Rim band

other manufacturers: All cars with 16" wheels

Jaguar: XK120, XK140 and XK150 (1949-61)

to fit 16" wheels

There are not many aspects of motoring in which modern safety standards are below those of the twenties, but some vintage and classic cars currently in use are in fact operating in a less secure state than when they were new. A new range of ‘old’ products is designed to bring back better than the original safety standards. One source of potential danger lies in those elegant components, wire wheels. The spokes of a wire wheel have sturdy heads which protrude into the well of the wheel-rim and can, because of heat transmitted from the brakes, become very hot if a car is being driven hard. This means that the well of a wire wheel is always knobbly and often hot. Needless to say, this is not a healthy environment for an inner tube, and wire wheels will not accept tubeless tyres. Wire wheels were originally fitted with rim bands, fabric – or more effectively – rubber strips mounted in the wheel-well to protect the inner tube from the spoke heads. Unfortunately, rim bands have been out of production for many years now, forcing wire wheel users to rely on either old bands or no bands at all – with obvious dangers. We have a range of rim bands, which we are now offering under the ‚Classico‘ brand name. Modelled on the original patterns, the bands benefit from modern materials and manufacturing methods to combine the latest technology and quality-control with complete conformity to the original shape and dimensions. “Classico” rim bands are available to fit rims between 13 and 16 inches in diameter and are sold individually