Australian Classic Wire WheelsCourtesy of www.acww.com.au, we received a set of four dazzling spoked wheels to test the quality and to trial them on our E Type Jaguar over an extended period.

When they were unboxed and coupled with the spinners, they looked tremendous so we were understandably excited.

For a closer look, read on!

The photos I’ve taken here don’t quite do the rims justice as they still have a complete covering of wax which protects them from any moisture they may come across between manufacture and the customer.  I expect when this is removed, they will be even a brighter finish (if that’s possible).

Packed.JPGYou can see from the packing that the company was taking no chances.  They were wrapped in thick plastic with a bag of Silica Gel to take away any moisture, then packed firmly with cardboard and boxed.

These rims are splined and ready to accept tubeless tyres, have them balanced and then to fit to the car.  Unfortunately, most wire spoked wheels seem to develop rust over a short to medium time frame, but these spokes are stainless then chromed, so this will be interesting.

The wire wheels are manufactured using the latest plating techniques.  Expertise in plating technology enables the product to conform to acceptable automotive standards using multi layer nickel chrome plating processes.  The plating system provides a CASS salt spray life over 24 hrs when tested and evaluated as per ISO 9227.

The rims are polished with a special purpose machine which is complimented with final hand polishing.  Multi layer plating is carried out using technologically incorporating superior levelling brighteners to provide a better finish.  The stainless steel spokes and nipples are electro-polished and chrome-plated to match the colour and lustre of the rims and shells.

The rims have a protective rubberised covering and this has also been applied to the inside of rim where the tyre fits.  This application doubles as a sealant and assists in the prevention of corrosion by protecting those areas from dirt and dust.  I understand that this system applies to all of the chrome and spoked wheels produced by this manufacturer with these particular rims made for tubeless tyres.  Whilst these rims are electronically and digitally machined, I thought I would check the run out on these rims on my lathe and found them to be on spec @ <.060 in (1.53mm).

These rims are certainly machined to a very high quality level in terms of tolerance as, being a machinist, I inspected the clearance on the spline hub to wheel splines and established it to be practically an interference fit which means spline wear will not be accelerated by the impact effect of stop/start wheel rotation.

The spinners are also of the same lustre quality as the rims and with Jaguar embossed into them.  They certainly become part of a “must have” combination.  Like all items of quality, these rims and spinners should be cleaned with special products that will not leave harmful residues nor scratch the highly polished surfaces.  The purpose built cleaners will remove unwanted dirt etc as well as protect the rims from corrosion and Paul from www.acww.com.au has been kind enough to also supply this product as part of the trial.

Spoked wheels with Silica.JPGThe rims are individually coded for identification and carry a 3 year structural and 2 year cosmetic warranty.  Now we don’t expect to have to exercise this warranty, but isn’t it nice to know that the supplier has such faith in the product to offer this long warranty?

Oops! I nearly forgot to mention, these guys have these wheels available for all sorts of cars not just Jaguars.   

Conclusion
A well constructed product with extremely high individually monitored quality control.  Therefore, at present and based on our investigation of the facts, we give it the “thumbs up” without any reservations, but acknowledge the fact that this is a time-based evaluation. This on going review will stay within this site for a minimum of two years, so rest assured if we experience any problems you will read about it here as we intend to keep our readers up to date.

If you’re wondering what these glittering enhancements will cost you in Australia, this incudes GST but not any frieght:

Spinners Set of 4, $320 Aud

Wheels Set of 4, $2380 Aud

Cleaning kit $60 Aud