OK, I have done miles of burnouts with my stock wheels and 6.00 tires. Recently I split the rear rims and added three inches to the width and put on nine inch tires. I am afraid with way more traction the wheels might fail. That would be a bitch. Anyone have any past experience with what they will or will not survive?? GW
Three Ford V-8 cars suspended from a single Ford V-8 wheel is one of the spectacular features of the Ford Exposition. The wheel used is of standard one piece, welded-steel construction such as is found on any new Ford car. Tests show that the wheel has strength sufficient to support the weight of fourteen Ford V-8's. I think Ford did the above display for the Worlds Fair in 1934.
The big thing is to do a very thorough inspection for broken or damaged spokes. Burnouts don't stress them as bad as hooking up!
Just an FYI. Back in the early 70's at a strip in Ohio I saw a guy spin the rims inside his wide slicks - about 5 inches. If you had enuf rubber on the road and were to apply enuf torque to turn the center of the wheel it would probably bend/break a few spokes and then the rest would go also. Just a thot...
Yeah, But it is that moment of hooking up until they started spinning that had me worried about ending up sitting on my diff.
The Ford built wheels were fully welded, so spokes could not continually work in their sockets like riveted or nipple type wire wheels...I suspect that makes them stronger than most wire wheels and more rigid too.
Why do you supposed that the "fact" always tossed about is that K-H wheels where (are) stronger than Ford spokes?
I would be suspicious...let's do some destruction tests! I am not at all certain about single-point riveted connections like this, but feel that they would work in their holes and that resulting wear would accelerate the problem. Nipple type wheels certainly have their problems with tiny fasteners, and require periodic truing and tightening especially in the old racing applications. The dogleg turn in the Kelseys would also seem easier to bend than a straight welded diagonal...don't know. I never liked the look and was always suspicious of wheels made of so many parts. They do have MORE spokes. Ford controlled the patent on the specific construction and manufacturing aspects of welded wheels, so anyone else would have had to come up with another way or pay royalties. If I wanted Kelseys, I'd choose Kelsey built Ford OEM wheels... Let's put two of each on a 1969 Lola trans Am car and see which wheel kills us first! I'll bring over 2 Ford wheels with mud grips that hold air, you get the Lola and the Kelseys.
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