Michelin wire wheels
 

My buddy has a set of 16x4” 48 adjustable spoke wire wheels that I’ve never seen before. They are stamped Michelin Bibendum and clearly made for the 1932-35 Ford brake drums. They resemble the Firestone Air Baloon wheels. Does anyone have any information about these Michelin wheels?

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...0&d=1717182332

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...1&d=1717182332

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...2&d=1717182332

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

Why do you think that they are for '32-'35 Ford brake drums? I would think they were for some sort of French or European car.

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

Because the bolt circle and wheel centre is exactly as the US made original Ford/KH wheels. I doubt that any French or other European car manufacturer copied Ford’s 1932-35 wheel centre and corresponding design of the brake drums.

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

renault , hotchkiss, citroen had the same bolt circle . my ex 32 had citroen wheels when i find it

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

Be nice if you could widen them for a modern tire. Yes I know!!
Gramps

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

Looks like the edge of the mounting surface inboard of the stud hole is indented to fit the nub on a Ford drum. I also agree they look to have been made for pre-36 Fords.

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

Exactly!

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

Look closely as the drop center fades away to become flat opposite of the valve stem hole.
A friend here in France has this Michelin 32 spoke wheel.Here are pics. It is a 16 " Ford Michelin spoke wheel with welded spokes as opposed to adjustable. Identical to OP post #1 except the amount of spokes and they are welded instead of adjustable.

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

In fact yes .Here are 2, 17" 33-34 Bent spoke Ford wheels. I have seen them(picture) on Custom bodied German 33 Fords.

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

Back in the early 70's, I found the rotting remains of an English Ford model C, and it had the same style of wheels that Deucelover shows in post # 9. Weird wheels, they'd look rather strange whilst rotating....

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

I found some good information on Longstone Classic Tyres website:
"Bibendum was Michelins Name for its New Tyres

Michelin, aware of the concerns over vintage tyres detaching themselves from beaded edge tyre rims, pursued the design of a Bibendum rim with a well for only half its circumference. However as the well-base wheel proved its integrity and its design was refined Michelin's bibendum tyres rim was discontinued."
What are Bibendum tires? They are crossply tyres that need to be fitted to a millimetric Bibendum wheel rim. When well based wheels were first developed they were developed in imperial inch sizes, however in Europe they wanted to have their wheels measures in millimetres or centimetres. Bibendum tyres come in sizes suited to fit 50cm, 45cm and 400mm wheel sizes."

Here's a link to Longstone's website if you want to read more: https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/vin...age-tyres.html

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

They are also used on the standard Ford 4 cylinder "Rheinland" model 40 that was produced from 1933 to 1936 in Cologne

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...9&d=1717346156

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...0&d=1717346156

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...1&d=1717346990

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...2&d=1717346990

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...3&d=1717347157

Re: Michelin wire wheels
 

Perhaps the same as on the front of this 33 Rhineland. BY the way.... German 35's were advertised in the brochure as having 17" rims.

Re: Michelin wire wheels