Monte:
The wheels are trued before they leave the manufacturer, there is
normally a certificate packed with each wheel. They are shipped a long way
and it is feasible that they can get mushed, which can cause them to be
lopsided. So long as the spokes are not bent, their tension will bring the
wheel back to true under loading. Wire wheels are flexible and move around
a lot under loading. That's why they were used for high stress conditions
where they would flex rather than crack.
Make sure the tire company is careful mounting the new tires. Many
machines will put too much stress on the wheel rim and can push the wheel
out of shape. This is true for solid wheels too, as stock MGA and TR 15"
wheels are very prone to damage.
Again, if the wire wheel is pushed around, it will usually go back
to true after driving around a bit.
When spin balancing the wheel, it must be done on a hub or with
special cones that fit the inside seating surface, and clamp down on the hub
nut surface. It's unlikely that you will find anyone with the correct
cones. Typically the company will have a taper cone which works fine on the
inside, but then uses a outer clamp that contacts the flat face of the
knockoff area. This is not a machined surface, and may not be flat giving
the indication of a bent wheel.
I got this far with the explanation, then noted Max's post. We are
both talking about the same thing.
My recomendation is to have the tires mounted carefully. Install
the wheels on the car and drive the car for a couple of days to allow the
wheels to settle.
Then have the tires dynamically balanced on the car, or by a
specialist who has the correct cones, or a mounted hub assembly.
I took an MGB front vertical link with hub, and mounted it securely
to a bench. Then used the on-car dynamic balancer to get an accurate
balance.
Hope this is helpful.
Kelvin Dodd.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: MonteMorris [mailto:mmorris@nemr.net]
> Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 12:49 PM
> To: Eric; MG list
> Subject: Re: new wheels
>
>
> From the responses I've received from this post, it's evident
> that I didn't
> make myself clear.
> I understand that I'll have to balance the new wire wheels
> once the tyres
> are on. In asking about the wheels arriving pre-balanced,
> what I meant was
> that I'm assuming that the spokes will be adjusted so the
> wheels are not
> out-of-round. I also wanted to ask is if there is any
> special way to go
> about this balancing, or do I just have them spin balance them?
> Sorry for the ambiguity.
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