MTFCA Forum

Someone at a recent event advised me to check my rear wheels for too much play.

Ignoring that the axle doesn't match the year, do I have too much wobble in my tires? There is no play in the wheel when off the ground and not running. The axle was replaced by a previous owner 15 years ago with new bearings and a brass thrust washer. Wood spokes are tight and the demountable rims are snug with the wheel/hub. The castle nut is at 90 ft pounds. Video is below.

Thoughts? I found other videos on Facebook that seemed worse and were given the seal of approval. Seeking a second opinion.

https://youtu.be/bSqj79yPaKg?si=vOZwTqh8p7KpsBpF

Thanks!
Chad

How much ?? & what kind of wheels?

GOOGLE search of "mtfca wheel runout wobble" brings up dozens of threads on this subject...pick one, or two, or ten and decide who is giving good advice on allowable runout.

If what you see now really bothers you, then I'd say that most anything short of perfection is going to bother you, so now you know what is allowable

as for the video, it is an excellent 20 second video of tire runout but only a second or two of wheel runout, and from those two seconds, I'd say that I'd love to have an early car with such good wheels - yes, there are truer wheels out there, but truer does not necessarily equal "better" as there are a number of factors involved in determining the quality of a wheel.

Are the demountable rims pulled up evenly all the way around? The rim on the left may wobble a little if you look close at it. But that’s my opinion. Are the tires wearing evenly?
I don’t think your T isn’t any worse than an average T is. A perfectionist may look at every single thing on a restored car but I’m not a perfectionist.
If there isn’t any end play, up and down wobble or noise that you can hear I wouldn’t worry about. MHO. Perfectionism is in the head of a perfectionist. Nuff said.

Thanks all. I'll disregard the comment at the event and forge ahead.

Chad

The left hubcap appears to be wobbling, perhaps indicating a bent axle or improperly seated hub. If the rims are rusty or bent, the tires may not seat evenly. If the car has been sitting a while, the tires can "flat spot". This is especially true of tires with nylon cord. Demountable rims need for the lugs to be tightened evenly. If the rims are out of true, you may be able to reduce the wobble by selectively loosening and retightening the lugs.

Excellent summation Pat. You have rounded out the discussion comprehensively. About the only thing you missed is a cross threaded hubcap!

Allan from down under.

I did disinfect with "perhaps". A Model T with straight, concentric wheel/tire assemblies that are in balance will roll very smoothly on fair to good road surfaces at any rational speed, up to 50 MPH. Wheel/tire assemblies that are other than round and straight and in balance will degrade ride and handling and will accelerate general wear. There is no danger of getting them perfect, but the closer you can come, the better. A T that is driven often at speeds over 25 MPH or so, or on poor road surfaces, will benefit greatly from the addition of double acting snubbers, AKA shock absorbers, at all 4 corners.

It looks okay to me.

Have you checked the alignment?