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I am considering switching from standard rims to wire rims. I was wondering what all is required and any issues that I could encounter? I have the opportunity to buy the rims, hubs and spinners. How do I confirm compatibility and is there anything else needed?
I would prefer the tubeless type wheels over the original tube type. The main issues I have encountered with modern parts is the splined hubs are slightly too large to fit into the wheel. I'd test fit all the hubs into the wheels before installing the hubs to make sure they fit. I had to machine some material off the splines from several of the hubs to enable the wheel to fit, and that's a real pain to try and put the rear hubs in a lathe without disassembling them.
Are you putting them on a Mark 2 or S Type? The rear hubs for a Mark 2 are different from the IRS style for the S Type and later cars
I changed from steels to wires a couple of years ago. I used second hand original hubs but new bearings all round so did not have a problem with fitting the wheels. I have a 3.4 S type so different back end to the Mk2 and I had to send the rear hubs off to a specialist to have them correctly shimmed but other than that it was fairly straight forward. At first I had secondhand original Jaguar wires on the car but bought new stainless wires from SC parts as they had a deal on but the wheels are made by MWS who then supply to all the large distributors such as SNG. All new MWS wheels are tubeless and I have not had a problem with them.
Presume you mean MWS (Motor Wheel Services) Rob. They supplied my wires, hubs & spinners. I required zero mods. Original Dunlop wheels had pressed centre hubs. From late '66 they were machined from solid billet with a slightly shallower curl which is what is supplied today. Easy cleans were never offered to my knowledge. All were curly hub. But that today is a personal choice.
The biggest sod is setting the rear hubs on an S Type ~ The shimming job required is awful. You don't have that problem on a Mk2
Mk2 change is quite easy. Jagboi's experience is unusual. I have never encountered. If you buy from MWS you will have zero issues. The MWS site is most informative right down to correct balancing of centre lock wheels. Listen to them & no one else or balancing can be a nightmare.
Are you considering buying used? ~ if so then ensure the set up is for a Mk2 and check for spline wear on wheels & hubs. You don't want loose worn splines. Also check for loose or broken spokes & wheel runout. The 5" X 15" wheel will be the same if from a Jag with the correct offset, 52mm hub, 72 spoke. It's the hubs that must be for a Mk2 left side & righthand side. Spinners are also obviously sided. So the spinners don't come loose you have right-hand threads on the left side of the vehicle, and left-hand threads (rotate clockwise to remove) on the vehicle's right side.
Yes I meant MWS and have amended my post. Sorry Glyn.
The Mk2 only had the curly hubs as they are know as did the early S Type up until 1967 when the Mk2 became the 240 and 340 and the S Type had lots of changes and Jaguar changed to the flat hubs which are also known as the "Easy cleaners". The MWS wheel does not have such a deep curl on their curly hubs as the original Jaguar wheel, this is because the original wheel was painted not chromed. At least very few were chromed. When chroming came in they had a lot of trouble so I read with getting the right chrome finish on such a deep curve that MWS changed the depth making it slightly less dished. You can't tell the difference unless you put an original beside a new MWS wheel. The design of the later flat hub is the same on the MWS as the original. Although my car should have flat hubs, easy cleans because it is a Sept 1967 build I plumped for the curly hubs because I think they look better.
Ah thanks, no need for sorry ~ so the Easy Cleans were available from '67 ~ thanks for that tidbit of knowledge. I tend not to look at the late cars. Yes ~ I prefer the curly hub and a '62 Mk2 is correct with them.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; 08-31-2021 at 02:26 PM.
Although my car is still in thousands of pieces, I did buy all the parts to convert from solid wheels to wire wheels. The front hubs are fairly easy but as was mentioned above, you will want to replace the bearings, including the race that is pressed into the hub. In my opinion, your biggest challenge will be removing the bolt-on hubs from the rear axle shafts. There are several posts out there on this very difficult and often frustrating task. If you have access to the Jaguar hub puller tool, I would imagine it will be easier. I chose to break several Chinese made three leg pullers before finding a vintage puller that was well built. It was still very difficult.
I had not even considered checking to make sure that my new wheels (Dayton tubeless) would fit on the hubs I bought. I'm glad that was mentioned above and I'm going to check it out. Thank you Jagboi for that suggestion.
I had not even considered checking to make sure that my new wheels (Dayton tubeless) would fit on the hubs I bought. I'm glad that was mentioned above and I'm going to check it out. Thank you Jagboi for that suggestion.
I mentioned it because I have converted my S Type and replaced hubs on a ground up E Type restoration and neither of the hubs fit the wheels. I have to machine the rears on the S type ( with Dayton wheels) and all of the E Type hubs. It wasn't much, but 0.005" made the difference between the wheel sliding on smoothly and needing to be hammered on - which I didn't do because it would never come off!
Amazing. Mine slip on perfectly. Was this all with Dayton wheels? Splined hub looks a bit of a mess. Sprayed with dry lubricant. In house special made up for me. Similar to a dry chain lubricant.
Hub carrier cleaned with Aluminium brightner/cleaner.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; 08-31-2021 at 11:11 PM.
try Dayton wire wheels and keep the 5 lug nut setup. A lot less hassle and expense and you can continue to use the steel wheels during snow.
