George DeVeau writes >
>TR3 has fairly new wheels
>Previous tales of the wheel stripping the spline after hard braking scares me.
>Can the wheel hub expand
Sure, when it rusts. When mounting wheels, put lots of grease or anti-seize
compound on the spines to keep them from rusting. Rust can make it impossible
to get the wheel off the hub. I had in my pile of Midget parts the center
section of a wire wheel (spokes removed) frozen to a front hub. I used to
pound on it just for fun. It never budged. Totally monolithic.
>if the knock-offs are tightened too much?
I believe it is not possible to tighten them too much. The real work of
transmitting torque on a Rudge wheel is not done by the splines, but by the
tapers built into the hub and cap. You must keep them REALLY tight all the
time. Smack them with the hammer every time you think about it, every day if
you like. When I autocrossed the Midget on wires before I changed over to
four-bolts, I whacked them before each run. Hit them as hard as you can, you
will not be able to strip the huge threads..
>How can you tell if the splines or the wheels are bad?
John Twist published a minimum diameter for MGs for which I could search, but I
don't know if the dimensions are the same for an MG hub as for a TR hub. MGB
and Midget are the same. I used to run MGB wheels on the Midget sometimes.
Phil Ethier, THE RIGHT LINE, 672 Orleans Street, Saint Paul, MN 55107-2676
h (612) 224-3105 w (612) 298-5324 phile@pwcs.stpaul.gov USA
It's still hip to be octagonal. Whaddaya call the Lotus emblem shape, anyway?
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