New Wires & Tires - Problem??

[martx-5]

I just got my new wire wheels and tires from Hendrix Wire Wheel. They look great, but I think I may have a problem in the rear. It looks like the clearance is really tight.

I've got five inch rims with 185/70 tires, and it looks like if the rear axle goes up far enough, the tire will rub on the folded over lip of the rear wing. Some careful calculations indicate that I have about two, maybe 2 1/4 inches of wheel deflection before the rubbing starts.

How much does that rear deflect upward before it hits the straps?

BTW, since I only put on the RH side wheels, I also checked the frame to wing distance on each side, and they are within an 1/8" of each other, so the body is pretty much centered.

Edit: I also pushed the back of the car up and down several times to settle the rear suspension.

 

[bgbassplyr]

IMHO, it looks like there is room w/o rubbing. In a turn, compressing the suspension on the loaded side and the attendant body roll should cause the top of the fender to move away from the tire and the inner fender liner to move toward the top of the tire. Just the opposite on the unloaded side.

If you hit a speed bump to fast and exactly square, you might get a slight interference with the fender lip(s).

Others with experience using 185's on wires, chime in.

Jim

 

[Twosheds]

Others with experience using 185's on wires, chime in.

Jim

For a while I used 185/70 tyres on my old TR3 racecar and did not experience any rubbing.

 

[Banjo]

2 questions.
1 did you get new spline adapters for the hubs? New splined wheels on old, worn out hubs equals premature wear of the new wheels.
and 2.
Is there a chance that someone may have put a TR4 rear axle under that car. I've seen it before. the tires get really close to the fenders. The only differance in the two axles is an overall increase of 4 inches to the width. 2 inches per side. It may just be the wheel/tire combo, but it may be worth a measurement. I'm not where I can get a measurement right now, but I can later.

 

[martx-5]

New wheels and new splined adaptors.

If I was put put in a TR4 axle in a TR3, I certainly wouldn't use the ten inch rear drum arrangement that's on my car, so I don't think anybody did that. I can say with confidence that this car does not have a TR4 axle in it.

ISTR that wire wheels on a TR increases the track by about 1/2". I think this, coupled with the 1/2" wider rims and wider tires are all contributing enough to make this look like it may be a problem.

I'll just take it cautiously for awhile and see how things go. I was just hoping that someone else had this combination of wheels and tires and could tell me if there is any interference.

 

[Twosheds]

I was just hoping that someone else had this combination of wheels and tires and could tell me if there is any interference.

I should have written that the 185/70 tyres on my old TR3 racecar were mounted on 6-inch wire wheels.

Maybe I'm on Art's ignore list.

 

[TR3driver]

If I was put put in a TR4 axle in a TR3, I certainly wouldn't use the ten inch rear drum arrangement that's on my car, so I don't think anybody did that.

Strange you should mention that ... :cooler:

I did exactly that many years ago, through simple ignorance. Did not realize then that the TR4 axle was wider, and tried to use one as a replacement for my broken TR3A. I kept the 10" brakes as I knew they were good (not so sure about the junker TR4) and literally did not realize my mistake until I installed the 2nd TR3 halfshaft! Too much work to change the axle back out, so I just put in the TR4 halfshafts and went on.

On that car, even 165 tires on stock wheels rubbed the fenders in turns and on bumps. But it wasn't hard enough to actually damage the tires, just kind of polish off all the letters and stripes in the contact area, so I drove it that way for several years. The wider track in the rear did improve handling substantially.

On my more recent (but now wrecked) TR3A, the 185/65 tires on 5.5" TR6 rims (which have an outward offset comparable I believe to wire wheels) did not touch at all. The 205/55 tires did rub lightly on one side, but again not enough to damage the tire. But there is a lot of individual variation in these cars (for example my more recent TR3A definitely had more clearance on one side, even after I tried to move the body over to compensate)

I lost that earlier car under relatively mysterious circumstances (tow operater swore it had been crushed but I didn't believe him) ...

Art, your car didn't happen to have cheap headers and a lumpy cam when you got it, did it?

 

[martx-5]

I was just hoping that someone else had this combination of wheels and tires and could tell me if there is any interference.

I should have written that the 185/70 tyres on my old TR3 racecar were mounted on 6-inch wire wheels.

Maybe I'm on Art's ignore list.

No, I don't have anybody on my ignore list, but you didn't initially say you had wires on there. But now that you mention that you had those tires on 6" wires, I see that I should have no problems.

Thanks for the extra input.

 

[martx-5]

Art, your car didn't happen to have cheap headers and a lumpy cam when you got it, did it?

No, but it does now! :laugh: