why wire wheels?

[eddie48]

I woke up this morning thinking about the wheels on my 34 Ford pickup. Why did they use wire wheels on the early vehicles, as opposed to the stamped steel wheels which followed. Was it just aesthetics? History? Evolution of manufacturing process? Does anyone out there know?

 

[OldGold360]

I found the article I read awhile back. Perhaps this Hemmings article can fill you in on the evolution of Ford wheels better than I can.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1926-35-ford-wire-wheels/amp

 

[Will D]

Just following technology available at the time? They are missing the wire wheels between 1889 and 1946...

 

[Charlie ny]

Less unsprung weight....the wide 5 wheels were a transition from wires for the same reason. When Ford went to sway bars and wider springs maybe the unsrung issues
were resolved and conventional disc wheels were acceptable. Some Ford early brake drums were 'spoked' in the 30's V8 years.That's what I've heard anyway.
Charlie ny

 

[rockfla]

A play off of CharlieNY but also what I have learned from my time as a somewhat serious cyclist........Less rotating mass means more energy!!

 

[Frank Miller]

Technology, weight and material cost contribute to most design decisions to mass produced vehicles. A regular pickup was just a car with a factory box.

 

[Tim Ayers]

Less unsprung weight....the wide 5 wheels were a transition from wires for the same reason. When Ford went to sway bars and wider springs maybe the unsrung issues
were resolved and conventional disc wheels were acceptable. Some Ford early brake drums were 'spoked' in the 30's V8 years.That's what I've heard anyway.
Charlie ny

That makes sense to me

 

[Aarongriffey]

The only spoked brake drums I ever saw were Rocky Mountain brake drums. They were after market for early thirties cars, I have one for a 35.
I’ve been around a lot of model A, a few thirty to 34 and a ton of 35 and later original cars an never saw spoked drums, although where I grew up very few folks bought that type of goody got their car.
I always heard that sports car racers like wire wheels because they are lighter and will give more than a disc wheel when hitting a curb or rut.
They way ‘36 through 39 were bolted directly to the brake drum must have been stronger.
VW did it that way, Porsche too, for many years.

 

[Fortunateson]

My '32 has kinda spoked drums which I believe are stock. Just curious but are they worth much?

 

[RB]

Never really gave it much thought but perhaps the lack of paved roads & the possibility of mud build up on the mechanical brake systems of the day, the manufactures felt the spoke wheel provided some access over the solid disc wheel. ??