Wire Wheels

Is there a substance to put on the splines when I put the wire wheels back on? I seem to remember reading about putting vaseline or something on them.

i ran knock-off wheels on my cars for years and i never put anything on the threads.

So never having wire wheels before, I have to ask - What kind of maintenance do I have to look forward to?

Frank, use some type of grease to prevent the wheel seizing on the splines. Most recommend an "anti seize" grease which has particles of copper or aluminum mixed in and keeps it from getting hard over time. A stuck wheel is a real pain in the butt to remove. Try your local auto parts store for anti seize or you can order it through places like McMaster-Carr http://www.mcmaster.com/#antiseize-lubricants/=4kj90q The aluminum anti seize won't show up as much if any leaks out around the spokes at the hub where the copper color does show up quite easily. Don't be stingy with the stuff, you can use too little so make sure the splines are covered well and evenly before you put the wheel on. A little on the threads for the knock offs won't hurt either.

What Bill said.

Plus: once you put it on and get it evenly distributed, it seems to last through many, many removal/replacement cycles, so it is almost a kind of a one time thing to do.

But, if you put too much, you can get dirty grease running down your spokes when you drive (you clean it off and it comes right back). Using a quality anti-seize compound will help avoid this (less "runny" than the oil/grease used by the old timers back in the day). Furthermore, if you apply a light coat of silicone over the base of the spokes inside the hub there, you can make it so anything inside the hub will stay inside the hub and help keep things tidy.


Norm

I would inspect the splines on a regular basis. Had wires on a TR4 and GT6 both of which I purchased new. I never had a problem with the TR4 but had the front left wire come off. The splines stripped and it spun the knock-off till it came off. The car had about 50,000 miles at the time and I do have to admit that I drove it very hard on a constant basis.

I'd opt for what Bill says, anti sieze. Silicon or lithium based would be better than vaselene. An annual removal might be the best problem solver of all...I ruined a wheel on an MG due to its long negleced removal...

I'd suggest rotating the tires at least annually (nice "spring is in the air" type activity) and inspect/clean/relube/grease/anti-seize the splines then.

I'd also suggest a light coat on the seating "cones" (one on hub, one in nut and their mating surfaces on the wheel).

I recently switched to Mobil 1 grease and have used it on the wire wheel hubs of several cars with good results. Certainly it's much easier to clean wire wheels when they are off the car rather than to try struggling to clean the back of the rim and the hub while still on the car. As a result the wire wheels on my MG's come off at least three or four times a year. There's nothing worse than a wire wheel that has "rust welded" itself to the hub and I've certainly come across my share. While you've got your wheels off take a few minutes to closely examine the spokes for damage. Take a wrench and lightly tap each spoke listening for the same sound from each one. When you come across a spoke with a different, "hollow" sound, you'll know that at some point you will need to dismount the tire and either re-torque the spoke or replace it.