Wire wheels on an '05 MX-5 MazdaSpeed ??

I have a Ford V8 Modified 1959 Austin Healey roadster with centerlock wire wheels.

There may be some US wire wheels that will fit the Miata hub 4-bolt pattern, but I don't know of any 4-bolt pattern wires. An Internet search may turn up something.

Since nearly all European wire wheels are fitted to splined hubs and held on with knockoff caps, I think that your major task would be to fit the splined hubs to the Miata axles.

Typically, the AH FRONT splined hubs are fitted directly to the spindle, but the REAR splined hubs are bolted on to a 5" x 5-bolt lug pattern. One could probably redrill the 5 bolt pattern to a 4 bolt pattern and simply bolt them on.

Smaller AH Sprite splined hubs may work even better.

One of the best US sources for British type wires is Allen Hendrix in Greensboro, NC.

If you want to pursue this, give Allen a call. He is a nice guy and knowledgeable guy.

Contact me if you need/want more info.

Tim

Dayton has been selling bolt-on wire wheels for Miatas for many years. Like all wire wheels, they are heavy, flexible, heavy, fragile...did I mention heavy? They're also pretty expensive, around $1200 per set, and that doesn't include regular truing or replacement of broken spokes. Obviously, wire wheels are significantly difficult to clean, and may be hard to balance to Miata standards. Some of them are alleged to work with tubeless tires, others require innertubes (remember them?).

If all you want is looks and never exercise the potential of your sports car, wires are one choice. If you expect performance, they're probably not a good move.

@Tim: we did a couple of 289 Healeys in the late '60s. Because of the fragile wire wheels, we talked the owners into using the Ford C6 automatic transmission. We were afraid a clutch dump would rip the spokes out of the rims.

Good luck! They were made for the NA's, but haven't noticed any adds in the last few years. R-Speed sells a "retro" body kit, and may know of a source.

Liked the video too. I think your Healey is faster than my Miata...

I know a couple of V8 Healey guys who have popped the ends off of the spokes with excess power. Most usually end up going to mags or the new 16-18 inch diameter spoke wheels.

As you can see, I have an AOD with the stock 4.10:1 rear end and fairly skinny tires. So far, all I break is traction ! Lots of smoke & black marks, but no significant replacement costs.

Tim

Carbon,

Thanks. Here is the URL for the site I do for the Modified AH Registry. Lots more of them to see.

Less than $5000. Although I sprayed it myself, the highest single item cost was the paint at about $1,200. Deltron base/clear isn't cheep.

I also have a couple of Classic Mustangs, that I have restored, so I had several engines and transmissions to choose from.

Thanks. I need to post a new one. I have made a camera mount that attaches to the luggage rack and shoots video from about 5 feet above the trunk lid. It looks awesome going through an Auto-Cross course.

I also have a Miata. It sure is a fun car.

It'll never happen, but I'd like to put a Healey body on a supercharged NC chassis, but, I'm gettin' too old to start another project like that.

More likely, I'll try putting THIS engine

into a Miata. A buddy has this one in his Healey. Tim

There's a guy in the Houston Miata club with wires on a NA. You could probably reach him thru their site at :

Thanks, Chris

99BBB

I had wire wheels on my MGB and they were a royal pita! Yeah, they look great BUT tuning them was freakin' expensive and they never felt quite as tight on the road as the stock wheels on my Miata.

I swear they were made by Lucas.

Iva & Belle.) '90B Classic Red.) #3 winkin' Miata

I am glad that we don't all have the same tastes, but based on looks alone, I would put a giant wing, Type-R vinyl stickers and a grapefruit shooter exhaust on my miata before I would consider wire-spoke wheels.

I think that they are beyond fugly, worse than almost any modern alloy wheel design short of the teddy bears, and even that is a toss-up. ;-)

The fact that they are fragile, flexible and require any maintenance at all other than cleaning just makes it that much worse. Someone would have to buy the wheels and pay me a lot of money to put them on any car that I will ever drive.

Can you tell that I don't like wire wheels? Not even on the classics where they are original equipment.

Pat

I don't mind how wire wheels look but they're just not strong enough. Probably ok on slippery tires that don't develop a lot of lateral load, but I would not trust them on a modern car with real suspension and good tires. They're fine on an MG TC or something, but in terms of function they're not even come close to the modern alternatives.

I guess I don't understand either the wire wheels or fart pipe variants of the pimp my ride craze. To me any modification would have to be functional and cost effective, in that order. Why introduce slop into the suspension with weak, heavy wheels? Why stick a giant wing on the car which upsets the balance and takes 20 mph off the top speed? I don't get it.

C'mon, Pat, tell us how you *really* feel.

Iva & Belle.) '90B Classic Red.) #3 winkin' Miata

Ok, that first one was a bit mild.

I believe that wire automotive wheels were created by people, but the continued use of them today as we approach the year 2007 is a sign of the being known as the Desolate One, and that this continued practice signals that the end of the world is finally upon us...

I forgot to mention that they are also heavy, I knew that I left something out. ;-)

Seriously; heavy, relatively expensive, fragile wheels that require maintenance and have high flexibility? They could be the best-looking things in the world to me but I wouldn't put them on a car.

Pat

I have seen several recently where the exhaust tip is angled so that it is almost sideways. Is this new? I guess with all the other crap on the car, turning the exhaust almost 90 degrees at the end doesn't really matter.

I had one try to race me 2 nights ago. I let him go and slowed down for fear that either the gigantic wing or the 12 inch diameter exhaust tip would come off and hit me. The only thing that I trust to stay on those cars is the vinyl stickers.

Pat

It's just an incremental step in an insidious NeoCon plot against riceboys. In about 5 years, the most stylish exhaust tips will double back, extend forward, and discharge into the passenger compartment. That's why the NeoCons don't want effective emission controls: the whole concept would fail.

Or maybe it's just natural selection at work....

Heh-Heh, that is going to require some serious chopping on the body to fit one of those exhaust tips through.

First there is the sticker removal and relocation wherever you are going to cut it. You also have to be careful to clear the wing mounting, not that many of them are mounted well anyway, but you sure don't want to make it worse than it is.

This will be very difficult, and deadly, but how kewl!

Pat

That's a fabulous idea. I immediately recognized that as the 3-liter Yamaha V6 that was in my '89 Taurus SHO. That engine will scream right up to its

7000-RPM redline and would make a great choice for a Miata. Have you checked the weight of that engine?