Like every decision made at Twisted, there is a lot of careful thought and consideration that goes into the development of our products to achieve genuine benefits which outweigh the negatives of a predecessor.
There are three major focuses when designing the right wheel; rim size, width and offset, there is always a compromise, but we, at Twisted, believe we have found the right compromise.
The original Defender wheel has changed over the years but has always been something along the lines of 16” x 7” with an ET25 offset.
Going to a wider 16” or an 18” gets you more rubber on the road, enhancing the control between driver and tarmac. Rallying in the 60’s taught us that a wider tyre is not always a better tyre. Wide tyres will of course sit on top of 20ft of snow in the North Pole, but narrower tyres can dig down through the slippery wet and find the traction underneath whether it be clay, soil or the few inches of snow we often see here in North Yorkshire.
A standard wheel limits the amount of lock; a tyre on full lock can come into contact with the radius arms, obviously prevented by lock stops. A wheel with ET0 takes the rim further away from the radius arm, allowing the wheel to be able to turn further and get a fuller lock.
In our eyes the only down side to an ET0 is as it takes the wheel outboard it allows a gap for muck to spray up the side of your vehicle. A simple solution to this would be to fit mud spats, these block the spray. Is a bit of mud really a reason not to benefit from this greater turning opportunity?
Our choice: 18”x9“ ET0
18” the ideal size for a defender, 9” the ideal width, ET0 the ideal offset.
We now have a vehicle which handles better, turns better, is more stable, has a better turning lock and a greater level of traction; giving a truly great drive, with very little compromise.
The original Twisted wheel is born.
Made in Italy, albeit with a few variations to suit varying conditions; the most common 18”, the 16” for the workhorses and 17” which is ideal for EU vehicles limited to a one size increase from their original.
Elegant in its design, slick in its performance, solid in its build, why in 2014 did we spend 3 years designing another?
It’s not that we didn’t like the old one, nor was it not fit for purpose. We love it, it’s our heritage, but we wanted something even more exclusive, yet still distinctively Twisted.
2017 gave rise to the new Twisted wheel; still with 5 spokes, still deep dish, still 18 “ x 9”, ET0, but somewhat even more unique. We’ve slightly altered the radius of the spokes, now more angular in design, painted in Satin Black, debossed with our branding. A legacy is born. No variations. TUV approved. This is a Twisted build exclusive and not for sale on the open market.
We therefore have 2 wheels, the ‘Heritage’ and the ‘Legacy’.
When the first vehicle was built in 1948, Land Rover gave birth to an icon. When production ended in 2016, a legend was born. Our Classic Series II means now you can own a Twisted modern interpretation of the most significant Defender ever made. Together we’ll remake history.
To view our current range of wheels and tyres, click here.
The ‘Heritage’ Twisted Wheel
The ‘Legacy’ Twisted Wheel
