Wire wheel spinners are the knock-on securing devices that hold wire wheels onto the splined hub adaptors. They are one of the most distinctive features of a wire-wheel-equipped British sports car and are available in two styles: two-eared and octagonal, each offered with or without an embossed MG logo.
Thread Direction and Handedness
Spinners are handed, right-hand thread on the right side of the car, left-hand thread on the left. This handedness prevents the spinners from unscrewing under the rotational forces generated during driving. The thread direction is typically marked on the spinner face with an undo direction arrow, but the convention is that each spinner unscrews in the direction the wheel rotates when driving forward, so the right-side spinner has a conventional right-hand thread (undo anticlockwise) and the left-side spinner has a left-hand thread (undo clockwise). Fitting a spinner to the wrong side will cause it to work loose during driving, with potentially catastrophic consequences.
Spinner Removal and Tightening
The two-eared spinner is the traditional design, removed and tightened with a copper-hyde or lead-faced hammer striking the ears. A steel hammer must never be used on spinner ears, as it will damage the casting and eventually cause the ear to crack, a cracked spinner must be replaced immediately, as it cannot be safely tightened. The octagonal spinner provides an alternative that can be removed with either a hammer or a dedicated octagonal spanner tool. Spinner tightness should be checked before every journey when the car is first put on wire wheels, new spinners and adaptors bed in during the first few hundred miles and may require retightening until the splines have fully settled.
Hub Adaptor Care
The splined hub adaptors should be lightly greased with a thin film of copper-based anti-seize compound at each wheel removal to prevent the wheel from bonding to the adaptor through corrosion. A wheel that has seized onto its adaptor is extremely difficult to remove without damage. The splines on both the adaptor and the wheel centre should be inspected for wear whenever the wheel is removed, worn or rounded splines allow the wheel to develop play on the hub, which causes a knock under braking and accelerates further wear.
Wire Wheel Cleaning
A dedicated wire wheel cleaning brush is shaped to reach between the spokes and around the hub centre, areas that a standard brush cannot access effectively. Regular cleaning prevents brake dust from bonding to the chrome or painted spoke surfaces, which becomes progressively harder to remove the longer it is left.