Any modern tire will fit a wire wheel but one must take care how it is installed, and know whether or not an inner tube must be used. Wire wheels can be made tubeless, but it requires a special process of sealing the inside of the rim where the spoke holes are. Usually this is done with a durable silicon-based product and must be applied properly or wheel balance may suffer. If a spoke is ever replaced, the rim seal will need to be patched.

The other problem with making tube-type wheels tubeless is the safety lip on the rim. Most older wheels do not have this safety lip, which is designed to prevent the tire from rolling off the rim in a hard corner. I've never actually seen this happen but it is a potential risk.

Some new wire wheels such as those made by Dayton have safety lips and come pre-sealed for tubeless tires. However they do not offer tubeless / safety lip on 5" and under rim widths.

By running tubeless you will drop a couple pounds off each wheel and eliminate the friction between tire and tube. However despite this slight performance gain I personally prefer to stay with tubes. This eliminates the possibility of a leak in the rim seal which cannot be repaired at a normal tire shop.

When running with tubes, you can of course use the spare wheel if you get a flat. But if you get two punctures out on the road then you may have a hard time finding a replacement tube locally. This is why I suggest buying one extra inner tube to throw in the trunk. It's cheap insurance since they only cost around $12 each.

Even if you have tubeless wire wheels, it is a good idea to have an inner tube handy. If you puncture a tubeless tire out on the road and the tire shop damages the silicon seal around the spoke holes, then you will be able to use the spare inner tube to get on your way.

When buying inner tubes, be sure to get them specifically designed for radial tires. If you get regular tubes, they will become chaffed by the rough interior of the tire and you will risk flatting. When replacing tubes and tires, don't forget to inspect the rim liners and replace them if old, cracked or dry.

NEVER use an oversized inner tube in your tires. If you do, there is a good chance of a "pinch flat" or friction puncture. Slightly undersized tubes are fine. When installing tubes, it is good practice to rub a bit of talcum powder on them to reduce friction.

When you have tires mounted, be ABSOLUTELY SURE that the tire shop has the proper equipment for mounting tires on wire wheels. If they put wire wheels on a regular machine, they can tear the spokes right out of the thing! The mounting machine must grip the rim, not the spokes.

The same goes for balancing. A regular balancing machine will not work properly since they are made for grabbing wheels with bolt holes. With the exception of special bolt-on models, wire wheels have a single large hole in the middle that will never mount perfectly centered on a standard machine. Look for an old-school tire shop. They will know what to do.