A couple of weeks ago, I posted an inquiry about experiences others have had
with the various minilite clones that are on the market. These will be to
replace the original steel wheels on my TR4. I got 13 responses from
listers, and collected some more data via searching the web. The following
non-scientific summary is provided for others who may be facing this same
decision:
Minilites b Oddly, no one had anything to say about Minilites.
Panasports - The consensus is that these are the cream of the crop in terms
of finish, quality, light weight, strength, and availability. They are also
a bit more aggressive in styling. No one had anything negative to say about
them, except maybe the cost.
KN Minators b Not as light or well-finished as the Panasports, but a decent
wheel and significantly less expensive and more traditional looking to many
(including myself). Jack McGahey has KNs on his TR6 and Panasports on his
TR8, and recommended the look of the KNs as being more accurate replicas of
the Minilites for the TR4. A couple of responders indicated that they had
raced on KNs for several seasons without problems, and the Caterham crowd
uses them widely, so they canbt be too bad. These are the wheels that Moss
and TRF carry as Minilite replicas. The primary disadvantages seem to be
limited size range in the U.S. to 5.5b width, and the need for special
sleeve lug nuts that are pricey at $4.5 - $6 each. There were a couple of
comments regarding difficulty keeping these wheels balanced, perhaps because
of loosely fitting nuts.
Compomotive b Only got two comments. One from someone who has generally had
good experience with the brand, although not the ML model, and the other
from Ted at TSI who said he carries them and said they are relatively
comparable to the Panasports (which he also carries).
ROTA RB b These were mentioned as a new alternative in the Minilite style,
but I wasnbt able to find out anything about them.
A couple of people weighed in on the broader issue of mags versus wires. My
favorite comment was from Phil Ethier: "TR4 and Minilites: a marriage made
in heaven". My sentiments exactly.
Thanks to all for the input on this. Ibll be following up with a post
regarding tire selection.
Dean Mericas
Ann Arbor, MI
1965 TR4
1974 2000GTV
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