Widow makers aka split rims

npca-daner · Post by **npca-daner** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 9:10 am

Hello everyone: Has anyone had any good/bad experiences with the split rims? I was thinking about throwing a set on my Patrol but have heard so many horror stories of the "a friend of a friend once upon a time had a set" genre that I'm a little leary.....Are they really that bad? Has anyone had any first hand experience? I also understand that most tire stores won't touch them, as I understand it there are legal issues, but once again, this is just the rumour that I've heard......

npca-mudsurfer1 · Post by **npca-mudsurfer1** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 10:05 am

Hi there Daner, We've got split rims on a 1962 4 wheel drive 5 litre Bedford army truck and they are as solid as a house. Don't know about Patrols though, I've got normal alloy wheels on both of mine. U.S. law is something else so I guess you'd best check it out with your official people over there. Happy Patrolling!

npca-daner · Post by **npca-daner** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 11:25 am

Thanks for the insight, There's no doubt that they are solid! I havent weighed them but I did notice that they are considerably heavier than any other rim-the two things that I have heard is that the ring can come off while driving and that they are dangerous to work on as when you remove the ring it can fly off if it is not held down. Once again, I've only heard rumours, so I simply dont know, but I would know a little more before I put them back on the Patrol.

npca-riverpatrol · Post by **npca-riverpatrol** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 10:22 pm

Hey Daner, I have the original split rims on one of my '66s which the tires have been replaced on recently, and a spare set of split rims that I have had tires mounted and removed from with no problems. Yes, shops are leary of working on them, and it took some searching to find a shop that would. The secret is to go to a tire repair place that works on big rig trucks. Some big rigs and tractors still have split rims on them, so the truck tire repair shops aren't afraid to deal with them. As for the reliability of the rim, the only problem would be if the lip of the outer ring is too worn out, or too rusted away. But the truck tire shop would let you know if they're a problem. My shop said mine were fine.

npca-andrews67 · Post by **npca-andrews67** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 9:03 pm

I still run the split rims on my patrol, which has been in the family since new, and have had no problems at all. I do know that when I replaced my spare tire, it was cheaper to buy a used rim and mount a tire on it rather than to have them remove the old tire from my split rim and put a new one on. They said it took more time to work with the split rims. YES they can be dangerous, but only when switching the tire out. My dad worked in a tire shop when he was in high school and has told me stories of split rims flying through windows or getting stuck in the celing because they were being dealt with improperly. If you are worried about you rims causing trouble while on your patrol, you are worrying for nothing. It may cost you a little more money to keep the split rims however. So, if you are worried about durability, dont worry about it, they are fine. If you are worried about saving a little cash in the long run and having newer, better looking rims.... get new ones. Drew

npca-abuelo442 · Post by **npca-abuelo442** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 8:48 pm

There's another drawback for split rims, and is the fact that you can't put tubeless tires because the seal between the rim and the tire can't happen. You will always have to use an inner tube with all the associated problems. Esteban

npca-patrolfever · Post by **npca-patrolfever** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 9:23 pm

; any one know if vortec Chevy V6 4.3 is a good ; set up for patrols? any one done it?;