A question about wheels

Naturally, just MHO; but I think all of the cars you list look better with their respective alloy wheels; more suited to their *modern* designs. I think the wire wheels were more of a *hangover* from earlier times, and were ordered out of the buyers personal choice, wanting a *sportscar*. Other than a style choice, I can't think of any technical reason to fit wires....Perhaps another owner can offer a *technical* reason?

 

My car came with Campagnolo Mags and I still have the set.
I bought 3812 wires because I prefer the wire look.

It's all about style preference.
Mags are easier to keep clean and balanced.
But for me the wires just look better.

wires were an option but I'm not sure how much this option cost but would love to learn.

Doug

 

Pretty sure borranis stress too much in racing conditions and can be damaged if the car has enough power

 

It is the additional lateral load imposed on the wheel by ever- wider tires (not to mention ever-increasing horsepower and torque numbers)that eventually caused the demise of wire wheels, especially on race cars.

 

Lotus took up where Bugatti left off in the use of cast alloy wheels in racing, at a time when tires were still quite narrow, because they were lighter than wires. The strength of cast wheels eventually allowed wider tires to be used without the wheels becoming unduly heavy.

The problem with the cast wheels used on older Ferraris, as many here will know, is that the high magnesium content causes corrosion - wrinkles under the paint. Once it starts, you have to strip and repaint alloy wheels every 3-4 years, which is actually more maintenance than Borranis need.

 

When I was younger and more foolish than I am today, I used to run my 365GT on the track. It would eat up Borrani's quite often. Part of it was the weight of the car and part was that I bought some sticky tires that didn't exist when the car was designed. I have no problem with the Borrani's driving aggressively on the road. But I wouldn't go to the track again without alloy's. But, since I have a dedicated track car now, there's no chance the 365 will be at the track except to visit.

 

yep, sticky tyres will trash Borranis - and suspension bushes, crack chassis rails etc.

Better to let the car slide around, my Queen Mary on XWX's was the easiest power slide car I've ever had, lots of fun at the track, no problems with the wheels.

 

Ferrari introduced alloy wheels on the 1963 F1 car but still used wires on the 250P sports prototype and right up to the 330P2 in early 1965, but they were no longer up to the lateral loads so went to alloys after Daytona. Anybody who was still using wires as supplied on a 275LM in 1965 found them breaking regularly as the tyres improved.

Cooper were the first British manufacturer to use alloy wheels, and that was down to money because they made their own from melted-down aircraft parts after WW2.

The early Lotus sports cars used wire wheels, as did Jaguar C-types, but in 1954 the Jaguar D-type used Dunlop alloy wheels to go with disc brakes, and they became common on British sports and F1 cars such as BRM, Vanwall, Lister-Jaguar, etc.

Connaught had used their own alloy wheels since 1952 on their F2 car.

Paul M

 

Yale might want to chime in. He told me that after breaking spokes on his wire wheels due to the potholes in NYC, he put the alloys from the Series II 330 GT on his 4HL model.

 

Yeah, well that is about the whole story. After September 11th they took all the tarmac off of many of the NYC streets to repave. Driving down the West Side Highway, a policeman in another car pointed to my wheels. What? I thought and pulled over. They looked fine, touched the spokes and literally 30% fell off! My wheels must have looked like egg shaped things.

 

Of course, the racing cars are nowhere near as heavy as the street version wearing the same wheels.
Cheers
Warren

 

I run the Borrani wire wheels on both the Ferrari 250P and 268SP when I'm tracking or racing the cars. But, and this is a big but, I use the original spec Dunlop "L" series 204 compound tires. If you tried to use the later series "M" series (much wider for the same size and better grip), I would probably be breaking spokes just like the 275 GTB/Cs (dry sump long nose cars) did because they were now running the "M" series tires. I also use newly made Borrani wire wheels which are stronger than the old ones. The (standard) old ones are extruded & butt-welded rims with stamped hubs, cut spoke holes, etc. Exceptions are some of the race wheels, if Ferrari or Chinetti (as he did for some Daytonas) ordered them this way, would come with machined hubs, and they came with dimpled spoke holes. I believe Borrani (Matteo) told me the new rims are spun cast when I ordered rims for the race cars, all with machined hubs, painted wheels (race wheels remember, no chroming), etc. I've had zero problems with them at the track. A 250P, the heavier of the two, is still under 900 kg.

I wouldn't take a Daytona on the track with them though. Way too heavy of a car and the rubber you would run is way too good.

Steve