Wire wheels were a factory option on the MGB throughout its production run and remain one of the most distinctive and desirable specifications on the car. The combination of spoked construction, chrome or painted finish, and the characteristic sound of wire wheel spinners being driven home gives a wire-wheeled car a character that no other wheel type replicates. In later years wire wheels became increasingly uncommon in all markets, but they remained available in the home market until the end of production. The MGB GT V8 was not fitted with wire wheels in factory specification, as the V8 left the factory on Dunlop composite alloys, so wire wheels on a V8 are an aftermarket conversion, popular with owners seeking a more traditional look.
All wire wheels supplied are of an improved tubeless design, eliminating the need for inner tubes and rim bands and making puncture repair and tyre fitting straightforward at any tyre outlet. Spoke condition should be checked routinely, as loose spokes compromise the structural integrity of the wheel and the anchor nuts within the rim can elongate through vibration over time. Correct balancing requires wire wheel balancing cones on conventional wheel balancing machines, without which balancing cannot be achieved and steering vibration at speed will result. The spokes are tensioned during wheel build to provide the structural strength of the wheel, and correct tensioning is critical and specialist work for new builds and renovations.
Chrome, Painted & Stainless Finishes
Chrome wire wheels are available in the original 60-spoke 4.5x14-inch centre lock specification and in uprated 5.5x14-inch and 72-spoke 5.5x15-inch specifications for wider rim and tyre fitment. Painted wire wheels cover the same size range, from the original 60-spoke 4.5x14-inch through to 72-spoke 5.5x15-inch, for owners preferring the more period-correct finish, with a black finish 5.5x15-inch also available. Painted wheels are the most economical and easiest to maintain, as chips and corrosion can be touched up locally. Chrome-plated wheels offer the most distinctive bright appearance but require more careful maintenance to prevent corrosion at any plating defects.
Stainless steel wire wheels offer chrome-style appearance with significantly better long-term corrosion resistance, and are a popular choice on V8 conversions sized at 14-inch diameter to match the car's tyre fitments and wheel-arch clearances.
Bolt-On Chrome Wire Wheels
Bolt-on chrome wire wheels in 5.5x14-inch specification fit cars on disc wheel hubs without requiring hub conversion, providing the wire wheel appearance without the commitment of a full hub and axle change.
Wire Wheel Conversions
Wire wheel and disc wheel axles differ in width, as wire wheel axles are approximately 1.5 inches narrower between drum faces than disc wheel axles. Fitting wire wheels to the original disc wheel axle without addressing this requires specially adapted rear splined hubs. Complete conversion kits comprising front and rear splined hubs and all hardware are available for banjo axle and tube axle cars. For the V8, conversion requires splined hubs to replace the original four-stud hubs, the wire wheels themselves, and centre-lock spinners.
Wire Wheel Accessories
Replacement spokes, stainless spoke nipples, inner tubes and rim tapes for original tubed wheels, and the full range of spinners across all types and thread pitches are covered in the dedicated sub-sections.