Splined hubs and spinners are a pain, especially in the S type and 420 with its low rear wheel opening, limits you to a certain size tire. Also many stories of spinners flying off at 70 mph when they are not torqued enough.
Sure they look pretty, but so do Daytons which are easier to deal with.
Personal opinion but those 5 lug wire wheels look awful. So clear to anyone looking that you have not bothered to do a job properly. Half a job we call it in the UK. I have a friend who has fake wire wheels on his Ford Zephyr. I don't have the heart to tell him he has ruined a nice looking car.
Never had a problem with spinners coming off or even loose. If anything they tighten up and are really hard to undo. I have continental spinners with a key socket and I carry a really long breaker bar to get the spinners off.
The only ones that would come off are the ones where the garage has fitted the hubs on the wrong sides so as the wheel rotates it loosens the spinner. The spinners are marked Nearside and Offside but this is UK where we drive on the correct side of the road. The nearside is the left side of the car and the Offside is the right side of the car where the driver sits.
In the US where for some reason you choose to drive on the wrong side of the road I presume the spinners are marked up the other way. Problems might occur when an imported right hand drive car is in the US or if someone was to buy UK spec spinners and then fit the hubs on the wrong side in the US believing that when the spinners are marked nearside and Offside they are referring to the US not UK.
Tyre sizes on the rear of the S Type and 420 are a pain at anytime, lugs or hubs but I agree Hubs do make it tighter. Having said that I still have 205 wide tyres on my S Type and with a bit of jiggling they come off but then again how many times a year do you take them off so not really a problem.
in my S type the spinners are marked RIGHT SIDE or LEFT SIDE. But from what side is RIGHT or LEFT? Looking at the car from the FRONT or from the REAR?
Sure I know but others don't, example I know a E type novice owner who argued it was looking at the car from the REAR. Quite confusing until you learn it and since one does not tighten or loosen a spinner every day, it becomes a question mark everytime.
Daytons are not for everybody, they are just a less complicated solution if you want wire wheels.
Better than Daytons are the classic Kelsey Hayes wire wheels, a mix of old and new.
Wires with lugs suck. As I say above "So the spinners don't come loose you have right-hand threads on the left side of the vehicle, and left-hand threads (rotate clockwise to remove) on the vehicle's right side. This is quite obviously facing forward as the driver would.
The right hand side of the car is reverse threaded. Spinner can't fly off. They are inclined to tighten with use due to threading if you don't tighten them adequately. Knock-on wheels were originally made for racing. They don't fall off. (They are to reduce unsprung weight & change quickly).
You can't get spinners/knock-on's wrong. Due to reverse threads you can't fit them to the wrong side of the car anyway. They really need no marking. If they screw on they are on the correct side of the car.
The important marking is which side of the ear to clout to undo for those not familiar with them. Some Borrani etc. wheels have uniform spinners that don't make it obvious like a Jag.
Most Dayton wheels sold are centre lock.(knock-on)
The only way a spinner could ever come loose is if you travel all day for weeks at 100mph in reverse. Even then unlikely.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; 09-05-2021 at 12:29 AM.
Just to clarify my remark Glyn it is not the spinners that can be fitted on the wrong side as you rightly point out they are left and right handed threads but a garage when fitting the wire wheel hubs during a conversion from steel wheels to wire wheels might put them on the wrong side which means the spinners can only go on the wrong side and will undo during forward driving.
Hope this makes sense.
Just to clarify my remark Glyn it is not the spinners that can be fitted on the wrong side as you rightly point out they are left and right handed threads but a garage when fitting the wire wheel hubs during a conversion from steel wheels to wire wheels might put them on the wrong side which means the spinners can only go on the wrong side and will undo during forward driving.
Hope this makes sense.
Yes I fully understood that Rob. I did not mention it because you had already. The hubs are so clearly marked they would have to be blind. Mine were heavily stamped & even had red plastic tags on them to ensure that you placed them correctly. All quite colourful with yellow plastic mesh protectors on the splines & threads. I see some now come with white mesh.
e.g. The most basic markings I've seen. (MG)
FROM MWS: Do not over-tighten spinners:
There are no recommended torque settings for spinners and the exact number of turns will vary from one vehicle to the next.
A spinner should be fitted with the wheel jacked up off the ground so that the hub, wheel and spinner are all centralised.
Apply the spinner by hand and tighten 3 to 3½ turns; give the spinner a couple of taps with the hammer; lower the wheel to the ground and give the spinner a couple more taps.
As long as the hubs are fitted correctly then the spinners will self-tighten and lock as the car is driving.
If you hammer the spinners too enthusiastically then you will deform the thread of the spinner and the hub and they are more likely to work loose. [not fall off but rattle on the splines]
Over-tightening also means that if you ever need to replace either the hub or spinner then you will also need to replace the other part as the deformed thread of the old part will not fit with the new thread.
If your spinners keep coming loose then it is probably because the hubs have been fitted on the wrong side. For example, the left hub goes on the left-hand side of the car as you sit in it, not on the left as you look at it from the front.
When I put my car's wheels back on the ground I just nip the spinners up with the wooden spinner saver. That is all they need.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; 09-05-2021 at 12:47 AM.
08-30-2021, 11:15 PM
Switching to Wire Wheels
