Several of the classics that we service here have wire wheels. Maintaining proper tire pressure is crucial to ensure the tube does not get pinched. Rather than using lug nuts or bolts to fasten the wheels to the vehicle, one large "wing knock off" or "octagon knock off" is used per wheel. These "knock off's" are side specific and usually labelled left side or right side. Because of this design, the hub and rim are splined to both drive the wheel and prevent it from free-wheeling.

Here at the shop we are able to either static or dynamic balance these wheels. We know that having several wheel weights on a nice chrome wheel doesn't look good. A feature our balancer has is that we're also able to spin the wheel on the balancer, then dismount the tire and rotate it 180 degrees on the rim then spin on the balancer again. It will then indicate where to mount the tire onto the rim to use the least amount of weight possible to balance.

If you're considering purchasing a set of wire wheels be sure to feel each of the spoke to ensure that none of them are loose or broken. Also look closely at the internal hub splines on the rim, if they are worn the wheel is not usable as it won't mesh/grip properly with the axle splines.