Nick,
Shelby only used the AC supplied wire wheels on the first 289 Cobras.
They were a little light in the strength department for the V-8. As soon
as he increased the horsepower he went with mags.
I had 16" wire wheels on my XK 120M Jag, and they were 52 mm hubs, not
the 42 mm most commonly seen. They were just adequate for the 190 hp engine.
Most US engined cars used US Zenith wire wheels, with thicker spokes and
a gear drive, rather than fine splines. Same wheel used on Mercedes
retrofits. Might have a look at those.
Cadillac tried Dunlops for about a year. They were slightly beefier than
the English version, but still fragile.
Rootes never would put the Alpine hubs and wire wheels on the Tiger, as
they couldn't take the power, and Morgan would not use wire wheels on
their +8 Rover (Buick) 225 CID engine, even though they still use them
on the smaller engined versions.
Take care.
Steve
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Steve Laifman
Editor
<http://www.TigersUnited.com>
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