... I doubted that I
would ever have confidence in their safety -- or mine..
I'll not take the long road and dig out all the prices, but since Darlin'
was living in a carport at the time, and, therefore, exposed to rain on her
near side we felt that the chrome stainless was the best way to go. We also
decided that Auntie Carol would make wheel covers for the new acquisitions.
[The car moved to a nice, new home -- real garage -- and I was spared the
tire covers!]
The wheels are on the car and DOS oohs and aaahs every time she sees them.
(Remember that she doesn't drive the car... I do! Her choice.)
Would I buy them again?? NOPE!
Why not? Well, the first time I really 'drove" the car was to Salado TX for
the spring GOF last May. I had the misfortune of running over a curb --
downward, thank goodness! My first thought: Oh NO!! The wire wheels!
Then I shared the trip to Alaska this summer. Would I have DARED drive
those roads at speed in a wire-wheeled car?? Nope. Would I enjoy DRIVING
the car on the roads here in Texas that I now seek out and enjoy driving...
no traffic, no pavement, no guardrails?... Nope.
So, yea verily I say unto you.... If you like wires, drive 'em. And
remember that you will encounter the occasional butterflies, just like I
did when I rolled over that curb. Otherwise, get your Scrub-Free out and
keep 'em shinin'. They are pretty. And they are stouter than they look.
OTOH, I have located a steel-wheel axle for my MGA. I don't have my own MGA
yet, but I'll sure have the axle!! NO WIRES!
Oh, one more thing... I opted to NOT purchase the tires from BWW and have
them pre-balanced. IMO, I wasn't particularly fond of the brand of tire
they offered. That's simply MY opinion. BWW couldn't have been finer to
deal with, nor could Cuzin' George. The whole 'ordeal' was over in less
than a week.
Bottom line: It's your car. You make it look good and drive good for YOU,
not for any other soul!
Carol
>see my C looking stunning with the new wheels. Unfortunately driving home
>they were completely out of balance! The place was shut and I was off on
>holiday for two weeks. When I returned I got told that my wheels must be
>buckled !!! Then I got told that they are all like that?? I even got told
>- "I don't know what you people see in these old cars !"
>After going up the management chain I got told that they can't really cater
>for Wire wheels ! Why they took the job on in the first place I don't know
>!?
>
>In the end they did manage to get them balanced but the moral of the story
>is to take it to someone who knows how to balance wire's properly!
>
>Jason
>
>Jason Langridge
>
>EMAIL : jay@mail-me.com
>WWW: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/j.langridge
>ICQ: 1351069
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