Ford Original wire wheel

[19ED30]

Are original Ford wire wheels Safe , Would you trust to drive them over 400 miles a week & on average Speed of 60mph , or some times 80 mph!
I have a original set of 1932 For my 32 Todur with 40 brakes ,
I know I need adaptor , wheel are nice ,
No pitting or Rust ,

[Charlie Stephens]

I have a '32 roadster with '46-'48 brakes and a 31 RDPU with stock brakes, both with original wire wheels. I wouldn't worry about the wire wheels assuming they were good (straight and balanced). I have never heard of anyone having a problem. Also remember that the tires have a life, maybe just 10 years depending on who you are talking to. At 80 MPH I would worry about side winds from passing semis or coming down canyons that cross the highway. Remember that those front fenders act like airplane wings and make the car very light in the front. At 80 MPH it will feel like power steering but blow around a lot.

Charlie Stephens

[JM 35 Sedan]

If you have good original Ford wire wheels that have no rust damage, straight, solidly attached spokes, no rim or hub damage, spin true on correct spindles, good lug holes, etc., I see no reason why they wouldn't run at 80 or more.

[willowbilly3]

My theory, 80 year old metal that was designed for 35-40 mph, hmm...

[JM 35 Sedan]

I believe the '35 Fords were designed for more than 35 to 40 mph......

[Bulligen]

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The other thing you must remember it that these wheels were designed to take the brunt of the roads that we had in those days. Some were slightly improved wagon trails with the wash board and rutted routes between towns with the smoothest on the main street where it may be brick pavers. Ever here of sand blisters on you tires?

[klawockvet]

I would damn sure trust a set of Henry Ford wheels over the current aftermarket Asian junk we get now. I've never personally had a Ford wheel fail under any conditions but have had literally dozens of aftermarket wheels fail in rugged off road circumstances.

[DD931]

In the early 30's the big Ford exhibition displays had a whole car held in the air by one spoke. I've never heard of a Ford wire wheel either failing or deforming from road use. I once (1958) drove a Model A from Massachusetts to Virginia at 50-55 mph most of the way. No problem!! It did throw a fan blade, but that's another story!!

[COE Dan]

Originally Posted by DD931

In the early 30's the big Ford exhibition displays had a whole car held in the air by one spoke. I've never heard of a Ford wire wheel either failing or deforming from road use. I once (1958) drove a Model A from Massachusetts to Virginia at 50-55 mph most of the way. No problem!! It did throw a fan blade, but that's another story!!

I can't find a picture online of what DD931 is describing but I believe it was printed in V-8 times sometime recently. As I recall, it was actually THREE Fords hanging from a single spoke!

I've shattered the edge of a modern cast alloy wheel in a curb bump causing the tire to lose air. One particular famous (notorious?) British motoring show has a penchant for shattering cast wheels (albeit through excessive abuse) among other things. I'd worry about seat belts, no airbags, no padded dash, no cushioned steering column if you need something to worry about on old Fords. Just me.

[jim1932]

I'm more interested in how you are getting the 32 tudor over 80. And how you are keeping it on the road with original steering and shocks?

[RobR'35]

Each spoke is designed to hold 4000 lbs. I've read.
There was more to the story of the cars held by a wire wheel.
It was also said. If they had the head room they'd have added more cars.
To me that says something.

[Steve Staysko]

Three 1934 Ford V-8’s suspended from the rim of a welded steel wheel of the type used on all our Ford V-8 cars.

[Bruce Lancaster]

"I believe the '35 Fords were designed for more than 35 to 40 mph......"
Ford had performance tests for dealers with MINIMUM standard a car had to meet if a customer said it lacked power or economy.
The power test covered acceleration in high gear and top speed...a 4.11 '35 had to make 84 MPH or something was wrong. Note that this was a minimum!

[rotorwrench]

The strength of a wire wheel is comparable to a pressed steel wheel. FoMoCo used the spoke design until the pressing technology caught up with the times making a pressed steel wheel center less expensive to produce than a wire spoke one. A spoked wheel is easier to straighten if it gets bent.

[mercman from oz]

This is a great old photo that proves the strength of the Ford Welded Wire Wheels.

