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MG TD TF 1500 - Dunlop India Wire Wheels

I will be buying new wire wheels for my Tf very soon. I read somewhere the quality of the Dunlop wheels produced in India has improved substantially. Has anyone had recent experience with these wheels and can substantiate the current quality (or lack thereof)? Thanks, John TF6773
JR Mahone

I bought a set (silver painted) via MWS and am very happy with them. I have fitted Blockley radials (tubeless) and am very happy with those too.
Dave H
Dave Hill

John, my information is from four years ago. I bought a set of five painted wire wheels from Moss (manufactured in India) and took them to Hendrix Wire Wheels for fine tuning and balancing. Allen Hendrix said it was the truest wheels he had worked on and needed little adjustment. He did not favor Dunlop wheels at that time because he felt their quality had dropped considerably, even though he could sell Dunlops. This was four years ago and things may have changed, plus my memory may not be that great. About twelve years ago I had a custom set of Dunlops manufactured for a car that I built and I thought the quality was good with one exception; the knock-off nuts would not stay tight without frequent hammering. I had one come off one time on the freeway.

Regards,

Bobby L.
B. F. Loughridge

Very interesting information. Allen Hendrix recently told me he preferred the wheels supplied by MWS of England. Does this mean the MWS wheels are the Dunlop's made in India? I know I read the sellers (Moss, VB, and others) demanded the Indian manufacturer improve the quality or lose the business. They supposedly complied and provide a quality wheel now. A purchase of five wheels is a major investment for me so I want to do my homework. John
JR Mahone

As far as I know, MWS is the manufacturer of Dunlop wire wheels. I've never had a problem with the quality.
Steve Simmons

One big thing to check. I have Daytons on my 67 B GT. Information provided said I did not need to run tubes in the daytons.

I am currently installing a set of Moss Dunlop chrome wires on a 79 spitfire and there is a big sticker on the rims that says they must be mounted with radial tire tubes. The rims are about 8 years old, so I can't say if this is still true.
Bruce TD4139 Cunha

My MWS wheels were made by Dunlop India and they are sealed for tubeless tyres, though you don't have to do down that route. The literature that came with them said nothing about only fitting radial tyres - I just preferred to fit them. Their website is quite informative. The Blockley Tyres website also gives advice on using tubes with spoked wheels, should you wish to do so.
Dave H
Dave Hill

Correction on my comments above; I should have said Dayton, not Dunlop brand. Aging memory. Allen Hendrix's comments to me would have been about Dayton wheels, not Dunlop. I should add that I have run the painted wire wheels from Moss without tubes for over four years without any problems.

Bobby L.
B. F. Loughridge

Thanks to everyone for their input. I certainly feel better about buying the Dunlop wheel. Happy Holidays! John
JR Mahone

If it is a concern. Dunlop rims are made in India, Dayton's are made in the USA.

I strongly recommend you ask Moss if the Dunlop's can be run without tubes. They don't address this in their documentation. They say they have silicon treatment to keep moisture out.

Dayton sells both wires that require tubes and ones that do not.


Dayton also says that their rims require no periodic maintenance.
Bruce TD4139 Cunha

Keep in mind also that Dayton wheels do not look exactly as original. They are good wheels but the rim lips are not shaped the same as originals as the Dunlops are. Or at least that's how it was a few years ago when I last looked into it.
Steve Simmons

I have had my Dayton 72 spokes on for over 10 years. have yet to have to put air in them. I run em hard and they look great on my car. I would recommend them, I have no intrest in the co. but love the wheels.
TRM Maine

What kind of tires don't wear out or lose any air in a decade of hard driving???
Steve Simmons

I have Dayton Chrome/stainless 60 spoke on my B for almost 25 years and 48 spoke on the TF for 10. Absolutely zero issues with the B wheels. The TF on the other had I've broken at least one spoke on every wheel and had 3 on one wheel while on a long road trip a 3 1/2 years back. I personnally put that down to my choice of using 48 spoke wheels. I purchased some new spokes from Hendrix and discussed upgrading to some 60 spoke wheels. Alan's comments at the time were that the quality of the Daytons had gone down hill and that nearly every wheel he received from them had to be trued. The imitation Dunlops from India on the other hand had improved to the point that he felt they were a better choice out of the box. I take Alan's comments with a grain of salt as I suspect that his profit margins are greater with the Dunlops and that all things being equal that may be the direction he would prefer to direct you. Or there may in fact be big differences. At that time a number of MGB owners were complaining on another site of broken spokes and bad chrome with their new Dayton wheels so certainly his statements do have merit.

The difference I've noticed between original wire wheels and either of the replacements is in the spoke flange on the hubs, nothing on the rims. Not a big deal unless you are going for 100 points. I don't think anyone has made that style of hub since the 50's. The last time I looked (and it's been a while) You could get the wheels with sealed spokes to allow you to go tubeless for an extra charge or not still requiring tubes and rim bands.
MG LaVerne

I bought Dayton 60s for my TF and LOVE them. I bought the tubeless option but found that it was just a large smear of silicon round the inside of the rim over the spoke ends. I was not impressed when I saw that but mounted them up tubeless the first go round. They leaked pretty quickly after a few short drives and then became progressively worse. I bought a set of tubes and remounted them with tubes. I've been very pleased with them ever since. The 60s to me look a lot better than the 48s too. They lace them in such a fashion that the wheel has a dish shape in section rather than a crown shape of the 48s. The rims are also just a shave wider too which lines up almost perfectly with the rear fender. I feel that it was a VAST improvement in look and sturdiness of the wheels. My only complaint is that the Chrome ones I bought are WAY heavier than the 48 painted ones they replaced.

Alex
Alex Waugh

The 5 tubeless wheels I bought from Moss were true out of the box and none of them leak. Nice wheel I think. I don't know who made them. PJ
Paul161

Steve, I have been runnnig a set of tires I bought from Phillips 66 . THey were made for a VW. I really have had no trouble with them. I know they are out of date and all that but they have never been outside except for when I drive or maybe and overnite cruise. My car is garaged at all times. there are no cracks in them and they are still soft. they are radials.
TRM Maine

This thread was discussed between 10/12/2015 and 16/12/2015

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