MTFCA Forum

Hello all,
I recently bought a 1917 Touring, and it came with de-mountable wheels on the front, but non de-mountable wheels on the rear. I like the idea of only having to remove the outer rim/tire in the event of a blowout, so I'm on the hunt for a pair of de-mountable wheel assemblies. My car has the small rear brakes. I would prefer them to be roadworthy, if possible. Please let me know pricing and shipping availability if not in Iowa or surrounding area.

Thank you, and I look forward to being a part of this community.

Rob, there were different types of 23" demountable wheels. The earlier ones used loose lugs to hold the rim onto the wheel felloe. Later ones had lugs fitted to the rims. It would be best to match the wheels you have on the front. That way you will only need one spare rim/tyre assembly. If you have both types of wheels on a car, any given spare rim may not fit both styles of wheels.
Show us details of the mounting bolts. lugs and the adjacent section of the felloe and good advice will follow.

Allan from down under.

Allan wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 15, 2025 1:45 am

Rob, there were different types of 23" demountable wheels. The earlier ones used loose lugs to hold the rim onto the wheel felloe. Later ones had lugs fitted to the rims. It would be best to match the wheels you have on the front. That way you will only need one spare rim/tyre assembly. If you have both types of wheels on a car, any given spare rim may not fit both styles of wheels.
Show us details of the mounting bolts. lugs and the adjacent section of the felloe and good advice will follow.

Allan from down under.

Hey Allan, thanks for the information! I will take a look when I get home this evening, and let you all know.

Hello all,
I added pictures of the style of demountable wheels I’m looking for. These are the fronts, and I need 2 rear wheels with the small brake drums.

Thanks!!!

Way to go Rob. That is the most common style, so you should have more luck.

Allan from down under.

Still looking for wheels. Preferably in Iowa or surrounding areas.

If the lug has a foot, it is likely a Hayes - no foot, a Ford. Pictured is a Hayes - the wheel felloe requires a small cutout to accommodate the foot. Generally, a Ford rim will fit either a Ford or a Hayes felloe.

Looking closely at your photos, your wheels look to have the outer edge of the felloe rolled inwards, which is most common. Those wheels should accept any lugged rim, other than Hayes rims with the foot on the lug, as Tim points out.

Hayes felloes do need a relief in the outer edge of the felloe to accommodate the lug foot. However, every Hayes wire wheel I have seen has depressions in the rolled in edge for the lug foot to go over. Wheels with a straight-up edge on the outside do have notches cut in them for the foot, but these may be other manufacturers way to make all the lugged rims interchangeable on their wheels. This may well have been driven by Ford so that wheels from multiple suppliers could be used.

Tim's photo of a Hayes rim shows a rolled in groove around the rim, just like all the Hayes rims I have. Other rims look like yours, having an added ridge around rim. Both the groove and the ridge play a part in correctly mounting the rims on loose lug felloes. When the lug bolts are done up, that groove/ridge wedges on the outer rolled edge of the felloe to make a solid unit. The lug bolts are there just to maintain that wedge effect.

When fixed lug rims were introduced the outward rolled inner edge of the felloe was widened. Rims then wedged on this wider land rather than the narrower outer land. Again all the wheel bolts do is maintain the wedge. They do not take load like modern wheel studs. Which begs the question, why do fixed lug rims retain a rolled-in groove or added ridge? It may just be so that they can still be interchanged on earlier wheels.

These observations are made by one who is more familiar with Canadian Kelsey wheels than many others.

Allan from down under

Still looking for 2 wheels. Preferably in Iowa, but can meet part way if you’re in a neighboring state. Thanks

Rob,
I think I have what you are looking for.
I’m out of town til late Sunday but can check for you when I get home.
I’m in the St. Louis area

Scott
636=544-775zero