22 Aug DDS Wheel Tech.
I’m a big fan of these wheels, primarily due to their history and lightweight. Some background:
The wheels were called Deano Dyno Soar (DDS) Alum-A-Lite aluminum wheels. More rare and lighter than the legendary Speedwell BRMs, these wheels were run by most of the top drag and street Cal-Look cars back in the 70s. DO NOT confuse these with modern ERCO wheels, which are reproduction DDS wheels.
Looking at vintage photos from back in the day, you will see these rims on some of the most famous cars, including: Tar Babe, all of the DDS race cars, Here Comes ‘Da Bug, Lil’ Red, Mouse Trap, Mad Pineapple, Lightening Bug, Aardvark, Super Bug II, Anderson Bros, etc. They were, simply, THE wheel to have if you were interested in going fast. Why? Primarily due to their light weight: the 15” x 5”s weigh approx. 5 lbs., and the 13” x 4”s weigh 3 lbs (unlike those “boat anchor” BRMs at 7 lbs. ea ;-). The wheels are so light that you can actually notice a difference in the acceleration rate. They were also popular due to a racer’s ability to order custom offsets from “The Brother’s Lowry”, Dean and Ken as DDS.
So how can you identify DDS wheels? After all, DDS never stamped their wheels. Aside from being incredibly light, notice the 3-piece construction (one center piece sandwiched between two rim halves), which were then welded together down the center (see detailed picture).
So if these wheels were so popular in the 70s, why are they so rare? Many of those famous Gassers met an ugly end to their life in the guardrail as they pushed the aerodynamic and chassis limits of the VW Beetle. As they are very light, they are more susceptible to damage, and along with losing some iconic VW drag cars, countless sets of DDS wheels were also destroyed.
The proper way to measure a rim’s width is from the INSIDE of the rim lips (not outside).
I’ve been fortunate to own 9 of these: four 15 x 5s, two 15 x 4s, and three 13 x 4s. I sold the four 15 x 5s a few years ago. I’m currently running the 15 x 4s and 13 x 4s on my ’67 with NOS Michelin X and XZX tires.
Running these rims, my stock ’67 (sans bumpers, rear seat and passenger seat) weighs 1640 lbs. with a half-tank of fuel.