[FrankWest]

True. the roads were terrible in the early 1930s. And these wheels were over designed because of the lack of computers which tweak things to give you just enough to pass.
But I can understand the gentleman's concern. They are over 80 years old. Metal changes over 80 years exposure to thermal cycling, rust, wear. Even great steel monuments like the Brooklyn Bridge need to be repaired. When I was a kid, I was ridding in a car with my brother and we when very fast around a turn.. I asked what would happen if a wheel fell off, He said..A wheel would never come off.
A week late we made the same turn and a wheel feel off our car!!. It didn't come loose from the lug nuts but instead, the stayed attached to the car but feel over 90 degrees to lay on its side as we lit up the area with sparks...
My brother was speechless. The car was a 1963 corvair, and this happened in 1967.

I may be chicken...But..I have an all original 1933 fordor and I would never try to push the car beyond 45-50 mph. I feel, If you want a car to operate one of these old cars safely at 70 or even 80 mph you should seriously look into rebuilding a good portion of the power train and suspension. The Fords were pretty good, but I remember the guy who had a 1933 Chevy that used to carry a spare rear axial around with him because that part was know to fracture on may occasions.

[rotorwrench]

I can hit 60 with the model A but I don't go into corners that fast. Even when the steering is good it gets a little more than fun at high speed with those narrow 21 inchers on there. I generally always keep it between 50 & 55. A guy doesn't want to go to much faster than he can stop it from in a pinch.

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

I can hit 60 with the model A but I don't go into corners that fast. Even when the steering is good it gets a little more than fun at high speed with those narrow 21 inchers on there. I generally always keep it between 50 & 55. A guy doesn't want to go to much faster than he can stop it from in a pinch.

WOW! pretty fast for a model A.

When you are going 50mph in your model A does it feel like you are going 100 mph?

Still 50 mph is a lot stressful for an 90 year old car than 80 mph.

[rotorwrench]

After I put the V8 in there and the later drive train, wheels, & brakes, I plan on going faster than 60 for sure. 60 is about tops for the old worn 4 banger. It has enough play in the steering to make you nervous if you do it for too long.

[FrankWest]

You're right! In an original 80-90 year old car everything seems loose, My steering is not loose but I still worry about subjecting the mechanism to too much stress.
I knew a guy that was in the army and on his way to be stationed in Germany and the troop ship he was on actually cracked in half, but did not sink during a storm at sea.

[Bored&Stroked]

One of the big challenges is how bias-ply tires track versus radials. On my 32, I opted for some Coker Excelsior Stahl tires - because I wanted to be more comfortable driving at higher speeds. The car has 16" firestone wires - stock suspension, stock brakes and newly rebuilt shocks. These tires do help a lot and still look "semi traditional". The only bad part - they are quite expensive. BUT, when I think about the value of the car and my hide in it - along with the ease of driving the car - probably worth it.

[SUHRsc]

I've had my Kelsey Hayes 16" wheels over 100mph

I run 16" Kelsey rear and 17" fronts on my dirt track racecar pretty fast sliding through the turns.

[Karl]

I run my 1913 T at 40-45 mph , my 1930 Model A at 50-55 mph and the 1934 V8 at 60-65 mph all day on a trip. All are on standard wheels and all are basically stock. However I have gone to great pains to ensure that they are functionally at stock -That is steering, brakes and suspension all work as they would have worked when new and are kept this way. A new Ford was perfectly capable of these speeds safely (or as safe as you get for the time without seatbelts). Many restored cars I see a visually restored but not functionally restored. The above speeds would be insane in those cars and perhaps also with the traffic density you experience in the States which down under we thankfully don't have

[Ian NZ]

I am sure when there was stock car racing years ago a lot of V8,s were raced with spoke wheels too.

[Equipped28]

Originally Posted by SUHRsc

I've had my Kelsey Hayes 16" wheels over 100mph

I run 16" Kelsey rear and 17" fronts on my dirt track racecar pretty fast sliding through the turns.

Where's the like button.

I also drive my roadster with 16" ford wires all round sideways.

[CarlG]

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Originally Posted by rotorwrench

I can hit 60 with the model A ...

Originally Posted by FrankWest

WOW! pretty fast for a model A...

55-60 is where mine feels most comfortable.