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Dayton Wire Wheel featured in (November,
2007 Hemmings Classic Car for our new and innovative
"Tall & Skinny's". The wheels developed
with the use of the Coker tire Company Excelsior Tires
for the Street Rod, and Rat Rod Markets.
Wire wheel maker rolls into
90 years - Detroit News February 7,2007
Its
U.S.-made products are used on classic sports cars,
custom low riders.
In the first half of its now 90 years in business, Dayton Wire Wheel was a supplier to the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford, Indianapolis racers, American luxury car producers and post-World War II marquees such as Buick and Chrysler.
More recently, the Dayton, Ohio-based wheel maker has become popular among those who build customized low riders, people with street and hot rods, those eager to bling-out big sport utility vehicles, and Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders........
HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS FEB 2007
WILD ABOUT WHEELS
Dayton Wire Wheel
An American standard since the earliest days of motoring
When the advent of the bicycle
was taking place, advances in
metallurgy enabled the development
of wire-spoke wheels, which served
as a means of providing a relatively large
diameter wheel that was strong but also
lightweight. Other wheel designs could
provide strength, but carried significant
weight penalties that didn’t jibe well with bicycle riding. It was only natural then that when the first automobiles began to emerge, they too would ride on wirespoke wheels, particularly since most early automobiles were constructed by
bicycle manufacturers and mechanics. As the automobile quickly evolved, its
weight increased, requiring ever-stronger wheels to deal with what passed for
roads at the time. Artillery-type woodenspoke
wheels seemed a natural, if somewhat
antiquated means of increasing
wheel strength, but the more enlightened
seemed inclined to stick with tensioned
wire-spoke designs.
Among the companies enabling those
desires was Dayton Wire Wheel, founded
in 1916 in Dayton, Ohio, then a hotbed of
technological advancement. Using the
same principles employed in making
durable bicycle wheels with tensioned
wire spokes, Dayton began to manufacture
automotive wheels that continued to
combine light weight with high strength.
The Ford Motor Company effectively endorsed
Dayton’s product when the Model
T was first offered with steel wire wheels
as an option to replace the wood-spoke
wheels. Soon after, some of the most respected
marques of the day, including
Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg would
choose Dayton to provide their wire-laced
wheels. With factory backing like that,it’s not much surprise that many early
Indy race cars ran over the bricks with
Dayton wheels for years; in fact, every car
entered in the 1948 race ran on Daytons.
But the wire-spoke wheels weren’t exclusive
to automobiles; the fledgling aircraft
industry had even more reason to
use wheels that provided reliable strength
without contributing much weight to
the craft they supported. Dayton is said
to have provided wheels for the Wright
brothers, and was on board when Charles
Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis made its legendary trip across the Atlantic.
As time rolled on, the wire-spoke wheel was largely replaced with stamped steel
rims in standard production vehicles— the stamped steel wheel could provide
adequate strength at an even lower cost than wire-spoke designs. But instead of
fading off into automotive history, Dayton focused on maintaining the flair that
it had developed in the golden age of motoring. Wire-spoke wheels began to move
from factory equipment to accessory items, used to enhance the appearance of
stately and/or sporting cars.
Today, Dayton positions itself as the ultimate source of wire-spoke wheels, with
numerous wheel lines in production covering a broad variety of styles and applications
for many domestic and imported cars. Dayton even manufactures brandnew
examples of many wire-spoke wheels made popular by other manufacturers,
like the ’50s Buick wires originally produced by Kelsey Hayes, or the wires developed
for ’60s British sports cars by Dunlop. Early Ford wires and even Borrani-style
wheels are also part of the product mix.
For enthusiasts who would prefer to
retain the original wire wheels from a
vintage car, Dayton offers a restoration
service to completely refurbish any wire
wheels, regardless of original manufacture.
This service, performed in-house,
involves stripping the old wheels of their
original spokes, truing and refinishing
the rims and hubs, installing new factory-
style wire spokes, and then replating
or repainting to factory finish.
Ninety years on, Dayton continues to
provide the style of yesteryear with modern
production quality.
May 8, 2006
Dayton Revives the “Sprint Car” Wire Wheel
Street rod designers and builders have been searching the swap meets and web sites in hopes of finding the rare, Dayton sprint car wire wheels from the ‘30s. If they are found, they are sent to Dayton for restoration and then mounted on the latest street rod project car.
Now, the search is over. Dayton has developed a replica of the original sprint car wire wheel. This spline-drive, knock-off wire wheel is available in various sizes and offsets to satisfy most applications.
The “Sprint Car” wire wheels are custom made to the builders and owners requirements. Choose chrome wheels with stainless-steel spokes, paint in any color or a combination of both. The possibilities are only limited by the imagination.
Contact Dayton Wire Wheel at 1-800-862-6000 or log on to the web site at http://www.daytonwirewheels.com/ for more information on the Dayton “Sprint Car” wire wheel and to request Dayton’s 2006, 90th Anniversary Catalog.
April 19, 2006
Dayton Wire Wheel Celebrates 90th Anniversary
Ninety years ago, the Professional Golfers Association, the Boy Scouts of America and the Women’s International Bowling Congress were formed. It was the birth year of Jackie Gleason, Dinah Shore, Ferruccio Lamborghini, Walter Cronkite, Kirk Douglas, Betty Grabel and Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity.
1916 was also the year that Dayton Wire Wheel was established in Dayton, Ohio and would become the premier designer and manufacturer of wire wheels for the next ninety years and beyond.
From the beginning, Dayton Wire Wheel set a high quality standard for the automotive industry. The Wright Brothers depended on Dayton Wire Wheel, Henry Ford chose Daytons, as did Charles Lindburgh for the Spirit of St. Louis. Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg rode on Daytons, along with nearly thirty other makes. Dayton Wire Wheels were also put to the test for thirty years of racing in the Indianapolis 500. Today, this heritage of quality and durability still lives in every wire wheel that leaves the plant in Dayton, Ohio.
British and Italian sports car owners choose Daytons and the Lowrider crowd hops and dances on Daytons. Street rod designers and builders have discovered Daytons and Harley-Davidson owners ride on American Wire Wheels made by Dayton.
Over the years, Dayton Wire Wheels have evolved through the incorporation of new technology and superior materials, changing with the times without compromising the classic styling. As a result, today’s Dayton Wire Wheel is not only distinctive and prestigious, but contemporary.
Street Rod Builder Article February 2006
 Street Rod Builder Article
Contact Dayton Wire Wheel at 1-800-862-6000 to request the 2006, 90th Anniversary Catalog or log on to the web site at http://www.daytonwirewheel.com/. |
