Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => Research & Development => Topic started by: keith on June 01, 2010, 19:10:25
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Can anyone tell me what size wire wheels you could put on a Pagoda and does anyone have any photos with them on. What other parts would you need to get to fit them onto this car.
Keith :)
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The wire wheels that I have seen installed on pagodas were mostly junk. they required thick spacers to clear the brake calipers, this set them so far out that the tires rubbed on the fender wells. The spacers also didn't hold the rims centered on the hubs very well.
There could be a product out on the market that I am not aware of that works better than the ones I have seen. If the instalation requires spacers, just forget it.
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The two companies I'm familiar with are Dayton and Boranni. I bought my 107 (380SL) with Daytons and they fit very well as they were direct bolt-ons. I sold them as I didn't care for the look.
From Boranni:
(http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt180/RickMNJ/Borrani.jpg)
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Enclosed are some pictures of my 1965 230SL, the wire wheels were made by Tru Spoke, about 30 years ago, 15X6. I am not sure the company is still in buisness. The 230sl is under a complete restoration, but the wheels are still on the car, with no trouble other than you have to use tubes. It is my opinion that Pagodas look great with wire wheels.
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I'm (still - but hopefully not for long) on wires from Dayton - they are bolt-on, which means the center nut is fake. I have 205/70 Tiger Paws on them, and will keep the tires when I find the time to switch to my refurbished steel wheels.
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Great care should be taken when fitting wheel other than the origanals .Wheels are engineered to match the wheel bearing s if this is not done and the dish is not correct you will be overloading the wheel bearings in the wrong places thus causing premature wheel bearing failure and we do not play with spacers at all this is not a Ford or BMW or what ever . ;D
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Steve,
I can't tell much about your wheels from the lo-res photo here, but the wide shot looks good. With the dark color they seem distinctive without being gaudy and were certainly a period style touch.
Phil, if there is a 13 mm spacer, how many miles will it take to wear out the bearings? I wouldn't race with wire wheels, but for a car that gets 1,500 miles a year, it wouldn't seem a big deal. I've put 33,000 miles an '89 BMW with alloys and spacers and no issues yet. It could be that the wires and spacers might reduce the useful life. Admittedly, the rear wheel bearings on that E30 will be far easier to replace than a W113. I just don't know how fragile MB bearings are. At 180,000 miles, I replaced my Pagoda's rear bearings as a preventive measure and they still looked servicable.
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Another manufacturer of wire wheels would be Zenith.
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After looking at the photos and owning a set of Borrani motorcycle wheels I was thinking a set of wires with a satin finished rim like the Ferrari 250GT might be almost cool. Then I looked up the price. 7,000 euro...Yikes!